Trump's America

[BIG ERN]

You all can thank rural America and an outdated two-party system. Trump is the most well-known president prior to the election in American history. A known greedy, narcissistic child that American still voted for. Got duped by a con man. Also didn't help that the outdated system made you choose between two idiots.....OUTDATED DEMOCRACY

[Fru]

I keep hearing that "America was duped by a con man." I'd argue that this is what many in America, mainly the GOP, wanted.

 

They wanted a birther, they want to yell "Build the wall!" they want to ban Muslims, they want to dismantle the EPA and pollute rivers, they want to take healthcare away. Even outspoken GOP senators like Sasse vote with Trump 95% of the time. Duped? I don't think so.

[BIG ERN]

I keep hearing that "America was duped by a con man." I'd argue that this is what many in America, mainly the GOP, wanted.

 

They wanted a birther, they want to yell "Build the wall!" they want to ban Muslims, they want to dismantle the EPA and pollute rivers, they want to take healthcare away. Even outspoken GOP senators like Sasse vote with Trump 95% of the time. Duped? I don't think so.

Many Americans did/do want this. Those people are called stupid

[NM11046]

Hmmmmm .... I find this incredibly bold. It gives me great hope.

 

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

I keep hearing that "America was duped by a con man." I'd argue that this is what many in America, mainly the GOP, wanted.

 

They wanted a birther, they want to yell "Build the wall!" they want to ban Muslims, they want to dismantle the EPA and pollute rivers, they want to take healthcare away. Even outspoken GOP senators like Sasse vote with Trump 95% of the time. Duped? I don't think so.

 

Maybe some, but not me. I've leaned Conservative my entire life (I did vote for Obama twice, though), and the Trump presidency has made me sad, angry, embarrassed etc. You can be conservative on many issues, and still have the ability to care about your fellow man.

[Danny Bateman]

 

The corollary I found interesting is the GI Bill. Loads of people joined up in the military so they could get school paid for when they get out. We can't pretend we're in a vacuum and incentives to enlist don't exist.

 

How is gender reassignment surgery any different than that?

I'm not sure I'm understanding you dude, so to clarify are you suggesting that transgendered people sign up to serve in the military to get their transition paid for?

 

If so, if they are capable of serving and qualified and do so - why is this a problem? Incentive or not, if they do the work for our country shouldn't they receive the same health benefits as others who do so?

 

 

I don't have a problem with it. I just know I was doing some reading on Reddit yesterday and this seems to be the common theme of those opposed to it.. people shouldn't join up just to get their surgery done when it's elective and could affect their deployment status. One dude even called trans folks who do this "malingers who tend to not be good workers."

 

I understand those who are arguing against it because it can affect deployment status. In that sense, I guess it really could affect readiness.

 

But at the same time, I can't imagine many trans people enlisting and automatically demanding reassignment surgery right off the bat. I'd think they understand they're there to do a job and that can't get in the way.

 

I don't understand the people who argue reassignment surgery shouldn't be covered, period. That was my point. I guarantee those people wouldn't argue against people who just sign up to use the GI Bill for school, because they're likely arguing from a place of religious belief.

 

There are plenty of ways the military wastes money, and this isn't one of them, IMO.

[zoogs]

 

I keep hearing that "America was duped by a con man." I'd argue that this is what many in America, mainly the GOP, wanted.

 

They wanted a birther, they want to yell "Build the wall!" they want to ban Muslims, they want to dismantle the EPA and pollute rivers, they want to take healthcare away. Even outspoken GOP senators like Sasse vote with Trump 95% of the time. Duped? I don't think so.

Maybe some, but not me. I've leaned Conservative my entire life (I did vote for Obama twice, though), and the Trump presidency has made me sad, angry, embarrassed etc. You can be conservative on many issues, and still have the ability to care about your fellow man.

 

Well said to both of you.

[RedDenver]

This might be the most Trump thing ever.

[StPaulHusker]

I get that we can find lots of things that cost more than "X" in the government. But that's not how the budgets work and USA Today is not doing their readers any favors writing stuff like this.

 

This is literally why Trump attacks mainstream media

[BigRedBuster]

 

 

This is literally why Trump attacks mainstream media

No, he attacks "mainstream media" because they are actually reporting his failures.

[StPaulHusker]

 

 

 

This is literally why Trump attacks mainstream media

No, he attacks "mainstream media" because they are actually reporting his failures.

 

There is that as well. But my point is that they report these headlines as if he quit going to Mar A Lago, there would be enough money for transgender services. And the 2 aren't even remotely connected.

 

If USA Today really wanted to breakdown where money could be saved to provide the services that Trump says the military can't afford, they need to dig into the defense budget and find overspending, with context.

 

Or, I don't know, talk to members of congress that are on the appropriations committees and get their insight to whether there is money or not?

[Danny Bateman]

I'd say you're both correct. They're not mutually exclusive.

 

Most media outlets have sensationalist, clickbait-y tendencies that produce headlines like that.

 

Trump gets mad because that same media doesn't kiss his ring and reports bad stuff he doesn't want covered.

[BigRedBuster]

That is not how I take the headline.

 

The headline to me says that he is negatively affecting American service men and women and blaming it on the cost when he takes frivolous trips to Mara Lago and doesn't bat an eye about it and they cost more.

[StPaulHusker]

That is not how I take the headline.

 

The headline to me says that he is negatively affecting American service men and women and blaming it on the cost when he takes frivolous trips to Mara Lago and doesn't bat an eye about it and they cost more.

Then we read it differently. Like dudeguyy said. Neither of us are wrong.

[zoogs]

I see your point, StPaul, but I don't think this is an unfair piece. I also don't think it's the most intelligent take, either. But it accomplishes its narrow purpose quite well.

 

The President's explicit argument is that this is wasteful and unnecessary spending.

 

It's demonstrably not. On the other hand, the President's Mar-a-Lago trips and the expenditures they incur are exactly those things. Thus, even on this count he doesn't have a leg of his own to stand on.

 

It doesn't merely undermine his hypocrisy and expose his lack of credibility. It exposes his intentions. Trump doesn't care about eliminating spending waste. He does care about boxing out transgender people. Which, if you remove this pretense of fiscal responsibility, is what this action ends up being about -- a fact that is plainly corroborated by the related reporting on this matter.