We've reached level four. That isn't a good thing.

[Hafar1014]

Truth.^^^

You can see it in the recent data. Third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) came in at a strong 4.4 percent. Consumer spending, which makes up nearly 70 percent of GDP, remained healthy through the fall. The unemployment rate ticked down in December, coming in at 4.4 percent. For context, unemployment has only been this low three other times in our working lifetimes: in the late ’90s, in late 2006/early 2007, and the late 2010s.1 Unemployment claims remain stable, as well.

This resilience has been enabled by strong underlying dynamics. Consumers have jobs, as I’ve said. With inflation down, real wages are now increasing. Asset values keep growing. Corporate earnings remain strong. In those circumstances, it’s hard to imagine consumers and businesses moving to the sidelines.

U.S. Economy: The Road Ahead

President Tom Barkin shares his views on today’s economy and the path ahead.

www.richmondfed.org

In parallel, personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, inflation has come back down from its peak and now sits at 2.8 percent. Near-term inflation expectations have fallen, suggesting more progress to come.

I hear reinforcing messages from businesses. I’ve talked personally to almost 75 companies since the start of the year, and they tell me demand is fine; their customers have learned to live with higher uncertainty. Most firms I speak to still aren’t doing layoffs at scale. Why would they, when demand and margins remain solid? Many of those who were determined to pass on tariffs last spring now acknowledge their pricing power has been significantly constrained by customer pushback; that’s good news for inflation. The recent rise in productivity also suggests these businesses can bear higher input costs without facing as much pressure to increase prices.

And the economy could get meaningful additional support from government policy. Significant stimulus is underway, from tax refunds, reduced withholding, and lower gas prices — not to mention the impact of the Fed’s rate reductions over the last year and a half. Deregulatory efforts should support growth, too. At the same time, the focus on slowing net migration suppresses the level of job growth needed to keep the unemployment rate steady. The renewed bipartisan emphasis on affordability could be disinflationary in coming months.

So, we can better see the road ahead, but to echo all of our family road trips: Are we there yet? Not quite. We have some distance to travel before we get home.

 

[marvin martian]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

Which level was this?

 

[Correll]

Interfering with law enforcement isn't speech, it's civil disobedience when done peacefully, and violent crime when not done peacefully.

They know this. They are lying. It's that simple.

 

[Independent thinker]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

You have reached level one million, pleasing everyone on this board.

 

[IM2]

Those Somalis konw how to steal from the government. Its in their genes.

Trump must be Somali.

 

[IM2]

You can see it in the recent data. Third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) came in at a strong 4.4 percent. Consumer spending, which makes up nearly 70 percent of GDP, remained healthy through the fall. The unemployment rate ticked down in December, coming in at 4.4 percent. For context, unemployment has only been this low three other times in our working lifetimes: in the late ’90s, in late 2006/early 2007, and the late 2010s.1 Unemployment claims remain stable, as well.

This resilience has been enabled by strong underlying dynamics. Consumers have jobs, as I’ve said. With inflation down, real wages are now increasing. Asset values keep growing. Corporate earnings remain strong. In those circumstances, it’s hard to imagine consumers and businesses moving to the sidelines.

U.S. Economy: The Road Ahead

President Tom Barkin shares his views on today’s economy and the path ahead.

www.richmondfed.org

In parallel, personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, inflation has come back down from its peak and now sits at 2.8 percent. Near-term inflation expectations have fallen, suggesting more progress to come.

I hear reinforcing messages from businesses. I’ve talked personally to almost 75 companies since the start of the year, and they tell me demand is fine; their customers have learned to live with higher uncertainty. Most firms I speak to still aren’t doing layoffs at scale. Why would they, when demand and margins remain solid? Many of those who were determined to pass on tariffs last spring now acknowledge their pricing power has been significantly constrained by customer pushback; that’s good news for inflation. The recent rise in productivity also suggests these businesses can bear higher input costs without facing as much pressure to increase prices.

And the economy could get meaningful additional support from government policy. Significant stimulus is underway, from tax refunds, reduced withholding, and lower gas prices — not to mention the impact of the Fed’s rate reductions over the last year and a half. Deregulatory efforts should support growth, too. At the same time, the focus on slowing net migration suppresses the level of job growth needed to keep the unemployment rate steady. The renewed bipartisan emphasis on affordability could be disinflationary in coming months.

So, we can better see the road ahead, but to echo all of our family road trips: Are we there yet? Not quite. We have some distance to travel before we get home.

This is bs. Only a fool would believe anything coming from this administration, and yu are exactly that.

 

[Hafar1014]

This is bs. Only a fool would believe anything coming from this administration, and yu are exactly that.

Thats from the Federal Reserve which is reliable. They are independent. The economy is getting better after Biden had 4 years to wreck it with massive government spending debt and destructive energy policies. Looking forward everything looks better and improvements are coming by the month. When the tax cuts kick in the GDP will soar. Democrats can manage the economy all they do is borrow and spend

 

[Hafar1014]

Trump must be Somali.

Its a third world garbage culture like most of Africa. The richest continent in the world poulated by the dumbest people in the world

 

[BackAgain]

You've got to be really stupid to ignore his undermining of democracy.

You are really stupid to make such absurd statements.

 

[berg80]

They know this. They are lying. It's that simple.

In addition to restricting speech and dissent, autocrats use the immense power of law enforcement to investigate and imprison people who have fallen out of favor. Mr. Trump’s Justice Department has become an enforcer of his personal interests, targeting people for legally dubious reasons while creating a culture in which his allies can act with impunity.

Following the president’s demands, his appointees have secured indictments of a few critics (including Attorney General Letitia James of New York and the former F.B.I. director James Comey) and ordered investigations of others (including Senator Adam Schiff of California). Some of these appointees were once Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers. Mr. Trump has also used executive orders to go after perceived enemies, including law firms representing his critics. And he has systematically fired government employees who played roles in earlier investigations of him or his allies.

“We are all afraid,” Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a Republican, said this spring. “It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. I’ll tell you, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real.”

Mr. Trump has simultaneously shielded his own supporters from legal consequences for their actions, including through his blanket pardon of the Jan. 6 rioters.

GFY.

 

[Correll]

In addition to restricting speech and dissent, autocrats use the immense power of law enforcement to investigate and imprison people who have fallen out of favor. Mr. Trump’s Justice Department has become an enforcer of his personal interests, targeting people for legally dubious reasons while creating a culture in which his allies can act with impunity.

Following the president’s demands, his appointees have secured indictments of a few critics (including Attorney General Letitia James of New York and the former F.B.I. director James Comey) and ordered investigations of others (including Senator Adam Schiff of California). Some of these appointees were once Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers. Mr. Trump has also used executive orders to go after perceived enemies, including law firms representing his critics. And he has systematically fired government employees who played roles in earlier investigations of him or his allies.

“We are all afraid,” Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a Republican, said this spring. “It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. I’ll tell you, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real.”

Mr. Trump has simultaneously shielded his own supporters from legal consequences for their actions, including through his blanket pardon of the Jan. 6 rioters.

GFY.

The 1/6 rioters had their civil rights massive violated by Biden. It was needed to pardon them.

That you are on the side of that abuse, is you being the bad guy.

 

[Dragonlady]

US House Judiciary Republicans: DOJ labeled dozens of parents as terrorist threats

May 20, 2022 US House Judiciary Republicans: DOJ labeled dozens of parents as terrorist threats U.S. House Judiciary Republicans led by U.S. Rep.

judiciary.house.gov

Jim Jordan issued a press release saying that the FBI labelled PTA parents as "terrorists". That doesn't mean it's true or that it ever happened, Fool.

Jordan, in particular, has no credibility whatsoever, in making allegations against Democrats, having falsely accused Democrats of any number of illegal acts which he pulled out of his ass, while refusing to testify before the January 6th Committee.

This came at a time when School Board members lives were being threatened by right wing agitators trying to destroy the US education system.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=usa+school+board+members+being+threatened

'

 

[struth]

Jim Jordan issued a press release saying that the FBI labelled PTA parents as "terrorists". That doesn't mean it's true or that it ever happened, Fool.

Jordan, in particular, has no credibility whatsoever, in making allegations against Democrats, having falsely accused Democrats of any number of illegal acts which he pulled out of his ass, while refusing to testify before the January 6th Committee.

This came at a time when School Board members lives were being threatened by right wing agitators trying to destroy the US education system.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=usa+school+board+members+being+threatened

'

There literally is a link to Garland’s memo

It’s amazing the lengths you’ll go to ignore reality and defend your fascist leaders

 

[Nostra]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

So, the Dimtard editorial board at the NYSimes comes up with some cock-n-bull "metric" to expose their TDS.

And you lap it up with a spoon like the good little mindless lemming you are.

 

[Nostra]

Jim Jordan issued a press release saying that the FBI labelled PTA parents as "terrorists". That doesn't mean it's true or that it ever happened, Fool.

Jordan, in particular, has no credibility whatsoever, in making allegations against Democrats, having falsely accused Democrats of any number of illegal acts which he pulled out of his ass, while refusing to testify before the January 6th Committee.

This came at a time when School Board members lives were being threatened by right wing agitators trying to destroy the US education system.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=usa+school+board+members+being+threatened

'

KKKanadian Vermin lies.

 

[Dragonlady]

The 1/6 rioters had their civil rights massive violated by Biden. It was needed to pardon them.

That you are on the side of that abuse, is you being the bad guy.

You're the one on the side of "abuse". 140 police officers were so badly "abused", they needed medical treatment. You never mention the police officers who were injured or killed that day. Why is that, Asshole???

The number of these violent criminals who have already been arrested for further illegal offences is proof positive they should NEVER have been pardoned.

 

[Seymour Flops]

Yes, two morons in Minnesota dissented against the law that police have a right to defend themselves against armed attackers.

They sacrificed their lives to express their disagreement with that principle.

Can we just name one fraudulent, government-funded dayacare after each of them, and move on to the next story?

 

[Dragonlady]

KKKanadian Vermin lies.

You need a new schtick, FuckBoi. This one is so old, and had been completely debunked by everyone.

Prove I lied, moron. Prove that board members weren't being threatened and attacked on a daily basis.

 

[Auld Phart]

They gotta play the victim.

ironic

 

[Lockback]

Trump’s Stifling of Dissent Reaches a New Level​

The crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them and lies about what happened.

The New York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China, Iran or Russia.

Based on recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling speech and dissent — up one notch, to level four:

The wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city under dubious pretenses.

Opinion | ICE and Minnesota Have Pushed the U.S. Closer to Autocracy

Measuring America’s slide toward democratic erosion.

www.nytimes.com

The sister piece to this one with a link in the second paragraph is.............

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.

ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY?

Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon. The sobering reality is that the United States has regressed, to different degrees, on all 12.

Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues. We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.

Opinion | Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

The other categories are as follows.
1. Persecuting political enemies. 5
2. Bypassing the legislature. 4
3. Defying the courts. 3 (That should be higher after the 100 times ICE defied court orders in MN)
4. Declaring false emergencies. 5
5. Using the military at home. 3
6. Vilifying marginalized groups. 6
7. Controlling information. 2
8. Trying to take over universities. 2
9. Creating a cult of personality. 6
10. Using power for personal profit. 7
Authoritarians often turn the government into a machine for enriching themselves, their families and their allies. Mr. Trump glories in his administration’s culture of corruption.

He openly uses the presidency as an opportunity to pad his bottom line, in ways that range from the comically petty (like charging the Secret Service up to $1,200 per night for rooms at his hotels) to the shamelessly greedy (like the $40 million that Amazon paid for the rights to a Melania Trump documentary or his recent demand that the government pay him $230 million because he was investigated for breaking the law). He solicits favors from foreign governments, including an airplane from Qatar. His children also profit from their father’s position, through real-estate deals, crypto, a private club in Washington and more. And he rewards those who enrich them, recently pardoning the head of a cryptocurrency firm who worked with the Trump family.

In the first six months of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, up from just $51 million a year earlier, according to a recent Reuters analysis. It’s worth noting that recent Supreme Court decisions have made corruption harder to police.
11. Manipulating the law to stay in power. 2 (In other words, lawfare)

We can quibble about where the levels are set but not the facts underlying the concern. As difficult as it is, given our long history as a democratic republic, to grasp the full extent of the direction trump is taking us the evidence is indisputable. Though trump fans will no doubt employ all the tools of denial, false comparisons, and lies in an effort to credibly dispute it. They will fail.

Your unreasonable paranoia is duly noted, Mr. Marxist.