The Donald

Well I'm still processing the giant haul of Italy beetles, and getting ready for a big family gathering in Ohio. Shouldn't get any exciting beetles from Ohio after all my earlier collecting, but a few years back I found several Eucnemid specimens in the Rocky River Valley (Cleveland's Emerald Necklace) which turned out to be "written off" as extinct. Robert Otto thought it was a nice save.

I think the US president has a very minor effect on our lives. Trump gets lots of press, but probably nothing he does will make any difference for me. Exceptions will be if he gets us into a big war - I hope not. I can never respect anyone like Trump. For me as a scientist, integrity is a big thing. I respect someone for honesty, consistency, honorable actions. Trump wants respect through fear. He thrives on threats and unpredictability. He wants everyone to fear him because he is so untrustworthy, no one knows what he will pull next. Anything he says today, he will reverse himself tomorrow. Can't respect that.

Leptraps may praise Trump for being a businessman, but I think Trump gives businessmen a bad names. Most businessmen I know try to maintain an image of integrity for their company and themselves. Trump is a disgrace.

I only check these forums occasionally and this thread caught my interest. I live in the political world and currently hold elected office and though I could probably write a separate book on each regarding Clinton, Obama and Trump, my judgement on Clinton is that both Bill and Hillary are the most corrupt, self-serving and dishonest politicians in my 70 year lifetime; Obama will go down in history as the worst individual to ever hold the nation's highest office. Carter thanks God every day for the Obama Presidency. He was the most narcissistic to ever enter the office. Upon winning the election, Valerie Jarret stated that the Obama team was ready to "rule from day one" which sent shivers down my spine since democracies are governed not "ruled". His achievements were accomplished with the stroke of a pen rather than legislatively and were as easily wiped away with the stroke of someone else's pen. His administration was the least transparent even more-so than the Nixon Whitehouse. Trump is a vulgar, rude genius and he plays his enemies like a fiddle. He keeps the media busy dissecting his tweets and outlandish statements. Those are the shiny objects that focus their attention and he busily gets things done while they are distracted. He has not interfered with the Muller Russian investigation because he knew from the outset he was innocent and could use Muller's probe as a means for draining swamp in the DOJ and intelligence agencies. Simply look at the corruption exposed in the FBI under Obama so far because of the Muller investigation and Congressional Oversight Committees. Trump and Sessions are allowing all the investigative rope wanted which will eventually be used to hang all of them. Already his tax cuts and deregulation have sliced $40 billion off the $20+ trillion national debt. Unemployment is a a 44 year low. Black and Hispanic and female employment are at record highs. National economy is projected to expand at a rate of 4.8% in the second quarter. ISIS has been 98% eliminated. A deal has been struck with North Korea to get rid of their nuclear weapons and launch facilities...important to note that this deal was signed personally by Kim Jung Un in front of the entire world on live television... a stroke of genius by Trump, IMO.

I have been a Trump supporter from day one. I grew up in the same geographic area as he and I understand the New York personality. New York is a hustle bustle place and you don't have time to invest a lot of emotion into daily events and conflicts. It is an "in your face" lifestyle. You vent right a way and get it off your chest, say what you want to say and move on with the rest of the day. That is Trump's style. He was too busy during his life to learn the proper "politically correct" way to interact. I read his book The Art of the Deal many years ago and he operates the same way today as he did in business. Politics like business is always about making deals and Trump is the master of this. Also, from second-hand knowledge, he has a photographic memory....As told in 2016 by a friend who was asked via a Trump lawyer to submit a bid by end of week to do some environmental clean-up (asbestos removal) at a NY building Trump had purchased and the job had to be completed within a very short period of time. The bid was submitted and the lawyer called stating Trump would call later that day at 2 PM. It rang precisely at 2 and Trump simply wanted to know that the job was guaranteed to be completed on schedule. The call lasted no more that 90 seconds. Four years later, my friend is at a big New York party. The mayor is there, the governor is there, senators, congressmen, a lot of NY movers and shakers. In walks Trump and sucks all the oxygen out of the room. He is working the room talking to friends and politicians and my friend slowly works his way toward Trump hoping for an opportunity to introduce himself. As Trump breaks away from a conversation, my friend steps forward says hello and tells Trump his name. Without hesitation, Trump says "Yeah, I remember you. You did that asbestos clean up for me in the ____ Building". My friend was stunned by Trumps recollection of his name, the job and the location after four years. He affirmed Trump's correct memory and Trump said. "Yeah..yeah....yeah; You did a really great job." And jokingly added as he moved on, "The check cleared...right?"

Insofar as the environment, clean energy, war. etc., everything is driven by money; not only in the United States, but also everywhere in every nation. Government cannot save the environment or mandate clean energy in a free society. Garbage collection and recycling have become very profitable businesses in the US. By free will, citizens are participating on an ever growing scale. Technology will solve the energy issue when it becomes a cheaper alternative to what is currently available. Wind, solar, oil, gas are all subsidized by taxpayers in one form or another and it does not matter what country you live in. Germany is beginning to move away from wind because of popular concern about vision pollution. Seems you can't look anywhere without seeing 500 foot tall windmills...many of which are derelict and government subsidies are soon to expire after 20 years which will bankrupt a major portion of wind energy farms in Germany. War is always about money if not religion. We humans will always have all three.

Papilio 28570, I agree with every word, about time someone had the guts to say it as it is and such an informed view, more poison and vitriol has been aimed at Trump in his brief period in office than in the whole time the weak, corrupt do nothing Obama was in office, he has ruffled the feathers of the liberal elite, so used to getting all their own way, and they hate it, the Clintons are vile beyond belief too yet nothing is said, wonder why? 

On climate change and Trump:

Wind energy and solar are growing rapidly in the US. Scientists have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that burning of fossil fuels is the big problem as was discovered in the late 1800’s.
In the US a lot of the population including maybe Trump (but no one can really know about Trump because he reverses himself on any issue anytime he feels like it) does not believe the scientists and their doubts are fed by some conservatives, and the right wing media.

I am rather right wing myself on economics, but I am a scientist first. I believe in using market forces to fix problems whenever possible. If some fraction of the public thinks windmills are ugly (I think they are really cool, and beautiful) then wind energy should have to pay something to home owners who lose market value.
Likewise, if burning fossil fuels is destroying our planet, then all fossil fuels should have a tax applied to help cleanup the mess. It’s just market economics. For years fossil fuels have gotten a free ride and we are already paying the price. Wind and solar will be competitive if oil/coal/gas pay the true price including cleanup cost. I worked at an energy lab where for decades we have made wind and solar cheaper and more reliable. Our lab was also working on techniques for extracting CO2 from the air and even converting some into liquid fuel using solar energy-it works. Scientists will be able to fix a lot of the climate problem, but the longer we delay, the worse things will get for farmers and others before we begin to recover. Trump the ostrich is definitely part of the problem, not the solution.

Rick

Everyone, especially the Dems, and Libs too, are questioning/wondering what Trump and Putin talked about behind closed doors with just their translators.
The answer is simple!
They talked about their grandkids.

(reference to the infamous Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting, Lol.)