So....what's up with Trump's staff and the criminal activities and what does it mean?

[iris lilies]

Thank you, I was wrong. I had no idea this could happen. You would think if the SS and name didn’t match up to a living human they would inform the employer. Silly me. I guess they are happy to take advantage.

My problem with illegal legal immigration is there are 65 million people displaced around the globe, plus many others who would love to come here. It does not seem fair that you can sneak in and cut to the head of the line.

I was vaguely aware that there was a lot of tax and Social Security money paid into the treasury by illegals, but hadnt seen actual numbers. And like you, cant figure out why, when the IRS notifies the business of a bad SS number, that it continues. But whatever. I actually was happy to see the clear statement in this article that this money goes into the treasury, because I would have thought they might set it aside.

So the facts in The Atlantic article states that (estimated) half of illegal immgrants pay taxes. Other are paid under the table or not paid at all.

Jp, do you consider illegal immigrants here to be a financial net positive for our country all around? I am talking just about financial
Inputs vs. Outputs as in their inputs are taxes and their outputs are welfare programs that require require qualifications. I would guess that the same faked documents that can get them jobs paying taxes can also get them welfare benefits like TANF, SNAP, Section 8, etc.

[Williamsmith]

I think Trump will be in office unless/until a document is uncovered that says "I'll lift these sanctions the last guy put on you and in exchange I want to be able to build the Trump Tower in Moscow I've been wanting to build for the last 20 years". ie an outright quid pro quo. But I don't even think he/his administration would be that dumb to put that stuff in writing.

I visited Trump Tower this week. Moscow would do very well to have such a handsome structure as this in its skyline. And I’m sure the Police can afford to have SWAT teams armed with AK-47s at every entrance as does NYPD....but with modified ARs.

Congress is at fault for its inactivity regarding immigration reform. This is not something the Executive Branch should be leading on. Perhaps my visit to Lady Liberty has fogged my brain but it still represents the immigrant country we still are despite talk of the Wall and the Mexican problem. Congress is the entity that needs reform.82B1634F-2050-4A09-B498-E5EE78CC7479.jpg

[flowerseverywhere]

Then perhaps you can explain which high crime or misdemeanor will justify impeachment.

alan, I don’t think any of us know, no matter how hard we try to be informed of what actually is going on and has gone on. It seems to me that Trump lives in a world nothing like the majority of US citizens. I believe almost all of us here do not put money in offshore accounts and do money wires (or however you do) to evade taxes. We don’t pay off people to keep quiet. While we take advantage of tax laws and might even enlist the help of a tax attorney or preparer to pay the proper amount of taxes, we don’t manipulate the system unfairly. We don’t give huge sums of money to politicians so they reward us contracts or zoning favors or jobs in the administration. Most of us are in long term faithful marriages, perhaps with a divorce along the way, but nothing like what we are hearing about in Trump world. It is surreal, hearing about all this bribery, payoff, “fixing”, alleged sexual affairs (on top of multiple marriages), tax evasion and so on.

Now that it it seems like more and more people who are in the know are cooperating for immunity and producing documents and testimony to save themselves from jail sentences. Seeing Cohen go from the long term fixer and personal attorney who was praised as the best and a wonderful person to suddenly being labeled a disgraceful person and terrible attorney when he got caught certainly looked to me like throwing him right under the bus. More people who find themselves in jeopardy will follow if they have to choose between saving themselves and their family, or saving someone who may abandon you at any time if it will make them look better.

Perhaps there is is no grounds now that we know of that will lead to impeachment. But it seems like the organization he has built, with the finest people, is precarious at the very least. The world he lives in may be the reality if you are building an empire, but under the scrutiny of the American public and the system of checks and balances, it does not seem to be working quite as well. Time will tell, but at some point even the most faithful of trump supporters in the house and senate may have to examine how to save their own political careers as well as their reputations if things continue in the direction they are heading. Very tricky and Paul Ryan is probably ecstatic right now he decided to bow out, as well as some of the other retiring republicans.

[Yppej]

Most of us are in long term faithful marriages

Half of marriages end in divorce. Most people do differ from Trump in that they don't have the money to pay people they had affairs with to be quiet.

Infidelity is common, though due to its stigma statistics are hard to come by, but affects anywhere from 30 to 60% of marriages.

In my book cheating also applies to committed relationships not just marriages. My own marriage was adultery free, but on the post-divorce rebound I was not so fortunate.

I agree with you on all your other points flowerseverywhere.

[flowerseverywhere]

Half of marriages end in divorce. Most people do differ from Trump in that they don't have the money to pay people they had affairs with to be quiet.

Infidelity is common , though due to its stigma statistics are hard to come by, but affects anywhere from 30 to 60% of marriages.

In my book cheating also applies to committed relationships not just marriages. My own marriage was adultery free, but on the post-divorce rebound I was not so fortunate.

I agree with you on all your other points flowerseverywhere.

Great point. Almost all my friends have been married to the same person for 40-50 years so my frame of reference is skewed. What was scandalous back when we were all married is commonplace and accepted now.

[jp1]

Then perhaps you can explain which high crime or misdemeanor will justify impeachment.

Personally I'm going to leave it to Mueller to answer that question. As much smoke as there has been I predict the odds are fairly good that he has found, or will find, the fire. If not then I will accept that result too. Unlike our sad, patheetic president I actually have faith in our law enforcement agencies.

[JaneV2.0]

Given the unprincipled nature of Congressional Republicans, this sordid affair may not come to impeachment, but it certainly should. In my fairly long memory, there has never been such an incompetent and destructive figure in the White House. The system of checks and balances is supposed to work, but the framers of the Constitution apparently didn't foresee the greed and lawlessness that would result from unfettered capitalism.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Given the unprincipled nature of Congressional Republicans, this sordid affair may not come to impeachment, but it certainly should. In my fairly long memory, there has never been such an incompetent and destructive figure in the White House. The system of checks and balances is supposed to work, but the framers of the Constitution apparently didn't foresee the greed and lawlessness that would result from unfettered capitalism.

This^^^ about + 1 trillion. Capitalism really has become something frightening in it's turbo-charged inhumanity. I fear for the future of this country as with this level of economic inequality, human history shows that people will rise up and bring down a government or kingdom or fiefdom or whatever structure they are living under.....and if many years of human history are any indication, it won't be pretty when this happens. I have no real faith, given the current trajectory of this country, that America will remain intact in another 10 to 15 years. Rob