The US Hamster Wheel

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Boac
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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5881 Post by Boac » Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:49 am

He really is terminally confused. According to several news outlets he is threatening 'huge sanctions' (probably 'beautiful' ones...) if Iraq chucks him out. We all thought he WANTED out of the ME? Was that just false news? Did he just 'mis-speak'?

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5882 Post by Boac » Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:31 pm

I find it difficult to fault this, from an Iranian spokesperson:

"Tehran's 'sole problem is Trump' rather than the American people".

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5883 Post by Fliegenmong » Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:49 pm

Trump needs (or needed) a bit of 'Old School' private school education to 'thump' some manners into him...he reminds me of brattish school boy thugs walking aroung with baseball caps on backwards, simpletons...weilding Mummy & Daddys cash..

It is common in these parts regrettably...but it occurs to me that is exactly what he amounts to, what he aligns to.....Simpletoms...if I wore baseball caps back to front....I'd be a apple pie sccoffin', cheesburger devouring member of brigade of idiots....cheers to him being the same yet foisted as a 'Hero'....maybe I can scoff cheeseburgers and wear silly caps and not be ostracised for it?...just doin' what the trump does!
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... Oscar Wilde

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5884 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:49 pm

BOAC - That's a typical comment from someone in an autocracy. He's forgetting about all the Trump voters, quite a few of whom, based on comments around the web, would have asked for the 'football' quite a while back if they had been in Trump's shoes. Trump is going to stick to doing things this year that he thinks will get him re-elected. He might be wrong, but that's his modus operandi, and is the same as every other president's has been. So, the opposite is true; the American voters are the problem, not Trump.

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5885 Post by Boac » Mon Jan 06, 2020 1:53 pm

Trump is going to stick to doing things this year that he thinks will get him re-elected. He might be wrong, but that's his modus operandi, and is the same as every other president's has been.
You got it! I don't think there is a single one of those American voters who holds the post of C-in-C? The buck, as always..................

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5886 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:15 pm

It does indeed, and the American people, in the long run, are going to regret listening to the media instead of thinking and doing even a fraction of their own research. Because it's the media expenditure that drives the political fundraising that ultimately ends up with someone like Trump as the least-worst option.

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5887 Post by PHXPhlyer » Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:21 pm

Slasher wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:29 am
80 million bucks huh? Dead or alive?

In the latter case* I’m sure ol’ Boac might try to coax Trump into visiting his humble abode, alone, using all resources available to him for that kind of loot, but he’ll need a MAGA hat first. :p


* I doubt he would kill Donald outright. He’ll likely point the gun but not pull the trigger. Assassination of a dignitary is still a crime in England last time I checked, and he may get caught if someone ratted him out. Five million in non-negotiable bearer bonds would certainly buy my silence! ;)))
MAGA hat + stripper or Playmate =))

PP

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5888 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:29 pm

At least 5 killed, dozens injured in Pennsylvania Turnpike crash involving bus, trucks
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mu ... a-n1110551

The reason I'm putting up what is a relatively 'normal'-seeming highway accident is this comment on it I found elsewhere:
localnet • an hour ago • edited
I am a truck driver, sitting in Fort Wayne IN right now waiting to deliver...
That stretch of the PA TP is tight, continual curves, up and down... It is a dangerous stretch of road that I avoid at all costs. Expensive too, too expensive.
The tour buses, they routinely push the limits regarding speed, if you drive the interstates you already know this.
Then we have the trucks, we now have a clock on our dashboards, it is a countdown clock that starts at the beginning of our day, and it will not stop until we have 11 hours of actual driving or it reaches 14 hours. We are timed to the second, no allowances are made in most cases. We must be parked before the clock runs out, or demerits, fines and or termination will be the outcome. Gets a bit stressful out here at times, trust me on that.
This went into affect in 2018, every truck on the road has this countdown clock, it is the law.
I spoke with my insurance agent in November of last year, she told me my rates on my truck, my big truck, will be going up 30% to 100% at the first of the new year. I asked why, as I have a stellar driving record. She stated since the countdown clock, or ELD (Electronic Logging Device) was mandated by the FMCSA, accidents and fatalities involving big trucks has risen exponentially, along with jury awards that have been ridiculously high, in the tens of millions if not hundreds of millions. She also stated that there are only two insurance companies that will underwrite these policies, as everyone else has quit the industry.
Trucking companies are closing their doors in record numbers, over 800 last year alone. This year we are off to another rocky start as these insurance rates skyrocket, I know of a half a dozen companies just in the past week that have closed their doors due to these new insurance rates. I shut mine down, I had my own operating authority, I could no longer afford the costs, as rates are terrible out here, but that is the nature of the business since deregulation. This industry is in serious trouble, and no one is addressing it.
Back to this accident, I am guessing right now, but the bus was speeding as they always do, Fed Ex was right on his rear end speeding too, he was racing that clock on his dashboard. The other trucks behind him were doing the same. The bus driver messed up, the big trucks were speeding, playing beat the clock, and now you know the rest of the story.
Me, I am parking the truck in a week or two, it is getting to dangerous out here, and quite frankly, the pay is not worth the effort any longer after my expenses of owning and operating this truck of mine. Truck is paid for, just rebuilt the motor too, running the best it ever has in my 6 years of ownership. But, with this ELD in my truck, which has roughly caused a 30% loss in income, the aggressive drivers, along with the imported aggressive drivers, many of whom do not even speak or read English, it is time for this 31 year SAFE trucking veteran to move on to other things.
Hopefully things pick up this Spring so that I can sell the truck for some reasonable money. Sad.
My experience of that road, and tour bus and truck drivers, matches that described. The comment seems to be carefully thought out and honest. I think it is true. An acquaintance of mine who used to drive tour buses in Canada will tell you the same thing about imported, aggressive drivers, and the Humboldt, SK accident is an example of more of the same. This seems to be at least part of the explanation for the US trucking recession, and a bloody dangerous development. What do people think?

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5889 Post by Boac » Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:59 pm

"or Playmate" - now I'm paying attention..... :))

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5890 Post by Boac » Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:03 pm

Former national security adviser John Bolton says he is now willing to testify in the Senate impeachment trial if subpoenaed.

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5891 Post by boing » Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:58 pm

If John Bolton wants to testify after Trump makes a Hawkish attack in the Middle East (Bolton's favourite punching bag) and after Trump is rattling the sabers (which is Bolton's favourite activity) I would be really nervous if I was a Democrat. ;))) ;)))

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5892 Post by Boac » Mon Jan 06, 2020 6:05 pm

Who knows - maybe he has just had enough. Presumably if he is demanding a subpoena it will not be 'pro-Chump'.

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5893 Post by ian16th » Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:42 pm

Boac wrote:
Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:03 pm
Former national security adviser John Bolton says he is now willing to testify in the Senate impeachment trial if subpoenaed.
If he is 'willing' to testify, why is he waiting to be subpoenaed?

If he is subpoenaed, doesn't it become compulsory?
Cynicism improves with age

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5894 Post by llondel » Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:07 pm

Given the $80m bounty, it shows that even the Iranians know that Trump isn't worth a billion dollars.

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Re: Who has never won a war?

#5895 Post by John Hill » Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:11 pm

Trump says Iran has never won a war. =))
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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5896 Post by boing » Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:49 pm

Well, if you believe the history they did get their backsides kicked at Thermopylae by 300 Greeks and Alexander the Great did a pretty good number on them. Out of curiosity does anybody know when they did win, John?

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5897 Post by John Hill » Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:06 pm

There is quite a few to choose from at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_w ... lving_Iran
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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5898 Post by BenThere » Tue Jan 07, 2020 2:52 am

The big one they lost was to the marauding Arabs back in the 6-700s. From what I've gathered the Zoroastrians weren't a bad bunch, while just about every population under the Crescent thumb is blighted in most respects. Further, there's a big difference between the Persians of yore and their pathetic state today.

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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5899 Post by John Hill » Tue Jan 07, 2020 5:53 am

On the other hand has America won any wars in our lifetime?
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Re: The US Hamster Wheel

#5900 Post by boing » Tue Jan 07, 2020 6:05 am

They didn't do it alone but if it wasn't for American supplies and soldiers you would be speaking German.




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