American audio industry may suffer a blow..

[Irvrobinson]

Well, that explains why you're unhappy. We don't live in a democracy. It is just part of the magnificent foresight our founding fathers had when establishing our great country.

No, herbu, that doesn't explain why I'm unhappy. I'm unhappy because the President doesn't respect the office he holds, and he acts like a buffoon and embarrasses all but his most blind supporters. I often agree with some of his initiatives, though nowhere near all all them, but then his implementation is usually clumsy and ineffective.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Hahahahaha!!!! Great examples that "the Trumpian way" means speaking the truth. He exposes liars. It makes things difficult for those who believe a lie can become the truth if repeated often enough.

herbu, just wondering, did you ever graduate from high school?

 

[herbu]

The simple answer of course is cost vs benefit, though as you imply, we all judge the value of those benefits differently.

That problem requires good leadership, i.e. the kind of people that can actually explain to us peons why something is a good idea, even if our natural instinct is to write it off as bad, in a way that isn't condescending / attacking us as heartless/morons/etc. Even then, you won't be able to please all the people all of the time, but you'll get a lot closer than where we're at now.

Steve, this is a little scary. That's twice I agreed with you today. I have been making your point above for years. Reagan was great because he was a plain talker. He could distill an issue into simple terms and explain it in a way that was easy to understand. I don't mean easy for dumb people to understand, but all people whose expertise is not politics. Today, even the conservatives with whom I agree talk like everyone in their audience knows as much as they do.

The principle extends outside of politics. I used to teach my engineers to practice their executive presentations on their children. If their 12 year old couldn't understand it, it was too detailed or complicated for an exec pitch. Communication is key, and becoming a lost art. Technical Writing should be a required Freshman course at every institution. It teaches you to organize, prioritize and arrange your thoughts in the most effective manner... and to know your audience.

 

[herbu]

herbu, just wondering, did you ever graduate from high school?

Irv, another great example. When you can't refute the facts, make a personal attack. You learned well from the libs at Kavanaugh's confirmation. Well, you did miss one thing. A simple majority put him on the court. Democracy at work. You must be so happy about that!!!

 

[Johnny2Bad]

When I compare State and Provincial budgets on a per-capita basis (ie adjusted for population) I don't see lower budgets with economies similar to SK. I've looked at many State budgets over the years (MN, Montana) similar to SK economically and others as well. I see no evidence we pay more taxes than other jurisdictions, and include health care (about $C 5,500 per capita). Individual taxes (Income Tax, Provincial Sales Tax) comprise about 20% of the budget revenue. The majority of income comes from resource royalties. I'm not sure of N Dakota's rate for oil but I do know SK is lowest in Canada and is lower than AK, TX.

Eg: North Dakota
Pop 755,000
State Budget $US 13,277,000,000
$US 17,579.00 per person [$C 22,913.00 per person]

Saskatchewan
Pop 1,162,000
Provincial Budget $C 14,610,000,000
$C 12,565 per person [$US 9,639.00 per person]

 

[Irvrobinson]

Irv, another great example. When you can't refute the facts, make a personal attack. You learned well from the libs at Kavanaugh's confirmation. Well, you did miss one thing. A simple majority put him on the court. Democracy at work. You must be so happy about that!!!

Actually, I supported Kavanaugh's confirmation, so, yes, I am happy about that.

As for my question, it was a serious one. Given the quality of many of your responses in this thread.

 

[shadyJ]

When I compare State and Provincial budgets on a per-capita basis (ie adjusted for population) I don't see lower budgets with economies similar to SK. I've looked at many State budgets over the years (MN, Montana) similar to SK economically and others as well. I see no evidence we pay more taxes than other jurisdictions, and include health care (about $C 5,500 per capita). Individual taxes (Income Tax, Provincial Sales Tax) comprise about 20% of the budget revenue. The majority of income comes from resource royalties. I'm not sure of N Dakota's rate for oil but I do know SK is lowest in Canada and is lower than AK, TX.

Eg: North Dakota
Pop 755,000
State Budget $US 13,277,000,000 [$C
$US 17,579.00 per person [$C 22,913.00 per person]

Saskatchewan
Pop 1,162,000
Provincial Budget $C 14,610,000,000
$C 12,565 per person [$US 9,639.00 per person]

North Dakota may not be a great example to use since they had an oil boom that has inordinately increased income in that state.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

North Dakota may not be a great example to use since they had an oil boom that has inordinately increased income in that state.

North Dakota's economy, including the "oil boom" is very similar to SK. Grain farming, ranching, light industrial, the works. The oil pool that is fueling N Dakota's prosperity straddles the border and is the exact same pool being exploited in southeast SK. You do realize N Dakota has a border with SK?

But, feel free to propose another candidate. Even a state like Alabama (and if you've been there, you know they aren't throwing money around) spends $US 5,500 per capita ($C 7,168) which is almost exactly the same as SK with the Health Care component removed.

Although naturally I won't go into specifics, taking some data from my actual tax returns on income of about $65000 [$US 49,900] I paid 18.2% of gross income in Federal and Provincial Income Taxes combined in one recent tax year, and I pay the highest tax rate (single, no dependents) and didn't take advantage of all the tax reduction options I could have.

 

[lovinthehd]

Hahahahaha!!!! Great examples that "the Trumpian way" means speaking the truth. He exposes liars. It makes things difficult for those who believe a lie can become the truth if repeated often enough.

LOL the bigget liar of them all exposes liars? He's not employing the repeat a lie often enough thing? Good grief.

Seth Myers had the killer line about the white house using lie detectors to flesh out the NYT article writer...lie detectors in the white house are like putting smoke detectors on Willie Nelson's bus....

 

[everettT]

LOL the bigget liar of them all exposes liars? He's not employing the repeat a lie often enough thing? Good grief.

Seth Myers had the killer line about the white house using lie detectors to flesh out the NYT article writer...lie detectors in the white house are like putting smoke detectors on Willie Nelson's bus....

You do realize the previous admin used like detectors on the WH staff. FWIW

 

[lovinthehd]

You do realize the previous admin used like detectors on the WH staff. FWIW

Yes, I've seen that. Would probably break the damn thing or exhaust the operator in the drumpf administration, tho.

 

[sterling shoote]

Trump escalates tariffs on $200 billion in chinese goods.
Most audio components today are made in China. Like it or not, they have become the world's factory. Couldn't this imbecile president try something a bit more clever than a trade war with the source of so many of our manufactured goods to accomplish his goals? I think he may actually be getting into a trade war for its own sake, as if he just wants to throw around his own weight. His inevitable impeachment can not come soon enough.

If you are looking to buy audio components, do it now. Do not wait. Prices are going to rise. I just hope this doesn't kill off the Hi-fi audio industry completely for everyone except the rich.

You might want to consider tariffs as a game of chicken, with the USA in a MACK Truck and China in a Yugo. The idea is indeed to make products made in China cost too much to buy in the US, to force China to remove its tariffs on US goods, or loose its biggest customer for Chinese made goods, which would put China's economy in turmoil. China can not take that risk. So they will capitulate. Then it's business as usual, cheap Chinese goods here in USA but opening up USA goods to China to reduce trade imbalance. This is how it is going to play out, just like it has with our new trade agreements with Mexico and Canada, because the USA holds all the cards, all of them.

 

[pewternhrata]

You might want to consider tariffs as a game of chicken, with the USA in a MACK Truck and China in a Yugo. The idea is indeed to make products made in China cost too much to buy in the US, to force China to remove its tariffs on US goods, or loose its biggest customer for Chinese made goods, which would put China's economy in turmoil. China can not take that risk. So they will capitulate. Then it's business as usual, cheap Chinese goods here in USA but opening up USA goods to China to reduce trade imbalance. This is how it is going to play out, just like it has with our new trade agreements with Mexico and Canada, because the USA holds all the cards, all of them.

Have you looked through the list? Interesting what's included and excluded. In my field plastics are going up but not enough to cause any major impacts. Wood products are basically unchanged. Imports on food look to have the biggest hit, but we dont (USA) need that nonsense anyways. I dont see any doomsday fear over it, only gains for the states.

 

[3db]

Trump should be congratulated in souring the realtionship between US and Canada. Hes the only president I know in recent history (going back to the 60s) who went out of his way to do this. Sadly to say Canada is learning this lesson and is going after the European and Chinese markets. What that ahole fails to recognize is that his continued actions will further isolate the US from other countries as well. The world is too small now to be not invited to the party.

 

[everettT]

Trump should be congratulated in souring the realtionship between US and Canada. Hes the only president I know in recent history (going back to the 60s) who went out of his way to do this. Sadly to say Canada is learning this lesson and is going after the European and Chinese markets. What that ahole fails to recognize is that his continued actions will further isolate the US from other countries as well. The world is too small now to be not invited to the party.

I'm sure Trumps biggest concern isnt isolationism. I know you dont agree with or like him, but he is the POTUS and we are not.
His methods are not the normal for his position, but time will tell if those methods worked or failed. So for the time being I'm not gonna criticize his every move and wait and see.

 

[haraldo]

This is one of the things that made USA great, I am stunned every time I watch this ....

Imagine, only 93 guys ever got the chance to fly this plane. I think that even 54 years after its launch, some of the technology of this plane is unprecedented.

I have never seen a guy with this kind of attitude, spirit, mindset, what a guy, what a speech, what an amazing photo album he Brian Shul has of the SR71.

People ask Brian, what did you do today, well we flew Sacramento to London in 3.5 hours.... we did Nebraska in 4.5 minutes.... while wearing his “Mach 3+“ T shirt .... way cool

From what I know, even today, it’s only a handful people that know the real performance limits of the SR71, I talked to a US air force guy that know one of the SR71 pilots. He stated. well mach 4, for sure; mach 5, maybe?

I proclaim that Making blocks and obstacles is not going to help, what will make USA greater is by doing things again that no-one else can do and reinvent technology beyound what we believe possible....

 

[herbu]

As for my question, it was a serious one. Given the quality of many of your responses in this thread.

When you can't refute the facts, resort to personal attacks. If anyone disagrees with you, they must be uneducated and stupid. Why, just yesterday we learned from CNN that a black man with conservative views is " what happens when a Negro doesn't read". Perhaps I'm that Negro. Perhaps I dropped out of school in the 6th grade to help support my family... or join a gang. Perhaps I have degrees from Duke and Rensselaer. You will never know. Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it.

Irv, don't worry... be happy. You're in good hands with your people. I'm retired and living comfortably. And ultimately we all get what we deserve.

 

[shadyJ]

And ultimately we all get what we deserve.

The child who dies of cancer gets what they deserve? What about the children with parents can't afford treatment? What about children who get taken away from their parents and thrown in a cage?

 

[KEW]

The child who dies of cancer gets what they deserve? What about the children with parents can't afford treatment? What about children who get taken away from their parents and thrown in a cage?

It seems, for some people, compassion is seen as a weakness.

I don't wholly understand that, but a lot of people have less concern over the taking of children from parents because they consider latinos sub-human by buying into Trumps depiction of them categorically being rapists and criminals. That is also the basis of and how the Nazi movement justified mass murder. I don't think that the US could go down that road anytime soon, but it is distressing to see how little people recognize the current situation as not being unique.
I guess that is why history is prone to repeat itself.

 

[shadyJ]

It seems, for some people, compassion is seen as a weakness.

I don't wholly understand that, but a lot of people have less concern over the taking of children from parents because they consider latinos sub-human by buying into Trumps depiction of them categorically being rapists and criminals. That is also the basis of and how the Nazi movement justified mass murder. I don't think that the US could go down that road anytime soon, but it is distressing to see how little people recognize the current situation as not being unique.
I guess that is why history is prone to repeat itself.

I don't know how much more nakedly fascistic this presidency could get. Does Trump have to be wearing an armband with a swastika? While I think there is a slice of the american population that are truly fascistic, I think a larger chunk just doesn't care as long as the money is coming in. It's pretty horrific.