Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

He's a Baaaaaaaaad man!   

And I dig the eagle in the background.  Awesome!

Fox News Polling on Trump:

Taxes: 38% approve/ 53% disapprove

Economy: 38% approve/ 56% disapprove

Inflation: 33% approve/ 59% disapprove

He's a Baaaaaaaaad man alright!

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Who did MAGA kill?  

I know Antifa has killed a number of people.  

I know BLM has killed a number of people.  

Who has MAGA killed?

"Since 2015, the year Trump declared his candidacy for president, there have been 333 domestic terrorism plots or attacks in the United States – an all-time high. Right-wing extremists have perpetrated 80% of those attacks, resulting in 91 tragic deaths."

https://democrats-homeland.house.gov/news/in-the-news/domestic-terrorism-is-a-threat-we-cant-ignore

"All the extremist-related murders in 2024 were committed by right-wing extremists of various kinds, with eight of the 13 killings involving white supremacists and the remaining five having connections to far-right anti-government extremists. This is the third year in a row that right-wing extremists have been connected to all identified extremist-related killings."

https://www.adl.org/resources/report/murder-and-extremism-united-states-2024

Originally Posted by James Lacey

Not to mention, official US statistics show that the actual trade deficit with Canada for 2024 was about $36 billion, not $200 billion. Not only is he stupid and delusional, but he also lies almost constantly.


https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/HTML/IF12595.web.html#_Ref192173583

"Not only is he stupid and delusional, but he also lies almost constantly."

Well, ya gotta admit, there is someone who outdoes Davis....

"Powell declines to say the Fed will lower rates this year, blaming Trump's tariffs for "why we are where we are"

"The Federal Reserve and the stock market had expected lower rates this year as the economy slows down. Tariffs could throw a wrench in those gears, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday, declining to commit to any rate cuts in 2025."

“It’s going to depend,” Powell said. “I think you have to just take a step back and realize, this is why we are where we are. You know, we are going to need to see how this evolves.”


CNN

“They have their socialist regime, and it’s basically feeding off of America, I mean, the president calls it out all the time. Why do we make cars in Canada? Why do we do our films in Canada? Come on."

“As I’ve been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country,” Carney said in an Ottawa victory speech last month. “These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never … ever happen.”

https://thehill.com/business/5284207-lutnick-skeptical-of-cutting-a-deal-with-canadas-socialist-regime/

So, Lutnick can't figure out whether to negotiate or exterminate. (MAGA would love doing the latter, anytime they get to beat the hell out of someone or kill 'em is a good day)...

"Ben Hauck, Celestron’s senior vice president of sales for North America, estimates that the company has held up $10 to $15 million worth of product since the tariffs took effect."

"While a wealthy amateur might stomach an increase from $5,000 to $7,000, for example, “a lot of working-class families can't afford to buy a telescope that goes up by 20% or 30% or 40%,” says Hauck, noting that the 145% tariffs could even push more than a doubling of costs. “The idea that some families and some kids won’t have the ability to experience the wonders of the nighttime sky…because of high prices [and] policies from this administration is deeply depressing.”

"Karen Christen, business administrator for Astro-Physics, says the tariffs are still an issue for the small, high-end telescope and mount company based in Illinois. “Is the company more insulated? Yes,” she says. “Entirely insulated? By no means.” While Astro-Physics conducts nearly all of their manufacturing and assembly in the U.S., they import their electronics from Asia, since virtually none are made in America. The company is preparing to order another electronics shipment, which makes Christen worried that the tariffs will hurt the family-run business."

“We monitor the news every day, trying to get some idea of what’s going on,” says Vic Maris, President of Stellarvue, an American manufacturer of refractors based in California. Due to the tariffs, they’ve had to halt shipments of specialty optical glass made in China. While Stellarvue has six months to a year’s supply stocked up, the glass takes four months to manufacture, meaning that future orders will face waitlists even when (or if) tariffs resolve. And new product designs that contain such glass cannot move forward, Maris says."

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/tariffs-alarm-the-amateur-astronomy-industry/

Yesterday, the incoming shipments to the port of Los Angeles and the ports of Long Beach was down nearly 50%. Had the tariffs not been in effect, that 10-15 million worth of Celestron product probably would have been on one of those cargo ships and would be unloaded at Celestron's plant in Torrance California which I visited last week when I dropped off an old CG5 mount for a repair. The place is huge with a large warehouse adjacent to the main facility which continues to manufacture that C14 as it has always done.

Originally Posted by James Brown

Lots of articles today trying to "define" the new Pope as they see fit.  Expect more of it as the various political factions in the US (at least) claim him for their side, which is always the side of the righteous, of course.

I really appreciated Peggy Noonan's take, published in the WSJ.  Not that political, and very appreciative of the event in a kind and optimistic human way.  The article is not paywalled yet:

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/leo-xivs-road-from-chicago-to-rome-5ee8bfc9?st=BeEPCh

I heard on the news he used do work fixing cars for folks. Sounds like a cool dude to me!....

"America’s “big three” automakers ripped President Trump on Friday over his newly announced trade deal with the United Kingdom."

“The U.S. automotive industry is highly integrated with Canada and Mexico; the same is not true for the U.S. and UK,” American Automotive Policy Council President Matt Blunt said in a statement."

“We are disappointed that the administration prioritized the UK ahead of our North American partners,” Blunt added.

"The council represents Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis. Each of the three companies have factories in the United States but still forecast major setbacks due to the president’s tariffs, given the auto industry’s highly integrated supply chains across North America."


https://thehill.com/business/5292037-auto-industry-critics-trump-uk-deal/

Ya gotta see this brief CNN video on a CEO commenting on Trump after he is asked about the massive slowdown at our ports:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/09/business/video/trump-ports-trade-shipping-ross-gerber-digvid

Oh, I've got a bridge to see you if you believe this:    "White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday it would be “ridiculous” to think President Trump is personally benefiting from his time at the White House, calling out reporters for questions about his family’s business ventures while in office."

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5292621-white-house-trump-personal-wealth/