President Trump: Making America Great Again...

[Jeff Lebowski]

Um, I think he was alluding to life and death stuff. Which is the kind of urgency that the cultural war stuff has. Stuff like diversity hires can cost lives. Reread Maximus' posts or ask him directly. I'm not intending this to invalidate your friend's situation or say it's not a problem. I think you missed all of that.

You would have to have your head buried deep in the sand not to be aware of how pervasive this nonsense is.

Here is a recent article in the WSJ about how completely DEI had taken over hiring at the University of Colorado:

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-dei-...ssors-0c306a9e

At the University of Colorado, Boulder, administrators, department heads and professors worked in tandem to advance racial preferences in hiring, documents acquired through a public-records request reveal. In the process, they recruited faculty who pushed the university’s research agenda in a more ideological direction, often with the aim of better recruiting minorities.

...

The records acquired—the Faculty Diversity Action Plan proposals that resulted in successful hires—reveal the ambition of the diversity, equity and inclusion movement. Through the program, the university brazenly prompted departments to select faculty based on race. In many cases, this went hand in hand with a declared preference for hiring scholar-activists.

One version of the application form, which was used in dozens of the hiring plans, asks departments: “How will this hire increase the number of underrepresented faculty members in the unit (e.g., US Faculty of Color, women in disciplines where underrepresented)?”

The university’s framing should have immediately raised legal red legal flags. Long before Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned race-based discrimination, which President Trump’s executive order reaffirms. Consultants often remind universities that they can’t base hiring decisions on race.

As the last sentence notes, using race as a criterion for hiring is a blatant violation of federal law. But they could get away with it because it was the orthodoxy.

[dabrockster]

This is not how you start a good faith discussion.
I'm happy to chat about these things, and have before but it feels like a fool's errand when you come at me so snarky and condescending out of the gate. I don't post wild conspiracies, and I don't appreciate that assertion.

You may dislike my tone but the reality is, you opted to not provide anything.

I have a hard time taking you seriously. You are full of hatred that I think clouds your judgement. You beat this drum so badly, it is like the boy who cried wolf. It is drowned out by the consistent negativity and I just need that in my life. I would suggest you take a moment to reflect on that. You may actually get people who are willing to listen to in fact listen.

To that extent, no need to “waste time in a fools errand”.

[Jeff Lebowski]

You may dislike my tone but the reality is, you opted to not provide anything.

I have a hard time taking you seriously. You are full of hatred that I think clouds your judgement. You beat this drum so badly, it is like the boy who cried wolf. It is drowned out by the consistent negativity and I just need that in my life. I would suggest you take a moment to reflect on that. You may actually get people who are willing to listen to in fact listen.

To that extent, no need to “waste time in a fools errand”.

Geez, this is over the top. Frank is a good dude and I don't believe he has any hatred in his heart. Come on.

[frank ryan]

I get frustrated and I know I frustrate people, but I don't hate a lot of people, especially on this platform. You're a good guy Brock.

[Northwestcoug]

It's been interesting returning to Canada in the current political environment. The Liberals, popularly known as the natural governing party, were looking at an almost sure national election loss. Everyone was tired of Trudeau, even his own cabinet. They were staring at a 20 point deficit in the polls just a few short weeks ago. The Conservatives have a Trumpy leader who looked like for all the world would be the next Prime Minister.

Enter Trump, the brilliant negotiator and politician. His massive self-esteem coupled with whatever nonsense his underlings fed to him led Trump to inexplicably threaten its most important ally. Before I moved up here, I thought it was just another shit show that he purposely engaged in to just keep the news all about him, and maybe to hide any number of nefarious things he was trying to do. But man he was serious about that 51st state thing. And what's even crazier is that he mentioned to Trudeau that he wanted to redraw the border.

From my perspective Canadians have very few things that unite them. One is a lingering need to define themselves as what Americans aren't. So when Trump, who probably thought Canadians would be just hunky dory about joining the USA either by choice or force, continuously mocked Trump, that tore through most of their national psyche. And then when the tariffs were announced, the national mood was galvanized. "Buy Canadian" is everywhere, even signs at stores where everyone knows are headquartered in Canada (Canadian Tire!). Any item in the grocery store that has a connection to Canada has a maple leaf by the price. My wife's Southern Albertan family, who were previously Trump-curious, have become the proud maple-flag waving Canadians on Facebook. It takes a lot to unite all those polite Canucks. I witnessed some of it when English Canada showed how much they wanted Quebec to stay in the country during the last referendum. Trump's embarrassing buffoonery is doing it again.

Anyways, the Conservatives poll lead has evaporated, and the Liberals with a new Prime Minister have more than a fighting chance at winning the election. If Trump had just bided his time for a short couple of months, the Liberals would have lost, Polievre would be Prime Minister, and the two would have gotten along great. But his galactic-sized narcissism prevents him from doing/saying anything that may sway anyone not in the tank for him.

[beefytee]

“Elbows up!”

It has sure gotten my dads upset. He is avoiding any trips to the US. We’ll see if he comes and visits me.

[Northwestcoug]

“Elbows up!”

It has sure gotten my dads upset. He is avoiding any trips to the US. We’ll see if he comes and visits me.

Ha, I saw Mike Myers doing that.

My MIL yields to no one in her contempt for Trudeau, mostly because of what Trudeau pere did to Alberta. When we told her we were moving to BC she was taken aback and asked us if we were sure. Fast forward to now and she's rah-rah Canada and happy for us. I've seen similar responses from a friend and a family member who moved down here, back when it was all the rage to leave Canada.

[Jeff Lebowski]

It's been interesting returning to Canada in the current political environment. The Liberals, popularly known as the natural governing party, were looking at an almost sure national election loss. Everyone was tired of Trudeau, even his own cabinet. They were staring at a 20 point deficit in the polls just a few short weeks ago. The Conservatives have a Trumpy leader who looked like for all the world would be the next Prime Minister.

Enter Trump, the brilliant negotiator and politician. His massive self-esteem coupled with whatever nonsense his underlings fed to him led Trump to inexplicably threaten its most important ally. Before I moved up here, I thought it was just another shit show that he purposely engaged in to just keep the news all about him, and maybe to hide any number of nefarious things he was trying to do. But man he was serious about that 51st state thing. And what's even crazier is that he mentioned to Trudeau that he wanted to redraw the border.

From my perspective Canadians have very few things that unite them. One is a lingering need to define themselves as what Americans aren't. So when Trump, who probably thought Canadians would be just hunky dory about joining the USA either by choice or force, continuously mocked Trump, that tore through most of their national psyche. And then when the tariffs were announced, the national mood was galvanized. "Buy Canadian" is everywhere, even signs at stores where everyone knows are headquartered in Canada (Canadian Tire!). Any item in the grocery store that has a connection to Canada has a maple leaf by the price. My wife's Southern Albertan family, who were previously Trump-curious, have become the proud maple-flag waving Canadians on Facebook. It takes a lot to unite all those polite Canucks. I witnessed some of it when English Canada showed how much they wanted Quebec to stay in the country during the last referendum. Trump's embarrassing buffoonery is doing it again.

Anyways, the Conservatives poll lead has evaporated, and the Liberals with a new Prime Minister have more than a fighting chance at winning the election. If Trump had just bided his time for a short couple of months, the Liberals would have lost, Polievre would be Prime Minister, and the two would have gotten along great. But his galactic-sized narcissism prevents him from doing/saying anything that may sway anyone not in the tank for him.

It would’ve been hilarious for you to move to Canada to escape Trumpism only to have a Trump clone become the next Prime Minister there. Haha.

But seriously though, good for Canadians.

[Northwestcoug]

It would’ve been hilarious for you to move to Canada to escape Trumpism only to have a Trump clone become the next Prime Minister there. Haha.

But seriously though, good for Canadians.

Hilarious for whom, exactly???

This whole kerfuffle started out as an exercise in harm reduction from Trump exposure. Even if Polievre or any other Trumpy candidate became PM, I'm on a literal and metaphorical (far 'left coast' politically) island. It takes a while to feel those winds.

[USUC]

Incompetence in the administration has reached a tipping point. The sycophants Trump has brought in are so much less intelligent to the inner working of the governemnt that the people he brought in his first go round. On the one hand, this ensures a lot of what they are trying to do will go down in flames. On the other hand, their impulse to shift blame on others as obstacles will be incredibly damaging. I think the courts will be attacked relentlessly.

[Maximus]

t6he only explanation is they are trying to tank the economy. why?

orders from Vlad?

So elon and friends can buy up stock?

[Jeff Lebowski]

RIP my 401K.

[RC Vikings]

t6he only explanation is they are trying to tank the economy. why?

orders from Vlad?

So elon and friends can buy up stock?

Trump is going to tank this and force the Fed to lower rates, he will blame Biden for the drop and take the credit if it when it comes back, even if he's out of office by then.

[All-American]

RIP my 401K.

Yeah, brutal.

I guess I'll just try to focus on the bright side, and think about how much of a discount this is for us as we continue to put money into it. Not much comfort for those further down the road than we are, though.

[USUC]

Trump is going to tank this and force the Fed to lower rates, he will blame Biden for the drop and take the credit if it when it comes back, even if he's out of office by then.

I think we are beyond the point of being able to blame it on Biden when this is clearly linked to tarrifs. In his SOTU address last week he even said that there may be some sort term pain. So he owns it as well. His sycophants will buy it but no one else will.