THE ERA OF TRUMP

[BjornP]

zerohedge isn't MSM, tho. And I hear it's even funded by Russians... making it doubly trustworthy.

Damn Russians are everywhere


I have no idea whether there are or not, very well could be, not doubting you Bjorn. But it's hard to take any claims of it's the Russians seriously after the American Media screaming wolf for the last 2-4 years.

'twas partly tongue in cheek, although ZH does seem to use Russian news/conspiracy sites as their sources. That's not "ties", of course. That's just what we'd associate with far leftist behavior ten years ago, but right wing behavior today. You got Americans who probably trust Memrit TV more than MSM news stories, or people who trust news from the Chinese state media. I don't believe in the "Trump collusion" story, but I do find it ridiculous just how much some people here suddenly trust the Russian Deep State's intel, as some sort of response to their own IC being untrustworthy. It's like a pathology of some people thinking: "Well, if People A are untrustworthy, then People B must be trustworthy". Sound logic....if one assumed there were only two sides to choose from each and every time.

I mean, I get why'd you not trust your IC. But would you trust every story the Iranian president told you about some anti-Trump politician or guy involved in the Mueller case? Simply on the basis that if you can't trust your IC, then surely you should trust the people the IC told you were rivals. Like Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea.

[SuburbanFarmer]

I’ve seen a number of pro-Russian propaganda pieces on there. Don’t really care.

The stock buybacks and insider sales are public record, filed with the SEC. It’s something that’s been happening for a while now.

Doesn’t really matter who brings you the news, just think about what it means.

The megacorps are buying back their own stocks with massive cash reserves, instead of investing it in growth - why?

Those cash reserves are built on cheap debt - thanks to the absurdly low interest rates since 2008. Corporations have been issuing bonds like crazy ever since - because why wouldn’t you.

Now they have trillions of cheap dollars under their control, and inflation is coming. Do you invest it all, hoping to make a profit before the crash? Or what if you just buy back your stock with it, goose the prices up, and let the insiders cash out?

Corporate boards are made up of major stockholders. They want their stocks to be worth as much as possible - regardless of whether that happens by profit or other means.

Those boards realized that they could do this by having the company buy itself.

Now you’ve got interest rates rising (far too late), and the stock market surging, so everything’s great, right? But eventually, the companies can’t issue that cheap debt anymore and can’t buy back stock anymore, and what happens?

Crash.

[clubgop]

Looks pretty click-baity to me.

Zero hedge is pretty decent their bias isn't right or left it is WEESA GON DIE!!! So read it with that going in and you can pull some decent insights

[C-Mag]

@ bjorn
We are in funny ground.
I remember back in the 80's when the Cold War was a very serious thing and I lived in the shadow of missile silos. We didn't hate the Russians, we hated the Communists. I've always wanted better relations with the Russians. If the US and Russia and work together, not be hard and fast allies, but just work together there are a lot of real threats to different hemispheres of the world that would just go away or be defeated rapidly.

[BjornP]

@ bjorn
We are in funny ground.
I remember back in the 80's when the Cold War was a very serious thing and I lived in the shadow of missile silos. We didn't hate the Russians, we hated the Communists. I've always wanted better relations with the Russians. If the US and Russia and work together, not be hard and fast allies, but just work together there are a lot of real threats to different hemispheres of the world that would just go away or be defeated rapidly.

I was too young at the time to really understand the danger, although my family stayed in Lübeck in the summer of 1988, stood at a beach and looked into the DDR from there. My father said some things I can't remember, probably trying to explain the importance to my older brothers.

Wanting better relations with Russia is an obvious bonus. What American wouldn't want better relations with basicly all your geopolitical rivals in the world? Question is, what will that cost you? You talk of "real threats to different hemispheres", which indicates you might want to continue with an American presence on more than just your own hemispheres. However, you do understand that the reason Russia and the US isn't on better terms, isn't simply/exclusively a case of the USA being unfair, unjust, or generally underhanded against Russia? That Russia isn't simply the mistreated victim of American bullying? That's how they've been presenting themselves, and some here seem to follow that line of thinking.

[C-Mag]

Remember I'm Fortress America first.
If I had my druthers I'd just pull the troops back and when off nations foreign aid over a few years and state to be a real help to the world the US has to fix its problems first.

However, I understand its not that simple. Look at the freek out over Trump not publicly slamming Putin when he's standing next to him. Slamming a nations leader as you stand next to him is bad diplomacy. There's an old leadership adage.

Praise in Public, Punish in Private

[Speaker to Animals]

Another adage: don't talk shit unless you are willing to square up.

[clubgop]

@ bjorn
We are in funny ground.
I remember back in the 80's when the Cold War was a very serious thing and I lived in the shadow of missile silos. We didn't hate the Russians, we hated the Communists. I've always wanted better relations with the Russians. If the US and Russia and work together, not be hard and fast allies, but just work together there are a lot of real threats to different hemispheres of the world that would just go away or be defeated rapidly.

That's how they've been presenting themselves, and some here seem to follow that line of thinking.

You can have whatever opinion you want and this may not apply to you but I will not be lectured too by a bunch of pinkos that dined Daniel Ortega and Fidel Castro and wore Che Guevara tshirts about being easy on Russia. Die in a fire and play in traffic with that shit.

[Okeefenokee]

word

[C-Mag]

Trump is cleaning up some garbage. ....

Whitehouse to revoke security clearances for Brennan, Clapper, Comey, McCabe, Rice and Hayden