@justhuman @johnglavine @Andre @DuaneCates @SLAG @JFAnon
That last point is excellent.
Trump did not run for office because he wanted to be president.
Being president was necessary for him to do what he wanted for the country. He may not even need to be that anymore.
This is as opposed to Hillary, for instance (and pretty much all others), who was in it for herself and probably had wanted, her whole adult life, to be the first female president. Just because.
@h53pilot @justhuman @johnglavine @DuaneCates @SLAG @JFAnon
Trump is in the WIN, for the USA and for the world.
The baubles of office mean nothing to him. Results are all that matters.
Watch Pompeo even more closely!!
@Andre @h53pilot @justhuman @johnglavine @DuaneCates @SLAG
Pompeo is instructive, perhaps moreso. Trust Kansas.
@JFAnon @Andre @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
Former CIA Director. Must be privy to lots of information we can only dream of.
That in turn could be a nightmare for the adversaries.
Noted with interest that he apparently is (could be) a member of the Alfalfa Club.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alfalfa_Club_members
Doesn’t say when his membership may have commenced.
Regardless it is is intriguing.
@johnglavine @Andre @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
I'm still digesting Will Zoll's Substack vis a vis the existence and meaning of the Alfalfa Club
@JFAnon @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
There are tons of these cliques. Some overt, some utterly secret.
They all serve one purpose:
To conspire to use their wealth to their mutual advantage while simultaneously hide it all from public view & as much taxation as possible.
Shine sunlight on it and it all turns into seedy little clubs with no substance to them beyond their grasping for more wealth.
Seriously, these'll be the easiest elements of the swamp to sweep aside.
@Andre @JFAnon @johnglavine @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
Ahhh... and I have theorized that Epstein was one of their blackmail merchants.
A service provider for these cliques.
No entry into the clique without submitting a security deposit.
@h53pilot @Andre @JFAnon @johnglavine @justhuman @DuaneCates
A Shadow Government does not need to mean shadowy, nor parallel.
The Westminster system has a Leader of the Opposition, who happens to lead... a Shadow Cabinet.
Rather than "Shadow" Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition here is known as the "Alternative" Prime Minister.
Trump is breaking new ground in US politics, and his power base is real. I look forward to more from @SLAG so I may tip one way or the other more.
@Andre @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
I've never understood the notion of chasing wealth. I've had plenty of opportunities to do so.
I want to secure a financial future for my kids. But the idea of building wealth for the sake of wealth is beyond me.
@Andre @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
I could talk for yonks about how important it is to me that that I have 50+ employees (that represent 150+ souls) that choose to work for my company. We pay so far above market that even my mentors question it. Our health insurance plan is on a par with unions and state health plans. Does it cost me $$? Yep. But I sleep well, knowing that I'm doing everything I can to make sure my employees are solid.
@Andre @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
I spent 3.5 yrs looking for a business to purchase. I looked at a ton of companies and potential startups. The most relevant to this discussion was a payday loan company. The margins for these companies are crazy...buy one for $1mm and you can expect to have your full investment returned in 2-3 years, not even counting a salary
@Andre @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
Easy money. I didn't even have to be involved with anything. Nope. I would have never been able to sleep at night.
@Andre @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
I've told a number of mentees (is that even a word?) that the best thing they can spend $$ on are experiential things that create memories. The fun/excitement about a new car fade in weeks...the experience of hunting elk in NM on public land never fades.
@Andre @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
All this considered, I have a relatively small investment in a complete flyer of a deal. If it takes off (coin flip), maybe my dream car 1986 Testarossa (with a flying mirror) is in reach?
I probably won't buy it, though. $250k for a car?
Then again, I imagine driving it. That's a 24 hr boner right there
Question for you since you’ve researched payday loan companies;
Is it true that a significant portion of their income comes from illegal immigrants who cannot get a bank account?
I’ve heard this somewhere and wondered if it was true. There seems to be a ton of these businesses out here in California.
Great question!
They also put a hook in the jaw of senior citizens trying to pay bills on scant retirement income. I know of two who had their retirement income sucked right out of them one 23% loan at a time. It was a horror to watch what it did to their lives in real time, but when they asked if I could take their beloved pet because they could no longer afford to feed it...I cried right along with them.
I looked into this in 2006, I didn't do a very deep dive because the whole concept simply doesn't comport with my ethics.
One of the prerequisites is that a customer needs to have both a job and a bank account. To borrow cash, you need to show proof that you're employed and that you have a bank account, along with the most recent pay stub. You then write a check to the payday loan company and they hold it until the term of the loan expires.
Not everyone qualifies for these loans..
The payday loan companies do their own risk assessments.
As I recall, the biz model was centered on recurring/repeat customers. The fees and interest adds up so quickly that the lender just keeps rolling the loan over, with new fees added each time.
In a move to try and protect the consumer, some states limit the term of the loan to no more than 30 days.
The unintended consequence is that when the consumer isn't able to pay it off (which is most of the time), that first loan is 'retired' at 30 days, and a new loan is created - with new orig fees.
Typical of government idiocy, a seemingly good samaritan law actually accomplishes the diametric opposite of the goal.
@SLAG
Point of clarification - you need to have proof of income, not necessarily a job.
@JFAnon So what did you end up doing as your biz? Understand if you prefer not to say
Funny you should ask. I've always been guarded about my online stuff, but I've been feeling much more like I simply don't care anymore. I'm sure I'm on multiple lists and all that, so if the Gov't wants to find me, I'm an easy mark.
I don't think my biz will suffer from my association, but if it did, my employees would pay the heaviest penalty.
Suffice to say that I bought a company in 2008 that manufactures product used in highway/heavy infrastructure. 73% of our biz..
comes from public infrastructure funding. The balance is commercial construction. Zero residential.
It's a very niche product...I have maybe 6 competitors in the us. It's not a huge market..perhaps $120mm but it's profitable for sure.
One of the best things - and a thing that didn't really come across during due diligence - is that all public $$ projects in the US have major protections regarding non-payment.
In the 13 years I've owned this biz, I've had $7447 in bad debt.
It was one job in 2010 - private job in South Dakota - when we didn't file our pre-lien notices on time. Contractor declared bankruptcy, and we were left holding the bag.
We've never missed a pre-lien notice since then
@JFAnon nice, not an everyday find when searching for a biz to buy. Love hearing stories like this!
@Andre A question: What do you all think Trump means when he says,”It’s going to be a great Christmas?”
@JFAnon @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
@Bakerfiend @JFAnon @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
Well, for a start, it is difficult for a Christian to propose a 'bad' Christmas, after all!
We have the Rittenhouse and Juicy Smoothee verdicts. We have the cascade of Biden failures and the continuing ascendancy of th eTrump doctrine overseas and the affirmation of such by the courts domestically.
Not bad for under the tree this year?!
But I do expect that Santa has some more surprises for us between now and Dec. 25th!
@Andre We are doing very well but Santa could bring home some nice surprises. I am feeling more positive every day. @Bakerfiend @JFAnon @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
@Andre I’m praying all the hardships of the lockdowns in your country and elsewhere will disappear. I’m just tired of all the difficulties many of us have suffered through. Holidays very difficult for me as I have almost no extended family so extraordinary positive news would be welcomed. G-d Bless you and yours
@JFAnon @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
@Bakerfiend @Andre @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
Bakerfiend, I'm part of your extended fam. My thoughts are with you. If you're anywhere near MN, you're welcome at my house. Not kidding and not in jest.
Plus Beef Wellington.
@Bakerfiend @JFAnon @johnglavine @h53pilot @justhuman @DuaneCates @SLAG
Thank you for that thought and prayer. I share them!
I'm getting tired too. But you're always the most tired just before you finish the race!
My wife, kids, & I are, except for my elderly father in law, alone in NZ in terms of family. Seeing my extended family in the USA enjoying each other's company over the holidays really makes our separation sting more than a little bit.
I send you my prayers for a great Christmas!
@Bakerfiend I'm right there with you. I have little extended family, our closest friends have passed, and we have become rather isolated which makes the holiday season even worse for me. But what I've noticed the most is that I'm just tired of all the liars, bad news, and general evil in the world. I look for the good, but I think we all could use some REALLY good news and I pray for it every day!