kscarbel2

In a Trump world, men can marry men, and women can marry women.....................but women who have abortions (we're not talking late term) will be punished by the government. Go figure. Women's rights thrown to the curb. Trump want to appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme court and is inclined to see Roe vs. Wade overturned, sending abortion regulation back to the individual states, amounting to a massive step backward. Trump says, "I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans'. But actually, all Americans except the American citizen women who want/need/have an abortion.

Trump - same-sex marriage okay, but not abortion The Guardian / November 13, 2016 President-elect Donald Trump sent conflicting messages about his hopes for the supreme court on Sunday, saying he will appoint justices who will send abortion rights “back to the states”, but not those who seek to repeal marriage equality “because it was already settled”. Trump made the comments in his first broadcast interview as president-elect, with CBS’s 60 Minutes, which aired on Sunday evening. The supreme court has had eight members since the death of conservative justice Antonin Scalia in February. Senate Republicans have refused to even consider Obama’s nominee for the seat, Merrick Garland. The vacant seat became a central campaign issue for conservatives, and CBS host Lesley Stahl asked Trump whether he would appoint a supreme court justice who wanted to overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 case that upheld the right to abortion. “So look,” Trump said. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to – I’m pro-life. The judges will be pro-life.” Pressed, he said: “Having to do with abortion – if it ever were overturned, it would go back to the states. So it would go back to the states.” That did not mean women would not be able to get an abortion, Trump said, but “they’ll perhaps have to go, they’ll have to go to another state”. “Well, we’ll see what happens,” he added. “It’s got a long way to go, just so you understand. That has a long, long way to go.” In March, Trump suggested that women should face “some form of punishment” for having abortions, before reversing and saying states and Congress should lead lawmaking. Asked by Stahl whether he supported marriage equality, which was made law by the supreme court in Obergefell v Hodges in 2015, Trump suggested the case did not concern him to the degree of Roe v Wade. “It’s irrelevant,” he said, “Because it was already settled. It’s law. It was settled in the supreme court. I mean it’s done.” Trump’s vice-presidential pick, Indiana governor Mike Pence, has opposed same-sex marriage throughout his career, and supported so-called “conversion therapy” programs that purport to change people’s sexual orientation. Pence also signed a religious freedom law that sought to allow people to refuse service to same-sex couples because of religious convictions. Trump, however, said he considered the matter resolved. “These cases have gone to the supreme court,” he said. “They’ve been settled. I’m fine with that.” .

During last week's excitement, Navistar (NAV) set a new 52-week high of $27.36. Oshkosh (OSK) set a new 52-week high of $65.76. Paccar (PCAR), which set its 52-week high of $60.86 on April 27, reached $60.41. Update; NAV set a new 52-week high of $27.48 on Monday, Nov 14.

It completely boggles my mind that our country literally does not round up the illegal immigrants and immediately deport them. Why do we have immigration laws, if there's no intent to fully enforce them? The lack of enforcement isn't an oversight. The government you see, or the people behind the veil, are purposely allowing illegal immigrants to stay. And recall, two mass amnesties were granted by Reagan (3 million) and George H.W. Bush (1.5 million), without the vote of the American people, and Obama wanted a third amnesty to 5 million. Now, Trump is going to grant amnesty to 9 million* non-criminal illegal immigrants in the country, the largest amnesty of U.S. history! His campaign promise was just hot air. * 11 million illegals - 2 million criminal illegals = 9 million. (Trump says, according to federal data, there are at least 2 million criminal aliens.......good luck rounding up a fraction of them. "Day one, my first hour in office, those people are gone," said Trump.) The 11 million number comes from from your government, which has multiple reasons to underestimate the actual number, which is estimated to be as high as 30 million*. * For example, in August 2015, Mexico’s former ambassador to the U.S., Arturo Sarukhan, says there are 30 million “undocumented [illegal] immigrants” living in the United States (Video at 1:00 - http://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/backlash-grows-over-trump-s-immigration-plan-507691587765). Florida Senator Marco Rubio says there are 12 to 13 million illegal immigrants are in the U.S., but what's a few million in difference? Even Trump said (Aug 31, 2016) there could be 30 million: "Honestly we've been hearing that number for years. It's always 11 million. Our government has no idea [There's some truth]. It could be 3 million. It could be 30 million," Trump said. "They have no idea what the number is. Frankly our government has no idea what they're doing on many, many fronts, folks." Trump told you, “We will immediately terminate President Obama’s two illegal amnesties, in which he defied federal law and the Constitution to give amnesty to approximately 5 million illegal immigrants. 5 million.” Obama was only going to grant amnesty to 5 million. Trump is going to “trump” Obama’s number and grant amnesty to 9 million. Why, because Trump actually feels that if illegal immigrants have been skillful enough to avoid detection for 20 years, they should be rewarded with amnesty. "You know my views on it and I'm not necessarily, I think I'm probably down the middle on that also,” said Trump. “Because I also understand how, as an example, you have people [illegal immigrants] in this country for 20 years, they've done a great job, they've done wonderfully, they've gone to school [for free], they've gotten good marks, they're productive — now we're supposed to send them out of the country, I don't believe in that." There are so many ramifications in play here. For starters, the lack of integrity with any person who knowingly enters the United States illegally speaks for itself. There action is criminal in nature. Thus these people are non-starter undesirables. And obviously, any job these people take could/would have gone to an American, or legal immigrant. Trump said, "We want people to come into our country, but they have to come into our country legally and properly vetted, and in a manner that serves the national interest. There will be no amnesty. Our message to the world will be this: You cannot obtain legal status, or become a citizen of the United States, by illegally entering our country. Can't do it." And yet, we are now under Trump looking at the largest amnesty plan for illegal immigrants in American history. On “60 Minutes”, Trump said his administration will “get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, we have a lot of these people, probably 2 million, it could be even 3 million. We are getting them out of our country, OR we are going to incarcerate. "Or we are going to incarcerate"??? Where did that concept come from. "Or"? As in, put them in U.S. prisons at the taxpayer's (our) expense?

Trucking contributed $6.3 million to campaigns this cycle, mostly to Republicans Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / November 11, 2016 As an update to the figures published by CCJ last much regarding trucking contributions to the 2016 election cycle, trucking industry political contributors gave $6.32 million to political campaigns this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Trucking donations heavily favored Republicans, who received 82 percent of the industry’s contributions — $4.89 million. Democrats received $1.03 million from the trucking industry. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) was the industry’s top recipient, scoring more than $169,000. President-elect Donald Trump was second, drawing $161,703. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton ranked third, receiving $114,256. As noted in prior CCJ coverage, Trump’s trucking-sourced donations lagged well behind Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s 2012 draw of $1 million from the industry and 2008 nominee John McCain’s $375,000. The total $6.32 million from trucking contributors in 2016 is $1.5 million less than mid-term election donations ($7.87 million) from the industry in 2014 and $3.5 million less than the 2012 presidential election cycle’s $9.98 million. However, it’s a tad more than the $5.9 million given in the 2008 election cycle. Below is a list of some of the industry’s top campaign contribution recipients, as well as some of the industry’s top political contributors: Recipients: Sen. Ted Cruz: $169,674 Donald Trump: $161,703 Hillary Clinton: $114,256 Rep. Jeff Denham: $111,850 Rep. Bill Shuster: $113,750 Sen. Bernie Sanders: $75,886 Rep. Sam Graves: $71,952 Sen. John Thune: $68,750 Sen. Ron Johnson: $64,873 Sen. Marco Rubio: $63,465 Jeb Bush: $61,470 John Kasich: $60,150 Ben Carson: $56,985 Paul Ryan: $51,265 Contributors: American Trucking Associations (ATA): $621,450 Prime Inc: $270,768 Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA): $256,750 Werner Enterprises: $212,389 CenTra Inc: $186,935 Penske: $185,015 Crete Carrier Corp: $184,570 National Tank Truck Carriers: $175,500 Oshkosh Corp: $169,125 Anderson Trucking Services: $152,150 Old Dominion: $150,132 Schneider National: $116,348 Ruan Companies: $102,850 Paccar Inc: $86,013 Swift Transportation: $81,734

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76 of Donald Trump’s many campaign promises The Washington Post / January 22, 2016 1. Build a wall along the southern border that's taller than the arenas where Trump holds his rallies, taller than any ladder and one foot taller than the Great Wall of China. This "artistically beautiful" wall will be constructed out of hardened concrete, rebar and steel, and it will be "the greatest wall that you've ever seen" -- so great that the nation will likely one day name it "The Trump Wall." 2. Make Mexico pay for the wall. If Mexico refuses, then the United States will impound all remittance payments taken from the wages of illegal immigrants, cut foreign aid, institute tariffs, cancel visas for Mexican business leaders and diplomats, and increase fees for visas, border-crossing cards and port use. 3. "If I become president, we're all going to be saying 'Merry Christmas' again." 4. Get rid of Common Core because it's "a disaster" and a "very bad thing." Trump says he wants to give local school districts more control and might even eliminate the Department of Education. 5. The Environmental Protection Agency might also disappear. 6. Get rid of Obamacare and replace it with something "terrific" that is "so much better, so much better, so much better." 7. Knock down the regulatory walls between states for health insurance, making plans available nationally instead of regionally. 8. Rebuild the country's aging infrastructure -- especially bridges and airports that look like they belong in a third-world country -- for one-third of what the United States is currently paying for such projects. 9. Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cutting benefits. 10. Defund Planned Parenthood. 11. "I will take care of women, and I have great respect for women. I do cherish women, and I will take care of women." 12. Frequently use the term "radical Islamic terrorism." 13. Temporarily ban most foreign Muslims from entering the United States "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." Trump would allow exceptions for dignitaries, business people, athletes and others who have "proven" themselves. 14. Bar Syrian refugees from entering the country and kick out any who are already living here. Trump says wealthy Persian Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia should pay to set up a heavily guarded "safe zone" in Syria. 15. Heavily surveil mosques in the United States. Trump has said he's open to the idea of closing some mosques. 16. Create a database of Syrian refugees. Trump hasn't ruled out creating a database of Muslims in the country. 17. Never take a vacation while serving as president. 18. Prosecute Hillary Clinton for her use of a private e-mail server while serving as secretary of state. 19. Make medical marijuana widely available to patients, and allow states to decide if they want to fully legalize pot or not. 20. Stop spending money on space exploration until the United States can fix its potholes. Encourage private space-exploration companies to expand. 21. Pick Supreme Court justices who are "really great legal scholars." 22. Ensure that Iowa continues to host the nation's first presidential nominating contest. 23. Strengthen the military so that it's "so big and so strong and so great" that "nobody's going to mess with us." 24. Be unpredictable. "No one is going to touch us, because I'm so unpredictable." 25. Allow Russia to deal with the Islamic State in Syria and/or work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to wipe out shared enemies. 26. "Bomb the s--- out of ISIS." Also bomb oil fields controlled by the Islamic State, then seize the oil and give the profits to military veterans who were wounded while fighting. 27. Target and kill the relatives of terrorists. 28. Shut down parts of the Internet so that Islamic State terrorists cannot use it to recruit American children. 29. Bring back waterboarding, which the Obama administration considers torture. Trump has said he's willing to use interrogation techniques that go even further than waterboarding. Even if such tactics don't work, "they deserve it anyway, for what they're doing." 30. Leave troops in Afghanistan because it's such "a mess." Protect Israel. And increase U.S. military presence in the East and South China Seas. 31. Find an "out" clause in the Iran deal and then "totally" renegotiate the whole thing. 32. "I promise I will never be in a bicycle race. That I can tell you." (This promise is connected to criticism of Secretary of State John F. Kerry, who was injured while riding a bicycle amid the Iran negotiations.) 33. Refuse to call Iran's leader by his preferred title. "I guarantee you I will be never calling him the Supreme Leader... I'll say, 'Hey baby, how ya doing?' I will never call him the Supreme Leader." 34. Negotiate the release of all U.S. prisoners held in Iran before taking office. (Five hostages were recently released, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian; Trump has taken some credit for this.) 35. Oppose the killing of journalists: "I hate some of these people, but I would never kill them." 36. Find great generals -- like the next Gen. Patton or Gen. MacArthur -- and do not allow them to go onto television news shows to explain their military strategy: "I don't want my generals being interviewed, I want my generals kicking a--." Trump likes generals who are rough, foul-mouthed and beloved by their troops. 37. Drop that "dirty, rotten traitor" Bowe Bergdahl out of an airplane into desolate Afghanistan without a parachute. 38. Fire "the corrupt and incompetent" leaders of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and dramatically reform the agency. Allow veterans to take their military identification card to any medical facility that accepts Medicaid patients to receive care. Embed satellite VA clinics in rural hospitals and underserved areas, and ensure than every VA hospital is permanently staffed with OBGYN doctors. 39. Invest more heavily in programs that help military veterans transition back to civilian life, including job training and placement services. Also increase funding for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries and mental health issues. Veterans who apply for a job at a VA facility will have five points added to their qualifying scores. 40. Bring back jobs from China -- and Mexico, Japan and elsewhere. 41. "I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created." Trump says cities like Reno, Nev., will "be a big fat beautiful beneficiary" of these new jobs. 42. Students at Wofford College in South Carolina, where Trump attended a town hall, will all have jobs at graduation. 43. Aggressively challenge China's power in the world by declaring the country a currency manipulator, adopting a "zero tolerance policy on intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer" and cracking down on China's "lax labor and environmental standards." 44. Rather than throw the Chinese president a state dinner, buy him "a McDonald's hamburger and say we've got to get down to work." 45. Replace "free trade" with "fair trade." Gather together the "smartest negotiators in the world," assign them each a country and renegotiate all foreign trade deals. 46. Put billionaire hedge fund manager Carl Icahn in charge of trade negotiations with China and Japan, and pick an ambassador to Japan who is "a killer," unlike the current ambassador, Caroline Kennedy. 47. Tell Ford Motor Co.'s president that unless he cancels plans to build a massive plant in Mexico, the company will face a 35 percent tax on cars imported back into the United States. Trump is confident he can get this done before taking office. (Last year he incorrectly said this had already happened.) 48. Force Nabisco to once again make Oreos in the United States. And bully Apple into making its "damn computers" and other products here. 49. Impose new taxes on many imports into the country. Numbers thrown around have included 32 percent, 34 percent and 35 percent. 50. Grow the nation's economy by at least 6 percent. 51. Reduce the $18 trillion national debt by "vigorously eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, ending redundant government programs and growing the economy to increase tax revenues." 52. Cut the budget by 20 percent by simply renegotiating. 53. Get rid of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. 54. Simplify the U.S. tax code and reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to four. The highest earners would pay a 25-percent tax. The corporate tax rate would fall to 15 percent. Eliminate the "marriage penalty" for taxpayers and get rid of the alternate minimum tax. 55. No longer charge income tax to single individuals earning less than $25,000 per year or couples earning less than $50,000. These people will, however, be required to file a one-page form with the Internal Revenue Service that states: "I win." 56. Ensure that Americans can still afford to golf. 57. Allow corporations a one-time window to transfer money being held overseas, charging a much-reduced 10 percent tax. 58. Get rid of most corporate tax loopholes or incentives, but continue to allow taxpayers to deduct mortgage interest and charitable donations from their taxes. 59. On his first day in office, Trump would get rid of gun-free zones at military bases and in schools. 60. Use "common sense" to fix the mental health system and prevent mass shootings. Find ways to arm more of the "good guys" like him who can take out the "sickos." Get rid of bans on certain types of guns and magazines so that "good, honest people" can own the guns of their choice. 61. Impose a minimum sentence of five years in federal prison for any violent felon who commits a crime using a gun, with no chance for parole or early release. 62. Fix the background check system used when purchasing guns to ensure states are properly uploading criminal and health records. 63. Allow concealed-carry permits to be recognized in all 50 states. 64. Sign an executive order calling for the death penalty for anyone found guilty of killing a police officer. 65. Provide more funding for police training. 66. And provide more funding for drug treatment, especially for heroin addicts. 67. On the first day in office, terminate President Obama's executive orders related to immigration. This includes getting rid of "sanctuary cities" that Trump says have become refuges for criminals. 68. Deport the almost 11 million immigrants illegally living in the United States. 69. Triple the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. 70. Continue to allow lowly paid foreign workers to come to the United States on temporary works visas because Trump says they are the only ones who want to pick grapes. 71. End birthright citizenship. 72. Say things that are politically incorrect, because the country does not have time to waste with political correctness. 73. Make America great again -- and strong again, as it has become too weak. 74. Be a cheerleader for America and bring the country's spirit back. "Take the brand of the United States and make it great again." 75. Bring back the American Dream. 76. Start winning again. "We're going to win so much -- win after win after win -- that you're going to be begging me: 'Please, Mr. President, let us lose once or twice. We can't stand it any more.' And I'm going to say: 'No way. We're going to keep winning. We're never going to lose. We're never, ever going to lose."

Trump's "Day One" Promises Everything that Donald Trump has promised to do on his first day in office. "Repeal every single Obama executive order." (He has also pledged more specifically to "eliminate every unconstitutional executive order.") "Repeal Obamacare." (On Trump's campaign website, he's less bullish, promising only to "ask Congress" on day one to repeal Obamacare immediately.) "End the war on coal." "Begin swiftly removing criminal illegal immigrants from this country." (More specifically, Trump has promised to do this in his "first hour" in office, "day one, before the wall, before anything.") "Begin working on an impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful, southern border wall." Meet with Homeland Security officials and generals to begin securing the southern border. "Notify all countries that refuse to take back dangerous illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in this country that they will lose access to our visa programs if they continue to do so." Convene his top generals and inform them they have 30 days to come up with a plan to stop ISIS. Fix the Department of Veterans Affairs. Call the heads of major companies who are moving operations oversea to inform them that they'll face 35 percent tariffs. "Contact countries and say…'Folks, we love protecting you, we want to continue to protect you but you're not living up to the bargain'…They're not paying what they're supposed to be paying—which is very little, by the way." "Defend the unborn." "Withdraw from TPP." "Start taking care of our…military." Suspend Syrian refugee resettlement. "Notify our NAFTA partners of my intention to renegotiate the deal." "Designate China as a currency manipulator." "Direct every agency in government to begin identifying all wasteful job-killing regulations, and they are going to be removed." "Get rid of gun-free zones [in] schools" and "military bases"—which would require repealing a 25-year-old federal law. ("My first day, it gets signed, okay? My first day. There's no more gun-free zones.") "Ask Congress to pass 'Kate's Law'—named for Kate Steinle—to ensure that criminal aliens convicted of illegal reentry receive strong mandatory minimum sentences." Learn the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas.

Why would any country, under any leadership, intentionally ignore its immigration laws and allow "illegal" immigrants to exist within its borders ? Trump was going to evict them.......all of them. And rightly so, based on our laws, and on righteousness. BUT NOW, Trump has caved. He now only plans to evict a mere fraction of the illegal immigrants living in the US. Trump's "On day one, I'm going to........" talk is quickly evaporating.

Cracks emerge in Trump's campaign promise on immigration Associated Press / November 13, 2016 Donald Trump's tough-talking plan to rein in illegal immigration showed signs Sunday of cracking, with the president-elect backing off his vow to build a solid wall along the southern U.S. border and House Speaker Paul Ryan rejecting any "deportation force" targeting people in the country illegally. The president-elect retreated from the campaign promise that had inspired his supporters chant "Build the wall!" at Trump's massive campaign rallies. Would he accept a fence in some spots on the border? In an interview to be aired Sunday, Trump told "60 Minutes": "For certain areas, I would, but certain areas, a wall is more appropriate. There could be some fencing." Trump also had vowed to immediately deport all 11 million people in the country illegally. But in the interview, he said he's focusing first on ousting or incarcerating 2 million to 3 million "that are criminals and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers." Trump emphasized that securing the border is his very first immigration priority. On that, Ryan agreed. But on CNN's "State of the Union," Ryan rejected the kind of "mass deportations" Trump had championed during the campaign. "We are not planning on erecting a deportation force," he said.

The human rights advocates should start their own country and take in all these economic migrants that they care so much about. They'd reconnect with reality real fast. These economic migrants don't want to subjugate to the Australian, American or Western European way of life. They're just in town for the money.

Australia refugee transfer poses test for Trump The Financial Times / November 13, 2016 US agrees to resettle asylum seekers but president-elect opposes Muslim immigration The outgoing US administration has handed President-elect Donald Trump an early test of his proposed crackdown on Muslim immigration by agreeing to resettle some of the refugees Australia holds on remote Pacific islands. John Kerry, US secretary of state, said on Sunday that Washington had agreed to consider referrals from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on some of the 1,500 refugees living in offshore processing camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea for resettlement. “We know that these refugees are of special interest to UNHCR and we’re very engaged with them on a humanitarian basis there and in other parts of the world,” Kerry told reporters in New Zealand. [If so, why did the UNHCR issue a statement about the deal saying it was “not a party to it” and had no formal role in processing?] Under the bilateral deal, which could be unpicked by the Trump administration, some of the most vulnerable refugees on Nauru — women, children and families — would be offered resettlement in the US. Many are Muslims from Iran, Syria, Iraq and Myanmar, according to refugee advocates. On the US campaign trail, Mr Trump proposed a ban on Muslim immigration into America to protect the country from terrorist attacks. Mr Kerry said he was unable to answer whether the president-elect would seek to overturn the deal with Australia, which is likely to take months to implement. Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s prime minister, said the resettlement deal with the US was a “one-off agreement” and would not be repeated for any asylum seekers who attempted to make the journey to Australia by boat in the future. Turnbull refused to provide any specifics on the number of refugees likely to be resettled in the US, saying US officials would arrive in the next few days to begin the process. Peter Dutton, Australia’s immigration minister, said the reprocessing centre on Nauru would remain open indefinitely following the deal and he warned that any refugees who refused resettlement in the US would stay there. He said Canberra was negotiating a new 20-year visa with Nauru for refugees left on the island. Under its hardline asylum policy, Australia directs its navy to turn back any boats carrying asylum seekers into international waters and puts those who arrive by boat in detention camps on South Pacific islands, while refusing to host those granted refugee status. The policy has left almost 2,000 refugees and asylum seekers languishing in harsh conditions in camps with little hope of resettlement until now. But it has been ruthlessly effective in cutting the numbers of asylum seekers arriving by boat, with Canberra reporting no successful arrivals since the policy was introduced in late 2013. Over the past year Australia has faced growing international condemnation of its offshore processing regime and for failing to resettle refugees. The UN has warned its policies violate the convention against torture and Amnesty International recently said Canberra was deliberately subjecting refugees to “an elaborate and cruel system of abuse” to deter asylum seekers from seeking protection. Australia’s opposition Labor party welcomed the prospect of a resettlement deal with the US. But human rights advocates criticised the lack of detail on the resettlement offer and whether it would ever be implemented given Mr Trump’s opposition to Muslim immigration during the US presidential election campaign. “This announcement is full of holes,” said Daniel Webb, director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre. “No timeframe. No numbers. No detail on what the government will do with the hundreds of innocent people who will be left behind. It’s not a plan.” Ian Rintoul, spokesman for the Refugee Action Coalition, said implementation of the resettlement deal could still go “pear-shaped” given past comments from Mr Trump about banning Muslim immigration to the US.

Ferdinand Piech was livid when the NYT story came out, and let them know it. Anton Piech and Ferry Porsche became close friends of Hitler in the early 1930s. Both men were honorary members of the Waffen SS. Wolfsburg (post WW2 name) was created from scratch by Hitler for Piech and Porsche. Throughout the war, Hitler awarded them all the military contracts they wanted. Among other things, VW produced all the V1 flying bombs that rained down terror in London. Piech and Porsche were the first German manufacturer to request free slave labor from the Fuhrer, in the form of captured Eastern European male and female civilians. VW was the largest user of slave labor during the war. The babies that were born by the female slave laborers were all murdered by VW management. The Nazi-rich Piech and Porsche families again control VW today, owning over half of the voting shares. BMW apologized in March 2016 for having used slave labor. VW refuses to face up to the matter.

Paul, these economic migrants were criminals from the moment they stepped onto boats around the world with the intention of illegally entering Australia, rather than applying to legally immigrate. They aren't refugees, rather, like the hordes now in Europe, they are economic migrants. Mick Jagger was right.....not everyone can get what they want. It's reality. These economic migrants are no different that the criminal illegal immigrants in the US that even Trump is willing to let stay, a reward for being skillful enough to successfully avoid the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (formerly known as INS) for 20 years. You should put them in a boat headed back to where they came. We don't want them Paul. We don't want our tax money spent on caring for them. Rather, we need new roads and schools, and funding for government health care.

I sincerely respect your thoughts.

Refugees held in Australian offshore detention to be resettled in US The Guardian / November 12, 2016 Malcolm Turnbull announces one-off agreement for refugees [economic migrants] on Manus Island and Nauru to be resettled in the United States (Why ???) The Australian government has announced a landmark “one off” resettlement deal to the United States for refugees held at Australia’s remote offshore detention facilities on Nauru and ManusIsland. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the immigration minister Peter Dutton announced on Sunday that will see some refugees on ManusIsland and Nauru will be resettled in the United States. “I can now confirm that the government has now reached a further third party resettlement arrangement,” Turnbull said. “The agreement is with the United States. It is a one-off agreement. It will not be repeated. It is only available to those currently in the regional processing centres.” “It will not be available to any persons seeking to reach Australia in the future. Our priorities is the resettlement of women, children and families.” There is considerable uncertainty over how many refugees will be eligible for the resettlement deal with the United States. The remaining refugees on Nauru will be eligible for 20 year temporary visas on Nauru. Turnbull stressed that vulnerable asylum seekers - including family groups on Nauru - would be prioritised. The assessments would be contingent on vetting by the United States Homeland Security agency. He said that the scheme would be endorsed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A statement from the UNHCR said of the deal it was “not a party to it” and had no formal role in processing. Australia’s opposition leader Bill Shorten also offered his cautious support for the resettlement deal. “It has taken the government three plus years to negotiate this deal, but we are pleased if it is an end to indefinite detention,” Shorten said. “We will certainly in principle work with the government. But we do welcome this. We do want to see people moved out of these facilities.” Speculation the Australian government was preparing to finalise a resettlement deal with the US was sparked by the announcement in September it would take refugees from camps in Costa Rica. Labor has opposed the measure, labelling aspects of the plan “ridiculous” because it would prevent a refugee resettled in a third country from coming to Australia as a tourist or on a business trip. Among those on Manus and Nauru are people from Iran, Syria, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iraq, as well as some who are stateless.

Interestingly, on the eve of the 2012 election (November 7, 2012) Obama and Romney, Trump called the Electoral College “a disaster for a democracy.” After that election, in a tweet he has since deleted, Trump said, “The phoney [sic] electoral college made a laughing stock out of our nation. The loser one! [sic]” Trump tweeted this at a time when he thought Romney would win the popular vote, which ultimately was not the case. (Yahoo News / Nov 12, 2016)

Obama Administration Gives Up on Pacific Trade Deal The Wall Street Journal / November 11, 2016 Congressional GOP leaders indicated they wouldn’t consider Trans-Pacific Partnership in lame-duck session A sweeping Pacific trade pact meant to bind the U.S.and Asia effectively died Friday, as Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress told the White House they won’t advance it in the election’s aftermath, and Obama administration officials acknowledged it has no way forward now. The failure to pass the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership—by far the biggest trade agreement in more than a decade—is a bitter defeat for President Barack Obama, whose belated but fervent support for freer trade divided his party and complicated the campaign of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The White House had lobbied hard for months in the hope of moving forward on the pact if Mrs. Clinton had won. The deal’s collapse, which comes amid a rising wave of antitrade sentiment in the U.S., also dents American prestige in the region at a time when China is flexing its economic and military muscles. Just over a year ago, Republicans were willing to vote overwhelmingly in support of Mr. Obama’s trade policy. But as the political season approached and voters registered their concerns by supporting Donald J. Trump, the GOP reacted coolly to the deal Mr. Obama’s team reached with Japan and 10 others countries just over a year ago in Atlanta. Winning a majority of votes for the TPP in the House and Senate would have required both a last-minute deal to address Republican priorities and an election result that didn’t show such broad discontent. Neither occurred. Since the election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) have said no to bringing the TPP to a vote in the lame duck session, despite the strong support of many senators in both parties for freer trade. In the House, Rep. Kevin Brady (R., Texas), the chairman of the committee that oversees trade, said in a statement Wednesday that “this important agreement is not ready to be considered during the lame duck and will remain on hold until President Trump decides the path forward.” Matthew McAlvanah, a spokesman for U.S. trade representative Mike Froman, said Friday that despite all the work the administration has done with lawmakers on Capitol Hill “ultimately it is a legislative process, and the final step is for Congress to take.” White House officials preparing for Mr. Obama’s trip to meet Pacific leaders in Peru appeared to acknowledge the defeat on Friday. “In terms of the TPP agreement itself, Leader McConnell has spoken to that, and it’s something that he’s going to work with the president-elect to figure out where they go in terms of trade agreements in the future,” said Wally Adeyemo, deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. Chinese officials preparing for the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next week said they had heard the rumblings of protectionism and vowed to push alternative, lower-standard Pacific trade deals that aren’t likely to include the U.S. President Xi Jinping will seek support for a broad free-trade area in the Asia-Pacific during the APEC summit, a senior Chinese official said. U.S. officials have long warned that failure to pass the TPP, which doesn’t include China, would help Beijing take the lead with another framework, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which could be concluded in coming months and would lower or eliminate tariffs among some Pacific countries but not the U.S. Neither proposed trade framework would have the TPP’s safeguards for intellectual property, the environment, labor or other U.S. priorities, administration officials say. A tariffs-only trade agreement led by China wouldn’t have the same strategic or economic impact as the TPP. Recently China has started taking advantage of U.S. hesitation abroad to push its own international financial programs and economic alliances, marking a new phase in the U.S.-led order that has helped provide prosperity and security in the Pacific for decades. This week’s election is also affecting European ties. The top trade official in Brussels said Friday that Mr. Trump’s election will further delay a big trade deal the Obama administration has been negotiating with the European Union—the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP. Many American politicians see U.S. trade agreements as complicated and politically fraught deals that can provide a bit of extra economic growth and shore up strategic alliances. But foreign officials see Washington’s willingness to enter into such deals as a crucial barometer on whether the world’s biggest economy and military power is looking outward toward international engagement and problem-solving or inward toward domestic problems. The 2016 election season has shown that domestic concerns about globalization, the trade deficit and stagnant wages easily beat out the appetite for international engagement. The TPP became a symbol of Washington pursuing policies that disproportionately favor wealthier Americans over ordinary workers. Mr. Trump blamed the TPP on special interests trying to “rape” the country. Some lawmakers and officials say the TPP or a similar deal could reappear in the Pacific in the future, perhaps with different countries in the region or even a single partner.

With both Americans and people around the world dying of curiosity, the media is attempting to provide some information. I actually like the Financial Times. CNN was superb in the very beginning (1980) under original owner Ted Turner, revolutionary in fact and truly global in scope, but now it seems to be a government mouthpiece designed to steer the masses. What I dislike about the mainstream U.S. media most of all is the way they now "dramatize" the news, and as you said report oozing with opinion (I don't want their opinion.....just report the news, neutrally, and I'll form my own opinion).

U.S. FTC probing whether VW intentionally destroyed documents Reuters / November 11, 2016 The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants a federal judge to allow the agency to take additional testimony from Volkswagen's U.S. unit over allegations the German automaker intentionally destroyed documents last year over its diesel emissions scandal. The FTC said in court documents filed late Thursday that it has been investigating since March whether Volkswagen Group of America destroyed documents related to its "Dieselgate" scandal. VW admitted in September 2015 to installing secret software in its diesel cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests and make them appear cleaner in testing than they really were. In reality, the vehicles emitted up to 40 times the legally allowable pollution levels. The FTC said a Volkswagen witness at an August deposition could not answer 250 separate questions and now wants court approval to question another VW official. VW has previously faced allegations it destroyed documents - both in a whistleblower lawsuit and state lawsuits. In March, a fired Volkswagen Group of America employee filed a whistleblower lawsuit, accusing VW of deleting documents and obstructing justice in the diesel emissions investigations. Daniel Donovan, who worked as an information technology employee in VW's general counsel office, claimed in his lawsuit that he was fired in December 2015 "because of his refusal to participate in a course of action" that would destroy evidence and obstruct justice. The lawsuit was settled in June, and Donovan agreed to cooperate with VW's internal investigation. Three U.S. states filed suit in July against Volkswagen, asserting at least eight employees in VW's engineering department deleted or removed incriminating data in August 2015 after a senior attorney advised them of an impending order not to destroy documents. The lawsuits said "some but not all of the data has been recovered." In total, Volkswagen has agreed to date to spend up to $16.5 billion in connection with the scandal, including payments to dealers, states, clean energy programs and attorneys for owners. A court filing this week said lawyers for VW dealers are seeking legal fees of up to $36.2 million. Lawyers for 2.0-liter owners confirmed in a court filing that VW has agreed to pay $175 million in legal fees. VW has agreed to spend up to $10.03 billion to buy back as many as 475,000 polluting 2.0-liter vehicles. As of last week, 78 percent of owners who have registered for the settlement are choosing the buyback option, VW said. Buybacks will begin later this month.

Automakers seek a new relationship with government Automotive News / November 12, 2016 Automakers are seizing on what they see as a fresh opportunity to recast the industry's relationship with the federal government. Within a day of Donald Trump's surprise victory last week, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers was handing the president-elect's transition team its wish list of policy priorities and calling for "a new paradigm for vehicle regulation." If those wishes come true, it could recast how autos are regulated by the federal government and provide relief from regulatory friction that the group says drives up vehicle costs. The alliance says the industry's policy agenda hasn't changed. But its prospects for advancing that agenda have, and the response could come quickly. For the first time in a decade, a Republican president will be working with a GOP Congress -- fractured as it may be -- a clear runway that may not be available in two years. The potential for regulatory relief goes beyond agencies such as the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In its letter, the alliance cites the full complement of agencies with roles that touch on the auto sector -- from the Federal Trade Commission to the Department of Homeland Security -- in its bold call for a presidential advisory panel that would coordinate directives from all of them. The opportunity arises at a time when the industry least expected it. One government-affairs executive told Automotive News that auto executives here broadly expected a Hillary Clinton victory and bet that the next administration would presumably hew close to the direction set by President Obama on big-ticket issues such as fuel economy and greenhouse-gas standards and autonomous-vehicle policy. The prospect of a President Trump, the executive said, "was always kind of laughed off." But now, the executive said, "it's time to kind of re-gather our thoughts on these things that the Democratic administration has been pushing the industry towards and that the industry was reluctantly moving towards." 'All bets are off' One major example of that rethink surrounds the administration's approach to the fuel economy and greenhouse-gas regulations. On the eve of the election, an alliance memo to its membership on the implications of potential outcomes said "all bets are off" if Trump were to win. Under one scenario outlined by the alliance, Trump could follow through with his campaign rhetoric about hobbling the EPA -- which oversees the corporate average fuel economy program with NHTSA -- and "blow up the agreement entirely," the pre-election memo said. Another scenario, the one preferred by the industry, would be for the Trump administration to work with automakers and Congress to "adjust the program" in light of lower gasoline prices, the alliance said in the memo. The dueling scenarios illustrate the high degree of uncertainty surrounding what to expect from Trump's administration. His campaign was built around his business experience but also included populist themes and promises to sweep out the influence of special interests while making better deals on behalf of the nation. How that will translate into policy choices is anyone's guess. "If in fact he translates that campaign rhetoric to policy, he offers those who don't support the regulations some opportunities," a second industry government-affairs executive said. The alliance is diving into those opportunities. It wants a full review of all regulatory and policy actions by the Obama administration since Sept. 1 and more attention to the economic impact of regulations on the health of automakers. "We live at a moment where technology and change are swamping the regulatory capacity to manage our emerging reality," alliance CEO Mitch Bainwol said in the letter, obtained by Automotive News. "Reform is imperative." History repeats The unfurling political landscape is in a sense the inverse of what the industry faced in 2009, when Obama came to office with a Democratic Congress at his back. At that time, the industry was close to drowning, and the administration had the only life preservers. Naturally, there were strings attached. A strong advocate for climate-change action, Obama built into his auto industry reform agenda the most significant increase to fuel economy standards in years and later, the first-ever greenhouse-gas limits imposed on autos, a major victory for environmentalists and climate-change policy advocates. Now, under a GOP-controlled Congress and a presumably business-minded administration, market forces and economic impacts will take on greater weight as the fuel economy standards undergo a midterm evaluation. That could lead to a more workable program for the industry, which has struggled to reconcile the push for higher fleetwide fuel efficiency with consumer preferences for large vehicles. But a wholesale rollback of the program would be difficult. The process behind it requires that outcome of the midterm review be based on rigorous analysis of data and science. In addition, NHTSA is bound by law to set CAFE standards at the maximum feasible level. Any change in the standards -- to toughen or weaken them -- must withstand a challenge in court from either the industry or environmental lobby. Luke Tonachel, director of the Clean Vehicles and Fuels Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, wrote in an email that "if the Trump administration seeks to roll back fuel efficiency standards, which are highly popular with the American people and even have been supported by the auto industry, it will find us standing in the way." Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, signaled a harder line, pledging to give "President Trump the hardest fight of his life every step of the way." A weakened national standard also would pose major risks for the industry. California regulators agreed to align their greenhouse-gas rules with the federal program in 2011, a major reason why the pact drew strong support from the auto industry. A weakened federal policy could prompt the state's powerful Air Resources Board to go rogue and institute even tougher standards for the nation's largest auto market to compensate for a relaxation of standards at the federal level. To head that off, one industry insider here suggested, automakers could rally behind the 2025 standards to ensure that the industry at least has a consistent, national program. "Even if you can do it," the insider said of diluting the 2025 standards, "should you do it?"

Due to being overseas and traveling, I did not vote in the primaries. My point was, on election day, Americans should not be limited to a mere two choices. There should be a dozen. (Recall the Bush/Gore election, there was no choice......neither man was qualified to be anything more than a state governor). Second, the electoral college and the party system are both relics of the past and fraudulent by nature. The president should be chosen by direct election. No matter which state you're standing in, we're all Americans alike. On the eve of the 2012 Obama/Romney election (November 7, 2012), Trump called the Electoral College “a disaster for a democracy.” After that election, in a tweet he has since deleted, Trump said, “The phoney [sic] electoral college made a laughing stock out of our nation. The loser one! [sic]” Trump tweeted this at a time when he thought Romney would win the popular vote, which ultimately was not the case. (Yahoo News / Nov 12, 2016)

CNN Money / November 11, 2016 Warren Buffett was a vocal backer of Hillary Clinton. So what does the Berkshire Hathaway CEO think of President-elect Donald Trump? "I support any president of the United States. It's very important that the American people coalesce behind the president," says Buffett. "That doesn't mean they can't criticize him or they can't disagree with what he's doing maybe. But we need a country unified," Buffett added. "He deserves everybody's respect." That's a turnaround from what Buffett told Berkshire Hathaway shareholders before its annual meeting in Omaha in April. When an investor asked him if he'd be worried about how his businesses would perform under a President Trump, Buffett said "that won't be the main problem." But Buffett took a more conciliatory tone Thursday, even as he defended why he still thinks Clinton was the better candidate. "You have to choose between two people and I chose Hillary," saying that her temperament was the number one reason why he endorsed and voted for her. Buffett said he understands why Trump won. Many Americans are resentful about the wealth gap in the country. Can Trump fix that? Buffett said he was skeptical of some of Trump's claims about how fast he can grow the economy. "Nobody can grow the economy 4% in real terms over time," Buffett said, referring to a Trump campaign promise. "The math is too extraordinary." But Buffett thinks that even 2% annual growth over a period of a few years will lead to wage growth and gains in the stock market. Speaking of stocks, Buffett said he was not surprised to see the market rally after Trump won. He thought concerns the market would tank due to Trump were "silly." This week's rally has helped make Buffett even wealthier. Berkshire stock has popped. The company owns and operates the big insurer Geico and railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Berkshire also invests heavily in large financial firms and industrial giants. Those sectors have been big winners since the election. Investors have been betting that Trump will seek to cut back on regulation of banks and other industries and also spend more to repair highways, bridges and other parts of the nation's infrastructure. Buffett said he was buying stocks a few weeks ago when he thought Clinton would win -- and that he continued to do so this week after she lost. He said stocks will be higher 10, 20 and 30 years from now and that would have been the case if Clinton won. And he continued, as he has done for years, to stress that America is a "fantastic country." At the end of the day, Buffett said he's not worried about Trump trying to enact some of the more controversial things that he talked about in his campaign, such as cracking down on immigration and enacting isolationist trade policies. "There are a lot of things said in campaigns that don't happen after the election," he said. Asked about Trump's proposal to impose 35% tariffs on goods imported to the U.S. -- Buffett said: "It's a bad idea, a very bad idea, but I'm not going to say it is going to cause a recession." He also didn't seem worried about Trump's mixed track record as a businessman. Buffett even joked that President Harry Truman ran a failed haberdashery store and that "he turned out to be a terrific president." Buffett said he thought Trump was very good at licensing and promoting his name. But he continued to argue that Trump didn't have a great track record of operating casinos and other Trump-branded businesses successfully. That isn't Buffett's concern. "I don't have to worry about him running a business anymore," he said. But if President-elect Trump called Buffett asking for advice on the economy, would Buffett offer a hand? "I would do that with any president. I've never called a president in my life. So I I don't initiate 'em. But ... but if any president asks me for help in any way, I mean, that's part of being a citizen," Buffett said.