Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
It might be hard to isolate, given his long term pattern of rambling and instability. How does an insane-adjacent individual exhibit dementia?
Pretty funny. Biden was in obvious decline, yet I never heard any Democrats call for his removal or even acknowledge it while he was serving. The partisan hostility is so strong that I’m sure they’d treat any other GOP leader the same way; actually, they already are. The evidence is abundant on this thread.
[snip] Pretty funny. Biden was in obvious decline, yet I never heard any Democrats call for his removal or even acknowledge it while he was serving. The partisan hostility is so strong that I’m sure they’d treat any other GOP leader the same way; actually, they already are. The evidence is abundant on this thread.
FD1000 is utterly incapable of cobbling together a cogent response when presented with facts regarding the current Trump administration. He almost always resorts to using whataboutism in order to avoid discussing reality. The evidence is abundant in this thread! Many MAGA fanatics utilize this logical fallacy.
"President Trump announced he is pardoning Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, who were indicted last year on bribery and money laundering charges. It’s the latest in a series of controversial pardons Trump has signed. White House Correspondent Liz Landers discussed more with Liz Oyer, who served as the Department of Justice pardon attorney in the Biden administration." https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-trump-is-using-presidential-pardon-power-in-new-ways
Comments: Donald J. Trump has a special affinity for those charged with bribery, money laundering, or fraud. Why is that, @FD1000?
Comments: Donald J. Trump is supposedly concerned about drug trafficking and is using this as pretext to justify targeting Venezuelan boats and murdering the occupants in violation of international law. Yet, he pardoned the former president of Honduras who was actually responsible for facilitating the export of tons of cocaine to the United States. This seems rather contradictory! Can you help explain this to me @FD1000?
The Department of Defense's inspector general completed an investigation of Pete Hegseth's Signal chat regarding a Yemen strike earlier this year. The damning conclusion will not be surprising to most.
"And according to a person who has read this document, the inspector general found that the messages that the secretary transmitted were — quote — 'secret/no foreign.' The definition of that classification level is that unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to national security and it can't be shared with foreigners."
"And the inspector general went on to say, if those messages had been intercepted, it would have endangered U.S. service members and the mission."
The Orange regime is quite simply disastrous, through negligence, deliberate actions taken, indifference, and rudderless "leadership" which is serving the interests of Trump and his family and their cronies. This is to say nothing of the fact that The "President" is a Russian asset, himself. He is destroying the USA step by step, day by day. It started on Day One. Is he dead YET? There are by now too many signs that he is incapable. 25th? How long before the majority in the Congress recognizes their duty to the country? We shall see. But what will be left intact? Allies and trade partners already understand that the USA cannot be relied upon. Our membership in NATO is like a parked car. Everyone in this regime is utterly unqualified, and the Constitution is being shredded. American world leadership is in the past.
My disgust is total toward all Trump voters. Period. Elect a conscience-less criminal, and this is what you get.
"Republican Matt Van Epps won yesterday’s special election in Tennessee’s seventh congressional district, but Republicans aren’t celebrating triumphantly. Van Epps beat out Democrat Aftyn Behn by about 9 points in a district Donald Trump and Republican senator Marsha Blackburn each won in 2024 by 22 points. Yesterday’s vote shows a 13-point shift toward the Democrats in about a year."
"Aaron Pellish and Meredith Lee Hill of Politico reported the comment of a House Republican after officials called the election: 'Tonight is a sign that 2026 is going to be a b*tch of an election cycle. Republicans can survive if we play team and the Trump administration officials play smart. Neither is certain.'”
"Democrats and many Republicans think that shift has come about in large part over the issue of affordability, the rising costs of food, housing, energy, gasoline, and healthcare that are squeezing most Americans. Trump insisted yesterday that 'affordability doesn’t mean anything to anybody,' but most Americans would disagree. According to Morris of Strength in Numbers, the word 'affordability' appears to mean not just the pressure of higher prices, but also frustration at economic stagnation, the unfair way in which the economic system operates, the idea of being stuck and unable to rise, the current illusiveness of the American dream."
"Also today, Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeffrey Merkley (D-OR), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking for a briefing no later than Friday on what she has claimed is 'new' material in the Epstein files that she said on November 14 had caused her to initiate investigations into connections between Jeffrey Epstein and former president Bill Clinton, former treasury secretary Larry Summers, and investor Reid Hoffman. On July 7, an FBI memo said there was no new evidence to open new investigations 'against uncharged third parties.'”
"Now the bipartisan lead sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act from both chambers of Congress are calling out what looks to be Bondi’s attempt to shield Trump, first by saying that there was no information in the files that would warrant an investigation of 'uncharged third parties' and then by opening such investigations on Democrats to muddy the waters and possibly claim that she could not release the files because of ongoing investigations."
[snip] Pretty funny. Biden was in obvious decline, yet I never heard any Democrats call for his removal or even acknowledge it while he was serving. The partisan hostility is so strong that I’m sure they’d treat any other GOP leader the same way; actually, they already are. The evidence is abundant on this thread.
FD1000 is utterly incapable of cobbling together a cogent response when presented with facts regarding the current Trump administration. He almost always resorts to using whataboutism in order to avoid discussing reality. The evidence is abundant in this thread! Many MAGA fanatics utilize this logical fallacy.
You'd think that after getting called out for these logical fallacies, repeatedly, he'd up his game and learn better skills. If he had it in him. He doesn't.
Nor can he address any of the issues being pointed out in this thread, as problematic behavior. Or economic woes. Instead he fixates in things that he perceives as positive. Often items prepared by the WH propaganda and talking points department!
What he doesn't say, when confronted with facts like 1.1 million job losses (most since a pandemic ripped through the world), speaks volumes. Like the cult leader, he just parrots some deflection. Little Jack Horner.
Nevertheless, his sputtering reactions are "abundant evidence" of someone who is triggered. lol
You'd think that after getting called out for these logical fallacies, repeatedly, he'd up his game and learn better skills. If he had it in him. He doesn't.
Apparently, discussing 6 inch pie pans on the Early Retirement forum is his true calling.
"Apparently, discussing 6 inch pie pans on the Early Retirement forum is his true calling."
His true calling certainly does not involve investing or debating topical issues! Perhaps FD1000 does bake a splendid apple pie. Maybe it's a pecan pie since he resides in Georgia?
What will these people do when they realize that their lives are worse, not better after sustained +3% inflation eats up their meager savings? After ACA is destroyed. After their Medicaid stops showing up in their accounts. Who will they blame when there is no more "DEI" or illegals" to blame their failures upon? They will find new excuses for certain, because personal responsibility is not possible for them.
Damn straight they will find new excuses. But excuses are like ***holes - everybody's got one, and they all stink.
Several achievements: * Saudi officials have announced a pledge to invest $1 trillion in future development initiatives. * SCOTUS allows Texas to use the pro-Trump maps for the 2026 midterms. * The United States has sunk several vessels involved in narcotics trafficking. * Inflation has been a hoax by lib economists since early 2025. Annual PCE came out today at 2.8%. * The SP500 is close to the top
Democrats spent months loudly invoking Epstein, but once it became clear the issue could politically hurt them as well, the outrage suddenly faded. Now they’re shouting about narco boats, pushing what critics see as yet another manufactured scandal, another ‘Russia-hoax-style’ accusation.
Meanwhile, during the Obama years, hundreds of airstrikes were launched across the Middle East, resulting in civilian casualties, yet Democratic leaders remained largely silent. To many, this looks like another attempt to mislead the public rather than take responsibility.
Minnesota has faced serious policy failures, but instead of owning them, Democrats are now trying to shift blame onto Trump. And it’s telling how discussions about DEI prevent MN from dealing with that.
Just bought Italian beef from our usual source for a party. The wife keeps records and the price is exactly 25% higher since one year ago. And now there is some additional charge that never existed before. Businesses are struggling to hold down prices and not lose business. I previously pointed out that a suite of kitchen appliances bough early 2025 (by us) is about 30% higher today. Real numbers.
My neighbor is a rep for a major tool seller, I am told that they are struggling to contain costs on products and they are up minimum 20%. Real numbers. Products real people purchase. Coffee that we were buying for $15.99 beginning of year is now $20.99.
Automobiles? Forget about it! All-time high of $50,000 average.
I could go on and on! As I mentioned before, even 2.8% (core) is a compounded loss of almost 10% of purchasing power in 3 years, much more than 2% works out to become.
Most importantly, all those front-loaded items in the warehouses are running out. Newly imported items will be coming in hotter, and prices will be going up again.
Weaponized tax hikes. And gaslighting. trump says that citizens do not care about "affordability". He isn't saying that because he brought down prices, or even kept them steady. We know why he is saying that.
Nice summary @DrVenture. Thanks. As I noted elsewhere ... toss in $20+ a pound Starbucks coffee and a near $10 price to dry clean a shirt. These small things do add up over the course of a year. So glad we have this thread. Probably the best thing FD ever did.
@FD1000 A few hours ago you posted on Early Retirement "Today we took Uber to the international airport at 7 AM, 35 miles took just 33 minutes going thru downtown ATL."
Fascinating update on your travel time from your house to the airport. Are you actually going somewhere, or were you just excited to have something to report today?
Nice summary @DrVenture. Thanks. As I noted elsewhere ... toss in $20+ a pound Starbucks coffee and a near $10 price to dry clean a shirt. These small things do add up over the course of a year. So glad we have this thread. Probably the best thing FD ever did.
If I had to guess the cost of labor to run a dry cleaning establishment is probably much higher, due to competition for service workers (deportations). And, possibly, the chemicals to dry clean may be imported and subject to tariff.
Comments
Nevertheless, "That Frederick Douglass is doing a great job..."
The evidence is abundant on this thread.
I guess that you missed me on that...
when presented with facts regarding the current Trump administration.
He almost always resorts to using whataboutism in order to avoid discussing reality.
The evidence is abundant in this thread!
Many MAGA fanatics utilize this logical fallacy.
Thanks to @WABAC
@FD1000, surely you are not that unaware, right?
and his wife, who were indicted last year on bribery and money laundering charges.
It’s the latest in a series of controversial pardons Trump has signed.
White House Correspondent Liz Landers discussed more with Liz Oyer,
who served as the Department of Justice pardon attorney in the Biden administration."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-trump-is-using-presidential-pardon-power-in-new-ways
Comments: Donald J. Trump has a special affinity for those charged with bribery, money laundering, or fraud.
Why is that, @FD1000?
Edit/Add: "Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison
for his role in helping drug traffickers move hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States,
was released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump, his wife announced Tuesday."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/former-honduras-president-hernandez-freed-from-prison-after-trump-pardon
Comments: Donald J. Trump is supposedly concerned about drug trafficking and is using this as pretext
to justify targeting Venezuelan boats and murdering the occupants in violation of international law.
Yet, he pardoned the former president of Honduras who was actually responsible for facilitating the export
of tons of cocaine to the United States. This seems rather contradictory!
Can you help explain this to me @FD1000?
of Pete Hegseth's Signal chat regarding a Yemen strike earlier this year.
The damning conclusion will not be surprising to most.
"And according to a person who has read this document, the inspector general found
that the messages that the secretary transmitted were — quote — 'secret/no foreign.'
The definition of that classification level is that unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected
to cause serious damage to national security and it can't be shared with foreigners."
"And the inspector general went on to say, if those messages had been intercepted,
it would have endangered U.S. service members and the mission."
"And this was just echoed by the Senate Armed Services Committee top Democrat,
Jack Reed, that if a lower-level service member provided that level of information before the launches
of manned aircraft with pilots inside those cockpits, that service member
would have been court-martialed and discharged."
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/hegseths-signal-chat-put-u-s-personnel-at-risk-pentagon-watchdog-finds
Comments: It's peculiar that the Commander in Chief doesn't seem to be concerned about this reckless act!
My disgust is total toward all Trump voters. Period. Elect a conscience-less criminal, and this is what you get.
Yesterday’s vote shows a 13-point shift toward the Democrats in about a year."
"Aaron Pellish and Meredith Lee Hill of Politico reported the comment of a House Republican after officials called the election: 'Tonight is a sign that 2026 is going to be a b*tch of an election cycle. Republicans can survive if we play team and the Trump administration officials play smart. Neither is certain.'”
"Democrats and many Republicans think that shift has come about in large part over the issue of affordability, the rising costs of food, housing, energy, gasoline, and healthcare that are squeezing most Americans. Trump insisted yesterday that 'affordability doesn’t mean anything to anybody,' but most Americans would disagree. According to Morris of Strength in Numbers, the word 'affordability' appears to mean not just the pressure of higher prices, but also frustration at economic stagnation, the unfair way in which the economic system operates, the idea of being stuck and unable to rise, the current illusiveness of the American dream."
"Now the bipartisan lead sponsors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act from both chambers of Congress are calling out what looks to be Bondi’s attempt to shield Trump, first by saying that there was no information in the files that would warrant an investigation of 'uncharged third parties' and then by opening such investigations on Democrats to muddy the waters and possibly claim that she could not release the files because of ongoing investigations."
Not Houdini - but clever.
https://snopes.com/fact-check/fbi-overtime-redact-epstein-files/
Most layoffs since 2020: 1,100,000 YTD
Nor can he address any of the issues being pointed out in this thread, as problematic behavior. Or economic woes. Instead he fixates in things that he perceives as positive. Often items prepared by the WH propaganda and talking points department!
What he doesn't say, when confronted with facts like 1.1 million job losses (most since a pandemic ripped through the world), speaks volumes. Like the cult leader, he just parrots some deflection. Little Jack Horner.
Nevertheless, his sputtering reactions are "abundant evidence" of someone who is triggered. lol
Apparently, discussing 6 inch pie pans on the Early Retirement forum is his true calling.
His true calling certainly does not involve investing or debating topical issues!
Perhaps FD1000 does bake a splendid apple pie.
Maybe it's a pecan pie since he resides in Georgia?
* Saudi officials have announced a pledge to invest $1 trillion in future development initiatives.
* SCOTUS allows Texas to use the pro-Trump maps for the 2026 midterms.
* The United States has sunk several vessels involved in narcotics trafficking.
* Inflation has been a hoax by lib economists since early 2025. Annual PCE came out today at 2.8%.
* The SP500 is close to the top
Democrats spent months loudly invoking Epstein, but once it became clear the issue could politically hurt them as well, the outrage suddenly faded. Now they’re shouting about narco boats, pushing what critics see as yet another manufactured scandal, another ‘Russia-hoax-style’ accusation.
Meanwhile, during the Obama years, hundreds of airstrikes were launched across the Middle East, resulting in civilian casualties, yet Democratic leaders remained largely silent. To many, this looks like another attempt to mislead the public rather than take responsibility.
Minnesota has faced serious policy failures, but instead of owning them, Democrats are now trying to shift blame onto Trump. And it’s telling how discussions about DEI prevent MN from dealing with that.
I expect to see at least 15 outraged posts.
it's a bit odd that you haven't noticed that not one other person on this board consistently triggers the type of responses that you complain about.
It's just possible that YOUR obnoxious commentaries might be causing that.
By the way- is the above your latest contribution to posting re "investing"?? Do you know the definition of "hypocrisy"?
Well, here are a few- see any that apply to you?
sanctimony
affected superiority
false virtue
humbug
pretense
posturing
empty talk
falseness
deceptiveness
deceitfulness
dishonesty
duplicity
Gee, FD- looks like they ALL apply to you.
My neighbor is a rep for a major tool seller, I am told that they are struggling to contain costs on products and they are up minimum 20%. Real numbers. Products real people purchase. Coffee that we were buying for $15.99 beginning of year is now $20.99.
Automobiles? Forget about it! All-time high of $50,000 average.
I could go on and on! As I mentioned before, even 2.8% (core) is a compounded loss of almost 10% of purchasing power in 3 years, much more than 2% works out to become.
Most importantly, all those front-loaded items in the warehouses are running out. Newly imported items will be coming in hotter, and prices will be going up again.
Weaponized tax hikes. And gaslighting. trump says that citizens do not care about "affordability". He isn't saying that because he brought down prices, or even kept them steady. We know why he is saying that.
Fascinating update on your travel time from your house to the airport. Are you actually going somewhere, or were you just excited to have something to report today?
If I had to guess the cost of labor to run a dry cleaning establishment is probably much higher, due to competition for service workers (deportations). And, possibly, the chemicals to dry clean may be imported and subject to tariff.
"Why now?
Because the MAGA base that every congressional Republican is so afraid of
and solicitous toward is falling apart.
They’re finally seeing Trump for what he is: a man without principle except getting richer
and more powerful and engraving his name on buildings.
A lame-duck president who said he’d make life better for MAGA starting on “day one”
but has made life worse for MAGA by month 10.
He doesn’t even believe in lowering prices. He calls the affordability crisis a “con” job.
Democrats swept last month’s off-year elections and performed better than usual
in Tuesday’s House race in a bright-red Tennessee district.
If you’re taking some satisfaction from the MAGA crackup, don’t let your guard down.
It’s when Trump feels he’s in trouble that he does the biggest and craziest things to deflect attention."
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-really-truly-the-end