• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Another No-Bid Contract to Gild Horses on DC Bridge

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
durangodawood

durangodawood

re Member
Aug 28, 2007
29,054
20,588
Colorado
✟580,572.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Single
Servus said:
Is that due to what's being done for the sesquicentennial? Because those are the peanuts I was referring to.
Click to expand...
You compared this party prep waste to the entire Biden fiscal situation. So its reasonable to bring up the overall Trump fiscal situation - which is even worse!
 
Upvote 0
Servus

Servus

PhD in Everything
Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
32,054
16,309
Washington
✟1,165,791.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
essentialsaltes said:
What has become of all the obscure waste that was allegedly exposed? There would be room for the peanuts.

But instead, for some obscure reason, the deficit is still going up.
Click to expand...
Not due to what's being done for the sesquicentennial.
 
Upvote 0
Servus

Servus

PhD in Everything
Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
32,054
16,309
Washington
✟1,165,791.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
durangodawood said:
You compared this party prep waste to the entire Biden fiscal situation. So its reasonable to bring up the overall Trump fiscal situation - which is even worse!
Click to expand...
Since I'm not an economist I resorted to asking my buddy AI about that.

Why is the deficit still going up?

The federal budget deficit keeps growing due to a permanent structural mismatch—the government legally spends far more than it collects in taxes.

Four main drivers are pushing the numbers higher:
  • Skyrocketing Interest Costs: Because the national debt is so massive and interest rates remain elevated, the government is spending hundreds of billions of dollars just to pay interest to investors.
  • An Aging Population: Roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers retire every day. This creates automatic, legally mandated increases in spending for Social Security and Medicare.
  • Rising Healthcare Costs: The per-person cost of providing medical care via Medicare and Medicaid continues to climb faster than the overall economy is growing.
  • Tax Code Limits: The current U.S. tax system is simply not designed to bring in enough revenue to match federal spending commitments. Recent policies like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax cuts have further widened this gap, though some of it is being partially offset by a large surge in tariff revenue.
 
Upvote 0
Pommer

Pommer

Future History Slab Carver
Sep 13, 2008
25,207
15,340
Earth
✟303,070.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Deist
Marital Status
In Relationship
Politics
US-Democrat
Servus said:
Since I'm not an economist I resorted to asking my buddy AI about that.

Why is the deficit still going up?

The federal budget deficit keeps growing due to a permanent structural mismatch—the government legally spends far more than it collects in taxes.

Four main drivers are pushing the numbers higher:
  • Skyrocketing Interest Costs: Because the national debt is so massive and interest rates remain elevated, the government is spending hundreds of billions of dollars just to pay interest to investors.
  • An Aging Population: Roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers retire every day. This creates automatic, legally mandated increases in spending for Social Security and Medicare.
  • Rising Healthcare Costs: The per-person cost of providing medical care via Medicare and Medicaid continues to climb faster than the overall economy is growing.
  • Tax Code Limits: The current U.S. tax system is simply not designed to bring in enough revenue to match federal spending commitments. Recent policies like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax cuts have further widened this gap, though some of it is being partially offset by a large surge in tariff revenue.
Click to expand...
Capitalism is failing?
Whhhaaat?
 
Upvote 0
essentialsaltes

essentialsaltes

Fact-Based Lifeform
Oct 17, 2011
48,555
50,943
Los Angeles Area
✟1,134,151.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Pommer said:
Capitalism is failing?
Whhhaaat?
Click to expand...
More about politics than capitalism, I think. Democrats are vilified (for some reason) as 'tax and spend'; well, it's a lot better than 'spend and spend', which is what MAGA is doing: lowering tax revenues while increasing spending. That makes deficits worse.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: A2SG and DaisyDay
Upvote 0
essentialsaltes

essentialsaltes

Fact-Based Lifeform
Oct 17, 2011
48,555
50,943
Los Angeles Area
✟1,134,151.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
1781292769944.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: Servus
Upvote 0
prodromos

prodromos

Senior Veteran
Site Supporter
Nov 28, 2003
25,303
16,923
60
Sydney, Straya
✟1,632,273.00
Country
Australia
Gender
Male
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married
DaisyDay said:
Technically, some things needed repair.

The problem isn't that things were done, but that they were done in a slapdash manner, giving out no-bid contracts to cronies at the last minute with a 20% markup which is not standard. The problem is that planning for the 250th anniversary has been ongoing since 2014, but Donald, in his infinite whimsy, decided to take over and make new plans.

Flag Day is not typically celebrated much, but because it coincides with Donald's Big Birthday, he decided that that is a day of peak celebration for his alternative Freedom 250 - while Americans celebrate America 250 on July 4th.
Click to expand...
How many gilding companies exist with the expertise required for large monuments? What evidence do you have that they are 'cronies'?
How many of you are complaining about the amount of money wasted by Obama on the reflecting pool which didn't fix the leaks and ended up looking far worse? Hey, but at least there was bidding for the contract.
 
Upvote 0
DaisyDay

DaisyDay

I Did Nothing Wrong!! ~~Team Deep State
Jan 7, 2003
44,208
21,416
Finger Lakes
✟375,130.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Unitarian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
prodromos said:
How many gilding companies exist with the expertise required for large monuments?
Click to expand...
I don't know. How many?
prodromos said:
What evidence do you have that they are 'cronies'?
Click to expand...
They got a no-bid contract contrary to laws and regulations. Getting the bridge horses gilded is not an emergency.
prodromos said:
How many of you are complaining about the amount of money wasted by Obama on the reflecting pool which didn't fix the leaks and ended up looking far worse?
Click to expand...
I don't know much about this other, unrelated to gilding horses, thing that took place umpteen years ago. Maybe ask in the reflecting pool thread instead of this one? Unless your entire point is rhetorical deflection and blame shifting, this is off-topic.
prodromos said:
Hey, but at least there was bidding for the contract.
Click to expand...
That's right, Obama followed the law, observed norms and obeyed regulations while Donald does what Donald wants, law be damned.
 
Upvote 0
prodromos

prodromos

Senior Veteran
Site Supporter
Nov 28, 2003
25,303
16,923
60
Sydney, Straya
✟1,632,273.00
Country
Australia
Gender
Male
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married
DaisyDay said:
I don't know. How many?
Click to expand...
There appear to be three, and The Gilder's Studio is based in Maryland
DaisyDay said:
They got a no-bid contract contrary to laws and regulations. Getting the bridge horses gilded is not an emergency.
Click to expand...
That isn't evidence they are cronies.
Your nation's capital has been allowed to get run down and look like a dump instead of the national treasure it ought to be. I can't fault President Trump for wanting to make the nation's capital something Americans can feel proud of for the country's anniversary and beyond. The thicker gilding is set to last for a long time.
DaisyDay said:
I don't know much about this other, unrelated to gilding horses, thing that took place umpteen years ago. Maybe ask in the reflecting pool thread instead of this one? Unless your entire point is rhetorical deflection and blame shifting, this is off-topic.
Click to expand...
A large amount of money was spent only for it to end up looking worse. Rather than appreciating what President Trump is getting done, I just see people who are only out to find fault because, "orange man bad".
DaisyDay said:
That's right, Obama followed the law, observed norms and obeyed regulations while Donald does what Donald wants, law be damned.
Click to expand...
So millions wasted is OK because Obama dotted his i's and crossed his t's. Cool.
 
Upvote 0
A2SG

A2SG

Gumby
Jun 17, 2008
10,773
4,423
Massachusetts
✟216,577.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
Upvote 0

Similar threads

Michie
Trump admin. adorns DC plaza known for protests with Revolutionary War statues
Replies
0
Views
98
General Politics
Michie
Michie
essentialsaltes
$915 million DHS "Self-Deportation" Contract to 2-year-old firm with no federal contractor history Challenged as Secretive and "Unlawful"
Replies
1
Views
4K
News & Current Events (Articles Required)
Richard T
R
CCGirl
Oil giants set to return to Iraq via no-bid contracts
Replies
20
Views
1K
General Political Discussion
TheNewWorldMan
TheNewWorldMan
Smoke Screen
FEMA checking no-bid Katrina contracts
Replies
3
Views
349
General Political Discussion
BrownCoat
B
Top Bottom
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Jump to latest Follow Reply