Tim Cook, Tech CEOs and Top Republicans Attend Secretive Meeting About Donald Trump

[yaxomoxay]

Pope Francis said something to the effect of "capitalism is broken, because the core concept is that there's a pot at the top that fills up (with money) and then it overflows and trickles down to all the pots and cups underneath. Today that pot at the top is bottomless and nothing trickles down"

Well, the pope does not really understand capitalism then. Capitalism is all about owning capital, and using that capital, as Labor = Capital. I guess he never read Adam Smith, which would not surprise me knowing Bergoglio's mindset.
Trickle down theory is a possible component of capitalism, nothing more. Capitalism implies that once you gain your capital though labor, you invest it, to get more capital. That is not only for the Waltons or the Gates, but also for us mere mortals. By investing, you share part of your capital, which is the "trickle down", distributive component. The problem arises when people with little or no capital spend money to buy WWE pay per view for $100 for a single event (or the $5000 superbowl tickets).

 

[BuddyTronic]

Lol, why not "Try Bernie"???

Well, Bernie has some similarities in that regard. Thing is, I really don't think Bernie Sanders would do well for the economy, solution for the debt, or international politics. He wants to do the right thing for social programs - but he doesn't seem to have much to say otherwise. Not realistic, and the polls are showing Clinton, so he is a non-factor.

What would have been really good would have been Rand Paul, and it's so unfortunate that nobody even cared what he was talking about - nobody. Maybe nobody even understood Rand Paul. Very very sad, but most of America doesn't even have a chance to even understand Rand Paul

 

[Nuvi]

Why are people saying that Trump is racist? That just blows my mind. He wants to build a wall to keep out illegals who bring crime and drugs into this country. He wants to TEMPORARILY block Muslims from entering the country in order to get control of the terrorism problem. Those things are not racist. They are necessary for the security of the nation.

Are you trolling or are you serious? How would you feel if European countries started blocking US citizens from entering Europe in order to safeguard Europe from American stupidity? Although some US citizens are voting for Trump it still doesn't give anyone the right to label every US citizen as stupid.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Are you trolling or are you serious? How would you feel if European countries started blocking US citizens from entering Europe in order to safeguard Europe from American stupidity? Although some US citizens are voting for Trump it still doesn't give anyone the right to label every US citizen as stupid.

European countries do that already. It's called border, you need to have the correct papers to get in. No papers, you stay out. That's why when you land at your port of entry there are two lines, one for citizens and one for everyone else.
When emergency arose, France closed its borders to everyone.

 

[pooleman]

Are you trolling or are you serious? How would you feel if European countries started blocking US citizens from entering Europe in order to safeguard Europe from American stupidity? Although some US citizens are voting for Trump doesn't mean that every US citizen is stupid.

US citizens aren't going to Europe for free hand outs and welfare. European citizens are rising up and now seeing the error of their liberal ways. Germany is in an uproar due to Merkels immigration policies. It's destroying the nation and the people in Germany won't stand for it much longer.

 

[Nuvi]

European countries do that already. It's called border, you need to have the correct papers to get in. No papers, you stay out. That's why when you land at your port of entry there are two lines, one for citizens and one for everyone else.
When emergency arose, France closed its borders to everyone.

What are you talking about? I'm not talking about normal immigration control, boarder control or about controlled entery to the country in general. I'm talking about categorically blocking an entery to a country based on religion or ethnicity.
[doublepost=1457462258][/doublepost]

US citizens aren't going to Europe for free hand outs and welfare. European citizens are rising up and now seeing the error of their liberal ways. Germany is in an uproar due to Merkels immigration policies. It's destroying the nation and the people in Germany won't stand for it much longer.

I'm not talking about refugees or normal boarder control. I'm talking about blocking an entery to a country based ethnicity or religion.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/07/politics/donald-trump-muslim-ban-immigration/

 

[roland.g]

Well...
That's certainly AN opinion.

I'm gonna have to wildly disagree.
I'm a Bernie man, through & through... I don't want Hillary either. But to pretend like she'd be "100 times worse" than a megalomaniacal misogynist nutball that OPENLY supports torturing suspects without due process & other tramplings of our constitution and other great bodies of law that have made our nation great, is both bizarre and categorically false.

While I don't agree with every characterization, at least with Trump you mostly know what you are getting.

With Hillary, all you know you are getting is dishonesty. Hence the name HilLIARY.

 

[throwthedice]

Lol, it's (almost) cute that you believe drivel like this.
Look... obviously you're caught in Trump's gaze or whatever, but PLEASE just try to think about this logically for a brief moment. Apple (and all other tech companies) get their "cheap labor" OUT OF COUNTRY at places like Foxconn. These factories literally could not exist in America. At one factory, they have 450,000 workers. In America... we can't even conceive of that!
Imagine this... say that factory magically fit in Los Angeles. One in six of all citizens of LA would have to work there!! Are you starting to comprehend this at all?? We are NOT a labor based industrial nation anymore... the industrial revolution occurred here in the 1800's. NO citizens want us to revert to that.
Apple employees here in the states get paid AMERICAN wages.
Lol, do you really think Cupertino has a lot of high level programmers hidden away in rooms working for the same three dollars a day that Foxconn laborers make??

Agreed.

I keep reading about H1-B workers coming in and ruining our economy by getting cheap jobs etc - and I actually find that this is not true (to an extent). The H1-B workers in America get paid as per the Labor dept's wage policy and while outsourcing does take away jobs from the US, I don't see any other way around it - it's like the way of the world now.

I'd be more interested in saving the tax payer's dollars by not bailing out another set of big banks driven by the greed of their CEOs. I'd rather see politicians stop going to war, put an end to all these lobbyists etc.

I think the country needs to "feel the Bern" for at least 4 years so that some of the wrongs can be corrected.

 

[doelcm82]

Is he? Does he really have to involve himself in politics beyond protecting Apple's interests?

He doesn't HAVE to involve himself in politics, but I would guess that he wants to.

And your comment implies that you think that CEO's, doctors, actors, homemakers, plumbers, waiters, and other people who are not professional politicians should stay out of the political process. Leave it to the career politicians, right?

 

[pooleman]

What are you talking about? I'm not talking about normal immigration control, boarder control or about controlled entery to the country in general. I'm talking about categorically blocking an entery to a country based on religion or ethnicity.
[doublepost=1457462258][/doublepost]

I'm not talking about refugees or normal boarder control. I'm talking about blocking an entery to a country based ethnicity or religion.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/07/politics/donald-trump-muslim-ban-immigration/

We have a system in place for legal immigration. A wall will help keep the illegals out. And taking reasonable steps to keep your citizens safe by keeping those out who want to hurt us is a good thing. Yes, I am a proponent of the TEMPORY Muslim ban until we understand who is here and who wants to hurt us.

 

[CPx]

Republicans brought Trump on themselves.

 

[jmpage2]

The Black Panthers is a Fox News manufactured boogeyman. Seriously... I saw more white thugs in a black areas voting site than any scary blacks...

By all means please tell that to the victims raped by Black Panthers who said they did it because they were directed to by the groups leaders... or the families of those murdered by them because of skin color.

Hard to believe that a "fox manufactured boogeyman" just had an entire PBS documentary made that fawns all over them as a tie-in to BLM and yet glosses over their completely communist and anti-white manifesto that includes such gems as "all men of color must be freed from incarceration regardless of what crimes they are accused of".

 

[You are the One]

I think the real reason the media and establishment, controlled and bought off by special (very special) interests, goes after Trump, is that the people that bought the media and the rest of the US establishment wasn't successful in buying Trump.

They can't control him, a completely new scenario in US politics, so they are trying to smear him instead.

I think he would make a very bad president, there is nothing statesmanlike in him, but compared to the rest of the contenders, he is the best alternative by far.

It's really sad. US could be a great country, instead it has become occupied and is run by an international mafia crime racket.

 

[pooleman]

I think the real reason the media and establishment, controlled and bought off by special (very special) interests, goes after Trump, is that the people that bought the media and the rest of the US establishment wasn't successful in buying Trump.

They can't control him, a completely new scenario in US politics, so they are trying to smear him instead.

I think he would make a very bad president, there is nothing statesmanlike in him, but compared to the rest of the contenders, he is the best alternative by far.

It's really sad. US could be a great country, instead it has become occupied and is run by an international mafia crime racket.

I'm glad he is not a statesman. I'd take an average joe who has a job and a family over any career politician. You don't have to be a genius to be president. Common sense, protecting the country, and a strong morale compass is 90% of the job.

 

[jmpage2]

Ok.
To the point.
I do NOT believe Trump has a plan for education, nor do I believe he cares. After all, he says "I love uneducated people!" & those are the people supporting him.
I hope that's clear.
If you want to believe that he's cutting educational expenses, yet still increasing the quality of education.... bully for you for that opinion.

You are wrong. NH exit polls were eye-opening because it showed that despite the continued smear campaign and mainstream media attempt to portray Trump supporters as unwashed knuckle draggers Trump won every education demographic among voting Republicans.

Trump got the majority of those with degrees, post graduate degrees as well as those without a degree... but by all means keep lying in an attempt to portray your opponents as idiots even if you are going to get called out on it repeatedly.

 

[Mactendo]

Some corporations will decide who should be the president. Cool.

 

[pooleman]

You are wrong. NH exit polls were eye-opening because it showed that despite the continued smear campaign and mainstream media attempt to portray Trump supporters as unwashed knuckle draggers Trump won every education demographic among voting Republicans.

Trump got the majority of those with degrees, post graduate degrees as well as those without a degree... but by all means keep lying in an attempt to portray your opponents as idiots even if you are going to get called out on it repeatedly.

Don't argue with these people. They are committed 100% to their belief that Trump is at best a lying scoundrel and at worst Hitler incarnate. Trump is no savior but he isn't a monster. I think he would be good for the country.

People today feel some politician has all the answers to life's problems. The truth is that the answer is within us. Get off your butts and get to work. If you do t earn enough money than get a better job. Go to community college if you can't afford state or private school. I put myself through all 4 years of school. I busted my "you know what" to pay for it but left school with 0 debt.

If you can't go to school then learn a trade. The three most financially successful people I know have only a high school education. But they worked hard for years and it paid off.

 

[jmpage2]

Are you trolling or are you serious? How would you feel if European countries started blocking US citizens from entering Europe in order to safeguard Europe from American stupidity? Although some US citizens are voting for Trump it still doesn't give anyone the right to label every US citizen as stupid.

If it was shown that 10% of Americans believed it was their solemn religious duty to destroy Europe and murder Europeans than they would have every right to deny Americans entry until they could find a good way to sort out the 90% from the 10%.

In case you weren't aware, poll after poll of Muslim populations in countries all over the world show at least 10% support for violent jihad against the west... in some countries it is much much higher.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog...rters_in_just_11_countries.html#ixzz3rwy94yzX

So yes, Americans are under no obligation to allow people in who want to do us harm. If that rubs Brits, Germans, French the wrong way, well tough.

 

[MasterRyu2011]

Will Trump be the first billionaire to become President?

 

[Renzatic]

Well, the pope does not really understand capitalism then. Capitalism is all about owning capital, and using that capital, as Labor = Capital. I guess he never read Adam Smith, which would not surprise me knowing Bergoglio's mindset.
Trickle down theory is a possible component of capitalism, nothing more. Capitalism implies that once you gain your capital though labor, you invest it, to get more capital. That is not only for the Waltons or the Gates, but also for us mere mortals. By investing, you share part of your capital, which is the "trickle down", distributive component. The problem arises when people with little or no capital spend money to buy WWE pay per view for $100 for a single event (or the $5000 superbowl tickets).

Smithian Capitalism expects everyone to barter and compromise for their own personal gain and benefit. Trickle down assumes that money should pool at the top, which in practice puts those below it at a distinct disadvantage, since less capital flows to them, and thus undermines their platform to barter from.

 

[bent christian]

Don't delude yourself into thinking that this is merely a tantrum by the unwashed masses. That sort of hubris is what has led to Trump's popular support and the situation that both the GOP and the Democrats find themselves today. However you may feel about his policies and rhetoric, the support that Trump has comes from an ultimately logical place: that to see any sort of change in the DC shell game, they calculate a greater probability that someone from outside the machine, despite having no political experience, will enact better policies for their benefit than any candidate within the establishment because, after four decades of failed promises, they recognise that that's their only recourse.

Donald Trump has been a part of the system he claims to be railing against for pretty much his entire life. From paying off politicians, to using undocumented immigrant labor in his properties and offshoring labor for his products. He has convinced very dim people that the very person who has been robbing them all these years is now the solution to their problems.

 

[firewood]

Force a cap on corporate profits as a % of revenue ...

Over 90% of all companies fold or go bankrupt. If there is no 10X+ upside to offset the downside, it's a losing bet, and you end up with no companies (those not surviving on government handouts) and thus no jobs in the country. Everybody here eventually loses. Silly idea.

 

[You are the One]

I'm glad he is not a statesman. I'd take an average joe who has a job and a family over any career politician. You don't have to be a genius to be president. Common sense, protecting the country, and a strong morale compass is 90% of the job.

Statesman as in a "wise, skillful, and respected political leader". Otherwise I agree.

Ron Paul would have been a good president.

 

[developer13245]

Haven't you heard? Even Trump himself doesn't know where he stands on this issue. And with regard to Trump wanting people to boycott Apple, he'll probably change his tune soon enough; that's a recurring theme with him.

Except they recently asked Trump about this topic, and he made comments to the effect of continuing to support the H1B program.

I feared as much, because he's enough of a supporter of business to buy into their (typically false) claims that they *need* H1B hires because we don't have the talent here in America to do some of the technical tasks, and "we don't want to fall behind the rest of the world".

Trump clarified his position. It's very straightforward:

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-position-on-visas

"I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions."

I don't have a problem with the concept of granting work visas to fill necessary positions, but the system has been abused for too long because of the loopholes added to the program that eliminated the requirement to hire legal residents first.

Trump was the first candidate to bring up the H-1B visa abuse issue. Cruz has also updated his position with a solid statement that even includes shutting down the H-1B program for 180 days to fix it.
Rubio has talked about it but has not documented his position - but he has no credibility due to introducing his I-Squared bill last year. It will be nice to watch Rubio's career wrecked just like H-1B visa abuse has wrecked the careers of so many tech workers.
[doublepost=1457466212][/doublepost]

Omg, you are HILARIOUS!!!
You do know that Trump's big plan of getting work "back in the USA" is to lower wages & make this the same type of third world country, yeah??
Do you think he wants to personally pay & wants all his rich buddies to pay top dollar decent "working man's wages" for menial labor?? Do you seriously not comprehend how the rich get (and stay) rich?? Do you want to see us reduced back to the American "industrial age" that we have evolved from & shift away from the predominantly service related industries that are prevalent now & go back to huge pollution producing intensive labor production factories?? That sounds good to you??
*slow clap*
I don't wish ill on ANY of my fellow man; so let me put it like this: I hope you remain healthy and happy, but your car suffers a catastrophic breakdown on your way to the polls.

See above

 

[pooleman]

Donald Trump has been a part of the system he claims to be railing against for pretty much his entire life. From paying off politicians, to using undocumented immigrant labor in his properties and offshoring labor for his products. He has convinced very dim people that the very person who has been robbing them all these years is now the solution to their problems.

Statesman as in a "wise, skillful, and respected political leader". Otherwise I agree.

Ron Paul would have been a good president.

I'd love Ron Paul as secretary of commerce or the treasury secretary. As a commander in chief I'm not a fan.

As far as his son, I wouldn't put Rand Paul in charge of a lemonade stand.