You make $400k but can't spend $500... wtf?

originally posted by: Starhooker
We should ask the people who live on the border and are the most affected by illegal immigration. I think most are all for it.

I have friends and family in El Paso and Brownsville. They don't think we need a wall.

a reply to: LordAhriman

Good to know, thanks. I assumed wrong as far as they are concerned.

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
a reply to: Edumakated

If Republicans put this out in these terms so everyone could understand, I don't see how the Democrats can stand with a straight face justifying not giving DJT his wall funding.

Flame away...

Ok, if you insist...

You forgot one word that everyone understands but you don't-DEBT.

'daddy can I get a loan on my pocket money? sorry son the credit card is maxed out. But I can still have a nerf gun? sure son but i will have to-waaaaaaaaah!!!! I want my Nerf gun now! sure son here's your Nerf gun, now daddy has to work overtime to pay for your lego wall.

If you want to make it simple, keep it simple.

Yes, I insist.

The total US debt is $21 trillion. Divide that by $10,000,000 as I did in my example, it would be the equilvalent of say that same household who makes $400,000 having a $2.1 million mortgage. It would be a bit high for that income, but serviceable under most circumstances (I say this as someone who works in mortgage industry too).

So no, the debt doesn't change anything. Even a household making $400k with a $2.1 million mortgage would still be able to drop $500 and not even have it affect them in the slightest.

I will give you an B- for effort...

originally posted by: sdcigarpig
a reply to: Lab4Us

They did not need 60 votes, McConnell could have used the Nuclear rule and forced this through fully and completely, passing such with just 51 votes, that the Republicans, clearly have, and with some to spare, taking into account for those republican senators who would be against it.


So what was the issue again, if they for the past 2 years held the majority, could have passed anything, without the democrats, had and used the rules to their advantage?

Most of us on the right who support Trump know McConnell and the RINOs don't want the wall....

originally posted by: merka

originally posted by: Edumakated
In other words, if the US government was a household that made $400,000, the husband and wife are bickering over whether the husband can spend $500 on a home security system. Hubbie is sleeping on the couch and not getting any loving because the wife is mad he wants to spend $500 on a SimpliSafe.

Except what would actually happen while the hubbie is sleeping is that the wife goes out and buys a $500 garden gnome which she claims will keep burglars away, because the seller told her that home security system is fake news and only gnomes work. And when the hubbie complains that no, the garden gnome wont work she goes on a twitter tirade about how the democrats own the garden gnome, not her so blaim them.

Yeah, I was originally going to frame it kind of that way. A couple making $400k arguing over spending $500 for a security system while they get robbed of 10s of thousands every year.

Notice few of our friends from the left have even really attempted to justify or counter my OP.

originally posted by: LordAhriman

originally posted by: Starhooker
We should ask the people who live on the border and are the most affected by illegal immigration. I think most are all for it.

I have friends and family in El Paso and Brownsville. They don't think we need a wall.

And they are dead wrong...

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
a reply to: Edumakated

No flame from me man.....Just get this damn wall built and move on I say.

BTW good OP but I think your math may be a little off. But I could be wrong. TBH math was never my strong point.

The math is exactly right. Just letting you know since you were unsure. Basic math has always been a strong point for me. I didn't describe the math as basic to insult you, I was just clarifying that I don't know any calculus or trigonometry or anything. Just basic math. Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, Dividing, Fractions, Decimals, some of the really easy algebra & geometry, and that's it. I can't calculate how much fuel to bring with you for the moon landing or anything like that.

It's about percentages. Since 4trillion & 5billion are not numbers we are used to working with, he has explained that, as a ratio, 5B:4T is the same as 50:40,000. They both reduce down to 1:800 or 1/800.

Another way to express it would be to say, there are 365 days in a year, minus about 105 weekend days so about 260 working days, so 1/800 of that is... roughly 1/3 of a working day.

A working day is 8 hours. So we are talking about the equivalent of less than 3 hours of wages. Right around 2hr 40min out of your working year devoted to the wall.

Basically 2 and a half hours cause you probably spent at least 10 minutes screwing around, because the boss makes more money than you for doing less work and that makes you angry.

originally posted by: JAY1980

And they are dead wrong...

Nah, they're just reasonable people. They understand that it won't stop anything.

originally posted by: LordAhriman

originally posted by: Starhooker
We should ask the people who live on the border and are the most affected by illegal immigration. I think most are all for it.

I have friends and family in El Paso and Brownsville. They don't think we need a wall.

That information may have value for you, but, given your "antiTrump no matter what" reputation, I hope you'll understand if we prefer to hear from people who actually live there. Hearsay from a heavily biased source has very little value for me personally.

originally posted by: LordAhriman

originally posted by: JAY1980

And they are dead wrong...

Nah, they're just reasonable people. They understand that it won't stop anything.

It will stop someone from walking across that part of the border.

a reply to: Edumakated

You make $400k but can't spend $500... wtf?

That is not quite right.

The $400k in that scenario is not the income, it is the bills:


So you have bills for $400k, but you only make $300k, meaning you are down a boatload of money, and here comes the wife wanting to use another $400 you don't have on makeup she doesn't need.

It may not be a lot of money, but you have already had to use you kids college funds and you taken out a second mortgage on your home, and it still doesn't look great.

So you put your foot down and say to the missus that you simply won't allow it - there are so many other things you need way more than bloody make that is good for nothing more than looks.

There.

That's a better analogy.

a reply to: continuousThunder
You are a hopeless leftist. You will justify all your points and rag on ours. WE WANT BORDER SECURITY. WE CERTAINLY CANT AFFORD TO CARE FOR ALL THOSE ILLEGALS THAT FIGURE IS ASTRONOMICAL. AND LASTLY THE DASTARDLY INTENT IS TO DO TO THIS COUNTRY WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO EUROPE.

a reply to: Edumakated

I don't care if the wall costs two dollars.

The American Tax Payer should not be paying for idiotic campaign stunts.
Zero.
That is how much Americans should be forced to pay for someone's political campaign.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MEXICO PAYING FOR THE WALL?

originally posted by: Ansuzrune
a reply to: continuousThunder
WE WANT BORDER SECURITY.

So does everyone.

Building an idiotic wall does not do that.

What comes next? A wall at sea?

Or for Christ sake, what about the Canadian border?

Dumb ideas are fine for campaigns as long as Taxpayers aren't forced to fund it.

That is why President Trump repeatedly PROMISED and CHANTED that Mexico would pay for the wall.

It is nobody's fault but his own that he was full of crap.

a reply to: Edumakated

That same logic applies to $5 billion being spent on projects you don't like. After all, it's a miniscule amount to spend on promoting transgender rights....

originally posted by: Ansuzrune
a reply to: continuousThunder
You are a hopeless leftist. You will justify all your points and rag on ours. WE WANT BORDER SECURITY. WE CERTAINLY CANT AFFORD TO CARE FOR ALL THOSE ILLEGALS THAT FIGURE IS ASTRONOMICAL. AND LASTLY THE DASTARDLY INTENT IS TO DO TO THIS COUNTRY WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO EUROPE.

I love it when people rant about Europe in capitals.

I think a lot of people must be trying to better conceptualize the $5B figure. Lopping off a few zeros helps. It might also help to point out $5B is 0.125% of the federal budget. 0.125%.

a reply to: Extorris

Campaign stunt? More like a campaign promise that got him elected. Open borders are not affordable in a welfare state such as ours.

The wall was a terrific Pink Floyd album, but it's a dumb idea for enforcing "border security." I wouldn't spend a wooden nickel for it.

While we're at it, I'd like to see the following before a vanity wall:

1) A complete, transparent and public audit of the Fed.

2) A similar accounting of our annual military budget going back 25 years.

3) A similar accounting of all financial expenses related to congress over the past 25 years.

originally posted by: RiverofBlood
a reply to: Extorris

Campaign stunt? More like a campaign promise that got him elected. Open borders are not affordable in a welfare state such as ours.

Trump campaigned on the promise that Mexico would pay for the wall. He didn't promise Americans he would shut down the government to force American tax payers to pay for it.