All Hail God-Emperor Trump

[elone]

I know and agree. I supported Bernie Sanders, saw him speak, contributed to his campaign, put his bumper sticker on my vehicle. I am as liberal and progressive as anyone. However, Trump as president, as abhorrent as that is, will not mean the literal end of the world. He will not be pushing any nuclear buttons. That is just fear mongering.

Unfortunately, it will be the end of the world for many of our civil liberties, our rights, and our environment.

The Democrats and the media dug our graves with their support of Hillary Clinton, who most people saw as inherently dishonest and flawed. I actually have met people who supported Bernie and voted Trump just to stick it to the world.

It is a bad time for this country, but we will persevere.

Who know what will happen, Trump used to be a Democrat after all.

[Florence]

The thing is that for a great number of people, including a fair percentage of the people on these forums, 'the progressive agenda' includes things like 'human rights and legal protection'. For them, having that delayed means a lot, and that assumes it merely holds steady instead of outright backsliding.

Yeah, I've seen a lot of people getting frustrated with (and I'm not making any assumptions about elone here, to be clear) straight, cisgender white people (especially men), telling everyone to calm down and that everything is going to be okay... because like, this has the very real potential to be very NOT okay for a good chunk of Americans.

Really, though, I don't think this is going to be particularly GREAT even for the aforementioned straight, cisgender, white people. Hell, depending on just how much he tries to follow through with some of his disastrous ideas, people outside of America may very well end up having a not so great time thanks to President trump.

I actually have met people who supported Bernie and voted Trump just to stick it to the world.

I'm sorry, but as a Sanders supporter, those people utterly vex me.

It really strikes me as cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Sure, Hillary wasn't ideal by any means, but what sense does it make to go vote for someone who represents the antithesis of everything Bernie Sanders was campaigning for? Revolution for the sake of revolution? That's basically a national-level temper tantrum, frankly. Revolution is not only pointless if it doesn't have a purpose, it's destructive.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Well to sort of speak for the Bernie supporter turned Trump supporter, there is a common thread there.  Both of them were vehemently opposed to the establishment.  This is what people latched onto when making that switch.  They were not voting for Trump so much as they were voting to burn down the established order of things.  Hillary represented the status quo and she openly ran her campaign on that theme of steady leadership, a knowing hand on the wheel.  People that made this sort of switch didn't want a steady hand on the wheel, they wanted to wreck the car and get the insurance money so they could start over again.

[Florence]

Well to sort of speak for the Bernie supporter turned Trump supporter, there is a common thread there.  Both of them were vehemently opposed to the establishment.  This is what people latched onto when making that switch.  They were not voting for Trump so much as they were voting to burn down the established order of things.  Hillary represented the status quo and she openly ran her campaign on that theme of steady leadership, a knowing hand on the wheel.  People that made this sort of switch didn't want a steady hand on the wheel, they wanted to wreck the car and get the insurance money so they could start over again.

I understand that much, but... I dunno, I just don't get it. I mean... Sure, they were both anti-establishment, but so is an ebola outbreak. That's kind of what I meant by revolution for revolution's sake. Sure, okay, you've successfully gut-punched the man. Now things are going to get worse. Now, we're going to be looking back to the days of the old status quo with a sense of wistful longing.

Its foolish, in my opinion, to tear down the establishment if you're not considering how it will be built back up. Sanders was a socialist, (or social democrat, I suppose) so I can't imagine many of his supporters will be thrilled with how an authoritarian like Trump wants to build things back up.

[TheGlyphstone]

The more frustrated you are with the establishment, the higher the price you're willing to pay to get rid of it I guess.

[CriminalMindsFan]

He is already sounding like a politician because he might keep some of the stuff in place that he promised to remove.

[TheGlyphstone]

There's also the distinct possibility that he just didn't realize how hard it was going to be to get rid of some of that stuff from the outside. He wrote a lot of checks to get elected, and now he's learning that they might not all be cashable.

[Verasaille]

Tearing down the Establishment will not do us any good. When anarchy rules, the people suffer. I am sorry, but we cannot simply let the rioters wreck the cities and cause trouble all for the sake of a failed election.

We were not offered any choice. Sure I voted for Hillary, I would have preferred Sanders! But that is beside the point. As Americans we have to remember that we ALL have a right to have an opinion and to VOICE that opinion. It is a Constitutional Right given us by the Founders of this great nation. Were they perfect? Hell no!

In the 1700's, when Britain was fleecing the Colonies with unfair taxes and refusing to recognise the leaders we had selected, there was a Revolution. What brought this about? A whole host of things that were not only unfair, but destructive and barbaric, in that time. I invite all of you to view the documents listed in the National Archives. I will link the first one here and you may peruse the others once on the site.

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

At that time, slavery was not only practiced, but encouraged. Not everyone agreed with it of course. The Native Americans were either used as soldiers against the Colonists or systematically destroyed by troops of both the British Government and the Colonies militia. Women were not allowed to vote. Children were sometimes sold into slavery, or indentured service. These were not all blacks, a lot of them were Irish and Scottish and other nations who immigrated to the North American Continent in search of religious freedom. Ironic, isn't it?

It's been over 200 years, and we have come a long ways. If we as a Nation intend on surviving into the next century, we have to keep improving. Civil rights, the safety of our Nation and the economic situation must all be given an equal and intensive overhaul. We cannot survive economically if we continue to let manufacturing die out in this country. We have to be able to provide jobs for all people willing to work.

Not everyone will be able or willing to get a college education. An education, by the way, that does not guarantee you will get the job you are training for. We also need jobs for the lower end wage scale. If there are no industrial manufacturers in this country, we are losing the battle. The service industry can only support so many. We need large scale industry like cars. (More electric cars and vehicles that do not use fuel that harms the environment) That is only the tip of the iceberg.

As far as the health industry is concerned, there needs to be a huge overhaul of the outrageous prices being charged for expenses in hospitals. Doctors need to reflect back on their reasons(to help people live longer and alleviate pain) for being doctors and keep expenses reasonable. If the prices for things are brought back to a reasonable level, the insurance companies would be forced to lower the premiums, and everyone opts into the health care system, the system will work. It won't be easy. I know that. But everyone will have to make a concerted effort to bring the economy back into focus.

The free enterprise system works only if there are certain guidelines established by the industries that hold them accountable. No more Monopolies of things like broadband cable companies and telephone companies. Competition needs to be in place to keep these companies honest.

I do not think for a moment that Trump is going to get all the things he promised accomplished. Name me one president who ever has? No you can't because it is impossible. He might get a few things his way. But remember even some of the hard core Republicans were not exactly supporting him either. He was not elected King, or Emperor. He is not as powerful as you think he is.

The one thing that bothers me more than anything is the amount of people who are taking out their frustration in a violent way. That will help no one. Peace and love and patience. Keep supporting the politicians who are doing things the way you want to see them done. In spite of the Electoral College, the President is elected by the people. If he does something stupid? Then go after him!! He is not above the LAW!!

All of the above is my opinion. I respect those who have differing opinions.

[Tamhansen]

It's been over 200 years, and we have come a long ways. If we as a Nation intend on surviving into the next century, we have to keep improving. Civil rights, the safety of our Nation and the economic situation must all be given an equal and intensive overhaul. We cannot survive economically if we continue to let manufacturing die out in this country. We have to be able to provide jobs for all people willing to work.

Not everyone will be able or willing to get a college education. An education, by the way, that does not guarantee you will get the job you are training for. We also need jobs for the lower end wage scale. If there are no industrial manufacturers in this country, we are losing the battle. The service industry can only support so many. We need large scale industry like cars. (More electric cars and vehicles that do not use fuel that harms the environment) That is only the tip of the iceberg.

[snip]

The free enterprise system works only if there are certain guidelines established by the industries that hold them accountable. No more Monopolies of things like broadband cable companies and telephone companies. Competition needs to be in place to keep these companies honest.

The free market system is exactly the issue with the things you describe above. As long as companies are operated with the shareholders as their only interest, they will keep going for the lowest costs in labor and resource. And that is not the US. Countries like China, the koreas and Thailand can operate much cheaper, especially as, in many cases, they can use indentured workers. (Like the Foxconn factories Apple uses, or the slaveshops used by Ikea and H&M or the enslaved fisherman used by Walmart and Costco)

The worst part is, the people affected by these moves overseas are the ones most supporting it in their daily life.

I remember a few years back there was a documentary about one of the last jeans factories in some midwest state being closed. And all these workers were cursing at their boss for moving their production overseas, and how they were suffering. When the british interviewer asked whether the factory workers bought the jeans made in their factory, they all said no, the ones at Walmart were cheaper, and just as good.

So basically, they helped force their own jobs overseas.

As far as the health industry is concerned, there needs to be a huge overhaul of the outrageous prices being charged for expenses in hospitals. Doctors need to reflect back on their reasons(to help people live longer and alleviate pain) for being doctors and keep expenses reasonable. If the prices for things are brought back to a reasonable level, the insurance companies would be forced to lower the premiums, and everyone opts into the health care system, the system will work. It won't be easy. I know that. But everyone will have to make a concerted effort to bring the economy back into focus.

It's why I like singel payer systems, except where that payer is the government. Let me explain. I've lived in three different countries that have universal healthcare (Yes my job moves me around a lot)

The Netherlands, Belgium and France all use a system where the hospitals are either government run or third sector. Insurance companies buy in care, which is set at a certain government controlled maximum, but often they work well below that.

In the Netherlands insurance premiums for an adult are around 1200 euros per year for full coverage, no exclusion of existing conditions or whatever. Kids are free up to their 18th birthday. If you make below the median wage, you will get a monthly tax return based on your total income for the previous year, and at the end of the year, the tax return is adjusted based on your actual earnings.

The UK on the other hand, all hospitals (apart from a few private ones) are run by the government, paid by the government, and are completely free at point of service. This system worked quite wonderfully from its inception in 1948 until about 2010 when the current Neocon government started willfully defunding the healthcare system, and selling bits of it of to their friends in the private sector. Where in 2010, 95% of regional health boards had a net operating surplus, in six years time, over 50% are running at a loss, with a few currently facing having major shutdown of services.

This is not because the healthcare became too expensive, but simply because of a concerted effort by our 'government for the working people'

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I don’t think it’s fair to ask doctors to work out of the kindness of their hearts and reflect on why they became doctors and lower their costs.  For one their costs are actually not what drives up the insurance premiums and costs.  Take a look at the bill and you will see your largest expenditures are for testing, which doctors do not control the price.  A physician does not bill for lab services, CT examinations and so forth.  That would be the hospital.  Nurses also do not set how much the hospital bills for their services, they are simply paid an hourly wage. 

Second, physicians have quite a bit of their own costs to pay.  Most I know have extravagant student loan payments in the 300 to 400 thousand range.  Many had to take out loans, max out credit cards and so forth to live while working for nearly free.  Malpractice insurance is high for them due to a system where people can sue for anything (seriously go look at what people sue hospital, doctors and nurses over). 

Lastly, physicians have even less control over what they are able to bill now as many are no longer independent contractors themselves.  Many move under the umbrella of large hospitals and corporations that mandate how many patients they must see and how fast they must see them.  So while we are stating that they must reflect on why they became doctors we are also demanding they see more people faster and with the same quality as if they are machines.

The healthcare system in this country is also the fault of the citizens in this country.  People in the United States want to eat their cake, lose weight, be pain free and live forever while sitting around doing nothing.  People want over qualified staff at their bedside such as registered nurses with college degrees in place of LPNs and ADoNs which are just as good.  They want specialist doctors attending to their weight problems.  People want the MRI machine because that is what they used on House while at the same time wanting dilaudid for their headaches, but then sue because they are now addicted to pain medicine.  We issue the same surveys to rate medical care as hotels issue to rate your experience because people want “the Disneyland experience” at a hospital. 

We cannot only look at the healthcare systems of other countries but we also have to look at what those countries expect of their healthcare systems.  Preventative medicine is far cheaper than reactionary medicine, which is what we in the United States utilize.  Emergency Rooms are packed because people do not manage their weight, do not manage their chronic conditions with proper medication and lifestyle choices and come when things are hurting.  People do not follow up with their physicians, they do not have regular checkups or follow advice. 

We as consumers created this bloated, expensive system because we wanted the pampering.  People want to go to a hospital and be treated like royalty while also not paying a dime.  So I do think we need to take a long look at what we expect out of medicine before asking medicine to lower their prices and fix itself.

[Tamhansen]

I don’t think it’s fair to ask doctors to work out of the kindness of their hearts and reflect on why they became doctors and lower their costs.  For one their costs are actually not what drives up the insurance premiums and costs.  Take a look at the bill and you will see your largest expenditures are for testing, which doctors do not control the price.  A physician does not bill for lab services, CT examinations and so forth.  That would be the hospital.  Nurses also do not set how much the hospital bills for their services, they are simply paid an hourly wage. 

Second, physicians have quite a bit of their own costs to pay.  Most I know have extravagant student loan payments in the 300 to 400 thousand range.  Many had to take out loans, max out credit cards and so forth to live while working for nearly free.  Malpractice insurance is high for them due to a system where people can sue for anything (seriously go look at what people sue hospital, doctors and nurses over). 

Lastly, physicians have even less control over what they are able to bill now as many are no longer independent contractors themselves.  Many move under the umbrella of large hospitals and corporations that mandate how many patients they must see and how fast they must see them.  So while we are stating that they must reflect on why they became doctors we are also demanding they see more people faster and with the same quality as if they are machines.

The healthcare system in this country is also the fault of the citizens in this country.  People in the United States want to eat their cake, lose weight, be pain free and live forever while sitting around doing nothing.  People want over qualified staff at their bedside such as registered nurses with college degrees in place of LPNs and ADoNs which are just as good.  They want specialist doctors attending to their weight problems.  People want the MRI machine because that is what they used on House while at the same time wanting dilaudid for their headaches, but then sue because they are now addicted to pain medicine.  We issue the same surveys to rate medical care as hotels issue to rate your experience because people want “the Disneyland experience” at a hospital. 

We cannot only look at the healthcare systems of other countries but we also have to look at what those countries expect of their healthcare systems.  Preventative medicine is far cheaper than reactionary medicine, which is what we in the United States utilize.  Emergency Rooms are packed because people do not manage their weight, do not manage their chronic conditions with proper medication and lifestyle choices and come when things are hurting.  People do not follow up with their physicians, they do not have regular checkups or follow advice. 

We as consumers created this bloated, expensive system because we wanted the pampering.  People want to go to a hospital and be treated like royalty while also not paying a dime.  So I do think we need to take a long look at what we expect out of medicine before asking medicine to lower their prices and fix itself.

Yes, I think that when people want the cost of their healthcare to go down, if they really research they will find that it isn't so much the salaries of nurses, and doctors (Though consultant's fees are incredibly high in the US compared to like countries around the world) but mostly the costs of equipment, drugs and other auxilliaries.

Take for example that MRI scan you talked about.

In the USA an MRI scan can cost between 1200 and 1500 dollars. (Perhaps more by now)
In the UK this same test costs 179 pounds, or roughly 200 to 250 dollars.

This is not the cost to the patients it is the actual total bill.

Same goes with the currently controversial epipen. 119$ in the UK 49$ to a private buyer, roughly 30$ to commercial buyers.

What needs to be looked at is why these costs are so high, and how to bring them down. And that is where collective buying of healthcare, like the soon to be defunct ACA was originally supposed to become, can really save money, as well as lives.

[Drake Valentine]

God Emperor?  No, follow his general behavior. Trump is a troll and a good one at that. He already succeeded in trolling the Republican Party; now it is just a matter of where things go from there.

Regardless this is a historical marker in itself.  How long he stays a troll is the question.

[LostInTheMist]

I despise seeing so many people say they are ashamed to be an American.

There are so many who fought, died, suffer and are still suffering abandoned and carrying the weight of wars on their backs. Be proud to be an American, hate Trump and the political system all you want. But you owe it to all those who have suffered unimaginable pain for you to be free.

So pick up the flag, clean the vile muck off of it and make it stand proud and stand fast. Wear the title "AMERICAN" On your chest with pride and fight to protect the homeland from domestic destruction and corruption.

To say you are ashamed to be an American is insulting to their sacrifices and to everyone else who ever fought o be recognized as a citizen.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

I am grateful to the sacrifices of the military, and the hundreds of thousands of American who have died to preserve our freedoms. But I am ashamed of what we have done with those freedoms granted us. That the American people have chosen a path of xenophobia, racial hatred, intolerance, religious fanaticism (oh yes, it's Christianity too!), and ultranationalist fascism.

I love America. I really do. But she makes it so fucking hard sometimes. Especially when more people vote for Clinton, as opposed to the racist, bigoted, idiotic fascist (saying or typing his name causes me to vomit uncontrollably), and yet he still wins the election....

I am proud to be an American.

I am ashamed of what America has done.

[Trigon]

3) War with China, and possibly also Mexico while we are at it. If it goes nuclear, I predict it would flare up in the Korean Peninsula.


The more I think about it, the more it sinks in just how badly our political system has blundered...

Hey, you all remember this prediction? Well, who here is  ready to see it come true! Here is the humble beginnings of it: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/14/china-threatens-to-cut-sales-of-iphones-and-us-cars-if-naive-trump-pursues-trade-war

And meanwhile North Korea appears posed to charge right ahead... http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/11/14/united-states-allies-alert-north-korea-nuclear-missile-program/93599766/

[Florence]

I am grateful to the sacrifices of the military, and the hundreds of thousands of American who have died to preserve our freedoms. But I am ashamed of what we have done with those freedoms granted us. That the American people have chosen a path of xenophobia, racial hatred, intolerance, religious fanaticism (oh yes, it's Christianity too!), and ultranationalist fascism.

I love America. I really do. But she makes it so fucking hard sometimes. Especially when more people vote for Clinton, as opposed to the racist, bigoted, idiotic fascist (saying or typing his name causes me to vomit uncontrollably), and yet he still wins the election....

I am proud to be an American.

I am ashamed of what America has done.

Honestly, I'm not particularly proud to be an American, because really, what IS America except what it does? Other than that, it's just a particular place on the planet, and I don't personally find much pride in the geographical happenstance of my birth.

I agree with your sentiment, honestly, though. I appreciate the sacrifices of our military. I may not share their patriotism, but I can appreciate the courage it takes to put your life on the line for your home and for what you believe in.

But I suppose I find it hard to say that I'm proud to be an American because, as you said, we have so much freedom in this country; we basically lead the charge for modern democracy, and that's not nothing...but then, THIS is what we do with that freedom.

We have Freedom of Speech, and use it to spread hatred and ignorance. We have Freedom of Assembly, and use it to form hate groups. We democratically elect our leaders and we use that powerful voice to elect a fascist and his homophobic running mate.

Don't get me wrong: I AM glad to live in a country where we have the freedom to do all that. I am just deeply ashamed of what we use those freedoms for; that we chose hatred over love, ignorance over knowledge. We've chosen nationalistic xenophobia rather than peaceful coexistence. Muslims are not our enemy, there are plenty of Muslims living peacefully in this very country, but we've chosen to paint them all as potential terrorists, just as we paint every Mexican as a potential rapist and drug dealer.

I hate to think of what Donald Trump or Mike Pence are going to do now. I am bracing myself for the kind of national disgrace we haven't brought upon ourselves since the Japanese American internment camps.

[Valerian]

I hate to think of what Donald Trump or Mike Pence are going to do now. I am bracing myself for the kind of national disgrace we haven't brought upon ourselves since the Japanese American internment camps.

At the moment, they're apparently doing things very, very slowly, according to this article:

In another sign of disarray, a transition official said on Tuesday that Mr. Trump had removed a second senior defense and foreign policy official from his transition team, Matthew Freedman, who runs a Washington consulting firm that advises foreign governments and companies seeking to do business with the United States government.

Mr. Pence took the helm of the transition on Friday after Mr. Trump unceremoniously removed Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who had been preparing with Obama administration officials for months to put the complex transition process into motion. That effort is now frozen, senior White House officials say, because Mr. Pence has yet to sign legally required paperwork to allow his team to begin collaborating with President Obama’s aides on the handover.

I'm starting to think that much of the White House staff is just going to disappear slowly due to resignations and Trump and his cronies will be left sitting in the Oval Office staring at each other blankly.  <.<

[Mithlomwen]

Hello pot......meet kettle....

Apparently Mr. Pence is going to court in order to keep his emails private.

[DominantPoet]

Hello pot......meet kettle....

Apparently Mr. Pence is going to court in order to keep his emails private.

I laughed so hard when I first heard of this through FB posts on my feed on there. Because of course they would do that, they used it as ammunition so much, how could it not dawn on them that it could happen to them as well? Can only imagine what a guy like Pence wants to hide.



I also genuinely feel sorry for whoever has the Presidency after Trump, considering how utterly terrible they are at something Obama prepared for months to make as seamless as possible, much like his predecessor did for him. And that all just blew up, because they don't seem to have one iota of an idea of what the heck they are doing. Never mind whatever else they inherit from his time in that position.

[Verasaille]

I would hazard a guess that they won't get very much done anyway. Even though Trump claims to be Republican now, he was for a time a card carrying Democrat. It seems to me that he would be good at getting others to do his work for him. Who he chooses still has to be verifyed and vetted. How many idiots can he line up before he finds someone competent?

We will survive. The tide of public opinion is not helping him at all. So much has happened to let those who supported him know that the general public is not going to sit back and let the outrageous Radical Right make this country fall backwards in time to the age of bigotry. Already the riots and the indignation is making waves in the media.

Trump thought he was clever to use social media? It will come back to bite him in the ass.

[Aiden]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUkv_jPgTeg

I love Jon Stewart, I miss his satire yes, but damn I just want to hear what he has to say in general.

[CrownedSun]

Yeah, he's definitely missed here too.

I really like a lot of the stuff he's done since the Daily Show, though.

n' the message he shared there, in that video, really touched a cord with me.

Like I wasn't just in denial, heh.

[DominantPoet]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_AzHWoCITk

Nice little recap of what's happened in the last little bit with 'god emperor'. Colbert really seems to be getting into his groove on the Tonight Show now too.

Still...terrifying as all hell that this seemingly man-child is going to be President, but yeah *laughs*

[CrownedSun]

Amusingly, I was talking with my Mom and my Gramma and I was able to actually make them understand and accept the whole "how more people physically voted for Hillary, but Trump still won," concept and they both agreed that it was more than a little confusing and unfair.

Heh.

I think my Gramma, in particular, though that Trump won the vote but there were a whole bunch of people that liked Hillary but didn't go out and vote.

[Trigon]

I think the national anthem should be replaced with a more fitting tune:

https://youtu.be/-bzWSJG93P8

[Oniya]

Vader had better hair.  In Episode 6, that is, not the 'prequels'.