Politics Thread

[Xville]

I don't know about you, but evil dictator might actually be a preferable to what's gone on.

The really sad part is that you are probably right which is the problem with that area...too many bad people, too much of a generational mindset that isn't going to change anytime soon.

[X-man]

This is my favorite statistic/fact about the Obama era because liberals always point to the unemployment rate while ignoring the enormous red flag that is the drop in those seeking work/employee participation.

Here is a link to the actual labor force participation rate data for the last 70 years (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/CIVPART.txt) in case you are interested in actual data instead of just making shit up.

[X-man]

As the data show, that rate has trended down since the mid-90's. Demographics, i.e. an aging population with an increasing percentage of retirees, explains the data patterns you are seeing.

[Juice]

Here is a link to the actual labor force participation rate data for the last 70 years (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/CIVPART.txt) in case you are interested in actual data instead of just making shit up.

So under Obama it started around 66% and ended around 62%? Under Bush it started around 67% and ended at around 66%? Do you realize how important those percentage points are? I think these numbers proved my point.

[Xville]

Here is a link to the actual labor force participation rate data for the last 70 years (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/CIVPART.txt) in case you are interested in actual data instead of just making shit up.

Thanks for proving our point...it has dropped abut 4 percent since Obama took office. You realize that is the most significant drop in any presidency right?

[Caf]

So under Obama it started around 66% and ended around 62%? Under Bush it started around 67% and ended at around 66%? Do you realize how important those percentage points are? I think these numbers proved my point.

I'm assuming the baby boomers skew the trend line quite a bit.

[X-man]

I'm assuming the baby boomers skew the trend line quite a bit.

People like Juice and Xville don't want facts to get in the way of their polemical position on this.

[Xville]

I'm not a fan of DeVos (of course), but hey, it's not like education is important. I think Flynn may be the worst pick of the group though - he is borderline dangerous and will play a key role in a department that can get us into wars. I can't say I'm a huge fan of Carson to run HUD, but he probably can't do all that much damage in that role. Mattis seems OK, Pompeo probably won't do anything too crazy, and Tillerson is seeming like a more tolerable pick after the confirmation hearings.

Regarding the nepotism - Don and Eric will be running this business, but I would argue that it seems that Kusher and Ivanka seem poised to play key roles in his administration, even if not formally named to key roles (as they cannot be due to an anti-nepotism law, otherwise I'm sure they would be cabinet level appointees). For example Trump is claiming that Kushner will broker a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, which seems like a pretty significant task. It also gives us another frightening glimpse into Trump's psyche - the fact that he thinks is publisher and real estate investor son-in-law, with no political experience, is going to broker peace in the middle east shows just how little he knows about foreign policy.

Regarding Ivanka - her role seems to be a little less clear at this point. It sounds like she will function as a de-facto first lady, which is probably fine. I'm not sure how 'great' she is though. She is definitely pretty, but beyond that I don't know a whole lot about her qualifications. She looks pretty great compared to Donald though, I guess.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/dear-mr-pr...pstories.html#

This is the kind of thing our schools are teaching our children. Go to your safe spaces children and write a letter to deal with your emotional distress. hank goodness someone that is heavily criticized by the teachers' union is taking over.

[Caf]

People like Juice and Xville don't want facts to get in the way of their polemical position on this.

I'm no economist or professor but I charted the data and the slope dramatically increases in the 70s and early 80s when the boomers started their careers. I hope some politicians made hay with that increase back.

[Xville]

People like Juice and Xville don't want facts to get in the way of their polemical position on this.

this is typical of a liberal...use a big word that no one uses to make yourself sound smart. There are more millennials than baby boomers you know that right? There are quite a few baby boomers who are not near retirement age just as there are quite a few millennials who have yet to reach the job market age. It stands to reason that those numbers balance each other out quite well, but keep pushing that Obama propaganda.