While it's fun to bash Trump, there's an important lesson here.

[KingLeo]

The public school system is the socialist system in America. Centrally run, bloated with overpaid and far too many administrators, pay based on time served no matter your skills and dedication, a job for life, early retirement. I can't think of how the public schools would be run any differently in a socialist country. We are now number 31 since the former worst president Carter created the DOE and now replaced by Biden as the all-time worst.

How is Trump turning us into an oligarchy? Because he is rich and so is Musk, both working without pay?

Do you what the largest socialistic system is in the US?
The US military.
Are you advocating for its closure?
I do call a government with billionaires in charge an oligarchy. A government shutting down public service agencies for the purpose of privatizing them to oligarchs.
And it seems clear Trump is doing this at the behest of his billionaire handlers.

 

[Paradoxical]

Elon Musk is not in charge. The billionaires who were in charge left when Biden lost. Soros, Big Pharm, eta; But no complaint's then, eh?

 

[RIP U.S. Democracy]

The public school system is the socialist system in America. Centrally run, bloated with overpaid and far too many administrators, pay based on time served no matter your skills and dedication, a job for life, early retirement. I can't think of how the public schools would be run any differently in a socialist country. We are now number 31 since the former worst president Carter created the DOE and now replaced by Biden as the all-time worst.

How is Trump turning us into an oligarchy? Because he is rich and so is Musk, both working without pay?

I actually thought you were talking about the Department of Defense.

 

[LostInSeattle]

Trump has a vision of taking America back to a time when most people worked in factories, and he's actually trying to force that vision on the rest of us. His use of tariffs is a clear example of government central planning, just on a small scale. He's using state power to try to reshape the American economy according to his own personal preferences.

It’s important to understand that tariffs are built on the same logic as central planning: the belief that government officials should override voluntary exchange and market signals to engineer a particular economic outcome. That’s the dangerous idea behind it.

Thankfully, Trump only has limited power, because this is still a free country. The U.S. is not a socialist state with a centrally planned economy.

But let’s think about how much damage he can do using only tariffs. Then imagine if he had control over the entire economy: wages, prices, raw materials, labor markets - every input. That would be a disaster. And we already have a name for that kind of system: socialism, which is public control over the means of production.

Trump is demonstrating to us why socialist countries are so poor - and why their people are often so miserable that the government has to build walls to keep them from escaping.

If you want prosperity, and the freedom to buy what you want, from who you want , then the answer is capitalism and largely free markets, not state control or central planning.

I largely agree with this but I also think there is an important role for government in economic planning in attentuating the worse outcomes of capitalism. I'm talking not just about breaking up monopolies a cartels, or preventing businesses from socializing private costs (e.g., pollution), but also in helping to transition during economic changes.

 

[Airyaman]

Maybe the OP was right about Trump after all:

 

[Diving Mullah]

Elon Musk is not in charge. The billionaires who were in charge left when Biden lost. Soros, Big Pharm, eta; But no complaint's then, eh?

I really wish I had your reality-distorting, fact-bending, self-delusional glasses that you are wearing. Even though the world would have been less interesting—a mere shadow of reality—at least I could understand where the MAGA supporters' warped ideas are manifesting from

Sure, one billionaire might have been associated with the fringes of the Biden administration, but 13 billionaires were directly involved in the Trump administration

1. Elon Musk
   • Position: Co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency
   • Corporations:
     • Tesla Inc.: An electric vehicle and clean energy company with a market capitalization of approximately $700 billion.
     • SpaceX: A private aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company; as a private entity, its market capitalization isn't publicly listed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $435.5 billion.
2. Vivek Ramaswamy
   • Position: Co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency
   • Corporations:
     • Roivant Sciences: A biopharmaceutical company with a market capitalization of nearly $9 billion.
     • Strive Asset Management: An investment firm focusing on non-ESG approaches; market capitalization details are private.
   • Net Worth: Approximately $1 billion.
3. Howard Lutnick
   • Position: United States Secretary of Commerce
   • Corporation: Cantor Fitzgerald: A global financial services firm; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly disclosed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $3.2 billion.
4. Jared Isaacman
   • Position: Administrator of NASA
   • Corporation: Shift4 Payments: A payment processing company with a market capitalization of approximately $9 billion.
   • Net Worth: Around $1.7 billion.
5. Warren Stephens
   • Position: Ambassador to the United Kingdom
   • Corporation: Stephens Inc.: An independent financial services firm; as a private entity, its market capitalization isn't publicly available.
   • Net Worth: Approximately $3.4 billion.
6. Stephen Feinberg
   • Position: Deputy Secretary of Defense
   • Corporation: Cerberus Capital Management: A private equity firm managing about $65 billion in assets; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly listed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $5 billion.
7. Steve Witkoff
   • Position: Middle East Envoy
   • Corporation: Witkoff Group: A real estate development firm; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly disclosed.
   • Net Worth: At least $1 billion.
8. Frank Bisignano
   • Position: Head of the Social Security Administration
   • Corporation: Fiserv: A financial technology company with a market capitalization of nearly $9 billion.
   • Net Worth: Approximately $1 billion.
9. Massad Boulos
   • Position: Middle East Advisor
   • Corporation: SCOA Nigeria PLC: A company with a market capitalization of about $865,000.
   • Net Worth: Subject to scrutiny; claims of billionaire status have been questioned.

Also don't forget..

1. Scott Bessent
   • Position: United States Secretary of the Treasury
   • Background: Founder of Key Square Group, a global macro investment firm.
   • Net Worth: Information on his exact net worth is not publicly disclosed, but as a prominent hedge fund manager, he is considered to be among the wealthy individuals in the administration.
2. Kelly Loeffler
   • Position: Administrator of the Small Business Administration
   • Background: Former U.S. Senator from Georgia and former CEO of Bakkt, a digital assets platform.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at over $1 billion.

 

[Paradoxical]

I really wish I had your reality-distorting, fact-bending, self-delusional glasses that you are wearing. Even though the world would have been less interesting—a mere shadow of reality—at least I could understand where the MAGA supporters' warped ideas are manifesting from

Sure, one billionaire might have been associated with the fringes of the Biden administration, but 13 billionaires were directly involved in the Trump administration

1. Elon Musk
   • Position: Co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency
   • Corporations:
     • Tesla Inc.: An electric vehicle and clean energy company with a market capitalization of approximately $700 billion.
     • SpaceX: A private aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company; as a private entity, its market capitalization isn't publicly listed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $435.5 billion.
2. Vivek Ramaswamy
   • Position: Co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency
   • Corporations:
     • Roivant Sciences: A biopharmaceutical company with a market capitalization of nearly $9 billion.
     • Strive Asset Management: An investment firm focusing on non-ESG approaches; market capitalization details are private.
   • Net Worth: Approximately $1 billion.
3. Howard Lutnick
   • Position: United States Secretary of Commerce
   • Corporation: Cantor Fitzgerald: A global financial services firm; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly disclosed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $3.2 billion.
4. Jared Isaacman
   • Position: Administrator of NASA
   • Corporation: Shift4 Payments: A payment processing company with a market capitalization of approximately $9 billion.
   • Net Worth: Around $1.7 billion.
5. Warren Stephens
   • Position: Ambassador to the United Kingdom
   • Corporation: Stephens Inc.: An independent financial services firm; as a private entity, its market capitalization isn't publicly available.
   • Net Worth: Approximately $3.4 billion.
6. Stephen Feinberg
   • Position: Deputy Secretary of Defense
   • Corporation: Cerberus Capital Management: A private equity firm managing about $65 billion in assets; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly listed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $5 billion.
7. Steve Witkoff
   • Position: Middle East Envoy
   • Corporation: Witkoff Group: A real estate development firm; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly disclosed.
   • Net Worth: At least $1 billion.
8. Frank Bisignano
   • Position: Head of the Social Security Administration
   • Corporation: Fiserv: A financial technology company with a market capitalization of nearly $9 billion.
   • Net Worth: Approximately $1 billion.
9. Massad Boulos
   • Position: Middle East Advisor
   • Corporation: SCOA Nigeria PLC: A company with a market capitalization of about $865,000.
   • Net Worth: Subject to scrutiny; claims of billionaire status have been questioned.

Also don't forget..

1. Scott Bessent
   • Position: United States Secretary of the Treasury
   • Background: Founder of Key Square Group, a global macro investment firm.
   • Net Worth: Information on his exact net worth is not publicly disclosed, but as a prominent hedge fund manager, he is considered to be among the wealthy individuals in the administration.
2. Kelly Loeffler
   • Position: Administrator of the Small Business Administration
   • Background: Former U.S. Senator from Georgia and former CEO of Bakkt, a digital assets platform.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at over $1 billion.

Vivek is long gone. But I was referring to the donors to the Democrats. I was also referring to the real presidents and copresidents being George Soros and his son Mini Me.

 

[Diving Mullah]

Vivek is long gone. But I was referring to the donors to the Democrats. I was also referring to the real presidents and copresidents being George Soros and his son Mini Me.

Ok soooo let me get this straight you all relied up about Soror the big donor to Biden...

let's see...


"George Soros donated about $28.3 million to Democratic groups in 2020 and $500,000 to Biden. In 2024, he gave $250,000 to Biden, and his son donated an additional $721,000.


Meanwhile, Elon Musk alone donated $220 million to Trump. Now, here's the kicker:


Soros was not attached to Biden like a leech at every campaign or cabinet meeting. Musk, on the other hand, was closely involved with Trump, actively working to further his interests. Soros did not serve as Trump's right or left hand, regardless of how one might view their relationship.

And according to you, 28.3million + 500,00 + 250,000 is greater than 220 million!


As I said, I love your myopic reality-distorting glasses."


Diving Mullah

 

[Paradoxical]

Ok soooo let me get this straight you all relied up about Soror the big donor to Biden...

let's see...


"George Soros donated about $28.3 million to Democratic groups in 2020 and $500,000 to Biden. In 2024, he gave $250,000 to Biden, and his son donated an additional $721,000.


Meanwhile, Elon Musk alone donated $220 million to Trump. Now, here's the kicker:


Soros was not attached to Biden like a leech at every campaign or cabinet meeting. Musk, on the other hand, was closely involved with Trump, actively working to further his interests. Soros did not serve as Trump's right or left hand, regardless of how one might view their relationship.

And according to you, 28.3million + 500,00 + 250,000 is greater than 220 million!


As I said, I love your myopic reality-distorting glasses."


Diving Mullah

Kinda like Facebook did to get Biden elected.

 

[Diving Mullah]

Kinda like Facebook did to get Biden elected.

You mean similar to what Max News plus Fox News, Twitter plus Sinclair on top of that combined with Joe Rogan, to get Trump elected? That similar?!


It's also fascinating how you manage your cognitive dissonance. You mention Soros, who, according to you, paid $28.3 million and was supposedly running Biden's White House. Yet, Musk, who donated $220 million, is not running Trump's White House.

How are you not bleeding out of your ears by so many contradictions running through your brain?"

Diving Mullah

 

[Jay59]

Trumpism is antithetical to American conservatism for more reasons than this or these
Trumpism is authoritarianism.
Trump said the Constitution should be scrapped and that the govt should violate the 2nd Amendment.
Trumpism is distinctly un-American.

Over 50% of the country do think that Trump does not have too much power.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/04/08/cnn_enten_trump_is_a_soaring_eagle_hes_delivering_on_his_promises_in_historic_fashion.html

Do you what the largest socialistic system is in the US? The US military.
Are you advocating for its closure?

that's not only false, it's bizarre.

The military is not socialist in any sense--hierarchical in fact--and there is no legitimate question of dissolving it.

I do call a government with billionaires in charge an oligarchy. A government shutting down public service agencies for the purpose of privatizing them to oligarchs.
And it seems clear Trump is doing this at the behest of his billionaire handlers.

Democrats are oligarchs I give you. That is the case under Biden.

Trump and Musk are called a class traitors, so they don't fit the billionaire template. Anyone who claims billionaires are running Trump like they ran Biden is delusional.

I really wish I had your reality-distorting, fact-bending, self-delusional glasses that you are wearing. Even though the world would have been less interesting—a mere shadow of reality—at least I could understand where the MAGA supporters' warped ideas are manifesting from

Sure, one billionaire might have been associated with the fringes of the Biden administration, but 13 billionaires were directly involved in the Trump administration

1. Elon Musk
   • Position: Co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency
   • Corporations:
     • Tesla Inc.: An electric vehicle and clean energy company with a market capitalization of approximately $700 billion.
     • SpaceX: A private aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company; as a private entity, its market capitalization isn't publicly listed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $435.5 billion.
2. Vivek Ramaswamy
   • Position: Co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency
   • Corporations:
     • Roivant Sciences: A biopharmaceutical company with a market capitalization of nearly $9 billion.
     • Strive Asset Management: An investment firm focusing on non-ESG approaches; market capitalization details are private.
   • Net Worth: Approximately $1 billion.
3. Howard Lutnick
   • Position: United States Secretary of Commerce
   • Corporation: Cantor Fitzgerald: A global financial services firm; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly disclosed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $3.2 billion.
4. Jared Isaacman
   • Position: Administrator of NASA
   • Corporation: Shift4 Payments: A payment processing company with a market capitalization of approximately $9 billion.
   • Net Worth: Around $1.7 billion.
5. Warren Stephens
   • Position: Ambassador to the United Kingdom
   • Corporation: Stephens Inc.: An independent financial services firm; as a private entity, its market capitalization isn't publicly available.
   • Net Worth: Approximately $3.4 billion.
6. Stephen Feinberg
   • Position: Deputy Secretary of Defense
   • Corporation: Cerberus Capital Management: A private equity firm managing about $65 billion in assets; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly listed.
   • Net Worth: Estimated at $5 billion.
7. Steve Witkoff
   • Position: Middle East Envoy
   • Corporation: Witkoff Group: A real estate development firm; as a private company, its market capitalization isn't publicly disclosed.
   • Net Worth: At least $1 billion

thanks. I needed a laugh.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Over 50% of the country do think that Trump does not have too much power.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/04/08/cnn_enten_trump_is_a_soaring_eagle_hes_delivering_on_his_promises_in_historic_fashion.html

so what

over 50% of the country think Trump's a **** up

Does that make it true?

 

[madman]

Congress has the power to stop them, so there goes your "zero checks and balances".



What is this "better way" you are referring to?

you expect Congress to stop trump?

delusional post

 

[Jay59]

so what over 50% of the country think Trump's a **** up

Does that make it true?

Just unpopular.

 

[Ikari]

Trump has a vision of taking America back to a time when most people worked in factories, and he's actually trying to force that vision on the rest of us. His use of tariffs is a clear example of government central planning, just on a small scale. He's using state power to try to reshape the American economy according to his own personal preferences.

It’s important to understand that tariffs are built on the same logic as central planning: the belief that government officials should override voluntary exchange and market signals to engineer a particular economic outcome. That’s the dangerous idea behind it.

Thankfully, Trump only has limited power, because this is still a free country. The U.S. is not a socialist state with a centrally planned economy.

But let’s think about how much damage he can do using only tariffs. Then imagine if he had control over the entire economy: wages, prices, raw materials, labor markets - every input. That would be a disaster. And we already have a name for that kind of system: socialism, which is public control over the means of production.

Trump is demonstrating to us why socialist countries are so poor - and why their people are often so miserable that the government has to build walls to keep them from escaping.

If you want prosperity, and the freedom to buy what you want, from who you want , then the answer is capitalism and largely free markets, not state control or central planning.

Trump wants a central-planning economy and strong Party rule over everything. His endgame is China. He wants the power and control other commies have over their countries.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Just unpopular.

popular / unpopular is obviously not the same thing as true / untrue

Do you see how that also applies to your poll as well?

 

[KingLeo]

Over 50% of the country do think that Trump does not have too much power.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/04/08/cnn_enten_trump_is_a_soaring_eagle_hes_delivering_on_his_promises_in_historic_fashion.html

that's not only false, it's bizarre.

The military is not socialist in any sense--hierarchical in fact--and there is no legitimate question of dissolving it.


Democrats are oligarchs I give you. That is the case under Biden.

Trump and Musk are called a class traitors, so they don't fit the billionaire template. Anyone who claims billionaires are running Trump like they ran Biden is delusional.




thanks. I needed a laugh.

And your statements are clearly laughable.
Good you can entertain yourself.

 

[Jay59]

popular / unpopular is obviously not the same thing as true / untrue

Do you see how that also applies to your poll as well?

There is a logical disconnect between the first line and the second one.

What is your actual question?

And your statements are clearly laughable.

Laughing at facts is something many progressive posters do.

Good you can entertain yourself.

I don't need to entertain myself.

Your farce does it for me.

 

[iliveonramen]

The public school system is the socialist system in America. Centrally run, bloated with overpaid and far too many administrators, pay based on time served no matter your skills and dedication, a job for life, early retirement. I can't think of how the public schools would be run any differently in a socialist country. We are now number 31 since the former worst president Carter created the DOE and now replaced by Biden as the all-time worst.

How is Trump turning us into an oligarchy? Because he is rich and so is Musk, both working without pay?

I don't understand this argument.

The US education system is much more decentralized than a lot of other countries. Most funding and decisions are made at the state and local level.

The decentralization is part of the problem. Massachusetts took the PISA tests to see how they ranked compared to the rest of the world. They were among the top school systems in the world in reading, science, and math. Compare that to other states where education is underfunded and schools aren't a top priority.

 

[Nickyjo]

One of the things that has always struck me about Trump is his ability to use new technological and social trends in American politics to harness support in his crusade to bring our country back to its past.
One of the reasons why I hate the Left so much is because of their support for Centralized power, and I’m sorry to see that the Right is going the same way. We should always lean toward de-Centralization so that political power can flow down to the lowest level possible.

Mark

Local is probably always better if possible. But people act in their self interest, going places where that interest will be served. We are a nation more practical than ideological. If, for example, Black folks oppressed by Whites in the South could not turn to a southern state capitol to ensure voting rights, they turned to Washington. Similarly, some years ago (and maybe still now) a corporation doing its main business thousands of miles away would file articles of incorporation in Delaware because of their favorable laws. Both left and right will support centralized or concentrated or local power if it benefits them. To apply a Shakespearean phrase to your sentiment, our Tenth Amendment has long been “more honored in the breach than in the observance.”

 

[KingLeo]

There is a logical disconnect between the first line and the second one.

What is your actual question?


Laughing at facts is something many progressive posters do.


I don't need to entertain myself.

Your farce does it for me.

And creating alternative facts is something all Trumpers do.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

There is a logical disconnect between the first line and the second one.

no question
just pointing out that your post may not have meant as much as you thought it did

 

[Paradoxical]

You mean similar to what Max News plus Fox News, Twitter plus Sinclair on top of that combined with Joe Rogan, to get Trump elected? That similar?!


It's also fascinating how you manage your cognitive dissonance. You mention Soros, who, according to you, paid $28.3 million and was supposedly running Biden's White House. Yet, Musk, who donated $220 million, is not running Trump's White House.

How are you not bleeding out of your ears by so many contradictions running through your brain?"

Diving Mullah

Noone runs Trump. We know who ran the doddering old fool Biden who was rushed off stage after a minute for ice cream time with the kiddies.

Soros and his son Mini-Me were regulars at the woke Rainbow House.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Trump has a vision of taking America back to a time when most people worked in factories, and he's actually trying to force that vision on the rest of us. His use of tariffs is a clear example of government central planning, just on a small scale. He's using state power to try to reshape the American economy according to his own personal preferences.

In other words, he is insane.

Despite all the damage Trump has done, we still have the largest and most successful economy in the world with manageable inflation and record low unemployment.

Trump wants to change that. That is crazy.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Trump lives in his own little fantasy world.

Trump's words cannot be trusted.

For example, the Times reports, "A day after President Trump capitulated on his global reciprocal tariffs, he and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insisted that one country after another was coming to them to make deals to avoid further economic pain.

"But the devil is in the details, and Mr. Trump and Mr. Lutnick offered very few. Instead, they said that things would work out, without saying much more.

“Everybody wants to come and make a deal, and we’re working with a lot of different countries, and it’s all going to work out very well,” Mr. Trump said."

That was a lie. Not one country has said they want to deal with Trump on tariffs. Instead, most countries -- EU, Canada, China, etc. -- are retaliating.

"The White House has so far refused to provide a list of countries it claims have reached out with offers to make deals on tariffs," The Independent.

Our President has no problem lying to the American people.

There will be no response from Republicans. There never is.