“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”
–Theodore Roosevelt
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I wish I lived in a fantasy world in which Russian takeover of the executive branch of the Federal government is not well under way, and in which our executive is not one of the most corrupt oligarchs in the world. To prove me wrong, all you would have to do is encourage your GOP reps to force Trump to reveal his tax returns, like every other President in history.
Trump – Russian Business Relationships
Unlike all of his predecessors, he has declined to release his tax returns. One partial return from 2005 was sent to a reporter. That was a year in which Trump paid 36% rate on his taxes. For the years after that, Trump has bragged about paying zero in taxes, saying that makes him “smart”.
What would these tax returns show? They would show the extent of Trump’s indebtedness to people who have bailed out his businesses by floating loans. Trump is actually a pretty crappy businessman, notwithstanding his hype. He has been bankrupt, 6 times, he has failed to pay his subcontractors at least 60 times, he has had at least 17 businesses, including hotels, fail, and investors never got their investments back. He paid off the poor suckers who invested in Trump University, to the tune of $25 million – and got a tax writeoff for it.
But will the public – or even Congress, which has the duty of oversight – ever see the full extent of Trump’s tax returns, which would show all of these business failures, all of the money loaned to bail him out, all of the tax writeoffs used to evade paying taxes? Congress shirked its duty, and GOP MoCs blocked a bill that would have forcied Trump to show his taxes. So that one measly 2005 partial return may be all we ever see.
So who has bailed this lousy business man out? Deutsche bank, through Russian investors. Chinese banks. Private loans. Trump himself, as well as his son, have admitted to great inflows of cash from Russia. And now, the American taxpayer will be on the hook to bail out the swindler.
For a very well-sourced and exhaustive reference on all of the Russian business dealings, see this Compilation of Trump's Russian Connections, by wnemirow.
There’s been plenty of other mainstream reporting, as well:
USA Today
Reuters
Washington Post
The graphic below is from Bump’s 3/3/2017 Washington Post article:
What do these businessmen hope to gain from Trump’s business relationships?
So the Trump Russian business ties are of long duration, deep, and powerful. Again, I recommend wnemirow’s reporting for more sources and explanation.
Political appointees with Russian ties:
But it is the cabinet posts I’m writing of when I write about how the Russians are taking over the executive branch of our government.
Trump Campaign wonks rooted in Russia
Russian President Putin is reputedly the richest man in the world, and most of his wealth has come from exploiting his countrymen. There are few boundaries between government and industry in Russia, a holdover from the old Communist days. The USA seems well positioned to repeat this pattern of blurred business and government under an authoritarian regime, a.k.a. , fascism.
I happen to be a patriot who happily recites the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school (and today, at a track meet I’m volunteering at). I barely drink, and rarely use marijuana medicinally. I would ask you, AC, to channel your old inner patriot and Cold Warrior . Do not let a foreign power dictate American policy. Don’t collude in the erosion of our sacred Constitutional freedoms. Let your conservative conscience be your guide.
This comment was begun as a reply to AC's comment that I "live in a fantasy world" and "probably use drugs" in order to attack my assertion that our executive branch is compromised by Russian influence. So I'm reposting here.
UPDATE: Media Matters picked up McClatchy Bureau’s story that Breitbart and Infowars may have collaborated with Russian hackers in spreading “bots” , fake social media accounts that spread fake stories about HRC. https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/03/20/report-fbi-investigating-russian-operatives-using-bots-spread-stories-breitbart-rt-infowars/215770
Thanks for unblocking my post, Pols.
All that and there is still no there, there.
You, PeePee, are the ultimate caricature of a Drumphuckian.
You get the same info from Maxine Waters. A certified Kook in good standing.
Coming from a half-wit anonymous troll, that's rich.
Speaking of Grayson Allen, the Onion did a nice pieceon him: http://www.theonion.com/article/grayson-allen-recalls-struggle-growing-without-any-55562 😉
If you hear your neighbors speaking Russian, you are probably living in a Trump property:
What a coincidence!
Привет сосед!
Why are you hating on refugees?
Bow to Dear Leader, Comrade Snowflake!
Pitiful Pair — Hating on Refugees? Who are paying over $1 million each for their condos on a resort condo development on Miami Beach?
Seriously? My sympathies for your advanced case of brain waste.
It appears West Palm Beach has had enough of paying for Cheetolini's 'golfing weekends'. Perhaps he can pass the tin cup around the Russian refugee camp and get a little love from his neighbors?
Palm Beach Is Sick of Paying for Donald Trump's Weekend Visits to Mar-a-Lago
(at least Palm Beach county didn't vote for Drumpf and then find themselves in the awkward position of complaining about his activities).
Trump stinks.
Of course he does (hint: no cuts will be expected in these types of wealth transfer under this Administration. When the transfer is from the many to the few, then it's A-OK).
White Nationalist Richard Spencer Gets His Money From Louisiana Cotton Fields—and the US Government
Michael Bennet is a Coward and Betrayer of Democratic principles.
The truth always seems to come out with this guy. For every 1 thing he does that makes us cheer, he pulls 3 or 4 Republican Lite moves that make me want to scream.
FU MB
You have to have principles before they can be betrayed
If that is the test, pp, Trump will never betray you.
Right again my friend. He just keeps winning for the American people.
Yeah, all ten thousand of them.
You're a very useful idiot, Puerile Pomegranate.
Still rooting against the American worker?
Rooting against the American worker? These workers? The ones responsible for Cheetolinis rise to power? Let those Drumphuckians eat cake….
Rural voters lose in Trump’s budget plan
Only Zapless could post an article that doesn't even mention michael bennet to justify flying into a rage against michael bennet. Yeah, I'm feeli g good about the hundreds of phone calls I made for MB.
Maybe put the Zappster and Moderatus into the same poorly lit room with one knife; lock the door; and see what happens.
I'd pay money to see that. May there be no survivors.
Link fixed and worth your time to read. http://m.dailykos.com/stories/1644774
Hey Pols – how about unblocking my post, or telling me what's wrong with it? I wrote to you about 8 am this morning. mj
The Pols are bureaucrats they don't have to explain anything to you.
These numbers are BIGLY BAD! To quote KornJolio: "Oops"
(from Gallup)
"I never thought leopards would eat MY face" sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party…
Trump voter who uses Meals on Wheels surprised by proposed cuts
"I didn't think he was going to hurt me."
Well, who did you think he was going to hurt? And why was that okay?
"Trump's mama". The immigrant who showed up on our shores with $50 in her pocket seeking a better life? Ma'am … with all due respect, you probably loathe those people, too.
Well, Michael. There is one obvious diffence between "mama Trump" and the millions of people he wants to exclude.
She was a white Christian.
My bad. Yes. That. Doesn't everyone aspire to the future Putrid and der führer long for? The one where everyone 'looks the same'. White, that is.
From The Atlantic
My girlfriend says what you and I are missing, Michael, is that western civilsation sprang up in "Whiteland"… The capital of Eden.
Everybody knows Adam looked like Brad Pitt.
According to Pear's Preacher™ some washed-up Republican named Mitt (who couldn't even beat a Kenyan Muslim) says the real Garden of Eden was in
WhitelandMissouri.Locals are quiet about the fact it was Adam and Steve…
What are the current odds on Bennet voting in favor of Gorsuch?
Bennet's going to vote for Gorsuch, eventually. I'd say the odds are 90-10 on that. I hope that we can persuade all our Dem Senators to draw things out and stall for as long as possible, hopefully until this SCOTUS session ends this summer.
Gorsuch will be terrible for women, for LGBTQ folk, for workers, but he just might be OK for the environment and renewable energy, if the rumors about his closeness to Anschutz are true.
Bennet is introducing Gorsuch, they have overlapping work for Anschutz, and from initial impressions, Gorsuch's not awful in explaining his opinions. Of course Bennet will vote for confirmation.
The only chance he wouldn't is if there is some shocker revealed in the hearings. With the Trump sadministration handling the vetting and preparation, something bad IS possible.
It's traditional that the home state senators introduce nominee at confirmation hearings. Nevertheless, it wouldn't surprise me to see Thurston vote "yes" on Gorsuch.
Neither would I. Bennett’s just kind of a weasel, isn’t he? It’s in his nature.