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

[chiefsilverback]

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.

For clarity I'm talking about net profit on gross revenue, not a capped margin on specific product that would start to eat into R&D and other expenses.

Say it's 20%, a company with $10,000,000 in sales couldn't post more than a $2,000,000 profit. If they get to the end of the year and their costs have only come in at $7,000,000 then they can either invest more back into the company, pay some nice bonuses or declare it as profit and pay 100% tax on it.

 

[SvP]

Maybe you should explain it to us then.

Minimum wage jobs are not meant to be careers, they are meant to be stepping stones within careers.... flipping burgers or making coffee is a job for high school and college kids, not for adults trying to support families... if you really see that as your career direction then I strongly recommend working your tail off so that within a few years you are running the place.

If it is so tough to "make it" in this country with minimum wage jobs then how is it that people have immigrated here for generations with nothing but the clothes on their back and end up owning businesses and sending their kids to medical school within a generation? The answer is that they are willing to forego luxuries and they are willing to work multiple jobs to get ahead.

Freedom is about freedom from government micromanagement of our lives and burdensome taxes, not freedom from want.

What was, is not what is. What i do know is that the wealth distribution is, well, gone. Poverty is a huge problem and getting from poor to lower class is infinately harder than, for example, screw the country over and get bailed out with more money than is needed to end all poverty altogether. Battling poverty does not mean throwing money at lazy idiots; it's about providing simple basic needs, an education that doesn't cripple you financially, and a healthy outlook on life. .

 

[jmpage2]

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.

Everyone with any net worth is part of the system. Absolutely everyone running for president other than possibly Bernie are absolutely part of "the system".... and Bernie is a no-go for me and many other Americans because he desperately wants to introduce European style socialism into the United States... no thanks but I'll leave the crushing taxes, PC speech laws, hollow militaries and other socialist "values" to countries like Germany, UK, Finland, Norway, etc.

 

[Jess13]

Hitler was democratically elected by a landslide.

Sometimes the people have no idea what's good for them.

Hillary has directly helped to kill millions of people in the Middle East; Trump has not. If anyone is akin to Hitler it is Killary.

 

[BuddyTronic]

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.

This is the reason why I think he can do something good for the country. He knows about paying off politicians and all the dirty business. He made his pile of money already and now he will be president as a sort of "Hobby". It takes a thief to catch a thief. He will now turn his attention to "making America great" and I believe him. The rest of the politicians will forever evade the topic of being controlled by lobbyists etc. Trump has a shot to do something good and you can tell this is so because the establishment is panicking.

 

[SvP]

You don't have a clue what socialism means. It will be clear one day who has your money. It's not the poor btw.

 

[You are the One]

As a commander in chief I'm not a fan.

He would bring the boys back home.

No more killing, injuring and PTSD wacked US solders for the benefit of the military industrial complex and the very special interests group.

And no more killing and maiming of millions of civilians all over the world for the same interests.

He would be an excellent Commander in Chief, IMHO.

 

[Hirakata]

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"

I respect the guy, but the pope is wrong. We do not have a zero-sum economy. There are as many pots of gold as people want to create. They just have to be willing to create them.

 

[SvP]

I respect the guy, but the pope is wrong. We do not have a zero-sum economy. There are as many pots of gold as people want to create. They just have to be willing to create them.

Nonsense.

 

[pooleman]

Hillary has helped to kill millions of people; Trump has not. If anyone is akin to Hitler it is Killary.

You are way way off. Hillary hasn't killed millions. Tens upon tens of thousands would more accurate.

 

[SvP]

Respect the pope? What?

 

[SvP]

Poverty is a trap. The rich are killing your country. It's near impossible to beat poverty.
Capitalism is built on people spending money; make sure they get to that and not fight to survive, because those fights become gunfights really fast

 

[Jess13]

You are way way off. Hillary hasn't killed millions. Tens upon tens of thousands would more accurate.

Millions of people have been killed in the Middle East post-9/11, in the so-called “War on Terror.” Iraq to Afghanistan, Libya to Syria, and Hillary has been involved in approving, supporting, pushing for, helping to cause and/or fund all. Did Hillary pull the triggers herself? No. Is she just as responsible? Yes. Contrast to Trump who has not been involved in any. I don’t care if anyone hates Trump; smashes on Trump. But if there is anyone in the 2016 race akin to Hitler it is Killary.

 

[jmpage2]

What was, is not what is. What i do know is that the wealth distribution is, well, gone. Poverty is a huge problem and getting from poor to lower class is infinately harder than, for example, screw the country over and get bailed out with more money than is needed to end all poverty altogether. Battling poverty does not mean throwing money at lazy idiots; it's about providing simple basic needs, an education that doesn't cripple you financially, and a healthy outlook on life. .

Poverty is not a "huge problem" in a country where we have moved beyond safety nets and into the realm of providing cable-TV, subsidized smart phones and EBT cards to anyone who doesn't want to apply themselves to hold down a job and get ahead.

A college education is not a right and is not required for the overwhelming majority of entry level jobs. If companies had a harder time hiring foreign workers to fill jobs they might actually go back to what they did 20-30 years ago and provide on the job training, partner with local vocational schools, provide paid internships, etc.

Liberals believe that all of life's problems can be solved by the government.

Conservatives understand that government itself is usually a big part of the problem.

 

[pooleman]

He would bring the boys back home.

No more killing, injuring and PTSD wacked US solders for the benefit of the military industrial complex and the very special interests group.

And no more killing and maiming of millions of civilians all over the world for the same interests.

He would be an excellent Commander in Chief, IMHO.

Agree to disagree. I'm very much in agreement with his positions on staying out of foreign conflicts. I was very against his wanting to close all the bases we have around the world.

 

[Hirakata]

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.

I don't think people on this forum (or elsewhere for that matter) realize that when they put down Trump supporters by calling them stupid, uneducated, etc., it reeks if elitism, which is part of the reason people are drawn to him in the first place.

 

[pooleman]

Millions of people have been killed in the Middle East post-9/11, in the so-called “War on Terror.” Iraq to Afghanistan, Libya to Syria, and Hillary has been involved in approving, supporting, pushing for, helping to cause and/or fund all. Did Hillary pull the triggers herself? No. Is she just as responsible? Yes. Contrast to Trump who has not been involved in any. I don’t care if anyone hates Trump; smashes on Trump. But if there is anyone in the 2016 race akin to Hitler it is Killary.

Ease up buddy. I'm a huge Trump supporter and very much district, dislike, and fear Clinton. But I think many of those people would have been killed any way with or without Hillary intervention.

Let's just agree that she has been responsible for MANY MANY deaths in the Middle East. And I'm sure we can agree that she belongs in a jail cell rather than the campaign trail.

 

[bent christian]

This is the reason why I think he can do something good for the country. He knows about paying off politicians and all the dirty business. He made his pile of money already and now he will be president as a sort of "Hobby".

You are just trolling and this is a joke, right?

Very wealthy people with the personality of Donald Trump are never done making money. If his life was about making money, Donald Trump would never have gone into real estate. Instead, he would have invested his money and ended up with more of it:


"Trump’s net worth has grown about 300% to an estimated $4 billion since 1987, according to a report by the Associated Press. But the real estate mogul would have made even more money if he had just invested in index funds. The AP says that, if Trump had invested in an index fund in 1988, his net worth would be as much as $13 billion.

The S&P 500 has grown 1,336% since 1988.

Other billionaires’ net worths have beaten the stock market’s growth in that time. Bill Gates, for example, saw his grow increase 7,173% since 1988 to $80 billion. Warren Buffet’s wealth grew 2,612% in the same time period, to $67.8 billion.

Another recent Associated Press report found that Trump is a much more cautious businessman than he lets on. “He holds few stocks for someone of his wealth and has grown increasingly dependent on making money by lending out his name to others rather than developing real estate himself,” the AP wrote."
http://fortune.com/2015/08/20/donald-trump-index-funds/


For people like Donald Trump life is about gaining power and influence. Money is just a way of keeping score.

 

[Jess13]

Ease up buddy. I'm a huge Trump supporter and very much district, dislike, and fear Clinton. But I think many of those people would have been killed any way with or without Hillary intervention.

Let's just agree that she has been responsible for MANY MANY deaths in the Middle East. And I'm sure we can agree that she belongs in a jail cell rather than the campaign trail.

I accept your invitation and agree.

 

[pooleman]

You are just trolling and this is a joke, right?

Very wealthy people with the personality of Donald Trump are never done making money. If his life was about making money, Donald Trump would never have gone into real estate. Instead, he would have invested his money and ended up with more of it:

"Trump’s net worth has grown about 300% to an estimated $4 billion since 1987, according to a report by the Associated Press. But the real estate mogul would have made even more money if he had just invested in index funds. The AP says that, if Trump had invested in an index fund in 1988, his net worth would be as much as $13 billion.


The S&P 500 has grown 1,336% since 1988.


Other billionaires’ net worths have beaten the stock market’s growth in that time. Bill Gates, for example, saw his grow increase 7,173% since 1988 to $80 billion. Warren Buffet’s wealth grew 2,612% in the same time period, to $67.8 billion.


Another recent Associated Press report found that Trump is a much more cautious businessman than he lets on. “He holds few stocks for someone of his wealth and has grown increasingly dependent on making money by lending out his name to others rather than developing real estate himself,” the AP wrote."
http://fortune.com/2015/08/20/donald-trump-index-funds/

For people like Donald Trump life is about gaining power and influence. Money is just a way of keeping score.

Much could be said for Democrat senators (Boxer and Fienstien for instance) who has seen net worth increases of well over 300% since being in office. Often by illegally steering government contracts to spouses or relatives to grift the system.

Trump is a self made man. Don't forget it. He took a relatively small amount of money and grew it into a huge fortune. We all try to do this. We all try to grow our personal wealth. Why should I hate someone who has grown it better than me?

 

[fischersd]

He knows how to create jobs and wealth. He is the only candidate that has ever built or created a product or service that anyone has been willing to pay for

Sorry, you're ignoring the reports that the inheritance he received from his father would be worth billions more if he had invested it into an S&P indexed fund and left it alone (or, how about the numerous times he's had negative net worth?)

He's had multiple businesses fail. He licenses his name (why people think it represents quality?!) with questionable outfits that have failed to deliver many times over.

Creates jobs? I'd like to see how many people he employs today. Even then, you'd have to do some analysis over acquisitions and whether the net result has been growth or reduction in employment.

 

[bent christian]

Trump is a self made man. Don't forget it. He took a relatively small amount of money and grew it into a huge fortune. We all try to do this. We all try to grow our personal wealth. Why should I hate someone who has grown it better than me?

A "small loan" of $6.8 million in today's dollars, his father as co-signer for $70 million more, and an ultimate inheritance of over $200 million. There is nothing about Donald Trump that is "self-made". He is a product of inter-generational wealth.

"I love the poorly educated" - Donald Trump

 

[pooleman]

Poverty is a trap. The rich are killing your country. It's near impossible to beat poverty.
Capitalism is built on people spending money; make sure they get to that and not fight to survive, because those fights become gunfights really fast

There are very few people in America that truly live in poverty. You can't live in poverty and have a cell phone, cable , and a large screen tv.

There are some in the US that are truly in poverty, but many poor people here are poor because they are irresponsible financially.

A few years ago (15) I lived on $7000 a year. I had a house, car, no job. I also had no cable. No tv. No cell phone. I never went to restaurants and never spent a penny on anything other than bare essentials.
[doublepost=1457468734][/doublepost]

A "small loan" of $6.8 million in today's dollars, his father as co-signer for $70 million more, and an ultimate inheritance of over $200 million. There is nothing about Donald Trump that is "self-made".

"I love the poorly educated" - Donald Trump

I call bull on this. He received a loan from his father, which he paid back in full. It's no different from you borrowing money from your parents and paying it back.

It is a small loan when compared to how much he made from the investments. You're just jealous. If you were rich you wouldn't be talking like this about Trump. He took a sum of money and grew it. My parents gave me a loan several years ago to buy my first house. I repaid the loan, worked hard to pay off the mortgage and bought another house. Now I own 3 houses and a 10 acre wooded lot in going to develop in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I rent two of the houses am and looking to buy another to use a laptop a rental property. I'm growing my personal wealth. It's not on the same scale as Teump but so what? I took a small asset and am growing it. Should I be despised as well?

 

[nando87]

I'm not american nor I live in the USA, but I don't think Donald Trump is such a bad option, at least right now you can't deny him the opportunity. The fact is he is not typical at all and can't be punished by retiring him funds or whatever, so I think it'll be interesting. He's a populist, as quite everyone else, but he has much more liberty to take his own decisions and knows how the system works.

All these tech snobs thinking they are above him and that can judge if he's valid or not seem just fascist to my eyes.

 

[BuddyTronic]

You are just trolling and this is a joke, right?

Very wealthy people with the personality of Donald Trump are never done making money. If his life was about making money, Donald Trump would never have gone into real estate. Instead, he would have invested his money and ended up with more of it:


"Trump’s net worth has grown about 300% to an estimated $4 billion since 1987, according to a report by the Associated Press. But the real estate mogul would have made even more money if he had just invested in index funds. The AP says that, if Trump had invested in an index fund in 1988, his net worth would be as much as $13 billion.

The S&P 500 has grown 1,336% since 1988.

Other billionaires’ net worths have beaten the stock market’s growth in that time. Bill Gates, for example, saw his grow increase 7,173% since 1988 to $80 billion. Warren Buffet’s wealth grew 2,612% in the same time period, to $67.8 billion.

Another recent Associated Press report found that Trump is a much more cautious businessman than he lets on. “He holds few stocks for someone of his wealth and has grown increasingly dependent on making money by lending out his name to others rather than developing real estate himself,” the AP wrote."
http://fortune.com/2015/08/20/donald-trump-index-funds/


For people like Donald Trump life is about gaining power and influence. Money is just a way of keeping score.

No, no trolling, I hardly know what trolling really means actually.

But anyway - I see your argument is that he actually did not do very well in business. Maybe that is so, it's hard for me to really know. Certainly, he could have put his money in the S&P 500 and sat on it I guess.

I know I have done very well by holding AAPL for nearly 25 years.

Well, at least he gets his hand dirty in business doesn't he

I think he has been driven around in limo's and jets a lot.

He calls it as he sees it, and I think he is indeed a very good negotiator.

At least he is not a typical politician. We need more scientists to run for politics, and less lawyers. Trump is neither, he is a "businessman", and well, after weighing all the competitors, he is the best choice if you want any chance of something good for America. As I said before, we all had so much hope for Obama, and look at the way things turned out. When George Bush was in power I would have just been happy to have anyone with a pulse for president, and now with Obama and his Successor Hillary Clinton, I shudder to think at what happens next. Thankfully, the American citizens are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore and will vote for Trump. Lots of Democrats will vote for Trump this time around I think.