Karaoke Forums

You guys are great at hijacking threads!!! How did this thread go from "Pokemon" to the current political election issues??? .....Pathetic if you ask me,,, and down right rude!!! If you want to start discussing the election, then by all means go somewhere else. This is NOT the place, nor the thread.

Mrscott, It is about things "cramping my show". Don't read it if it offends you that much. If someone started a political thread no one would respond. At least we have some discussion. Just search this forum and see how little is discussed politically.

Legal doesn't mean "right" anymore than illegal means "wrong".

Interracial marriage used to be illegal.
Being gay used to be illegal (and some states are trying to keep it that way).
Smoking pot is "right" in some states and "wrong" in others (though that tide is changing rapidly).

Strictly my opinion, but bankruptcy is in part a free pass to make poor choices. Sure, many people get roped into bad deals, or flat out duped. Or perhaps suffer some sort of catastrophic situation. That's life. It sucks sometimes. Deal with it.

To me, bankruptcy simply isn't an option. For Trump it's not only an option, but a way to have gotten out of paying taxes to boot. And he isn't suffering the consequences of filing bankruptcy that us regular people would face.

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-Chris

My son is an attorney for the state of Wisconsin IRS bankruptcy division. He finds his job very rewarding because it gives people an opportunity to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes bankruptcy is the only solution for allowing someone to keep their home and car, not to mention their dignity.

Bankruptcy is not a four letter word, and never should have been. If you are a believer in spreading around the wealth then you should believe in bankruptcy. Unfortunately this works for the rich and the poor equally.

Snopes sums up Trump's business track record:

Trump: Good or Bad Business Record?
So how are we to rate Donald Trump's business acumen in relative terms? Is the cautious businessman who minimizes risk, rarely fails, and shows a moderate return better than the brash businessman who often takes on highly risky pursuits, strikes out a lot, but also hits his share of grand slams? That's too subjective a question for us to answer, and the few numbers offered in this trope aren't very informative.

It's an oft-cited statistic that Donald Trump "has" 515 companies, but a number of those businesses are only connected to him in tangential ways (e.g., through licensing agreements) and aren't owned or directly controlled by him.

It's also an oft-cited statistic that about 80-90% of businesses fail within the first year to eighteen months, but such numbers typically refer to startups and small businesses, while much of Donald Trump's business empire involves expanding and building on existing large business lines and ventures.

Citing four or six failures out of 515 efforts isn't very enlightening in the absence of a real context in which to evaluate those numbers. A pro athlete who won 511 out of 515 matches would be acclaimed among the world's greatest, and a songwriter who hit the Top 40 with 511 out of 515 tunes would be heralded as the preeminent composer of all time. But a doctor who lost four patients out of 515 might find little demand for his services, and a commercial pilot who crashed four times in 515 flights would likely have a hard time finding an employer (or any passengers willing to fly with him). There is no meaningful standard to apply here.

The most important takeaway from this trope might be that you can't sum up the world of big business. much less any presidential candidate's qualifications, with a couple of numbers devoid of explanation or context.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01 August 2016

I would much rather have Trump's record of successes and failures than Hilliary's record (yes, I spelled it wrong).

People's opinions are biased because of who they support. People who are going to vote for Donald Trump see his use of the Bankruptcy laws the smart way to do business. Hillary supporters think it's shameful that he would use laws regarding depreciation and that those laws should be illegal........for Donald Trump. Trump supporters think that Hillary should end up in Jail for deleting thousands of E-mails that might have show illegal pay for play evidence. Hillary supporters think that those practices are smart political moves and taking money for a meeting is all fine and dandy. There is evidence that the DNC was paying people to be violent at Trump Rallies. they must be very afraid that they're losing and will try anything to gain an edge; even assaulting people because they have a different opinion about the future than they do.

For the record, I am against bankruptcy regardless of who I support for political office. I voted for some local Republicans this year.

Many people who file for bankruptcy are in that position because of repeated poor choices they make. Why should the creditor suffer because the borrower made poor choices?

There are of course people that are faced with bankruptcy because of catastrophic circumstances beyond their control. But again, that is not the fault of the creditor. We are just transferring the burden to someone else.

When I bought my first house, 20 years ago, I discovered some very old debts. I contacted the creditors and each of them offered to settle for less, but I chose to pay in full. Some might call that stupid, I call it honorable. I owed them X and I paid them X.

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-Chris

And this is the last I have to say on the topic of politics here -

It seems silly to me right now to argue over the Presidential vote. Absolutely everyone I know that I can think of has made up their minds. So we are just bickering amongst ourselves and jockeying for position in the "I'm right, you are wrong" wars.

So this is my last politically related post until after the election (when I get to say "Ha! I was right and you were wrong!).

For me, this race isn't about Hillary or Trump. It isn't about the inappropriate use private email servers or sexually assaulting women. It isn't about pay for play or unreleased tax returns. It isn't about the most qualified Presidential candidate in history vs the least qualified Presidential candidate in history. It isn't about ramping up alternative fuel source research vs people that are willfully ignoring climate change science.

It's about the future.

The next President will choose 1-3 Supreme Court justices over the course of their term(s) and that will shape American policy AND what we are allowed and not allowed to do for generations.

Case in point....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/why- ... ay-n676786

It seems pretty silly these days, but just 50 Years ago, it was illegal in some states for a white man to marry a black woman. And vice versa. Their Supreme Court case challenging those laws helped enlighten many in this country. But 50 years later, there is still a long way to go. Racism is still one of the greatest issues this country, no…. the world, faces.

If Trump is allowed to select Supreme Court justices, he will put on hold and even roll back progress that has been made toward women’s rights (Roe v Wade), Same Sex Marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges), and prevent any progress on common sense gun reform that would save thousands of lives every year. He will appoint judges that will uphold the “right” for big businesses to buy elections through massive donations (Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission).

I have a very difficult time believing that people would really want to take away rights that really should belong to individuals and try to protect “rights” of big businesses that are only concerned with the almighty dollar.

But that is just the way it is.

I believe the country is going to get it right.

For my children’s sake, I hope they do.

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-Chris

I just mentioned Trump's bankruptcy because some are saying it's time to run the government as a business and Trump is a businessman. Well the government cannot declare bankruptcy...Just sayin

The national debt is in the TRILLIONS of dollars and going up by a couple of billion dollars every day. I'm just sayin' Trump has had hundreds of business ventures and has had a few of them fail. Big risks mean great losses sometimes.

I'm going to a see Trump in person in one hour and 22 minutes.

I'm sorry.....

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-Chris

Well you should be!

I was only able to get to within 1/4 mile from the venue entrance and security informed us it was totally full. I have lived here for 40 years and I have never seen this many cars at the fairgrounds. It was like trying to get a parking space for the Indy 500.

When I got home the local television station (ABC) barely mentioned the "sold" out rally. Thousands of people were turned away. He did all by himself and without the assistance of a sitting president or major musical stars.

Brian, Back on topic: Is Pokemon still giving you trouble?

Pokemon enthusiasts in my area are losing interest. A dramatic decline at my end as evidenced by more available parking spaces. Thus, attendance is picking up.

Before this thread go haywire again, I watched President Obama’s speech this morning congratulating President-elect Trump’s victory. A part of his speech resonated with me (last sentence). Quote:

"Now, everybody is sad when their side loses an election, but the day after we have to remember that we're actually all on one team. This is an intramural scrimmage. We're not Democrats first. We're not Republicans first. We are Americans first. We're patriots first.
We all want what's best for this country. That's what I heard in Mr. Trump's remarks last night. That's what I heard when I spoke to him directly. And I was heartened by that. That's what the country needs -- a sense of unity, a sense of inclusion, a respect for our institutions, our way of life, rule of law, and respect for each other.”

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!