The way the stock market is reacting to Trump's comments on the Federal Reserve is scary. It seems that if he goes down, he wants to take the market with him (and blame the Democrats). What will likely happen is that the people with lots of money that got him into the White House will get him out of the White House. I'd bet the Koch brothers are furious with him.

...---... ...---... ...---... ...---... ...---...
 

Well, [i]something[/i] seems to be sinking:

On Wednesday, October 3, 2018 the DJIA closed at 26,828.39
On Monday, December 24, 2018, the DJIA closed at 21,792.20

[i]Il Duce[/i] is blaming the Fed. When it became public that he was inquiring about whether he could fire the Fed chairman (whom he appointed) after the Fed raised interest rates a quarter of a point, the plummeting accelerated. [It seems that the president [i]could[/i] (in theory) [i]demote[/i] a Fed Chairman without removing him or her as a Fed Governor. He can only fire a Fed Governor "for cause."] However, investors are concerned at a president wanting to meddle in the decision making of the (supposedly) independent Fed. (The fact that this particular president, as a businessman, has left a series of bankruptcies in his wake has, I am sure, nothing -- nothing at all -- to do with their concerns.)

For ease of reference:

On Tuesday, January 2, 2018, the DJIA closed at 24824.01

Operational security? What's that?
 

[url=https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-navy-seal-iraq-video-1272102]DONALD TRUMP TWITTER ACCOUNT VIDEO REVEALS COVERT U.S. NAVY SEAL DEPLOYMENT DURING IRAQ VISIT[/url]

So, anyone viewing the video knows what their faces look like, and exactly where they were (al-Asad air base) while [i]Il Duce[/i] was visiting Iraq.

But hey, [i]Il Duce[/i] got a photo op with an elite military unit. Perhaps Seal Team Five's new motto will be [i]Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant[/i]

Year-end thoughts from the Good Book...
 

The similarities to [i]Il Duce[/i] are remarkable...

Proverbs 6 (KJV)
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

...and people, including leaders, who won't listen to advice, are nothing new...

Proverbs 11 (KJV)
14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.

Proverbs 12 (KJV)
1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

Proverbs 12 (KJV)
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

[i]Il Duce[/i] has [url=https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1083022011574747137]tweeted[/url]
[quote]Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for [b]F[/b]orest fires that, with proper [b]F[/b]orest [b]M[/b]anagement, would never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money![/quote]
What's with those weird [b]C[/b]apitalizations in his tweets, anyhow?

Moving right along, his rationale about "[b]F[/b]orest [b]M[/b]anagement" is questionable, to say the least. Even more questionable is his having the legal authority to "order" FEMA to stop sending money to assist people in disaster areas already declared -- by him.

Even though he tries to act the part, [i]Il Duce[/i]'s title is [i]not[/i] "Reneger-in-Chief."

No more money for you until you rake your scrublands.

[QUOTE=kladner;505487]No more money for you until you rake your scrublands.[/QUOTE]
That might not be [i]quite[/i] as effective as a major fire in setting the stage for a debris flow, but it would come close. "Your fire-mitigation operation contributed to the debris flow. No FEMA money for [i]you![/i]"

And, truth to tell, people who choose to live in, say, valleys getting up in the San Gabriels above LA are putting themselves in harm's way. The chaparral [i]will[/i] burn, sooner or later. After that, there [i]will[/i] be debris flows from the burned area, probably sooner rather than later.

Los Angeles is expending considerable money and effort in protecting these people. I don't think all the taxpayers in the rest of the country should be compelled to underwrite the risk these people are taking.

But that's a policy discussion for another day. You don't change policy by reneging on promises already made. If you do that, "policy" becomes meaningless.

I certainly concur regarding people choosing to live in scenic, dangerous places. Fire control is one thing. Subsidizing stupid choices is another altogether. "Raking" is, of course, just a reference to the ignorant words of our stupid chief executive. :yucky:

Rudy Giuliani: 'I never said there was no collusion' by Trump campaign
 

[URL]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/17/rudy-giuliani-i-never-said-there-was-no-collusion-by-trump-campaign[/URL]
How much more of this stuff can he pull out of his alimentary exhaust pipe? However, since he has already let us know that some "facts" are more "factual" than others, we might suppose that the supply is infinite.
[QUOTE]Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has insisted that he “never said there was no collusion” [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-russia-inquiry"]between[/URL] Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign and Russia – only that Trump himself was not involved.[/QUOTE]

EDIT: just to save space-
"These 2020 hopefuls are courting Wall Street. Don't be fooled by their progressive veneer
Likely candidates are begging for Wall Street’s support – and reminding us who really owns American democracy"
[URL]https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/15/democratic-2020-president-candidates-wall-street[/URL]
[QUOTE]It’s a framing that’s been everywhere over the past two years: [I]the Resistance v Donald Trump[/I]. By some definitions that “resistance” even includes people like [URL="https://theweek.com/articles/815210/mitt-romney-just-joined-resistance"]Mitt Romney[/URL] and [URL="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/02/politics/george-w-bush-michelle-obama-mccain/index.html"]George W Bush[/URL]. By almost all definitions it encompasses mainstream Democrats, such as the likely presidential hopefuls Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand.
In their rhetoric and policy advocacy, this trio has been steadily moving to the left to keep pace with a leftward-moving Democratic party. [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/09/cory-booker-2020-new-hampshire"]Booker[/URL], [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/10/kamala-harris-democratic-senator-white-house-president-2020"]Harris[/URL] and Gillibrand know that voters demand action and are more supportive than ever of Medicare for All and universal childcare.
Gillibrand, long considered a moderate, has even gone as far as to endorse abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and, along with Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders’ single-payer healthcare bill. Harris has also backed universal healthcare and free college tuition for most Americans.
[/QUOTE]

This just in on another of [i]Il Duce[/i]'s enablers: [url=https://marino.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-tom-marino-announces-resignation]Congressman Tom Marino Announces Resignation[/url].

This is the same guy who spearheaded the bill (enacted on Obama's watch) to shield Big Pharma from the DEA's efforts to stem the opioid epidemic. And then was nominated by [i]Il Duce[/i] to be "drug czar." He withdrew his name after "60 Minutes" and WAPO blew the whistle on his role in getting that law passed. He just got re-elected by a huge margin. Two weeks into his new term, he quits.

Gee, I wonder if his "private sector" job will be as a lobbyist. Maybe for Big Pharma?

[QUOTE]Gee, I wonder if his "private sector" job will be as a lobbyist. Maybe for Big Pharma?[/QUOTE]...and a seat on the Purdue board of directors.