Parabellum,

Thank you for putting that pic up on the banner. The President said we'd get tired of winning. I chalked it up to the usual hyperbole. Though far from tired, I can actually see it as a possibility now.

The individual mandate was nothing less than indentured servitude and my family was crushed by it for several years.

When I woke early this morning and saw that banner it felt like a gift, not only from the President but from you for this forum that has been a boon to me. While the media has bemoaned everything this past year, I have been able to come here and keep track of all the truly great things that are happening with this presidency.

Thank you for that.

With the signing of the tax bill, and many republicans showing allegiance to Trump, the tide has turned making the sky the limit. What could cause what I previously considered establishment globalists to now support the president? I had thought early on that Trump would become establishment one way or the other. Now it seems his party supports him and I wish I knew what changed.

Rush says they were reluctant to support him because they believed the Russian collusion claims and couldn't side with someone corrupt who's days were numbered. Rush has always said many in Washington really believed the Russian collusion narrative, I never thought they did and that they knew it was a scam.

Rush is much smarter than me, so I suppose I have to drop my belief that almost all were selling lies about Russia and Trump, and that they knew they were lies. Rush's theory can explain why they are able to now support Trump if they now believe there is no collusion. My theory has no explanation for the sudden support and working with Trump, other than they succumbed to the benefits of working with a dealmaker. That they finally understood he really can do what he said he could.

Regardless how we arrived here, this is a huge! turning point in his presidency, and signals terrific accomplishments to come. As if anything could be bigger than the bill itself, the turning point is.

Quite a freshman year for the non politician. He has several more weeks to make it even more Yuge!

Good, more winning to cherish. Shut them down, defund their programs, send their “clients” home to apply for normal immigration, if they qualify.


Exclusive: State Department tells refugee agencies to downsize U.S. operations


(Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has told refugee agencies it will sharply pare back the number of offices across the country authorized to resettle people in 2018 as President Donald Trump cuts the number of refugees allowed into the United States.

The announcement was made at a Dec. 1 meeting in Washington with State Department officials and representatives from nine major refugee agencies, several executives of the agencies said.

Advocates said the decision is likely to lead to the closure of dozens of resettlement offices around the country, potentially leaving some refugees without access to services that help them integrate into American life. Several state refugee coordinators said they had also been made aware of the closures.

Refugee resettlement in the United States is handled by nine non-profit agencies that receive funding from the federal government for some of their refugee work. They partner with, or oversee, hundreds of local offices in nearly every state that help new arrivals with basic tasks like enrolling children in school, arranging doctors’ visits and applying for Social Security cards and other documents.

Though the agencies are independent, they must get government approval for where they will resettle new refugees.

Aid workers and state officials involved in refugee resettlement said the agencies were informed by the State Department in the Dec. 1 meeting that offices expected to handle fewer than 100 refugees in fiscal year 2018 will no longer be authorized to resettle new arrivals, which means many of them will have to close. There are about 300 resettlement offices spread across 49 states, and advocates estimate several dozen are at risk, though shuttering plans will not be finalized until next year.

The Trump administration has said it wants refugees to assimilate quickly, both to promote national security and so that they can become self-sufficient.

Refugee advocates say the closure of local offices will undermine that goal. They say the offices play a crucial role in helping newcomers traumatized from having fled conflict or persecution. Even if no new refugees are resettled by the offices they still have an obligation to help those already here, they say.

If refugees lose access to “services to help them navigate the processes of registering for school, and English classes and finding a job, that will mean that it will take longer for them to navigate life in the United States and contribute to our economy,” said Robert Carey, who directed the Office of Refugee Resettlement under former President Barack Obama.

A State Department official confirmed the Dec. 1 meeting and said the agency is looking to “reduce costs and simplify management structures to help the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program run in a way that is fiscally responsible and sustainable.”

Some conservative groups that favor lower immigration said they would welcome curbs on the agencies’ activities.

“These organizations have to adapt when their services are no longer needed as much,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies. “There is no reason to keep funneling money to them.”

Joshua Meservey, a senior policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation who formerly worked in refugee resettlement, said that costs need to be balanced against benefits. “It is unclear to me if the assimilation gains are great enough to justify the extra expense” of funding the smaller agencies, he said.

‘WE‘VE LOST A REALLY VALUABLE PARTNER’

The nine agencies are now trying to coordinate closures so that they can maintain at least one resettlement agency in as many states as possible, several agency executives said.

“We’re hoping that they (the State Department) only close sites where there is possible duplication,” said Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, one of the nine agencies. “This is going to have to be a negotiation and a process.”

Since taking office in January, Trump has moved to sharply reduce refugee admissions to the United States, because of national security concerns and a belief that money could be better spent resettling people closer to their original homes.

Soon after taking office, he slashed the 2017 U.S. refugee cap to 50,000 from the 110,000 ceiling set by Obama. In September, he announced a cap of 45,000 for 2018, the lowest number since the modern U.S. refugee program was established in 1980.

The resettlement office in Chattanooga, Tennessee is at risk of shutting down, because it is only projected to receive about 85 refugees, said Holly Johnson, the state’s refugee coordinator.

“Small doesn’t necessarily mean weak or subpar,” Johnson said. “They spend more time with folks, they have really well-established connections to the community, so people feel welcomed, which really helps.”

Until this year, Idaho had four resettlement offices - three in Boise and one in Twin Falls, said Jan Reeves, director of the Idaho Office for Refugees, a non-profit which administers resettlement in the state. Earlier this year one of the sites in Boise shut down, he said.

“It was disruptive, and we’ve lost a really valuable partner and we’ve lost some capacity to do the job,” he said.

Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Mica Rosenberg Editing by Sue Horton and Ross Colvin

https://www.reuters.com/articl...ations-idUSKBN1EF2S5

quote:

Originally posted by thunderson:
Parabellum,

Thank you for putting that pic up on the banner.

^^^^^^

You know, it is starting to feel like the big R machine has finally figured out that MAGA is real. Maybe seeing the judicial appointment train is running full steam ahead, or that instead of taking out DJT, the Mueller cabal is immolating D’s, or that the combination of actions is working, or that T-Rex and Nikki are “speaking truth to power” (or just smacking the crap out of weakened worthless) - whatever, they have 6 months in 2018 to kick ass and take more names before the next elections.

WSJ: The Democratic Party Is Rooting Against The American Worker And Our Country’s Success

We all know the left wing lurch the Democratic Party has taken over the past for years. You saw that with the energized progressive cohorts that flocked to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the 2016 Democratic primaries. Now, with tax reform done, Democrats are licking their lips. They think they can use this as the ICBM to nuke the Republicans in the midterms, and that could happen, but this is all based on the bill’s bad poll numbers. Analysis and even some publications, like The Washington Post, admit that this bill will cut taxes for 80 percent of Americans over the next eight years. It’s a gamble on both sides. Yet, for Democrats, that also includes explaining why they voted against middle class tax relief, betted against the American worker, and want business in general to fail in order to screw Trump. If this bill becomes more popular, and it’s bound to, and people start seeing more money in their pockets—the defense of this will be, well—less than stellar. You’re already seeing some acknowledgement, like with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who admitted in a radio interview that there are provisions of this tax reform package that will help the people of his state. Manchin voted against the bill.


The Wall Street Journal editorial board noted that if Nancy Pelosi had navigated a piece of legislation that saw a deluge in businesses announcing that hundreds of millions will be devoted to charitable giving, investment, and bonuses to their workers, she’d be dancing in the aisles of the House floor in a Santa suit. Just like the disastrous results yielded from their minimum wage hike push, just look at Seattle, the Democrats are once again hoping that no one will notice their economic illiteracy. Gone are the Obama days where the former president did offer support and confidence in the American worker. He could have offered better legislation to that end, but with Trump, the Democrats are hoping that American families get screwed over, hoping economic misery befalls the nation, all for the goal of retaking Congress (and possibly removing Trump via impeachment) and then raise taxes since they think its their money (via WSJ):

The Democratic strategy heading into 2018 comes down to running against the tax bill almost entirely on the basis of its poor opinion-poll numbers, which result from months of negative media spin. Still, there are a couple of things worth noting about the position the Democrats have staked out.

Let’s consider this notion in light of these corporate announcements. Between them, AT&T and Comcast have 300,000 employees who will benefit from the $1,000 bonuses. Virtually all American workers not employed by the government depend on the economic health of their employers to support themselves and their families. On what basis do these bonus and investment announcements deserve cynicism and vilification?

Consider as well the economic substance. Among the criticisms of the corporate-rate cut is that businesses mostly would buy back shares, benefiting only shareholders. Certainly many will do that. But the announcements by AT&T, Boeing and Comcast suggest another likely result. In a growing economy with a tight labor market, scarce workers are increasingly valuable. When Boeing says it plans to invest $100 million in its workers, the clear message is that Boeing knows that in a strong and competitive economy, it is going to be in a bidding war for talent.
That is part of the argument made by White House chief economist Kevin Hassett and others. A wide body of research suggests that corporate tax reform that lets companies retain a greater share of earnings will benefit workers in higher wages.
How any of this is bad is a mystery. Democrats are betting that the private sector will fail to respond to the tax bill’s incentives. Democrats used to be the party of hope. Now, by their daily admission, they have become the party of hoping that tax cuts will fail and private investment won’t help workers.

In the meantime, outside of the Democratic noise machine, the economy is growing at four percent, the Dow Jones had a 5,000-point surge this year, the biggest ever in its history, consumer confidence is at a 17-year high, and unemployment is at a near two-decade low. The economy is booming. Even CNN had to admit that this bill would put some “damn good money” in the pockets of working class families. Apparently, this is all bad news. This is apocalyptic for Democrats. In some ways it is because Trump is succeeding economically in way Barack Obama never could. That has to rub them the wrong way.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/...rys-success-n2426254

Very happy to see that the USA is no longer participating in the global 'race to the bottom'!

Covfefe!!

quote:

Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
The Democratic strategy heading into 2018 comes down to running against the tax bill almost entirely on the basis of its poor opinion-poll numbers, which result from months of negative media spin.

That's exactly what happened. Their co-conspirators in the news made sure the tax act was condemned, and then the Democrats took the poll numbers (which are a result of their own efforts) and assumed that everyone would oppose the bill.

I love it. Absolutely love it. When people say that there's something wrong- genuinely wrong- with leftists, they're not kidding. These people are not bright, do not think ahead, and simply are not playing with a full deck.

Wait, wasn't Trump supposed to fire Tillerson? Weren't they at odds with one another? And Trump was going at it with Sessions? And going to fire him? And he and Mattis were going at it over transgender soldiers or some such?

Anonymous sources seem to have a bad track record....

Wonder why?

quote:

Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:
Wait, wasn't Trump supposed to fire Tillerson? Weren't they at odds with one another? And Trump was going at it with Sessions? And going to fire him? And he and Mattis were going at it over transgender soldiers or some such?

Anonymous sources seem to have a bad track record....

Wonder why?

Add to that the recent drumbeat the left has moved on to "Don't fire Mueller!! It will prove you're guilty!!"

Across not only their media lapdogs, but of course the recently departed Obama staff with their faux peaceful demonstration threats.

I've just been enjoying so much following this thread the past few days. So much awesomeness. Election night last year was one of the best nights of my life, but everyday since has just felt like a continuation of that night. This last week has really topped off a fantastic year.

And the new banner is disco, baby.

quote:

Originally posted by soflaac:
Across not only their media lapdogs, but of course the recently departed Obama staff with their faux peaceful demonstration threats.

Running dogs, comrade, running dogs. "Lapdog" is terribly bourgeois.

quote:

Originally posted by DennisM:

quote:

Originally posted by soflaac:
Across not only their media lapdogs, but of course the recently departed Obama staff with their faux peaceful demonstration threats.

Running dogs, comrade, running dogs. "Lapdog" is terribly bourgeois.

I was stationed up in the Florida panhandle for a few years, and think the deep South rednecks there have influenced me greatly.....I don't know whether to be proud, or feel chastened.

He has a very weird signature

quote:

He has a very weird signature

....it's Sanskrit for "This is what WINNING looks like"..........

To me Trump's signature is Bold, Edgy and Powerful! MAGA!!

quote:

Originally posted by sdy:



http://www.powerlineblog.com/a...-tax-cut-edition.php

I just sent that to a few people

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
He has a very weird signature

"...and in this corner, weighing 235 pounds, Donald "Earthquake" Trump!!"

Maybe I am a cynic, but I believe that Rush (as described below) was not quite right. I believe that for many in Washington what is true is irrelevant. What matters for far too many of them is “what is going to sell” or “what is going to win”. I believe that many Rs did not back Trump because they weren’t confident that the Mueller fishing expedition was going nowhere and they didn’t want to be on record as backing a loser (regardless of the truth). I suspect they climbed onboard because it became more clear that the train was going to go and they were going to look like losers to their constituents if they were standing around the station with their thumb in their rumps when the Trump Train pulled out.

For all that the media bags on the President, he has a real mandate and there are a lot of us voters out here who stand behind him, support him, and damned sure expect our legislative representatives to do the same. The DemonRats are out for blood in 2018 and 2020. A lot of us Rs (and more and more Independents who see the good he has accomplished and will accomplish) will be out for the blood of any turdweasel who made the right noises when running but sat on their thumbs and didn’t help move things forward once in office.

Things are really unstable now. After years of circling toward the drain of socialism, we have a chance to take our country back. This terrifies the Leftists and excites the real Americans. I suspect that this delights a few good folks in DC and scares the crud out of most of them. If it scares them enough that they do the right thing, okay. If not, primary the crud out of them and get a replacement committed to MAGA.

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
With the signing of the tax bill, and many republicans showing allegiance to Trump, the tide has turned making the sky the limit. What could cause what I previously considered establishment globalists to now support the president? I had thought early on that Trump would become establishment one way or the other. Now it seems his party supports him and I wish I knew what changed.

Rush says they were reluctant to support him because they believed the Russian collusion claims and couldn't side with someone corrupt who's days were numbered. Rush has always said many in Washington really believed the Russian collusion narrative, I never thought they did and that they knew it was a scam.

Rush is much smarter than me, so I suppose I have to drop my belief that almost all were selling lies about Russia and Trump, and that they knew they were lies. Rush's theory can explain why they are able to now support Trump if they now believe there is no collusion. My theory has no explanation for the sudden support and working with Trump, other than they succumbed to the benefits of working with a dealmaker. That they finally understood he really can do what he said he could.

Regardless how we arrived here, this is a huge! turning point in his presidency, and signals terrific accomplishments to come. As if anything could be bigger than the bill itself, the turning point is.

Quite a freshman year for the non politician. He has several more weeks to make it even more Yuge!

some impressive numbers

http://www.washingtonexaminer....over/article/2644137

The defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria rapidly accelerated during President Trump’s first year in office

The campaign liberated twice as many people and twice as much territory as in the previous 28 months under President Barack Obama, according to Defense Department figures.

On Jan. 20 — the day Trump was inaugurated — an estimated 35,000 ISIS fighters held approximately 17,500 square miles of territory in both Iraq and Syria.

As of Dec. 21, the U.S. military estimates the remaining 1,000 or so fighters occupy roughly 1,900 squares miles of mostly barren desert primarily in Syria, where few people live, and where they will be forced to surrender or die.

I deleted a quote that an additional 26,800 sq miles have been reclaimed. It didn't make sense w above statements



ISIS map released by State Dept 21 Dec 2017