Trump speech
It seems the market is still salivating over the same old empty
promises and rhetoric we've been hearing for a year.
"We spent $6TN on the Middle East [not true, and anyway he was
in favor of the Iraq war], which we could have spent at home
instead.... so I propose a massive increase in military spending...
with no mention of how it's paid for."
"Infrastructure bad, so I propose $1TN to be spent building
stuff... with no mention of how it's paid for."
"Historic corporate tax cuts... still no specifics... with no
mention of how it's paid for."
"Massive tax cuts for individuals... still no specifics... with
no mention of how it's paid for."
"Yes, we're building a Yuge Great Wall... with no mention of how
it's paid for."
"Our national debt is really bad... but believe me we're going
to do all of this."
"ISIS bad...", wait, I thought that issue was going to be solved
day one. He had this amazing plan, remember?
"New healthcare will be awesome...", with vague mentions of
things like HSA's which are only good for people who have lots of
money, and saying that healthy people won't need to be in the
system so how will it pay for itself? And what works in every other
developed country in the world won't work here because...? The
clock is ticking fast, with Congress having at most a few weeks to
look at this before 2018 plans and prices are made. I highly
recommend John Oliver's recent show with his coverage about
this.
Then there was the empty rhetoric about swamp draining, where he
has actually loosened some restrictions, and of course he himself
is exempt. And the usual taking credit for things he had nothing to
do with. Oh and he loves the stock market but also says the economy
is broken.
Where exactly are all these trillions going to come from? Not a
chance a fraction of that stuff becomes real. But at least mentally
ill people can get their guns, thanks to him reversing regulations
on that. Remember the outrage after Sandy Hook? I said at the time,
why do people bother with all this outrage, nothing will change. I
wish I had been wrong.
Back in the real world today, Best Buy is plunging on weak sales
and forecasts, just like Target yesterday. All we've heard for
months is "everything is awesome", so that's strange.
As an aside, check out these floats from a German parade. Wow. I
can't believe they put out stuff like that in public, LOL.
thelocal.de/20...-mercy
And this clip from Colbert a week ago is funny.
youtube.com/wa...iLXm70
|
|
I sincerely hope that even if by luck, this administration
manages to get an acorn or two, and manages to pass somethin,
anything that might help the economy. However, I fear he will
screw the pooch.. It is so arrogant, I continue to be baffled
how he just lies so much and about everything. They are lies
that are so blatant and easily fact checked.
Yesterday, I believe, he accused Obama as the
instigator/coordinator of the protests taking place around the
country.
|
Author:
|
LongTerm
CapGains
|
Subject:
|
Off Topic
|
Sentiment:
|
Neutral
|
Date:
|
03/01/17 at 8:27 AM CST
|
|
I found that so offensive when he accused Obama of that, and
with zero proof. It was just like his birther crap, and just like
his outrageous claim that 3 million illegal voters had voted for
Clinton. Offensive, and no facts... but fake news!
|
Author:
|
Jester
Debunker
|
Subject:
|
Off Topic
|
Sentiment:
|
Neutral
|
Date:
|
03/01/17 at 8:54 AM CST
|
|
Yeah, he has the audacity to ban news organizations from his
News Conferences for distributing (in his own mind) fake news yet
he lies about absolutly everything, talk about a double standard,
let alone the fact that it is so self serving and hypocritical.
This guy never met a mirror he liked. Terrible
precedents will be his legacies.
|
Author:
|
LongTerm
CapGains
|
Subject:
|
Off Topic
|
Sentiment:
|
Neutral
|
Date:
|
03/01/17 at 9:08 AM CST
|
|
Jester, lt cap,
I certainly share your views on Trump's speech and his
behavior/words in general. The market seems to care not on the
specifics of what will be spent, where and how, and how it will get
passed. Market acts if as if all that is a 'done deal.' I think
infrastructure may have a chance, given that it will appeal to
Democrats. And to me, the shortness of memory isn't unexpected, but
gross none-the-less: All of the Republican establishment (Paul
Ryan, Mitch McConnell, etc.) either held Trump at (long) arm's
length in the campaign, or openly said they couldn't support this
dangerous clown. Not they're all sucking up to him, smiling and
nodding at every remark. Yeah, I understand that power draws in
everyone - the result is you get someone equivalent to Calingula
running the show and horrific events ensue. I do hope that at 'town
meetings', constitutuents continue to forcefully ask where their
representatives stand on substantive issuess, such as Obamacare,
giving the official some pause about what they'll support issues
that affects their re-electability. I'm somewhat afraid that
the 'opposition' (the people, not the press) will dissolve into the
same meaningless state that the Wall St. protest
movement experienced.
One interesting comment I saw said that the huge
'infrastructure" proposal did not include anything about internet
build-out. Not good for us. Altho I read another story where the
govt. might subsidize ISP's to bulid out their networks.
As for the 'enemy of the people', I think that's self
fulfillling prophecy, and wonder whether it is intentional or not:
Trump vilifies the press with outrageous lies about them, and does,
indeed, alienate most of the press outlets. When I read the
Washington Post now, every story reads like an editorial, critical
of Trump - right down to ridiculous stuff like Kellyann Conway
'disrespecting' the office of the President by lounging on a chair
Please. I wonder if Trump has brought this on consciously, so that
indeed, his constiuency believes the press is the continual liar,
prejudiced, and out to 'get him.'
Personally, things aren't so great: My pick of PANW got a 25%
haircut today, poor sales, poor strategy, perhaps losing customers
to Cisco. Despite CSCO's high price, I might consider moving
out of PANW, and take the $ and put it in CSCO. This is the 2nd
straigh quarter that PANW has basicallly said that their sales
force lacks a strategy, and it reminds me a bit like INFN, which
will languish for aperiod in working out their own problems.
Story today about ERIC partnering with CSCO on some (sounds
like) big projects. I believe lt cap said the he thought that was a
good match, even acquisition-wise. I'd rather not see ERIC getting
into a viable competitive position with NOK. But NOK has been
marching steadily north - my loss is half of what it was before. I
really can't tell whether it's Suri managing good news coming out
from NOK, or whether it's just rising with pretty much everything
else in the market.
Okay - the money question - how to people see this market? Are
we poised for a humongous drop, or can the market really support
these valuations? I understand that Trump's language about business
is a big driver, but as you've pointed out, it's sketchy
non-tangible proclamations so far.
|
Author:
|
Jam
ok
|
Subject:
|
Off Topic
|
Sentiment:
|
Neutral
|
Date:
|
03/01/17 at 3:52 PM CST
|
|
Jester,
Those European floats are absoutely priceless. Gives me
some hope that maybe other countries won't suck up to Trump. That
Colbert was also great - as well as the repeat of his last night's
stand up of Trump's speech. Today's news is that Sessions
spoke w/the Russian Ambassador twice last year, and didn't mention
it. Is there anybody in this administration who *didn't* meet with
the ambassador? If only it was true that there ws real
collusion with the Russians.....
|
Author:
|
Jam
ok
|
Subject:
|
Off Topic
|
Sentiment:
|
Neutral
|
Date:
|
03/01/17 at 8:17 PM CST
|
|