Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.

Hey, Man. In my day I was trained on the M-1 and carried it on active duty. Later when I joined the National Guard I first fired an M-16. Later as a CI agent my assigned weapon was the .45 automatic and when the army changed, the Beretta 9mm. My carry weapon is a Bersa .380 although here in Utah I don't feel the need to carry like I would back in South Carolina.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Well I have to admit my preferred handgun is a classic 1911 .45 auto. I carried one along with either an M-14 or M-16 for a year in VN. Lately, I’ve been lusting after a Kimber .45, but it’s just SO heavy to carry. Frankly, I preferred the .308 M-14 when in base camp, but it’s a handful on full auto and the clips weigh almost 2 lbs so you can only carry so many when in the bush. The M-16 is lighter, the clips weigh half as much, and it’s easy to control on full auto, but personally, I prefer a heavier round, especially when shooting in trees and brush where a small, high velocity round is easily deflected by a twig, but again, just a personal choice. I would also prefer a 9mm to a .380, but the alloy PocketLite is such a nice compact carry weapon, AND it’s exactly like a small .45 without a grip safety, so it feels very familiar, but I digress off topic (as usual)...

Designdweeb Loc: Metro NYC & East Stroudsburg, PA

Excuse me Mr. Designdweeb, exactly how does the squad want to make the U.S. a better place?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal
Higher taxes?
Tax above the $10 million income threshold, and 60 of the largest international corporations that pay none, it's corporate welfare! What is the actual cost, the hidden costs of deferred health care, inadequate roads, an outdated power grid, a poisonous outdated energy policy controlled by 'monopolies,' continued use of disposable and unrecyclable products?
Trading freedom for Socialism and or Communism? Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid have hardly been a risk to capitalism, most industrialized countries also offer other social benefits far exceeding ours, maternity leave, daycare, preschool, free higher public education, fair wages for teachers, high-speed internet through the rural areas and controls over medical and pharmaceutical prices, as well.
Taking away cars and trucks and air planes (sic)? How about updating crumbling roads and bridges, subways and other infrastructure? Rebuilding mass transit rail lines for commuters are a good start. Disneyland has used monorails for how many decades? Bike-friendly urban and suburban roads to park and ride lots are a healthy start. I can't tell you how many times I've had to rebuild the front end of the car because of bad roads, in town, and on the interstates.
Killing all the cows?
A joke about methane, we could collect it and burn it, less dangerous than fracking, or windmills. The point was about the lack of honest, fact-based nutritional education. Don't get me started on school lunches and schoolchildren eating nasty, unhealthy processed food, and others going hungry. The inefficiencies and pollution of land due to our reliance on meat is a horrible problem. Did you ever talk to an industrial hygienist about the pig and poultry farms? Limiting meat meals to a few times a week, avoiding processed meats will extend your life.
Increasing your health care co-pay to thousands of dollars?
Universal health care can be designed to avoid that. How do they do it in other countries? There are solutions, proven for decades.
Using your money to send someone else's kid to college?
When I was college age, CUNY and the Cal State colleges were free. Many State U's were a few thousand a year. A LOT of Nobel prize -winners graduated from City University, many immigrants among them. Educating people is an investment in a resource, not an expense.
Using your money to give free health insurance to eleven million illegal immigrants?
The Green New Deal proposes a federal jobs program. There are a lot of projects for skilled or semi-skilled workers, and their work could include health care as a benefit.
The AOC platform Access to free preventative care is MUCH cheaper in the long and shortrun than the often inevitable ER visit that comes later. I recall a study commissioned by California decades ago, somewhere in the 90's, IIRC.
Turning the USA into another Venezuela? You mean like Norway?
Open borders for everyone?
Not everyone, but I believe most of these people are honestly in need. We have to speed up and add more resources to the naturalization process, decades-long waits are ridiculous. These people are fleeing from famine after global warming has made their sustenance farms' crops fail, and drug-gang violence and near-slavery. What would make you want to walk a thousand miles to get out of your homeland? In a previous generation, most of my family was turned away from immigration to the USA, they died in WW2, exterminated.
Voting rights for anyone that steps onto American soil? Who says that? I don't agree with that. You have to be a citizen to vote, and you have to have an accessible polling place, and gerrymandering has to stop!
Turning you into a vegan? I don't see any laws proposed like that. It's a personal health choice.
Providing a safe haven for known terrorists? I think the terrorists fly in, they hardly walk,
Corrupting the value of American citizenship? The corruption is leterally and figuratively in your mind.
And yes, Mr. Trump might be privileged and have a lot of money.Is that a bad thing? We don't know how much money he has and from where it originates. His dad, a corrupt businessman and a draft dodger, gave him millions, and Trump defaulted on loans six times. Deutche Bank, under investigation for Russian mob money -laundering, is the only one that will deal with him.
Has a poor man ever signed your pay check? People of modest means pay me for my services, and the newspaper I also work for was started by an upper-middle-class family, to provide hyper-local honest news.
Has a poor man ever paid your health insurance? I can't afford to get sick. I'm not against corporations, I'm against greed. Look at the big picture, we are wage slaves!
Has a poor man ever built a library or park or skating rink in your town? OUR TAX DOLLARS pay for MUNICIPAL SERVICES!
Has a poor man ever offered your child a scholarship to college?
The state paid for my education, and I took out loans, and I went to a State U until I got a scholarship to a private school.
Has a poor man ever given you twenty five thousand dollars to save your child's life?
I've paid enough to the health care providers to insure that THEIR children go to the best private schools and colleges money can buy.
Has a poor man ever created hundreds of jobs in your neighborhood?
Jobs that pay $7-10/hour? Wages have stagnated for 40 years, if they kept up with inflation and increased productivity the minimum wage would be somewhere over $25/hour. The stockholders, big corporation business owners and CEOs get the astronomical benefits. The wage differentials from top to bottom are obscene, but that's another place we need some regulations to control the wildly escalating inequalities.
Donald Trump might be rich but he has also done every one of the things I just mentioned.[/quote]
What are your sources?

Wuligal Loc: Slippery Rock, Pa.

According to Crain's New York BusinessTrump currently owes 300 million to Deutsche Bank but he has not defaulted. Trump settled the Trump U. dispute for 25 million which reimbursed the students 80% to 90% of their full investment. Yes, Donald Trump has had many business failings but he is not alone.
In Hillary Clinton's own words, "Bill and I left the office completely broke". They borrowed 2 million from a friend to purchase a house in New York. Thomas Jefferson died with 1.9 million in debt that came from tobacco farming. Hmmm, a tobacco farmer. As a former smoker with a heart/lung condition am I a candidate for recompense? To continue......
James Madison was done in by a step son with a gambling addiction. James Monroe had 1.5 million in debt when he retired. Congress came to his rescue with a gift but it wasn't enough. Jimmy died penniless.
Henry Harrison (31 days in office) went to his grave in abject poverty. Abraham Lincoln came close to bankruptcy in 1831 and his wife's excessive spending kept him on the edge until his life was ended.
Ulysses Grant lost his entire fortune on wall street.
My point is that none of our presidents were perfect and the R or D after their name is of no consequence. The only thing that matters (to me) is that we don't flush the entire nation down the drain because of our hatred of one man. I pray that we don't sell our blood won freedom for the false promises of Socialism. If you hate Trump be patient. One way or the other he will soon be gone. Meanwhile, enjoy the abundance of jobs and lower taxes.

pendennis

You obviously slept your way through basic civics classes. President Trump received the proper majority of electoral votes, and that's that. Nothing else counts.

He and his appointed officials swear an oath to the United States of America, not the President personally. That's another part of civics classes you missed.

James Comey worked in the Executive Branch, as an appointed Federal officer. He served at the pleasure of the Chief Executive. He was terminated legally. The Executive does not have to give a reason. However, Comey was, and still is a dishonest criminal, and will probably end up in jail for his crimes.

It would help if you ever read a book on the Constitution, or watched someone other than the idiots on CNN or MSNBC.

pendennis

Think you can come up with any more gems?

Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin were all on the same left side. They were Socialists/Fascists. Hitler's designs were always to expand into Poland (Lebensraum policy), since there was no room to expand westward. Stalin and Hitler both cheated on each other. What's your point?

Hitler did not put "everyone" back to work. He systematically removed Jews and those not of "true Aryan" stock from the work force, and put them in concentration camps. That does not count as "full employment". Stalin killed over 30 million Russians, Ukrainians, etc., to fail to achieve a number of five-year plans.

I have yet to see a single person put in a "concentration camp" in the U.S. I see unemployment at an all-time low, and record numbers of minorities coming out of poverty.

You would do well to read a book, or two, on economics. You obviously have no grasp of reality.

And see if you can find a Thesaurus. You're running out of trite words and expressions - "A con is still a con...? Gee my kids could do better than that when they were in the sixth grade.

Wuligal Loc: Slippery Rock, Pa.

Well spoken.

alx Loc: NJ

But only one is an ILLEGITIMATE President and Russian Asset.

"Trump says 'not fair' that U.S. can't sell F-35s to Turkey"
See https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-turkey-trump/trump-says-not-fair-that-us-cant-sell-f-35s-to-turkey-idUKKCN1UB27H

The Donald is still pushing to sell Turkey F-35s in violation of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Let me point out that this law was passed in 2017 when the Congress, BOTH HOUSES, was under Republican control. But violating acts of congress and other laws is a long standing Trump Tradition.

Let's see... the act was passed to keep advanced technology out of enemy hands. Security experts all warn that moving forward with F-35 sales to Turkey put stealth technology within Russian grasp.

The Master of "The Art of the Deal" only sees profits, not the danger to American security as he says it's not fair and he'll see what he can do to make it happen anyway.

It makes you wonder what secret deals and payoffs were made in his documented secret meetings with Russians since he took office. We already know he disclosed "highly classified information" in his first meeting with the Russian foreign minister. Interesting that legitimate US experts are always EXCLUDED from these exchanges.

Congratulations to you pro-American Trumpies. You put a Russian Asset in the White House and can't acknowledge his clearly racist, anti-American behavior and rhetoric.

alx Loc: NJ

I agree with Carter. Trump is only in office because of the actions of a foreign power (one led by a man who Trump has a bizarre love affair with). That does make him an ILLEGITIMATE president. If you don't see the danger in that, I pity you.

And, yes, I believe in a Free Press over a documented liar who can't even manage to tell the truth about where his father was born when a lie suits his purpose of the moment.

retap

Say what you want while you can. He’d tweet about all the above remarks if he knew about them (or could read them). It’s interesting how the discussion soon melts down to conspiracy theories, misrepresentations and troll remarks. Conservative or liberal we have to be concerned about this drift towards authoritarian government we are witnessing today. The press is not the enemy of the people (Hitler and Stalin). We are not drifting towards socialism (undefined but scares people). No one who understands national sovereignty wants open borders but the immigration issue has be dealt with. Corruption, greed and the need for power have blinded us for the need for achieving long term goals that benefit the larger majority of Americans. If we fail to act now the next generation will curse not bless us.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

OMG THAT'S TERRIBLE!!!

Who did that?

Any evidence?

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

You really shouldn't post links you don't understand.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

If Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Tojo were alive our president would be sending them love letters and telling us he had a "special relationship" with them.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

If you would read a book you might realize how silly you come across.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

If you are to be believed, you read books; but you still come across as silly.
Your book thing rings hollow.