My wife sells window treatments. A lot are made in Mexico. She had received emails saying prices are going up, followed by emails saying they aren't.

 

How, exactly, should a small business owner run their business if they don't know their cost of goods. Where is her bailout, like farmers get?

 

That last part was sarcasm.... But points out the hypocrisy of rural voters, who are happy to receive federal subsidies, while saying city people are just lazy if they get them....

My wife sells window treatments. A lot are made in Mexico. She had received emails saying prices are going up, followed by emails saying they aren't.

 

How, exactly, should a small business owner run their business if they don't know their cost of goods. Where is her bailout, like farmers get?

 

That last part was sarcasm.... But points out the hypocrisy of rural voters, who are happy to receive federal subsidies, while saying city people are just lazy if they get them....

After living in Iowa, it isn't sarcasm for me. Rural voters, farmers being prime culprits, talk in circles about policy often. Whatever serves their best interest is the stance they take. There is no "for the greater good," it is always "what is best for me."

 

The farm ballot... farmers feel entitled to it (ironic). Ethanol subsidies and mandates... critical for the entire nation. The clean water plan... a plot for liberals to destroy their business. All the while getting big tax beaks and write offs. Like any demographic, there are outliers that don't believe in the same thing.

 

That last part was sarcasm.... But points out the hypocrisy of rural voters, who are happy to receive federal subsidies, while saying city people are just lazy if they get them....

 

None of the rural community I know of is happy with subsidies.  Subsidies rarely impact family farms, they simple aren't to scale enough to matter.

 

None of the rural community I know of is happy with subsidies.  Subsidies rarely impact family farms, they simple aren't to scale enough to matter.

 

Exactly this. I will guarantee that any farmer would rather have no subsidies and the ability to negotiate their price. Instead, their price is told to them by many forces with government hands, and therefore, they feel if the price is going to be determined by the government, reducing the amount of crop a farm will have should also be supplemented.

 

That same mentality should also translate to an issue like abortion, and interestingly enough, in my conversations with "suburban Republicans" versus "rural Republicans", it's absolutely the rural group who understand the need to supplement social programs if restrictions are placed on abortion. However, that rural group can vote strong with electoral votes, but they don't vote strong with money, so their electoral vote is courted, but their nuanced opinion on such issues is often ignored at a national level.

None of the rural community I know of is happy with subsidies. Subsidies rarely impact family farms, they simple aren't to scale enough to matter.

Riiiight... This is total BS. Subsidies are the only reason many farms are viable. They are so deeply entrenched into the agriculture economy that farmers don't even realize what they are. Take them away, all of them, and see what happens to the Midwest. Corporate farms, dirt cheap corn, all the wealth going to a fraction of the people it once did... The irony is our farms are the result of socialistic ideas during the great depression, and many of these people vote against the same type of ideas that saved family farms. Again, give them what they want, and when it hurts enough they'll change their votes.

 

Riiiight... This is total BS. Subsidies are the only reason many farms are viable. They are so deeply entrenched into the agriculture economy that farmers don't even realize what they are. Take them away, all of them, and see what happens to the Midwest. Corporate farms, dirt cheap corn, all the wealth going to a fraction of the people it once did... The irony is our farms are the result of socialistic ideas during the great depression, and many of these people vote against the same type of ideas that saved family farms. Again, give them what they want, and when it hurts enough they'll change their votes.

 

Honestly, you don't know what you're talking about.

Honestly, you don't know what you're talking about.

So most crop insurance and commodity payments are going to the biggest, wealthiest farmers. I'm saying look at the whole picture, including tax beaks and current policy that still do help small farmers.

 

I'm no fan of the agriculture industry propaganda machine. Making a fuss about the Obama clean water bill, and rallying rural fathers against it and him was despicable. Any change that is meant to improve current practices is seen as hostile to the industry. Modifying the handouts from the government will be bring out the ugly.

 

So most crop insurance and commodity payments are going to the biggest, wealthiest farmers. I'm saying look at the whole picture, including tax beaks and current policy that still do help small farmers.

I'm no fan of the agriculture industry propaganda machine. Making a fuss about the Obama clean water bill, and rallying rural fathers against it and him was despicable. Any change that is meant to improve current practices is seen as hostile to the industry. Modifying the handouts from the government will be bring out the ugly.

 

I don't disagree it will bring out the ugly.  Most small farmers, and the rural people who depend on that business to sustain their towns, don't love subsidies.  They don't make them any money.

 

Just an anecdote, but in the area I grew up in most people lost money on their crops.  My father paid the bills last year selling bails of hay.  (Something he can do outside the government influence of price controls and subsidies)

Just for the record, as a kid we grew up on a small pig farm that managed to make a small profit because we could sell our pigs to the St Paul stockyard. In the 90s, a lot of forces combined and closed down the stockyard so unless you were big enough to sell pigs directly to a processor (which meant you had to sign a contract to deliver X number of pigs a month) you had to go into the farmer's market business or close. Lots of small farms ended with the stockyard. I'm not sure if you'd want to categorize the stockyard as a subsidy or a cooperative but it was vital to small farmers for quite some time. When we talk about rural problems, I don't think that one is mentioned enough.

The “Prince of Whales.”

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-48622001

 

The “Prince of Whales.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-48622001

This was the more significant part of that article I thought:

https://twitter.com/EllenLWeintraub/status/1139309394968096768/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1139309394968096768&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fuk-wales-48622001

Mine! Mine!

 

The “Prince of Whales.”

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-48622001

Pretty sure the folks who voted for our President didn't and still don't care whether he is good at spelling or not.

 

It distresses me how little the public at large values the skills I happen to have.

Israel unveils Trump Heights settlement 

I pretty much disagree with the entire Israel policy of Trump. Netanyahu is a thug, and I really hope he is voted out of power. Unfortunately, his type is the kind that Trump loves rubbing elbows with...

 

I pretty much disagree with the entire Israel policy of Trump. Netanyahu is a thug, and I really hope he is voted out of power. Unfortunately, his type is the kind that Trump loves rubbing elbows with...

Are you more of a Khamenei guy?

 

I love Trump's Israel policy.  They love him in Israel....Iran, not so much.

 

Are you more of a Khamenei guy?

 

I love Trump's Israel policy.  They love him in Israel....Iran, not so much.

You can be anti-right-wing policy on Israel, and not be pro-Iran.  

 

Would you support war with Iran? If so, on what basis?

Edited June 19, 20197 yr by PseudoSABR

 

You can be anti-right-wing policy on Israel, and not be pro-Iran.  

 

Would you support war with Iran? If so, on what basis?

What is a "right-wing policy on Israel"???

 

 

I would support shelling Iran morning, noon and night until nothing moved there if they started targeting Americans on American soil.

What is a "right-wing policy on Israel"???

 

 

I would support shelling Iran morning, noon and night until nothing moved there if they started targeting Americans on American soil.

Netanyahu is a right wing leader. His policies and actions are right wing. Not liking him, or right wing policy doesn't make someone pro Hezbollah or pro Iran.

 

That is a very unfortunate attitude. There are millions of people in Iran that dislike what the government does, but you'd have no problem killing them all? Things will change in Iran, just give it time. Three are a lot of educated people, and culturally aware young people. Just like the US, change will happen once the older, more conservative, more religious generation passes. I have a long time friend from Iran, and the people there are good people that don't deserve what the government does.

Edited June 19, 20197 yr by Badsmerf

 

Netanyahu is a right wing leader. His policies and actions are right wing. Not liking him, or right wing policy doesn't make someone pro Hezbollah or pro Iran.

That is a very unfortunate attitude. There are millions of people in Iran that dislike what the government does, but you'd have no problem killing them all? Things will change in Iran, just give it time. Three are a lot of educated people, and culturally aware young people. Just like the US, change will happen once the older, more conservative, more religious generation passes. I have a long time friend from Iran, and the people there are good people that don't deserve what the government does.

The thing I find outright bizarre is that after reading this forum very carefully for almost five months now is that there is a greater criticism of Israel than there is for Iran.  You went out of your way to talk about the "good people of Iran" and after criticizing Israel for being "too right wing" for your liking.

 

Let me tell you something....

I work in a NYS public school.  The Israeli Scouts dropped by a couple of weeks ago and they were a fine bunch of young people.  As a matter of fact, a school employee went into cardiac arrest and the leader of the Israeli Scouts (on this trip) sprung into action and performed CPR and saved a life.  About a half hour later they were onstage performing.  I am not Jewish, but I have a great deal of respect for Jewish people and Israel. You like to scream RACISM but you seem somewhat anti-Semitic to me.

 

The bottom line is this for me.  Israel's government and people have had a relationship with ours.  They never fired missiles at our ships, taken hostages or threatened us with annihilation.  Iran has been this way since before you were even born.  For all the wonderful people who live there (according to you) they seem to not like us very much.

 

The thing I find outright bizarre is that after reading this forum very carefully for almost five months now is that there is a greater criticism of Israel than there is for Iran.  You went out of your way to talk about the "good people of Iran" and after criticizing Israel for being "too right wing" for your liking.

 

Let me tell you something....

I work in a NYS public school.  The Israeli Scouts dropped by a couple of weeks ago and they were a fine bunch of young people.  As a matter of fact, a school employee went into cardiac arrest and the leader of the Israeli Scouts (on this trip) sprung into action and performed CPR and saved a life.  About a half hour later they were onstage performing.  I am not Jewish, but I have a great deal of respect for Jewish people and Israel. You like to scream RACISM but you seem somewhat anti-Semitic to me.

 

The bottom line is this for me.  Israel's government and people have had a relationship with ours.  They never fired missiles at our ships, taken hostages or threatened us with annihilation.  Iran has been this way since before you were even born.  For all the wonderful people who live there (according to you) they seem to not like us very much.

Look, no one is being antisemitic.  Israel is a country, and their policies can be criticized--especially settlements in land taken by force over 50 years ago which the UN still does not acknowledge Israel's rightful possession of such lands--without accusations of antisemiticism.  Your accusation is similar to someone calling a critic of the Obama administrations policies a racist (which no one has ever done around here). 

 

As for Iran, no one's really brought it up.  They are obviously an extreme regime, so the need to criticize them isn't as obvious.  People also aren't complaining about North Korea on the regular for the same reasons. 

 

Because Israel is OUR ALLY our criticism of their policies should have more of an impact.    

 

Look, no one is being antisemitic.  

No one is being "racist" either

Trump threatening Iran with war... The Iran hawks must have gotten to him.

I mean ... whether he 'misspoke' or what ... this is pretty funny ...

 

 

I always loved that one time we took over JFK from the Brits. Yuge advantage getting their airports.

I see Trump's been busy on twitter this morning.

 

I see Trump's been busy on twitter this morning.

He keeps digging and his supporters don't care. It's mind boggling. The guys a nut job. Openly racist. Can't believe America lets this happen.

 

He keeps digging and his supporters don't care. It's mind boggling. The guys a nut job. Openly racist. Can't believe America lets this happen.

 

To be fair, the four people he is trolling are nut jobs as well.  They should all get together and give Planters some competition.

He keeps digging and his supporters don't care. It's mind boggling. The guys a nut job. Openly racist. Can't believe America lets this happen.

What I can't believe, is how cowardly members of the GOP are to denounce him. Nothing surprises me coming from Trump anymore. I really hope he is the last of his kind to be elected, but he has too much support for me to believe that to be true. History will not be kind to him.