Rex fired hours after calling out Russia spy attack

[Arturo Bandini]

This board has his russian agent too !

[treee]

(03-14-2018, 07:08 AM)Arturo Bandini Wrote: This board has his russian agent too !

Keep the discussion about the topic and not other members.

[Belsnickel]

What I find most interesting about this is that he was forced out after Trump changes positions on DPRK to the one that Tillerson was advocating for from the start. Tillerson wins an internal argument and then gets forced out.

Also interesting, Tillerson did not thank Trump in his little farewell address. Just something I noticed.

[GMDino]

(03-14-2018, 09:27 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: What I find most interesting about this is that he was forced out after Trump changes positions on DPRK to the one that Tillerson was advocating for from the start. Tillerson wins an internal argument and then gets forced out.

Also interesting, Tillerson did not thank Trump in his little farewell address. Just something I noticed.

Did you think Trump would let someone ELSE get any credit?

[StLucieBengal]

(03-14-2018, 02:22 AM)Dill Wrote: Getting China to move requires diplomacy. Not Tariffs.  

Looks like trump is doing just fine with China. I am interested to see what has compelled NK to sit down now. Will be interesting.

[fredtoast]

(03-13-2018, 08:58 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: Getting China to move requires help from the Russians.

No it doesn't.

Unless your argument is that even when Russia does nothing they are actually doing something in secret.

Big question is why a guy like Putin who is so desperate to be seen as a power broker on the world stage would hide his actions that made him look like a power broker on the world stage.  What is your explanation for that?  What does Putin have to gain by keeping his actions secret?

[fredtoast]

(03-14-2018, 02:53 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: Looks like trump is doing just fine with China. 

What has he accomplished?

(03-14-2018, 02:53 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote:    I am interested to see what has compelled NK to sit down now. 

It is pretty clear.  Super powers can ignore the countries with little or no power.  By agreeing to negotiate with NK we are acknowledging that they are a legit power to be dealt with.

[Belsnickel]

(03-14-2018, 02:53 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: Looks like trump is doing just fine with China. I am interested to see what has compelled NK to sit down now. Will be interesting.

The DPRK has been trying to sit down with our POTUS since it has existed. Every one of our presidents prior to Trump, though, has not wanted to legitimize them with such a meeting. If there are negotiations to be done, which there are, there needs to be many steps before a heads-of-state meeting. That is typically the last step in these scenarios.

Just by granting the meeting, Trump approaches this in a weaker position because he has already given Kim what he wants: legitimacy as a world leader.

[BmorePat87]

So the VA secretary David Shulkin was fired. Trump is nominating Physician to the President Ronny Jackson as the new secretary.

All other past secretaries have held agency leadership roles, been members of Congress, or were leaders at private health care related businesses/groups.


Dr. Jackson is a decorated veteran, but he has no experience running anything. This seems like such a shitty thing to do to a great doctor. It just seems like he will get set up to fail.

[Belsnickel]

(03-29-2018, 10:21 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: So the VA secretary David Shulkin was fired. Trump is nominating Physician to the President Ronny Jackson as the new secretary.

All other past secretaries have held agency leadership roles, been members of Congress, or were leaders at private health care related businesses/groups.


Dr. Jackson is a decorated veteran, but he has no experience running anything. This seems like such a shitty thing to do to a great doctor. It just seems like he will get set up to fail.

This move seems to reflect what everyone thinks of when they think of the VA, which is health care. That's a big chunk of it, but there is a lot more to it and managing the bureaucracy that exists in this department is not something for the novice to handle.

[hollodero]

(03-29-2018, 10:21 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: So the VA secretary David Shulkin was fired. Trump is nominating Physician to the President Ronny Jackson as the new secretary.

The guy that complimented Trump's incredible good genes and how stunningly well he did on that alzheimer's test where he named rhinos and stuff?
Yeah that sure is well deserved. And still some people say sucking up doesn't pay off.

[BmorePat87]

Shulkin: They wanted me gone because I was against privatizing


https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/29/david-shulkin-responds-firing-491272

Quote:Shulkin, for his part, blamed his ouster on “the ambitions of people who want to put VA health care in the hands of the private sector,” something he opposes, lamenting that a political power struggle over his department made it tougher to do the work of running and improving the VA.

“They saw me as an obstacle to privatization who had to be removed,” Shulkin wrote in his New York Times op-ed, published shortly after midnight on Thursday. “As I prepare to leave government, I am struck by a recurring thought: It should not be this hard to serve your country.”

The former VA secretary laid out in his op-ed his argument against the privatization of health care for the nation’s veterans, a goal he said exists within the Trump administration. The private sector, Shulkin said, is “ill-prepared” to deal with health care for veterans, who are numerous and have specific needs different from those of the general population. The VA, on the other hand, has an understanding of the health problems faced by veterans and has done “groundbreaking research” that, taken together, cannot be easily replicated by the private health care system.

“I believe differences in philosophy deserve robust debate, and solutions should be determined based on the merits of the arguments. The advocates within the administration for privatizing V.A. health services, however, reject this approach,” Shulkin wrote. “That is because I am convinced that privatization is a political issue aimed at rewarding select people and companies with profits, even if it undermines care for veterans.”

[Belsnickel]

(03-29-2018, 01:15 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Shulkin: They wanted me gone because I was against privatizing


https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/29/david-shulkin-responds-firing-491272

Yeah, I don't think it would surprise anyone to learn that I agree with Shulkin. I actually thing that profit driven healthcare in general is a plaque on our society, but that is a larger conversation. Moving out veterans into that realm is a bad deal.

[Benton]

(03-29-2018, 10:21 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: So the VA secretary David Shulkin was fired. Trump is nominating Physician to the President Ronny Jackson as the new secretary.

All other past secretaries have held agency leadership roles, been members of Congress, or were leaders at private health care related businesses/groups.


Dr. Jackson is a decorated veteran, but he has no experience running anything. This seems like such a shitty thing to do to a great doctor. It just seems like he will get set up to fail.

Kind of like DeVos with education, which makes sense when you're trying to funnel taxpayer dollars to private businesses. 

The VA has been a target for years. Imagine how much money medical providers are losing with having to compete for reduced/free healthcare. 

I feel bad for veterans with that on the horizon. VAs aren't always a blessing, but what some people are expecting is some kind of voucher system in the future. Which means on top of needing medical help, veterans could end up jumping through paperwork hurdles, too.

[Dill]

Just wondering--is anyone aware of any report in which NK speaks for itself about talks? So far all I have heard is that SK claims to have tendered an offer for them.