So i know there are a few die-hard Trump knob polishers on here...but do even you guys believe you'll get a 5K check if Republicans win the middterms?

@milkymum1

He's made America an international joke but some people are still down on their knees for him, mouths wide open lol

@Neoerectus
@Pikachu

United States would still not have universal health care, because the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was never designed to create a single-payer, government-run system for everyone

@Neoerectus
@Pikachu

We have medicaid & medicare
They could have expanded/ improved those programs which would have helped low/ moderate income without canceling coverage for others

@pdockal

Aaaand there it is: Me, me, me, meeeee!
For a man to learn to fish he needs a fishing rod, you and i should make sure he has one.

But since you dodged the question, let me return your attention to it:

Do you believe that Trump intends to add a trillion dollars to the national debt in order to bribe American voters or do you believe he's lying in order to bribe American voters?

@gregloa

I think you're feeling a certain amount of cognitive dissonance: You get that the things we're talking about are objectively bad in any other context but your ego and social identity are now wrapped up in supporting Trump.

You sleep on it, bud.
But make sure to get back to me.
I'll remind you if you forget 👍

@gregloa

Let's bring the temperature back down, bud.

Ok so that's a hard "no" from you on the bet.
We can make the stakes lower if that was too rich for your blood: How about instead of 5K we bet our accounts?
IF Trump sends you that money i'll delete this account and start from scratch.
When he doesn't, you delete yours.
Deal?


So you believe that the President bribing citizens to vote a particular way is the right thing to do.

Ok. Let's examine that:

Would you still say that if Obama had offered money to get an election result he wanted?

He had more money to spare for it than Trump does.
After all, under his government the national debt was reduced by over 700 billion while under Trump it has increased under his combined terms by over 11 trillion.

So if it's ethical to bribe the electorate to get a desirable outcome, would you have supported the same action under Obama?
Answer me directly.

@Prison1203 In short, they are coming out of general taxation. But the Federal government is running a budget deficit equivalent to 6.5% of GDP. So either this has to be funded by enormous cuts in public spending or . . more government borrowing.

At a time of high inflation, most governments would seek to reduce the supply of money (through higher interest rates or taxation) rather than pumping $1tn back into an overheating consumer economy.

@Pikachu That's not how the law against buying votes works. It's the intent to change voting behaviour that is the test not whether voting behaviour did change. What Trump has said is quite straightforwardly a crime already and if the money were to be handed out every recipient whether or not they actually changed their voting behaviour would also have committed a crime.

@ninalanyon

I mean that sounds right to me. Not sure why more people aren't upset about it.

@NerdyPotato

Well it only counts as a government handout if other people are getting it and you're not.

@Pikachu ah yes, if everyone gets an equal amount, it's not a redistribution of course. Then it's just getting your own money back, which is so welcome because his economy blows.

@ArishMell

It's absolutely a bribe.

@Pikachu That is how I see it, but I doubt it will go ahead. It's strange to think the president of a modern, "Western", democratic nation would even consider attempting such a trick.

If you were to use such an idea as a theme in a novel the putative publishers would either ask if it's meant to be satire, or would reject it as too incredible.

@ArishMell The crime has already been committed. It is a crime in federal law to offer money in exchange for someone to change their voting behaviour.
https://www.egattorneys.com/influence-voting

I mentioned this to @JSul3 earlier today. They pointed out that obviously laws do not apply to the the current president because if they did he would already be in prison.

@Khenpal1 that's something to remind the upcoming socialist dreamers

@Gibbon as it looks now a gallon of diesel will get close to 10 dollars for next 6 months , so say hello to inflation.

@Khenpal1 That's your segue to my socialist reply? Okay then your mindset is questionable.