Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
Link?
The Liar-in-Chief strikes again
- Thread starter NJlonghorn
- Start date
Link?
Monahorns
10,000+ Posts
Reducing tax rates does encourage capital investment like building new buildings and tech hubs. Apple probably also saw that interest rates will be going up over the next few years. This is the perfect time to invest, low tax low interest.
Tim Cook knows that better than me. So yeah, the tax cuts are part of the reason.
Now if Trump and Congress will cut spending. Cut spending. Let Fed rate increase gradually and pray that the last year wasn't a bubble. Economic indicators point to another pop in a few months though. Recession isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Leftists will blame tax cuts and TRUMP!!! The true cause will be 10 years of SUPER low Fed rate.
Tim Cook knows that better than me. So yeah, the tax cuts are part of the reason.
Now if Trump and Congress will cut spending. Cut spending. Let Fed rate increase gradually and pray that the last year wasn't a bubble. Economic indicators point to another pop in a few months though. Recession isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Leftists will blame tax cuts and TRUMP!!! The true cause will be 10 years of SUPER low Fed rate.
Authoritarian? How many SCOTUS cases did the Obama admin lose on an unaminous basis (0-9)? I give you a hint: the most for any admin. This is example one of media brainwashing. You would think the most rogue admin would have lost the most SCOTUS cases. Obama achieved that as well, not Trump
Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
I thought Apple may have stated something to reinforce this observation.
This is true but then you applied it to Apple. 1+1=3?
Without either of those two things Apple had tens of billions in cash. Attributing Apples growth to only those items belies their cash and growth position prior to either of those elements. Look no further than their giant investment expansion of their corporate investment. In fact, more than 90% of Apple's repatriation of foreign profits went into stock buy back.
Monohorn nailed it. The historically low interest rates and rising trend makes capital investments, like real estate, appealing.
Did our 2,000 troops neutralize them? How much effort did we actually put into killing the other 99% or whatever happened to them?
Monahorns
10,000+ Posts
ISIS in a sense has been neutralized. But Islamic radicalism isn't. ISIS will do just like Al Qaeda. They give ground. They recede into the people. They come back out when the coast is clear.
The greater point is that if my last sentence requires the US to stay in Syria, it requires the US to stay EVERYWHERE forever. I consider that idea unreasonable, unbearable, and unAmerican. So it is time to rethink our strategy against Islamic radicalism. I think bystander's statement was a good start. But be really really slow to depose regimes. It is a necessary evil sometimes. But make no mistake it is evil.
The greater point is that if my last sentence requires the US to stay in Syria, it requires the US to stay EVERYWHERE forever. I consider that idea unreasonable, unbearable, and unAmerican. So it is time to rethink our strategy against Islamic radicalism. I think bystander's statement was a good start. But be really really slow to depose regimes. It is a necessary evil sometimes. But make no mistake it is evil.
link?
Stock buy-backs are complicated. It's not 100% negative. It is a market making activity. It can be re-issued later for a cash flow uplift if the value of the stock rises (which is what Seattle is probably focusing; the buy-backs are only to provide income to the insiders along with all the other shareholders). It can help offset the dilution of ESOP's, the vesting of stock options along with other dilutive financial instruments. It can lower the amount of dividends later owed if the net outstanding is reduced.
Yes, the cash could be retained to invest in I&D. It could be given out as a bonus to employees.
But it's not your company is it? The buy-backs are not a signal that senior management are all going to retire soon or anything nefarious like that. EVERY major corporation engages in buy-backs. What should we do? Outlaw the practice?
I guess what Seattle wants is the reduction in the tax rate (35% to 21%) to be given to the employees. The employees can quit if they don't like it. I doubt they will though because they have other benefits that probably speak loudly.
Apple is a multi-national corporation. Their competition is not solely limited to our shores. I think it would require quite a bit of analysis to conclude that the buy-backs were the worst case scenario for the American taxpayer.
Yes, the cash could be retained to invest in I&D. It could be given out as a bonus to employees.
But it's not your company is it? The buy-backs are not a signal that senior management are all going to retire soon or anything nefarious like that. EVERY major corporation engages in buy-backs. What should we do? Outlaw the practice?
I guess what Seattle wants is the reduction in the tax rate (35% to 21%) to be given to the employees. The employees can quit if they don't like it. I doubt they will though because they have other benefits that probably speak loudly.
Apple is a multi-national corporation. Their competition is not solely limited to our shores. I think it would require quite a bit of analysis to conclude that the buy-backs were the worst case scenario for the American taxpayer.
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Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
Simple question. Is ISIS defeated?
Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
Supporting evidence.
Now do you want to present a link to support mchammer's claim, since you clesrly want to be included in the conversation.
"DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syrian President Bashar Assad authorized Iraqi forces on Sunday to attack the Islamic State group inside Syria without waiting for permission from authorities in Damascus, the state news agency SANA said, as the two allies coordinate their fight against extremists ahead of a planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria.
The announcement highlights the close relations between the two neighboring Arab countries that are both allied with Iran. IS once controlled large parts of both countries when it declared a caliphate in 2014.
Iraqi warplanes and artillery have in the past pounded IS positions inside Syria after getting the green light from Syrian authorities.
The extremists have been defeated in Iraq but still hold a small area in Syria close to the Iraqi border.
On Saturday Assad received a letter from Iraq’s Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi calling for both countries’ coordination in “fighting terrorism.”
Media Spotlight - Washington Times
The announcement highlights the close relations between the two neighboring Arab countries that are both allied with Iran. IS once controlled large parts of both countries when it declared a caliphate in 2014.
Iraqi warplanes and artillery have in the past pounded IS positions inside Syria after getting the green light from Syrian authorities.
The extremists have been defeated in Iraq but still hold a small area in Syria close to the Iraqi border.
On Saturday Assad received a letter from Iraq’s Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi calling for both countries’ coordination in “fighting terrorism.”
Media Spotlight - Washington Times
Thank you for the link. **** you for the snark.
They will never be defeated if they retain even a small element of fanatics bent on killing people. The current situation as reported by the media is that ISIS is defeated in Iraq and retains a small but lethal nuisance element in Syria. It's like exterminating one apartment and the roaches go to the next one over.
I noticed an article today about an interview with Lindsey Graham. From a link in the article please note the following:
Ad says Obama is reason for Iraq pullout
1) Bush the Younger negotiated with the Iraqi government to withdraw our troops by Dec, 31 2011.
2) Obama met the deadline.
3) At the time Obama ran the following ad:
"Because of Barack Obama the mission in Iraq ended."
4) Politifact found this to be half true. It was true because he was in charge of implementing the withdrawal. It was half false because he merely implemented what Bush negotiated with the Iraqi government.
5) Obama tried to amend the agreement to provide immunity for American soldiers in Iraqi courts in return for leaving more in place. The Iraqi government refused saying:
"When the Americans asked for immunity, the Iraqi side answered that it was not possible," al-Maliki said in an October news conference. "The discussions over the number of trainers and the place of training stopped. Now that the issue of immunity was decided and that no immunity to be given, the withdrawal has started."
6) "But Obama didn’t spin the withdrawal that way. He portrayed it as another fulfillment of a campaign promise."
To Seattle: What should we have done? Was the resulting void the cause of ISIS? Mentioning Obama's political comments taking credit was to illustrate he thought it was a good thing and not what we are hearing today from the Left concerning Trump's withdrawal.
Interestingly I just read today that Assad has given Iraq permission to do what they want to destroy ISIS without asking for Assad's permission in advance.
Damascus allows Iraq to hit ISIL targets in Syria: State media
The whole thing is crazy. ISIS is Assad's enemy. The enemy of our enemy is our friend? Yet we wanted Assad to be taken out. I don't like our troops getting killed in such a back-stabbing environment.
I'm glad we're leaving. 2,000 troops make no difference. But if they stay should they become operational and active in Syria, risking the ire of Russia? It doesn't seem to make any political sense. Maybe Iraq, Assad's boys, Turkey and even Israel will handle it. That would be my preference; it's their neighborhood.
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The benefits of tax reform will be self evident in the next 2 years. You won’t need a link.
Whatever they may be it's too early to tell.
Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
Mchammer attributed Apple's expansion to the foreign profit repatriation and tax rate reduction. My pointing to the buyback was countering the attribution.
As a beneficiary ESP and ESOP's I understand their value. Since I support HR Technology as a profession i've been part of many preparations of pitches to the board to expand dwindling pools of stock. In turn, there is value in a buyback.
Not sure any of those reasons were cited for the 2 previously mentioned initiatives. Shareholders DID receive and continue to receive the lionshare of the benefits. Did I expect raises in wages for employees? No, because companies aren't looking this year but out over several years. This is why a small portion of the benefit was given in bonuses, not increases. Heck, i'd argue the "living wage" movement is having more impact on wages than any legislation.
Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
Just giving what I receive. Have a wonderful New Year's Eve.
Really? How is asking for a link snarky? I cannot wait to hear this one.
Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
Check every other post you've made to me and you'll have your context.
Reagan got in on the anti-Carter backlash as much as anything that came out of his mouth in a race that had what some had perceived as a viable third-party (to the extent that Anderson and his gas-tax hike proposal was viable).
He did not siphon near as many votes as Perot would do 12 years later, but at the time, Anderson got some people's attention. Getting 5.5-6M votes which was not much less than the difference between Bonzo and the Peanut Farmer seemed a big deal. Then there was Perot who WAS a game changer and altered the face of the election cycle. There haven't been many really viable third-parties since then...
I actually would suspect that they HAVE, just that we didn't have social media to capture it. Think about it...until Shrubya, we didn't have that all-present social media that was willing to soundbite everything. We had CNN which was cool during the war, but even at that, they didn't have a mic around the PotUS at all times. Neither did Fox or any of the other channels now more focused on partisan positions.
For MANY years, we had three major networks if you were fortunate enough to be in an area that got them over the air. We had one or two major news papers in a city, but even that was a day old (or more) and was filtered. Even now, we still see the side effects of Friday afternoon news dumps for bad info...
I'm not even sure about that last part...the GOP is going to be in a position to hold the Dem's feet to the fire but if the Dem's don't put up a candidate of substance, they may lose the charging effect with the kids that they had the past few cycles...[/QUOTE]
^^^^This^^^^ Somebody gets it. I'll also add that we've never had a press that was so hostile to a president as we do now either. I'm also disappointed when I hear so many conservatives buy into the the MSM's rhetoric.
Sure, the MSM echoes each charge of lying and splits hairs in order to call something lying and they do it more with Trump than any other before him, BUT Trump has himself to blame for most of that. His ego is about Trump. No other POTUS before has been that egotistical. His constant "I did XXXX " when it is clearly embellishment and grandstanding if not an outright lie, has been his problem. He makes it easy for them. He can't get out of his own way because of his outsized ego. His constant attacks and undermining of the other GOP also make it so there is no one willing to support him. He has really screwed the pooch lately with the Kelly and Mattis actions. I've got a drinking clique with about 30 retired 0-6 and ups from various branches. The Trump support was huge 18 months ago. There has been a large shift in the fervor over the last 3 months. They're still GOP, but not nearly as "Trumpy" as before.
Can’t agree with that but do agree with rest of your comments. However, I still contend that the greatest animosity toward Trump comes from him NOT being one of them and still winning. They just cannot get beyond the fact that a ‘non’ professional DC insider could possibly win the Presidency. It eats at them every single day, make that every waking moment - both parties btw.
OUBubba
5,000+ Posts
They're actually letting him play them. He got millions in free campaign air time pre-campaign and now they follow his fakes like a dog follows the fake tennis ball throw. As an example, this "border security" hill that he's trying to die on is nothing but a distraction from his impending troubles.
Seattle Husker
10,000+ Posts
Illegal migration is down and now it's a National Emergency? Really?
OUBubba
5,000+ Posts
In no particular order: Robert Mueller. Letitia James. Elijah Cummings.
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