I could vote for Donald Trump

[Dr.Who]

how many proved it, over and over again, and 2 years later had to prove it again by getting a special exemption from the state?

He gave some evidence that he was born in Hawaii but he never did prove it. Lots of people were born at home and then merely showed up at a hospital to be registered and their certifications all read that they were born in that state. But how many of them were not? In a country with a long history of "anchor babies" and "amnesty babies" and where "maternity tourism" is widespread just how many woman fail to make it across the borders in time but say they did?

The millions he spent trying to avoid proving it sure made him seem to be hiding something.

The special exemption of a POLICY hardly seems so special since he never even asked for it until this month. How do I know it is a policy? Because if it were a law either a judge would need to authorize the exemption or the Director of Health would need to have a new law written to allow the exemption. And what kind of a state would make a law against using the long form? But does it matter if it was a law or a policy? Not really. It does matter that the President fought it tooth and nail and only recently asked for the form and then has the nerve to say that it is a silly issue. If it were silly he would have simply asked for the form back then.

Lastly, the Director of Health of Hawaii said that they allowed the exemption because of the many requests for the certificate. Yet clearly they allowed it only because the White House finally asked for it. So why did the Director lie?

 

[BigRob]

how many proved it, over and over again, and 2 years later had to prove it again by getting a special exemption from the state?

zero

Well, since only one was actually President, that is where we can draw the comparison...and in that case, the doubts lingering throughout the entire Presidency.

how many where secret muslims?

zero

What does this have to do with anything?

but don't worry I am sure the republican party is filled with great people with no racists at all none, they are all pure After all the South like Alabama Mississippi and Texas ext..are known for being so racially sensitive.

So...if the South has historically been racist...is anything they do always going to be considered racist?

 

[clarkatticus]

Saw Trump at the WH correspondents dinner, he looked elated. I wonder if he knows the price of oil is set by traders in Wall St not by Arabs in the ME? My guess is he is talking to a dumb crowd. Turns out he's worth millions, not billions like he suggested, which, according to the stated premis, there are hundreds in the US more qualified, including Bernie Madoff and the Koch bros, helluva a hand to draw to. How dissappointed are you going to be when you find out it was just a publicity stunt? I always thought Ivana was the smarter one of the pair, he should never have divorced his brains.

 

[Dr.Who]

Saw Trump at the WH correspondents dinner, he looked elated. I wonder if he knows the price of oil is set by traders in Wall St not by Arabs in the ME? My guess is he is talking to a dumb crowd. Turns out he's worth millions, not billions like he suggested, which, according to the stated premis, there are hundreds in the US more qualified, including Bernie Madoff and the Koch bros, helluva a hand to draw to. How dissappointed are you going to be when you find out it was just a publicity stunt? I always thought Ivana was the smarter one of the pair, he should never have divorced his brains.

Traders are a SMALL part of the equation.

 

[clarkatticus]

Traders are a SMALL part of the equation.

Oh really? Oil traders are the ONLY people who set the price of oil, the arabs can only adjust the amount of oil they put on the international market. If they cut production, the price can go up, but since the major producers are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both need US backing to maintain their power, so they do as told. To date, the traders speculate with the oil using a wide range of products including types of derivatives running up the price for personal gain as there is NO shortage of oil on the market today. To be sure, events in the ME are seemingly unstable, but the situation is not as dire as thought and the excuses the traders give are BS.

 

[Dr.Who]

Oh really? Oil traders are the ONLY people who set the price of oil, the arabs can only adjust the amount of oil they put on the international market. If they cut production, the price can go up, but since the major producers are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both need US backing to maintain their power, so they do as told. To date, the traders speculate with the oil using a wide range of products including types of derivatives running up the price for personal gain as there is NO shortage of oil on the market today. To be sure, events in the ME are seemingly unstable, but the situation is not as dire as thought and the excuses the traders give are BS.

It really is a simple matter of supply and demand. The supply of crude oil is presently going up so we need not concern ourselves too much with the concept of arabs cutting supply. As far as I know the only place where supply is not increasing is in the US where we are not drilling. The bigger factor is demand.

The US and China have both increased demand by a lot. And not only to make gas but for heating oil and to make a huge amount of plastics ( 45% of our imported oil is not used to make gas). Yet despite increases in demand from China and the US those two countries still only account for a minority of world oil use. Surprisingly, the other countries of the world are using oil too.

Speculators bet on fears of future prices. But they can only bet on the amount of oil that they can actually buy the rights to. Given the billions of barrels of oil produced around the world speculators would have to be buying future rights for what percent of it to effect the price? It is doubtful that there are enough speculators or that they have enough money to buy enough oil to effect the price much. And if they did blame the fear of future prices which is driven by the green movement.

Lets think about this another way. When we say that oil has a price we are saying that oil is traded for cash. We could buy oil with dollars or with Yen or with gold or whatever. If it were the oil that were going up then it would cost more dollars and more yen and more gold to buy oil.

But if it is the dollar that is going down then it would cost more dollars to buy oil but it very well might cost less yen or less gold to buy oil.

And that is exactly what is happening:

"The dollar price of oil has risen from around $25 at the end of 1999 to nearly $107 on March 31 of this year. But measured in gold, the price has dropped in the same period, from .089 an ounce to .074, [] The price of oil is going up because the value of the dollar is doing down,” said investment adviser Chris Butler of Overland Park-based Butler Lanz & Wagler. “It’s going down because we’re printing dollars like there’s no tomorrow."

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/30/2838947/dont-blame-speculators-for-higher.html#ixzz1LJXNWBSn

 

[Hobo1]

Doesn't it make you feel good that the US just went in and executed Osama bin Ladin? No trial, no jury, no judge, no bureaucracy; we just went in and did what needed to be done. Screw Pakistani sovereignty, or all the other politically correct things that somebody could say was wrong with the whole operation.

I applaud Obama. He finally had the guts to do something that resembled Abraham Lincoln and not Jimmy Carter. I got to hand it to Leon Panetta - who happens to be a Democrat I voted for when he was a Congressman from California years ago. That guy has got huevos. As CIA Director, and de facto commander of the operation that killed bin Ladin, I am sure he is the guy who spent hours with Obama explaining how we had to overlook the technicalities of International Law by making this bold move.

You can bet all the tin-horn dictators around the world are shocked that the US would pull off such a bold operation without even telling the Pakistanis what we were doing.

You don't think Gaddafi isn't looking around his compound and wondering if a group of 40 US Navy Seals are going to descend on his compound and send him to to the same happy hunting ground?

We've got enemies in this world because we are weak. I am sure the world was shocked the US would do such a thing with Obama as president.

But that kind of operation is 100% Trump-style. I read an article that said whatever you think about the birther issue, don't talk about it at work or all the women and minorities will jump on your case for being racist.

That's okay with me and it is okay with Trump - jump on us. You will walk away with the bloody nose. We've got a right to know if our President is qualified to hold the position according the the US Constitution. I don't care what color he is, I don't care what state he says he was born in, the burden of proof is on Obama to prove he is a native born citizen. Not a hard question, not a racist question.

The US protects those small pea-shooter countries of the Persian Gulf. Look at the way we went in to protect Kuwait when Saddam Hussein invaded that country. American companies like Aramco originally drilled and developed the oil fields in the Middle East - and gave sweetheart deals to the countries who happen to be sitting on top of that oil.

Now we need OPEC to flood the world markets with oil. Not for a long time, but long enough to bring the price of oil back down to $60-$70 a barrel again - and keep it there. OPEC owns us that that favor. If Trump were in the White House, he would tell those rag heads how the game is played. Those little Arab dictators need the US to keep them in power - and our President can't sit back and watch these "oil extortionists" sit on their thrown while the American taxpayer pays to keep them safe.

Trump has balls, and it is time we stop giving the rest of the world a 5 stroke handicap just because they are "the little guys". Trump For President!!

 

[TruthSeeker]

Oh really? Oil traders are the ONLY people who set the price of oil, the arabs can only adjust the amount of oil they put on the international market. If they cut production, the price can go up, but since the major producers are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both need US backing to maintain their power, so they do as told. To date, the traders speculate with the oil using a wide range of products including types of derivatives running up the price for personal gain as there is NO shortage of oil on the market today. To be sure, events in the ME are seemingly unstable, but the situation is not as dire as thought and the excuses the traders give are BS.

The "major" producers of crude oil are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait? Really? Are you sure about that?

Of the top ten oil exporters to the USA, Canada and Mexico rank 1 and 2. Only TWO middle eastern countries rank in the top ten.......Saudi Arabia and......... IRAQ.

Supply and demand has more to do with gasoline prices than commodities traders. The demand for petroleum is much bigger than just gasoline. A long list of things are petroleum-based.

As usual, you don't know what you are talking about.

 

[clarkatticus]

You are somewhat right, Russia is #1, Saudi Arabia #2, US #3, Iran #4--proven reserves is another story. Saudi Arabia is #1, Canada is #2-but that includes oil sands which are much more expensive to extract, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait. We recieve most our imported oil from the Middle East, THEY have the most reserves at a whopping 62%. Proven reserves are the benchmark for price control, and since we control the ME political scene in 2 of the major producers, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, we can control (to an extent) their production. The old canard that supply and demand control the price of commodities only applied during the time of Wall Street regulation-pre Reagan. At that time we did not have the ability to influence OPEC like we do now. Your unfailing trust in hedgemarket brokers and Wall Street unregulated trading is precious, for a bunch of conspiracy nuts you sure picked the wrong horse in this one.

 

[BigRob]

Oh really? Oil traders are the ONLY people who set the price of oil, the arabs can only adjust the amount of oil they put on the international market. If they cut production, the price can go up, but since the major producers are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both need US backing to maintain their power, so they do as told. To date, the traders speculate with the oil using a wide range of products including types of derivatives running up the price for personal gain as there is NO shortage of oil on the market today. To be sure, events in the ME are seemingly unstable, but the situation is not as dire as thought and the excuses the traders give are BS.

Supply and demand sets the price of oil. Speculation in the market is simply betting on future supplies and demand.

As for there not being a shortage of oil, you are correct, that is because supply is meeting demand (more or less).

What you seem to be entirely glossing over is that the value of oil is tied to the value of the dollar. When the value of the dollar tanks (that is what it is doing now), the price of oil will inevitably rise...because demand increases as investors flee the dollar and rush to commodities.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

So...if the South has historically been racist...is anything they do always going to be considered racist?

no but sometimes it is going to be racist...just becuse they are not dumb enough to just yell N****** or something and try to hide it does not make it less racist. I know republicans even up here that will make all those dumb remarks and hold these ideas about him and claim its not race....but yet get them around a few others like them, and they feel a little more comfy the racism gets out alot easier.

Or you can just go with they are all mindless idiots...

 

[Hobo1]

He's a quitter. Damn him and all his money. I will never take him seriously again. Boycott his TV shows.

 

[clarkatticus]

Supply and demand sets the price of oil. Speculation in the market is simply betting on future supplies and demand.

As for there not being a shortage of oil, you are correct, that is because supply is meeting demand (more or less).

What you seem to be entirely glossing over is that the value of oil is tied to the value of the dollar. When the value of the dollar tanks (that is what it is doing now), the price of oil will inevitably rise...because demand increases as investors flee the dollar and rush to commodities.

Actually investors flee to precious metal commodities, not oil-too volitile. While the tanking dollar causes inflation it also has a welcome by product, it makes our products more affordable, which is why we want China to raise the value of their yuan. Supply and demand are supposed to value commodities, but because of some regulation loopholes market speculators are manipulating futures for vast profit. They are doing it as fast as they can as we speak because some of the loopholes are about to be closed. Unless you have your own hedgefund and commodity broker your coming in a far "second" (read last).

 

[Hobo1]

Actually investors flee to precious metal commodities, not oil-too volitile. While the tanking dollar causes inflation it also has a welcome by product, it makes our products more affordable, which is why we want China to raise the value of their yuan. Supply and demand are supposed to value commodities, but because of some regulation loopholes market speculators are manipulating futures for vast profit. They are doing it as fast as they can as we speak because some of the loopholes are about to be closed. Unless you have your own hedgefund and commodity broker your coming in a far "second" (read last).

You are absolutely right. Anybody that believes supply and demand moves prices hasn't looked at the price of oil in the past 10 years.

I refuse to believe that either the supply or demand for oil has caused this dramatic price fluctuation. What? Suddenly half of the oil wells stopped producing? Or suddenly twice as many cars have pulled up to the pump demanding gasoline>

No, this is the commodity market, and commodity traders playing games with the news and public panic. War erupts in Libya and the price of oil jumps through the roof. It is "irrational exuberance" and the games that commodity brokers play to make money. They manipulate the market and make money from ignorant investors who like to play that game. These market pros make money when the price goes up and when the price goes down. The ignorant investor looses money as these markets jump around.

But you have to be crazy to think that the true value of oil can jump 50% in a month. It just isn't logical.

 

[BigRob]

Actually investors flee to precious metal commodities, not oil-too volitile.

They flee to both, or at the very least still use oil as a hedge against a declining dollar.

While the tanking dollar causes inflation it also has a welcome by product, it makes our products more affordable, which is why we want China to raise the value of their yuan.

That is correct, but in the near term, especially during the economy we have now, I think we would be better off avoiding such a prospect if at all possible.

Supply and demand are supposed to value commodities, but because of some regulation loopholes market speculators are manipulating futures for vast profit. They are doing it as fast as they can as we speak because some of the loopholes are about to be closed. Unless you have your own hedgefund and commodity broker your coming in a far "second" (read last).

Futures contracts are just bets on future supply and demand.