AU9377

We all use our personal experiences in shaping our views and opinions and this is what I have seen impacting many. My mother has always been very involved with our Southern Baptist church. She very much lives as an example with the unique ability to also not be judgmental toward others. She has never been political, but I think it is safe to assume that she is also pro-life. She has never really made a point to discuss the topic. That is, until the past year or two. Listening to the nightmare stories being told by women in some states that have had to fly to another state to end their pregnancy, even though the child they are carrying will be still born, pushed her over the edge. She believes that is inhumane and now takes the position that, unless exceptions are included, she prefers the matter to be a personal choice. If she can be moved based on those horror stories, I can't honestly see how those laws stand a chance over time. Interestingly enough, she decided not to vote for Donald Trump when he gave an interview and stated that he had never asked for forgiveness because he has never needed it..... This is the kind of issue that, had Donald Trump spent more time being a leader and less time doing whatever it was he was doing, he could have galvanized the country and easily been re-elected. Using his cult like status for the good of the country would have been rewarded in history books 100 years from now. Unfortunately, he does not have the capacity to do that.

He is correct about that.

We produce more oil today than at any time in history. That is just a fact. Even so, we still subsidize the industry and allow lobbying efforts persuade members of Congress from passing any real regulatory reform. Biden finally increased leasing fees on public lands, something that had not been adjusted since 1960. Guess what? Oil companies are outraged that they actually have to pay slightly more for taking from publicly owned lands and then selling back to the public the resource at incredible profits. https://www.forbes.com/sites/caileygleeson/2024/04/12/biden-administration-finalizes-historic-reforms-for-oil-and-gas-drilling-on-federal-lands/?sh=71a338296dde The energy sector wants to be a carbon copy of the pharmaceutical industry. Have the federal government pay for the costs of research and development and then pay again out of the nose for any product produced.

You can also tell them to find gold by following South Texas tumble weeds, but no gold will be found. THERE IS NO CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL ILLEGALLY IN THE U.S. CAN VOTE IN A FEDERAL ELECTION. This kind of thing is nothing more than a lie meant to anger people and make them more likely to actually get off the couch and vote. Facebook is not news.

When I was a child, meaning 6 to 11 approximately, my father had no issue taking his belt off. That hardly ever happened though, and if it did, it was because I had acted way out of bounds. From memory, it may have happened twice, but the threat was there. Granted, I was a well behaved child compared to most. Both of my grandmothers kept a switch on top of the refrigerator. I never remember them using it, but it was there. I do remember a smart mouthed cousin of mine getting a well deserved few taps with the switch as we all laughed from a distance. This wasn't in ancient times, but was last century - 80s and 90s. It isn't unlawful for a parent to spank a child. It is unlawful for a parent to beat a child. There is a difference and that difference isn't hard to recognize. I try to give parents the benefit of the doubt at first, because the same types of discipline don't always work with some kids like they do with others. That being said, I have no patience for parents that leave their children bruised and call it discipline. Almost without exception, what I see is a parent that failed to teach their children to respect others from an early age. Behavior that they thought was cute becomes anything but as the child gets over. Even worse is when there has been so much neglect that the child's first real experience with consequences is when they arrive at school.

I read and hear it said every time the topic of Michael Cohen's testimony is raised. Trump supporters call him untrustworthy. They point to his pleading guilty to lying and serving time in prison. They always leave one thing out. He was lying at the direction and for the benefit of Donald Trump, his client. If an armed robbery occurs and the get away driver testifies against his accomplices, placing them at the scene with a weapon, is it really a credible retort to say that the driver can't be trusted due to him being a convicted felon based on the same events in question? For some, it appears to be. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/14/michael-cohen-credibility-trump-trial-00152122

The point is that the result of the election will have no significant bearing on the price of goods and services. There is no magic lever to be pulled.

Really? The initial agreement entered into jointly by the U.S. and our allies, giving us some oversight into the nuclear program in Iran wasn't perfect, but it was a joint effort that did provide some leverage in exchange for economic incentives. We weren't putting ourselves in a better position by withdrawing from that agreement and doing nothing. This is another example of it not mattering one bit what decisions are made, some will make it political and take the opposite position by default. It makes any unified response impossible, all in the name of political gamesmanship.

If you have savings, that savings is earning more interest today than it did in the 2016-2020 time frame. The stock market has performed well above expectations. Unemployment is at or near all time lows. The problem is inflation. That problem cannot be fixed by government action alone. Until consumers curb spending, inflation will continue to be an issue. When rental properties sit empty, rental rates will drop. When homes see appreciation in amounts that have little justification outside of the demand for housing, there is no switch to flip that will make owning a home more affordable. I have seen so many people inherit property in the past decade that had a base value of $50,000 when it was purchased in 1995. They sell this debt free property for $300k to $400k or more and sink that money into other properties by way of an exchange for tax purposes. It is easy to complain about the cost of their new properties or the insurance thereon, but they never complain about that 6x or 7x added value that they experienced initially, which put them into position to buy in the first place. I get it, we all want ours. We want as much as we can get as quickly as we can get it. My point is not that there is something wrong with that. My point is that we cannot expect to have our cake and eat it too. People in the U.S. have responded to price increases by taking on more personal debt, rather than changing their spending habits. Most act as though they are entitled to live in a manner not dreamed of by their grand parents. Until that is modified to some degree, not much will change.

I don't think the traditional labels apply. Today, both sides are much more reactionary in the positions they take. When one takes a position, the other, as though they are somehow obligated to do so, takes the opposite position, regardless of the merit.

Absolutely! Americans are so spoiled and incapable of accepting any level of inconvenience, that prices have no incentive to he moderated. Stop buying $60,000 trucks that you only need in your mind and the cost of those trucks will drop. Instead, too many simply tack on more debt and then complain. The new American way.

It doesn't matter what he does, you will assign some sort of blame. Likewise, Trump could come in and totally capitulate to Putin and you would call him a peace maker.

At the end of the day, the only government in the middle East that shares any of our values, whether it be political structure or human rights, is Israel. They certainly are not perfect, but I have a feeling that if Cuba consistently launched missiles daily into Florida, our response would be anything but warm and caring. My lack of understanding right now with Israel is in why it is taking this long to complete the job in Gaza. Gaza is an extremely small land strip. It is approximately twice the size of Washington, DC. The population is dense, but the IDF is powerful with every modern intelligence capability imaginable.

Seriously? You honestly believe that Biden is the cause for our slow rolling of aid to Ukraine? The current administration has been reluctant to provide U.S. weapons systems that could be used to expand the conflict beyond Ukraine's borders, but that seems to be more responsible than the alternative.

She had clearly planned to be disruptive well before she accepted an invite to someone's home and thereafter acted in an incredibly disrespectful manner toward the hosts. There is a time and place for political statements and protest. The private home in which she was a guest is not the time nor place.