What changes are you hoping Trump will make first?

[kickinthemebs Senior Member Member of the Month Feb 2014 Find all posts View Profile Close kickinthemebs]

I am currently reading a really interesting book by Nick Cohen called "What's Left? How Liberals Lost Their Way". I highly recommend it. It was written by a guy who would have grown up a left-liberal in the 70s and 80s. Protesting, writing articles, working for NGOs, you name it. He makes some really interesting points about how the left altered and essentially started moving away from everything it originally stood for. It has now become this thing that is very much anti-America, anti-Christian, anti-Western, and will side with every and any organisation in this realm. How a movement that at its heart is supposedly for pro-equal rights, the rejection of domestic abuse, against racism, and promotes women's rights can be accommodating of religions, organisations and countries that not only disregard these things but abhorrently promotes these abuses is mind-boggling. Cohen's point is that it is not only contradictory, it is painfully illogical.

Anyway, he discusses the Iraq war in great detail. Holy shit, the atrocities and inhumanities that Saddam Hussein and Ba'athist Party committed over four decades is beyond disgusting. Mutilations, murder, disappearances, torture, countless murders. Freedom of expression, free speech, movement and religious affiliation? Haha, no chance. Cohen addresses the massive wave of protests around the world by the left during the Iraq wars, he asks the question if it was right to allow these people to go on enduring this suffering under this tyrannic dictatorship? What if this was happening in the West? Surely we would be demanding interference a long time ago? If anything the invasion did not come sooner, in his view. The atrocities committed would have made any honest-standing leftist of the past shudder with disgust, so that is why he was baffled by people that he would have once have seen as cohorts were now alien to him. Instead of viewing it as going in to help fellow human beings under this monstrous dictatorship, people started to argue that the war was wrong, we shouldn't have invaded, the people were fine the way they were, and so on.

Anyway, this is off topic now at this stage, just wanted to share a few of thoughts in the book. Obviously he goes through it far more eloquently than I have paraphrased.

[Party Senior Member Member of the Month August 2016 Find all posts View Profile Close Party]

Basically, both the right and the left swung to far to each side, Trump took advantage of it, not sure it was a plan but it it what it is. I mean, seriously, how many people identify with the gender they weren't born is? A thousand nation wide>. Yet, it became a BIG issue. I could care less. But when someone with a dick what's to go to the bathroom with my wife or daughter, then I'm all over that.

[HansTwilight Retired ModeratorPE Gym Editor Member of the Month Jan 2017PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close HansTwilight]

Basically, both the right and the left swung to far to each side, Trump took advantage of it, not sure it was a plan but it it what it is. I mean, seriously, how many people identify with the gender they weren't born is? A thousand nation wide>. Yet, it became a BIG issue. I could care less. But when someone with a dick what's to go to the bathroom with my wife or daughter, then I'm all over that.

If men can "identify" as women and vise versa, then I'm identifying as a guy with an 8 x6 inch penis.

[Jay1983 Senior MemberMember of the Month Apr 2014, Sept 2016 Find all posts View Profile Close Jay1983]

I hope he changes America.. back to the way America should be.

Is that too much to ask!?!? Why yes, Sir Jay, it is too much to ask.

BRB, me needs more Dr. Pepper!

[Cavalier Retired Super Moderator Member of the Month Feb 2015PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Cavalier]

Trump is coming into office with a nation that is divided, there is no doubt about that. The fact of the matter is that he was not the one who divided the nation. He just sided with the forgotten and ignored side of the division and won.

[Party Senior Member Member of the Month August 2016 Find all posts View Profile Close Party]

Trump is coming into office with a nation that is divided, there is no doubt about that. The fact of the matter is that he was not the one who divided the nation. He just sided with the forgotten and ignored side of the division and won.

How ironic, both parties created the situation, looking for votes and power, and another term, professional politicians. Not what founders wanted at all. It was a privilege to serve the people, not a chance to enrich yourself. It's gotten so disgusting. If it doesn't change my kids, your kids, the world, is f*cked. Damn.

[TheGreatDivider Senior Member Member of the Month Dec 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close TheGreatDivider]

I want to see Trump overhaul the education system. Stop funding schools based on the taxes of their neighborhood, stop talking away arts and music programs in favor of athletics programs, keep schools from giving preferential treatments to annoying little shits, and completely repeal the standardized teaching curriculum that is killing teachers and creating test takers.

If we could just get rid of the no child left behind act, sending all the trouble makers and lazy kids (not special needs but just lazy) to reform schools, I think we could pull out of this downward education spiral were in. Maybe put more money into anti-pregnancy campaigns and teacher incentives, so these teens and young adults will want to finish school before having kids.

I've been in some of the worst schools and from what I've seen there's too much pressure on EVERYBODY to go to college. Some of my classmates would have much better off learning trades than being pushed into universities, forced to pay with student loans.

[Jay1983 Senior MemberMember of the Month Apr 2014, Sept 2016 Find all posts View Profile Close Jay1983]

Doomed.. I hope thou are not.

[closed224 Senior Member Member of the Month Dec 2014, Feb 2017 Find all posts View Profile Close closed224]

Time frame?

[dodgy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dodgy]

I like that he let the career politicians in the House and Senate have it in his speech, but I think he's going to find them hard to work with, and that just because you're President, you can't get much done without them, especially the House who has to approve capital expenditures, let's see how much luck he has building the wall, or getting Obamacare repealed and a new healthcare law put into effect immediately afterward, like he has stated. Going to be interesting to watch.

[closed224 Senior Member Member of the Month Dec 2014, Feb 2017 Find all posts View Profile Close closed224]

I will say that if a real everyday man or woman ran for president would have a good chance of recieving my support. I would love to see representatives that come from my peers.

[TheZZMan Moderator Member of the Month Sept 2018PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close TheZZMan]

I'd like to see the country return to a 40 hour work week. Get rid of the demands made on businesses which make them decide between expansion and hits to the bottom line. I'd like the real unemployment rate published instead of the made up numbers we have been fed the last few years. Introduce competition in healthcare to reduce premiums. I think that premium costs are so inflated that reductions now will result in businesses being able to cover more people with less money. I'd also like to redefine the package of goods used to define the inflation rate. As someone who does the shopping in the family, I've seem the true inflation rate -meat doubled in price, gas prices doubled, can't afford to take the family to McDonalds, Butter doubled in price, Cars that cost in excess of $50,000... Yet the inflation rate is at or below 1% - hogwash!

[closed116 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close closed116]

I've seem the true inflation rate -meat doubled in price, gas prices doubled, can't afford to take the family to McDonalds, Butter doubled in price, Cars that cost in excess of $50,000... Yet the inflation rate is at or below 1% - hogwash!

I know, it's outrageous, isn't it. I was shopping for a new truck the other day. The exact same truck I bought ten years ago, same model, accessory package, everything, exactly the same. Almost double the price. Double! What the hell? How does anyone afford this stuff.

[Dangler Senior Administrator☼ Wizard ☼ White Tiger Award 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Dangler]

Yep, just keep printing money to pay for the ever increasing spending and the debt.
Soon, you notice the ever increasing prices that follow. Even groceries, and cars and trucks, etc.

[Tamora Retired Super Moderator Member of the Month Aug 2015 PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close Tamora]

I'd like to see the country return to a 40 hour work week. Get rid of the demands made on businesses which make them decide between expansion and hits to the bottom line. I'd like the real unemployment rate published instead of the made up numbers we have been fed the last few years. Introduce competition in healthcare to reduce premiums. I think that premium costs are so inflated that reductions now will result in businesses being able to cover more people with less money. I'd also like to redefine the package of goods used to define the inflation rate. As someone who does the shopping in the family, I've seem the true inflation rate -meat doubled in price, gas prices doubled, can't afford to take the family to McDonalds, Butter doubled in price, Cars that cost in excess of $50,000... Yet the inflation rate is at or below 1% - hogwash!

I agree with most of what you say, but competition in healthcare is a bad idea.

What you'll find is corners being cut in the services that are provided that will in turn mean poor quality care.