31–40 of 45 posts
Great article, I love Carl Icahn stories. He's an unrepentant SOB, and massively OCD. He's a smart guy who is right a lot, usually thinks clearly about the long term, and that makes this story so compelling he's put his own nuts in a vise over such a trivial benefit, while relying on an idiot "friend". I mean Icahn should not be this dumb, ever. Great quotes in the article as well. "But, in reality, many New York fin…
>Icahn’s role was novel. He would be an adviser with a formal title, but he would not receive a salary, and he would not be required to divest himself of any of his holdings, or to make any disclosures about potential conflicts of interest. “Carl Icahn will be advising the President in his individual capacity,” Trump’s transition team asserted. In the months after the election, the stock price of CVR, Icahn’s refiner…
How did Al Gore's pals get a billion federal dollars to fund their dumb Solyndra idea? This kind of stuff is as old as the federal government itself.
Al Gore explained himself thusly: "The vice president also observed that he drank a lot of iced tea during meetings, which could have necessitated a restroom break," the FBI summary stated. "It was not uncommon for him, and for that matter the president, to excuse themselves from meetings to use the restroom."[2]
And, boys and girls, unlike the current special prosecutor to investigate Russia's influence in the most recent election, the Democrats brazenly stonewalled and the media let them get away with it.
This kind of stuff is as old as the federal government itself.
Yup. Anyone who doesn't realize this either had a crappy US History teacher or daydreamed instead of paying attention.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_United_States_campaign_fi... [2] http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=200...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How did Al Gore's pals get a billion federal dollars to fund their dumb Solyndra idea? This kind of stuff is as old as the federal government itself.
You're being voted down. That's because oh so many here weren't around when the Chicoms were funneling cash to the Democratic Party for the 1996 election.[1] Al Gore explained himself thusly: "The vice president also observed that he drank a lot of iced tea during meetings, which could have necessitated a restroom break," the FBI summary stated. "It was not uncommon for him, and for that matter the president, to excu…
The other thing to realise is that throughout human history there has always been some degree of grift. In a money driven system like US politics, especially so.
Therefore, it has always been the case that the degree and brazennesss of grift is a part of how it is judged in practice.
So if you want to be honest with yourself, respectful of the history - you've got to ask yourself whether you honestly believe whether Trump is doing a bit of grift for election funds, maybe fund a lifestyle, but otherwise seeks to be a great president. Or like his entire life, is he defined by fraudulent pitches, self-dealing, financial and moral bankruptcy, law-breaking, and stiffing his people every chance he gets?
This is why you get down voted. Not because people think the Democrats have been pure as driven snow, but because they (and past Republicans) have passed that test. Hell, Nixon resigned despite arguably passing that test end it was clear he was getting close. Trump is failing it, big time.
"There are faults on both sides" has always been a cop-out for the worst human behaviour.
>Icahn’s role was novel. He would be an adviser with a formal title, but he would not receive a salary, and he would not be required to divest himself of any of his holdings, or to make any disclosures about potential conflicts of interest. “Carl Icahn will be advising the President in his individual capacity,” Trump’s transition team asserted. In the months after the election, the stock price of CVR, Icahn’s refiner…
> How is this shit legal? From the article... > One recurring feature of the Trump Presidency has been an acute collective sensation, shared by a substantial portion of the electorate, of helpless witness. Dismayed Americans wait, like spectators at a game that has turned suddenly dangerous, for a referee to step in and cry foul...What this means in practice is a serious deficit of accountability. Whom can you call w…
For example, it took almost two years after Watergate for the impeachment process to even start and over two years before it started to reach its conclusion. And then of course Nixon resigned before it went to trial.
If the whole process had been completed it would probably have been at least 3 years from crime to conviction. Though any sitting President would be foolish to let it go that far: much easier to resign and have your Vice President blanket pardon you.
>Icahn’s role was novel. He would be an adviser with a formal title, but he would not receive a salary, and he would not be required to divest himself of any of his holdings, or to make any disclosures about potential conflicts of interest. “Carl Icahn will be advising the President in his individual capacity,” Trump’s transition team asserted. In the months after the election, the stock price of CVR, Icahn’s refiner…
I like this tidbit that implicitly assumes that guys like Icahn are like Mafia people. I'm still waiting for magazines like The New Yorker to compare the financial executives from Wall Street with Michael Corleone, I'm pretty sure that that will happen once one of them decides to switch camps and pass on to openly supporting Donald Trump.
And before anyone accuses me of being a right-wing paranoid nut, I'm not an American, I've never set foot in the States, have very little skin in this game, I'm just writing down what I consider as being mass-media manipulation (one of my first jobs while I was in my early 20s was to read papers, did that for 3 years, after you're doing that it's pretty easy to see all these journalistic "schemes").
>Icahn’s role was novel. He would be an adviser with a formal title, but he would not receive a salary, and he would not be required to divest himself of any of his holdings, or to make any disclosures about potential conflicts of interest. “Carl Icahn will be advising the President in his individual capacity,” Trump’s transition team asserted. In the months after the election, the stock price of CVR, Icahn’s refiner…
> Icahn playing consigliere, I like this tidbit that implicitly assumes that guys like Icahn are like Mafia people. I'm still waiting for magazines like The New Yorker to compare the financial executives from Wall Street with Michael Corleone, I'm pretty sure that that will happen once one of them decides to switch camps and pass on to openly supporting Donald Trump. And before anyone accuses me of being a right-wing…
>Icahn’s role was novel. He would be an adviser with a formal title, but he would not receive a salary, and he would not be required to divest himself of any of his holdings, or to make any disclosures about potential conflicts of interest. “Carl Icahn will be advising the President in his individual capacity,” Trump’s transition team asserted. In the months after the election, the stock price of CVR, Icahn’s refiner…
How did Al Gore's pals get a billion federal dollars to fund their dumb Solyndra idea? This kind of stuff is as old as the federal government itself.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> How is this shit legal? From the article... > One recurring feature of the Trump Presidency has been an acute collective sensation, shared by a substantial portion of the electorate, of helpless witness. Dismayed Americans wait, like spectators at a game that has turned suddenly dangerous, for a referee to step in and cry foul...What this means in practice is a serious deficit of accountability. Whom can you call w…
Historically the system of checks and balances, when it works, takes years to accomplish its goal. For example, it took almost two years after Watergate for the impeachment process to even start and over two years before it started to reach its conclusion. And then of course Nixon resigned before it went to trial. If the whole process had been completed it would probably have been at least 3 years from crime to convi…
That's not quite right, the break-in occurred in June 1972 and Nixon resigned in August of 1974 - that's only slightly over two years total (whereas you're suggesting four). It did take almost two years before the impeachment process started (in February 1974), but the process was "concluded" with Nixon's resignation six months after it had started.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_process_against_Ri...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Insider trading laws were written for small fish. Large players are protected because, apparently, the trading they do is "public". So, the thinking goes, it is just fine if they use inside information for their deals. A guy who uses inside information in every deal is, of course, Warren Buffet. But since he is big and a long term investor, they see no problem.
I don't agree with your statement about Buffett. I am curious about one thing though. Buffett prefers to buy businesses during a recession when the books aren't looking so hot and Berkshire Hathaway can get a good deal. What sort of insider information could be useful in that scenario?
That's not so much insider trading, and "market manipulation" also doesn't completely fit. I guess Buffett has just become a self-fulfilling investment prophet.
>Icahn’s role was novel. He would be an adviser with a formal title, but he would not receive a salary, and he would not be required to divest himself of any of his holdings, or to make any disclosures about potential conflicts of interest. “Carl Icahn will be advising the President in his individual capacity,” Trump’s transition team asserted. In the months after the election, the stock price of CVR, Icahn’s refiner…
How did Al Gore's pals get a billion federal dollars to fund their dumb Solyndra idea? This kind of stuff is as old as the federal government itself.