National Russian gun-rights advocate who sought to build ties with NRA, charged with acting as covert agent

[Aero Denezol]

The Trump Economy is TBD...IMO, and that of most Economists it takes about 1 year for the Economy to be moved by the Executive Branch (the Fed can move the Economy quicker, but is normally slower to act). So we started the Trump impacted Economy in the 1st quarter of this year. The current Economic recovery has been going on since 2013.
The downside of the current Economic recovery, that no one can explain, is why wages are NOT rising? With the current employment numbers, we should be seeing larger wage increases, but we are not. This could be Automation, off-shoring, or some other factor...but is the biggest drag on the recovery.

This ^^^ has not been my experience, in our industry sector. Our customer's stock prices went up the day after the election - their words not mine. We've been very busy ever since. I did a raise for everyone in December 2017, another one in April, and I just gave my foremen raises today. I'm writing a bonus next Friday for the shop staff. I have to do this to keep my competitors from poaching my guys.

Sure, if you're a lazy intellectual currently sitting in an air conditioned government office downtown, then you are not going to see any more money in your paycheck, because, why?? If you work in a not-for-profit, that depends heavily on donations, then of course, you are struggling after the Trump the tax cuts.. If you spent $80k on a Bachelor's degree in English, then have fun living with Mom & Dad. I know many people in these predicaments. These people bring down the averages. These people also never vote for Republicans.

Skilled workers are in very high demand, many of them earning 6 figures. There is a terrible shortage in manufacturing, and construction. My wife and I just finished building a house and they are desperate to find more workers in the trades. Enrollment at the CTEC school in Salem is booming, and graduates are getting hired at a very nice living wage, with only a high school diploma.

 

[2506]

Absolutely the BEST medical system in the world before being destroyed by the POS Obamacare that was shoved down our throats. My monthly rates have since quadrupled for the same plan and each year higher deductibles and less coverage. Harry Reid even admitted that what they really wanted was a single payer system but had to babystep with O Care. O Care was designed to be a failure in order to give the Dems leverage to push for a total government takeover.
I was In Cleveland Clinic for open heart surgery and they have a whole wing for patients from foreign countries that come in for life saving surgeries that they are not able to get in their countries due to poor government controlled healthcare. You will find the same at Mayo clinic and other top notch facilities. Recently had a friend come down from Canada for a lifesaving surgery since he could not wait the 6 months given to him by the Canadian government. So yes we HAD the best Healthcare system in the world.

That's some fine anecdotal evidence you got there.

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

That's some fine anecdotal evidence you got there.

Nothing anecdotal about real life experiences.
What is disturbing is people that don't understand what makes this GREAT nation exceptional and why people flee every other country to come here. I suggest if you think things are so bad here, move to a more desirable place instead of advocating for this country to be like all the other sh*tholes

 

[JRuby]

So I understand under Obama healthcare went up and under Trump it will go down or stay the same?

 

[rscinsc]

Did your underlying medical condition change? Did your employer change plans?
I really can't believe that someone who had open heart surgery can even get health insurance...except that OC mandated covering all pre-conditions.

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

Did your underlying medical condition change? Did your employer change plans?
I really can't believe that someone who had open heart surgery can even get health insurance...except that OC mandated covering all pre-conditions.

I work for a large organization and have never had a problem getting healthcare coverage. The plan I am referring to has been the same plan since 2011, and the company still provides 60% of the monthly premium. Started at $350 per month for my wife and I and as of last year hit $1300 (our share monthly) a month. I have never been on ANY government assistance or programs

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

So I understand under Obama healthcare went up and under Trump it will go down or stay the same?

Unfortunately the republicans punted on scrapping ocare even though they ran on the premise. Now I believe we will be in for more pain until they get the stones to scrap and restart. Bottom line ocare messed it all up.

 

[rscinsc]

I don't really know what type of industry you are in where things just took off in the past 18 months?
Also, having made large capital expenditure decisions for 15 years...I have never been seen a BOD make an investment decisions based on today's stock price (unless it helped with a debt covenant). The decisions are made on market or product growth.
My current (heavy industrial, basic commodity industry) industry has been going good for 3-4 years (we typically lag the economy as our customers build large, multi year projects).
However, next year we are forecasting our first drop in sales...because 10% of our product is shipped to Canada, which is now closed due to Trump's trade war. We will lose another 5% due to our customers being frozen out of that market...so our 8-10% organic growth, will now be a 4-7% reduction in sales volumes.
Labor: I guess you don't do much hiring. I have not been able to fine skilled Industrial Electrical staff for 10 years and in the past 5 years Industrial Mechanical staff has also been short. The crash in oil prices brought back some labor from the shale/oil fields...but then Tesla hit, and took most of the construction labor....so we saw no real change. This is a chronic problem that is rooted in the fact that skilled labor is not valued in this country.

 

[rscinsc]

I work for a large organization and have never had a problem getting healthcare coverage. The plan I am referring to has been the same plan since 2011, and the company still provides 60% of the monthly premium. Started at $350 per month for my wife and I and as of last year hit $1300 (our share monthly) a month. I have never been on ANY government assistance or programs

Then you need to find a new employer. My corporate plan has seen about 20% growth in premiums in the same time frame. Also, I don't know what your plan looks like...but if $1300/month is 40% of the premium, then your plan would be costing $39,000 / year per employers. I have never heard of a private employer that offers a $39k / year plan to any employee, except Executive Level Management. Even before the Cadillac Tax provision. BTW, you should offer your employer for a Cafeteria plan...for $39k on the open market you could buy just about any Gold level plan available.
That said, I bet your employer is lying to you...and they cover 60% of your premium & 0 of your spouses...

 

[Andy54Hawken]

The majority of the postings in the last few pages here ...haven't really been on the topic in the OP.
Many of the comments here in this thread break rules #2 and #3.
Lets get back to the Original Topic please...and quit with the political commentary.
Thank you,
Andy

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

Then you need to find a new employer. My corporate plan has seen about 20% growth in premiums in the same time frame. Also, I don't know what your plan looks like...but if $1300/month is 40% of the premium, then your plan would be costing $39,000 / year per employers. I have never heard of a private employer that offers a $39k / year plan to any employee, except Executive Level Management. Even before the Cadillac Tax provision. BTW, you should offer your employer for a Cafeteria plan...for $39k on the open market you could buy just about any Gold level plan available.
That said, I bet your employer is lying to you...and they cover 60% of your premium & 0 of your spouses...

My annual tax statement shows exactly how much they cover. We have 22,000 US employees and multiple plans to choose from. Everything for m catastrophic only to a Platinum plan which I am on. BTW my surgery was in 2003 and have never gone without health coverage from my employers whether large or small.

 

[rscinsc]

Unfortunately the republicans punted on scrapping ocare even though they ran on the premise. Now I believe we will be in for more pain until they get the stones to scrap and restart. Bottom line ocare messed it all up.

Bottom line...OC has some issues that need to be addressed; but it was the first attempt to shore up our HC for this country.
It was the first attempt to reign in prices; the first attempt to slow down the growth of drug prices (big Pharma owns Congress...and we subsidize the rest of the World's drug prices).
My wife works in a hospital...who do you think pays for the costs of people who show up at the Emergency room with no insurance? People with health insurance do....and that is why we need to get as many people as possible to pay into the system and have some basic level of insurance.
The biggest problem with OC, is that it should have allowed more flexible coverage options...OC should be reconfigured, but the basic premise: Move more people onto health insurance & attempt to reign in drug and medical device costs...are the only thing that will reduce long term costs.
BTW, it was also expected to reduce the Federal Debt

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

The majority of the postings in the last few pages here ...haven't really been on the topic in the OP.
Many of the comments here in this thread break rules #2 and #3.
Lets get back to the Original Topic please...and quit with the political commentary.
Thank you,
Andy

Andy will do. I am quite passionate about my love of country and everything that we stand For and hate to see people advocating for its decline.
I will cease responding from here on about political views

Thank you for the reminder

 

[bolus]

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Please can we get back to the topic of:
Maria Butina , her ties to Russia , just want she did or did not do to gain support from the NRA....
Thank you
Andy

 

[Diamondback]

Please can we get back to the topic of:
Maria Butina , her ties to Russia , just want she did or did not do to gain support from the NRA....
Thank you
Andy

Thank you for breaking out the Clue-Bat, Andy. I know Robert Mueller's long and sordid history, and it's not implausible that this is just another of his "take a scalp, any will do" dickmoves.

 

[JRuby]

I thought Mueller was a Republican who is hunting Republicans seems to me that maybe just maybe Mueller is doing his job.

 

[rscinsc]

There are really only 3 likely scenarios:
1. The Russians interfered in the election, against HC because they simply hated her more than anyone else. The enemy of my enemy theory. To date, this is the most likely scenario....as there has been no evidence shown (to date) that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians.
2. The Russians tried to elect Trump, but did not directly collude with the campaign. This theory holds that the Russians have something on Trump. 6 months ago I thought this was a BS theory...but every time he kisses Putin's a_s, I wonder if this is true.
3. The Russians tried to elect Trump, and the the Trump campaign colluded. So far, there has been no evidence to show this happens. I would say that Trump Jr. was trying to collude during the Trump Tower meeting...but probably was too stupid to actually collude. The story on that meeting seems to change every 3 months.

This woman was simply part of one of these plans...

 

[Flingpoo]

... and 22 MILLION dollars, two years, and an investigation staffed by Obama loyalists have turned up... nothing.

As apparently Trump Resistance, answer me this:
In 2016 WHO was in charge of the DOJ? WHO was the head of the FBI? WHO was in charge of the CIA? WHO held the reigns during the "Russian meddling" and WHO was in charge of intervening and ultimately stopping it?

You know the answer to these questions are: Obama, Comey, Mueller, Rosenstien, Rice, Strozk, et al.

Trump was a private citizen, had no power. The Obama administration was IN power and had all of the authority that the US gov't can bring to bear yet, told Trump (and his supporters) that no serious person would consider Russia a threat. He said to quit whining and get to campaigning.

He KNEW what was going on but Hillary was supposed to win. If she had, would we be having this discussion? What foreign policy would we be missing out on? Would SHE have poked Putin in the chest and made a stand? Gone all John Wick on his bubblegum right there in front of the international press?

Considering the amount of money (200+ million) that she and Bill have accepted from good ol Vlad I kinda doubt it.

As we've recently found out, after this was posted, Trump was fully briefed by U.S. Intelligence on the Russians and their activities two weeks before his inauguration. Why do we know now? Because our intelligence services are tired of this guy blowin and goin while throwing them under the bus.

 

[Boboclown]

Sure... If any person from a foreign country tries to form their own gun rights organization and asks for help from NRA they're obviously colluding with elections.

Or if a sports shooter from another country comes over they're colluding too! It makes sense, everyone in Russia has close ties to Putin.