[Athos]

Scott Garrett, recently defeated in his bid for re-election to the House of Representatives from a heavily Republican district in New Jersey, was a Tea Party candidate who denounced the Import-Export Bank as "corporate welfare".

Today, Trump appointed Garrett to be head of the Bank he denounced.

Sound familiar? It is. Trump has a habit of appointing people opposed to the agency they are appointed to.

[talaniman]

What better way to tear it apart by looting the budgets?

[paraclete]

Looting the budgets? How about adjusting the budgets? Reducing the pork? You have to be objective, Tal, someone lost an election therefore things change. You will be interested in this one, my government has just cancelled a program to instruct primary school children on gender diversity, strange it took three years, if Dump had been in the saddle it would have been cancelled day one. If it is too hot in the kitchen, there are other places to live

[talaniman]

How about corporations making secret payments to rulers of countries to profit off their countries resources? While the despots get wildly rich with those secret payments the citizens live in hovels and in abject poverty. Russia and Guinea come to mind and maybe even the same applies to your own energy policy in Australia as well.

https://qz.com/901494/republicans-wi...rnments-again/

Update (2/3): The Senate approved the resolution, 52-48.The idea behind the original payment disclosure rule was to prevent American multinationals from helping corrupt local officials embezzle public funds paid legally for access to mines or oil fields. Oil companies said it was a burdensome regulation that would make it harder for them to sell cheap oil to Americans.

You need a link to what's happening in your own country Clete?

[paraclete]

How about corporations making secret payments to rulers of countries to profit off their countries resources? While the despots get wildly rich with those secret payments the citizens live in hovels and in abject poverty. Russia and Guinea come to mind and maybe even the same applies to your own energy policy in Australia as well.

https://qz.com/901494/republicans-wi...rnments-again/


You need a link to what's happening in your own country Clete?

Corruption happens all over Tal but we have in place agencies that specifically and successfully target corruption in government. You have corruption on an industrial scale where as in energy policy it appears we have what you would describe as liberal policy and a certain over reliance on renewable generation.

You want a link LIVE: Eddie Obeid jailed for 5 years for Circular Quay corruption

[talaniman]

Lol, you got one of your fish, but we are still looking to reel ours in despite the shock and awe. Its just not on the front page here any more.

[Athos]

Trump is corrupt. Morally corrupt. Financially corrupt. Corrupt in every way. He REEKS of corruption. For most of his adult life, the man has possessed an orange head with a bizarre growth on top. He's so stupid, he thinks this is fashionable.

He is a moral slob and uses and discards women as it suits him. His tears for slain children are those of a crocodile. His only reason for existence is to be rich, powerful and influential. He desperately needs others of this ilk to recognize that - the outsider from Queens trying to be with the in-crowd of the big boys in Manhattan. He is acutely aware of his failure in this all-important quest of his. Nothing else matters.

This is the monster we have elected as president.

Our hope is the Republican leadership coming to their senses. Lacking that, the 2018 elections are critical in sweeping Congress clean of Trump's sycophants. Then, a final chance in 2020.

Between now and then, much can happen. Based on his missteps in barely three months, the possibility of Trump self-destructing is high.

I trust I haven't been too obscure.

[paraclete]

Trump is corrupt.

Undoubtedly you are correct, but corruption is endemic, so the question is; is he more or less corrupt than the alternative? I don't think he has tried to hide the fact that he is a child of the system and even he knows the system is corrupt, but it has carried him to the pinnacle where everyone rushes to his door and hangs on every word, feeding his ego.

He may prove to be a monster like Hitler, conquering in the name of purity. Right now he wants to crush a mouse who shouted at him, while those who he shouted at will help him, then he will turn his attention to others, he is a bully, a braggart

[tomder55]

Does anyone deny that the EX -IM bank has got to go ? Boeing, has received over $64 billion in loans and bailouts from the government since 1992. General Electric, Honeywell and Caterpillar have also received a huge chunk of change from them courtesy of the US taxpayers .

But as bad as that is ,it is even worse when you consider the corruption it finances over seas . Pemex ,the Mexican state owned petroleum company has received $8.5 billion from US taxpayers . It is in the top 100 of the Forbes Global 500 list and hardly needs US taxpayer support . It is one of many foreign state owned companies that the US taxpayer supports through EX- IM.


So if Garrett and Spencer Baucus ,both former Congressmen can work with Congress to get rid of the agency they've been selected to be members of , then more power to them.

I was surprised when herr Donald came out against EX-IM bank during the campaign. Lately he has been singing the praises of the bank which led me to believe that big business had gotten his ear on the issue. Appointing Garrett again gives me hope that we can forever get rid of the monstrosity .

[paraclete]

. Appointing Garrett again gives me hope that we can forever get rid of the monstrosity .

Which monstrosity? International finance, how about we get rid of the monstrosity that is the UN

[tomder55]

Which monstrosity? International finance, how about we get rid of the monstrosity that is the UN

Both are scams to bleed the American taxpayer . EX-IM is supposed to benefit the US economy . It is a self inflicted wound that we pick at to keep it forever bleeding . The UN at least gives the illusion of an ordered world .