Is This The New Normal?

[7thKeeper]

Conspiracy theories never do. They only reflect what the theorist wants the world to be. Any relation to the truth is purely incidental.

Well I'd add that some relation to truth or reality isn't incidental, but used as a cover to give the actual conspiracy part a veneer of legitimacy. It's used to hide behind when the actual bs gets called out.

 

[7thKeeper]

I dont need to rely on anyone else. I, personally, was able to see and hear him with my own eyes and ears during the whole time from as early as his campaign and on through the whole four years of his term and know exactly how bad he was. By the time the debates rolled around, he had all the classic signs of late dementia.

Yet, no examples of what decisions weren't made by him... Hmm...

 

[A New Dawn]

Yet, no examples of what decisions weren't made by him... Hmm...

I suggested reading Jake Tapper’s book. Go to a library and check it out if you don’t want to buy it.

But first, why don’t you tell us all what decisions were made by Elon Musk in those cabinet meetings he attended that everyone on the left was up in arms about.

 

[7thKeeper]

I suggested reading Jake Tapper’s book. Go to a library and check it out if you don’t want to buy it.

But first, why don’t you tell us all what decisions were made by Elon Musk in those cabinet meetings he attended that everyone on the left was up in arms about.

Not going to be something to be found in a library over here. And since you seem to be knowledgeable about the topic so like asked previously... Examples?
I mean, I'm sure you're not making claims without any actual knowledge about the source you're citing, right?

 

[FAITH-IN-HIM]

The reason petty crimes increase is because of the left’s desire to keep the (mostly) black population enslaved. They keep them enslaved by keeping them in poverty by giving them just enough money to barely survive without giving them enough to escape poverty. They threaten to cut govt. funds if they get a job to help pay the bills and refuse to create programs to teach people needed job skills so they can get a job that pays a living salary. And all of that will lead to situations where people need to join gangs or take matters into their own hands (illegally) to find a way to live in this current society.

These are opinions that do not reflect reality. In fact, 8 of the 10 states with the highest poverty rates are red states. If progressive policies caused poverty, we would expect most blue states to have higher poverty rates.

As of the most recent data from 2025, the top 10 U.S. states with the highest poverty rates are:

1. Louisiana– 19.6%
   
   
2. Mississippi– 19.4%
   
   
3. New Mexico– 18.4%
   
   
4. West Virginia– 16.8%
   
   
5. Kentucky– 16.5%
   
   
6. District of Columbia– 16.5%
   
   
7. Arkansas– 16.3%
   
   
8. Alabama– 16.1%
   
   
9. Oklahoma– 15.6%
   
   
10. South Carolina– 14.6%
    

These rankings are based on the percentage of the population living below the poverty line, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The poverty threshold varies depending on household size and composition, but generally reflects the minimum income needed to meet basic living needs.

Poverty Rate by State 2025

Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.

worldpopulationreview.com

The issue today is that we often create arguments just to blame the other side. I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat; I simply want an honest, fact-based discussion about our country and politics. You seem more interested in sharing opinions than in presenting facts.

 

[A New Dawn]

These are opinions that do not reflect reality. In fact, 8 of the 10 states with the highest poverty rates are red states. If progressive policies caused poverty, we would expect most blue states to have higher poverty rates.

As of the most recent data from 2025, the top 10 U.S. states with the highest poverty rates are:

1. Louisiana– 19.6%
   
   
2. Mississippi– 19.4%
   
   
3. New Mexico– 18.4%
   
   
4. West Virginia– 16.8%
   
   
5. Kentucky– 16.5%
   
   
6. District of Columbia– 16.5%
   
   
7. Arkansas– 16.3%
   
   
8. Alabama– 16.1%
   
   
9. Oklahoma– 15.6%
   
   
10. South Carolina– 14.6%

These rankings are based on the percentage of the population living below the poverty line, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The poverty threshold varies depending on household size and composition, but generally reflects the minimum income needed to meet basic living needs.

Poverty Rate by State 2025

Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.

worldpopulationreview.com

The issue today is that we often create arguments just to blame the other side. I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat; I simply want an honest, fact-based discussion about our country and politics. You seem more interested in sharing opinions than in presenting facts.

What I presented is facts. The color of the state doesn’t mean there is a difference in how the federal government’s restrictions impact the lives of those living in poverty from one state to another.

And if you want more facts, the very-little spoken of fact that over 70% of black homes now have no father figure is where most of the problems comes from, another result of the government forcing black citizens into poverty by changing the dynamic of those families. No father figure means no role models except gangs and rappers, neither one offering poor black youth much-needed guidance to help them get out of the generational poverty they are locked into. One solution is to remove those stipulations that a mother will get more money if there isn’t a male money-earner in the family and go back to being hand-ups rather than hand-outs.

 

[FAITH-IN-HIM]

What I presented is facts. The color of the state doesn’t mean there is a difference in how the federal government’s restrictions impact the lives of those living in poverty from one state to another.

And if you want more facts, the very-little spoken of fact that over 70% of black homes now have no father figure is where most of the problems comes from, another result of the government forcing black citizens into poverty by changing the dynamic of those families. No father figure means no role models except gangs and rappers, neither one offering poor black youth much-needed guidance to help them get out of the generational poverty they are locked into. One solution is to remove those stipulations that a mother will get more money if there isn’t a male money-earner in the family and go back to being hand-ups rather than hand-outs.

I notice that your opinion seems to have shifted. In previous posts, you attributed crime and poverty to California's progressive policies. However, now that it has been pointed out that 8 out of 10 states with the highest poverty rates are red states, you are suggesting that federal government policy affects poverty across different states.

Now you are arguing about African -American culture without father figure causing poverty.

Which do you think is the main cause of poverty in California: progressive policies or the absence of father figures in American households?

It appears that your reasoning has shifted throughout our discussion. Initially, you stated that California approves violent looting and rioting, which is why the threshold for property theft was increased to $990 USD. When I mentioned that 39 other states have higher thresholds, your argument changed to poverty in California as a contributing factor. After I noted that eight out of ten states with the highest poverty rates are red states, your perspective moved to a cultural explanation involving fatherless families and its connection to poverty.

 

[wing2000]

I suggested reading Jake Tapper’s book. Go to a library and check it out if you don’t want to buy it.

But first, why don’t you tell us all what decisions were made by Elon Musk in those cabinet meetings he attended that everyone on the left was up in arms about.

I'm not aware of *any* decisions by department secretaries in the cabinent meetings. Most amount to secretaries praising Trump.
As for Musk, he had termination letters to deparment employees without the knowledge of the department's cabinent secretary.

Trump orders large federal layoffs; Musk to seek deeper spending cuts

Musk thinks he can cut $6.7 trillion budget by $1 trillion this year, a reduction that would likely entail significant disruption of government programs

www.voanews.com

 

[A New Dawn]

I notice that your opinion seems to have shifted. In previous posts, you attributed crime and poverty to California's progressive policies. However, now that it has been pointed out that 8 out of 10 states with the highest poverty rates are red states, you are suggesting that federal government policy affects poverty across different states.

Now you are arguing about African -American culture without father figure causing poverty.

Which do you think is the main cause of poverty in California: progressive policies or the absence of father figures in American households?

It appears that your reasoning has shifted throughout our discussion. Initially, you stated that California approves violent looting and rioting, which is why the threshold for property theft was increased to $990 USD. When I mentioned that 39 other states have higher thresholds, your argument changed to poverty in California as a contributing factor. After I noted that eight out of ten states with the highest poverty rates are red states, your perspective moved to a cultural explanation involving fatherless families and its connection to poverty.

I have already stated this several times, I was talking about the states response to increased crime. Not anything else. And the CAUSES of crime is a different discussion from the response to crime. Both should be addressed, but they are addressed in different ways.

 

[A New Dawn]

I'm not aware of *any* decisions by department secretaries in the cabinent meetings. Most amount to secretaries praising Trump.
As for Musk, he had termination letters to deparment employees without the knowledge of the department's cabinent secretary.

Trump orders large federal layoffs; Musk to seek deeper spending cuts

Musk thinks he can cut $6.7 trillion budget by $1 trillion this year, a reduction that would likely entail significant disruption of government programs

www.voanews.com

And Trump reminded Musk that his job was to find the fraud, redundancies, etc. and pass that on to the dept. heads.

 

[Pommer]

And Trump reminded Musk that his job was to find the fraud, redundancies, etc. and pass that on to the dept. heads.

We already had the Office of the Inspectors General that was purged, (probably so that Musk could ferret out which of the fired Inspectors General was working for the “deep state”), to do continuous investigations and audits to minimize waste, fraud and abuse.

“Waste, fraud and abuse” are the “weapons-of-mass-destruction” of our time; they ain’t “there”, (in anywhere near the amounts that would have to be realized that would have a significant effect.

We do spend a lot and most of it is necessary and accounted for, “WF&A”?, a bogeyman make out of money.