Neil Gorsuch

At age 49, Neil Gorsuch is the youngest Supreme Court nominee since Clarence Thomas (then just 43).

Kinda makes you feel old, but I don't mind!

The Other 'Ban' That Was Quietly Announced Last Week

Cash
...
But they're totally missing the point. Cash isn't about privacy.

It's one of the only remaining options in a financial system that has gone totally crazy.

Especially in Europe, where interest rates are negative and many banks are on the verge of collapse, cash is a protective shelter in a storm of chaos.

Think about it: every time you make a deposit at your bank, that savings no longer belongs to you. It's now the bank's money. It's their asset, not yours.

You become an unsecured creditor of the bank with nothing more than a claim on their balance sheet, beholden to all the stupidity and shenanigans that they have a history of perpetrating.

Banks never miss an opportunity to prove to the rest of the world that they do not deserve the trust that we place in them.

And for now, anyone who wishes to divorce themselves from these consequences can simply withdraw a portion of their savings and hold cash.

Cash means there is no middleman standing between you and your savings.

Banning it, for any reason, destroys this option and subjects every consumer to the whims of a financial system that is stacked against us.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-31/other-ban-was-quietly-announced-last-week

SOTU Bill Clinton talking about immigration in the 1995 State of the Union

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4351026/clinton-1995-immigration-sotu

Persuasion Filter

A must read, from the creator of Dilbert, and a psychologist by training.

He's explaining the 'moves' by our president, by observing from both sides,

and tries to reason the strategy used in his 'deal'.

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/156532225711/the-persuasion-filter-and-immigration

10 reasons...

Foxconn is part of Apple, and makes iPhones and iPads

Art Of The Repeal !

Art Of The Repeal !

Trump on day one: makes good on promises!

Warns China: No more taking territory in int'l waters...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-southchinasea-idUSKBN1572M4

Warns China: No more taking territory in int'l waters...


(Top headline, 5th story, link)

Related stories:
BIGGEST CAMPAIGN PROMISES FACE 'DAY 1' TEST...
HE MOVES ON TRADE...
GOODBYE, TPP!
HIRING FREEZE ON FEDERAL WORKERS...
Reinstates ban on funds promoting abortion overseas...
Meetings with execs, labor leaders...
Set to battle Republicans on spending cuts...
Wants to slash regs by 75% -- or 'maybe more'...
Discusses fighting terrorism in phone call with Sisi...

The Six Stages Of Democrat Grief Are Complete

The Six Stages Of Democrat Grief Are Complete

Pittsburgh Carpet Salesman Speaks: "We 'Deplorables' Aren't So Bad, Once You Get To Know Us"

Authored by Lou Weiss - a Pittsburg carpet salesman - via The Wall Street Journal,

If you've lost your bearings in Trump's America, your conservative friend can help you find them.

Since the shocking presidential election result, many people have approached me with quizzical expressions, some with tears in their eyes. I live among the adorables, but I think like a deplorable. To them I am that most exotic creature—a conservative Republican—and they really seem to want to understand the mind-set of those who voted for Donald Trump (or, like me, weren't heartbroken when he won). Some have felt the need to hug me as if to embrace that half of America from which they feel estranged.

I realize that as the excuses pile up for Hillary Clinton's loss this curiosity might be fleeting, so I try my best to teach my curious grasshoppers. And since we conservatives are the biggest givers, I want to share with other adorable readers what may motivate the actions of a deplorable. Even though we may not have met, I'm happy to be that token guy you can call "my conservative friend Lou."

You might begin by considering the effect of your nomenclature. Calling people racists, homophobes, bigots and other such labels doesn't endear the name caller to the recipient. Try descriptors like traditional and hardworking. Better. It's amazing, I know, but people don't like being reduced to a negative cultural stereotype.

Now we are ready for a field trip. Rather than going on that "fact finding" trip to Cuba or Venezuela, how about a trip to Iowa or Nebraska? Too remote? Might I suggest Pittsburgh, my beloved hometown, where a five-minute drive in any direction from city limits puts you in Trump country? You can take a day trip out and return to your comfy high-rise hotel bed by evening. We even have hipster redoubts populated with Brooklyn expats. The beards, the flannel shirts and the abundance of heritage pork dishes will make you feel like you are in Appalachia even before you leave the city.

Try to find some subjects that you might discuss should you ever meet a Trump voter. Familiarize yourself with Big 12 football. You have a buddy who went to Wisconsin and a couple of friends from Michigan, so knowing the Big Ten is no big deal, but knowing that Oklahoma State is the home of the Cowboys will earn you major points. When you travel, attend a church service at least one denomination to the right of your regular church. Maybe watch or rewatch "American Sniper" rather than your usual mumblecore or IFC fare. Also don't expect people you meet to commiserate over "Hamilton" ticket prices or know what cisgender means.

You may not know this, but deplorables are all around you—they might even be working in your own home. Deplorables know how to fix things. See that guy over there working on your leaky faucet? Ask him about his politics. The nurse in your doctor's office? Ask her, too. Many of the people who make your life so exquisite probably disagree with you, so unless you are handy with a double-box wrench, don't be too quick to label them Neanderthals. They know your liberal politics by the material posted on your fridge but are way too tolerant to confront you on the topic. They are also too polite to walk out on you. Car trouble? Don't even go there.

Also: No more boycotts. Have you ever tried Chick-fil-A? Delicious! When I go to the hospital I don't ask whether my room is on a wing donated by George Soros or David Koch. I once had a liberal customer who so abhorred my views on Israel that he passed on the excellent value that I was offering on a wool Berber broadloom carpet. He went elsewhere for a hideous synthetic knockoff.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-14/pittsburgh-carpet-salesman-speaks-we-deplorables-arent-so-bad-once-you-get-know-us

Debt to GDP for new presidents

Of course they THINK they can read the future, but they said this of W. Bush as well

--

Der Alten kunst gar lang versteckt, hab ich hier wieder aufgedeckt. Das sie nun lacht in neuer Pracht, Und mir und andern Freude macht.

http://beautyofclassicalmusic.blogspot.com/

Russia 'hacks'

Putin confirms Russia will respond to expulsion of diplomats by changing the password on all White House accounts.