US US Politics General 2 - Discussion of President Trump and other politicians

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Should be a wild four years.

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Current members of the House of Representatives
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Can’t, union rules

Anyways I don’t speak moon runes and my phone isn’t offering to translate this for me, but I’ve been lead to believe this article here also says Xi’s daughter moved back to Cambridge in 2019

Just because I'm bored....

1. https://archive.is/Asool

2. ⬇️ DeepL Translated
[New Tang Dynasty, Beijing, Oct. 12, 2019] - As the U.S.-China trade war and Hong Kong's anti-sending continue to escalate. Sources familiar with the matter said Xi's daughter, Xi Mingze, who had already returned to China, has quietly returned to the U.S. The main reasons for this include the increasingly intense power struggle in Zhongnanhai, and the security measures imposed by the authorities on Xi and his family, which make Xi Mingze, who likes freedom, feel like a prisoner and find it difficult to adapt. Xi had no choice but to send his daughter to the United States to study again.

On Oct. 12, U.S.-based Chinese writer and veteran China expert Chen Bakong said in a self-published media outlet that informed sources within the CCP system disclosed that Xi Jinping's daughter Xi Mingze had quietly returned to the U.S., either at the end of last year or at the beginning of this year. It has been confirmed by various sources that she has returned to Harvard University, the prestigious U.S. institution she originally attended.

Chen Bakong said, this incident is unusual, there is a big article. Because Xi Mingze was studying at Harvard before Xi Jinping came to power at the 18th Communist Party Congress in 2012. Xi called his daughter back after he came to power, and now Xi Mingze is back in the U.S. Sources inside the system say it's because Xi Mingze has had an unhappy life back in China.

The reason for Xi's unhappiness is that, as Xi Jinping's jewel, Xi's safety is very important, while Xi Jinping is facing a lot of coups, political assassinations or mutinies, and all sorts of conspiracies and conspiracies in his complicated political struggle within the party. Xi's own safety is in question, and he is very worried about his daughter's safety.

Xi Jinping was afraid that if his political enemies could not get at him, they might get at his relatives, so he protected Xi Mingze at all levels, and wherever Xi Mingze went, he was followed by staff or security personnel, and later on, Xi Mingze basically stayed in Zhongnanhai and stayed at home without leaving the house. This caused Xi Mingze's dissatisfaction, she felt that in the United States free and easy life, but returned to China instead of pleasant and not free. To put it bluntly, as a princess of a great nation but as a prisoner, she often cried and in such a situation, Xi Jinping was forced to agree to his daughter's return to the United States again.

Chen also mentioned that Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, has not been seen since her appearance in June, and it is said that the two have been at odds, and whether or not her daughter goes to the U.S. is one of the triggers.

Chen Bakong analyzed that, under the continuous escalation of the U.S.-China trade war and Hong Kong's anti-sending, Xi Jinping, who is in internal and external difficulties, sent his daughter to the U.S. There are other considerations

One is that this year's power struggle in Zhongnanhai is particularly unusual, Xi's forces are getting smaller and smaller, anti-Xi forces are getting stronger and stronger, and now most of them, whether they are political seniors, or regimentation, Jiang faction, princelings, or second-generation reds, are united to deal with Xi Jinping.

Under such circumstances, Xi, who is deeply worried about the whole situation, may be arranging for the aftermath, so that if something bad happens to the Xi family army in the fierce internal struggle, Xi will still have at least one descendant in the United States.

The second is, Xi Mingze must go to the United States, Xi Jinping pushed the boat to let her go, taking the opportunity to show goodwill to the United States. To show the United States that he has no intention of being an enemy of the United States, no intention to go to war with the United States. Chen Bakong said, this has a hostage diplomacy component, to give the United States a pill.

However, the above news has not been officially confirmed by Beijing.

In November last year, Apple Daily quoted sources as saying that they had learned from professors at Harvard University, a prestigious U.S. institution, that Xi had returned to her alma mater to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology after earning a bachelor's degree in psychology at Harvard in 2014, but it was not known whether she had furthered her studies in psychology.

The report said Xi had changed her name to Qu after studying in the U.S., which was given to her by her mother, Peng Liyuan, and came from Peng's maternal grandfather's surname.

Overseas Chinese-language media have also said that after Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, he ordered Zhongnanhai dignitaries to recall all of their children studying in the U.S., and that Xi returned to China only after he graduated from college in 2014, that the Central Security Bureau had sent someone to Harvard University to act as a bodyguard for Xi, and that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had sent an agent to covertly protect Xi.

In April 2015, the U.S. magazine The New Yorker also reported that when Xi was 18 years old, she went to Harvard University to study undergraduate psychology and took the pseudonym “Chen Chu,” so no more than 10 people on Harvard's campus knew her identity. Only close friends and a few faculty members.

In March last year, an overseas media person claimed that Xi Mingze's Harvard classmates described her as cheerful, naive, and a bit manly. When she was a student at Harvard, she loved shopping and riding the subway, just like any other student.

After leaving the United States and returning to Zhongnanhai, Xi felt that life was rather dull, and sometimes she would capriciously wish to take the subway to go out shopping. Whenever this happened, the bodyguards and plainclothesmen in Zhongnanhai had to protect her with “three layers of security”.

In order to ensure Xi's safety, the Central Security Bureau explicitly forbade the circulation of her photo, the student said.

Public information shows that Xi Mingze was born in Fujian Province in 1992, nicknamed “Mu Zi”, Xi Mingze is Xi Jinping's father, Xi Zhongxun to give up, “I hope she will be a clean person, do a useful person to society.”

The source also said that there are many photos of Xi's favorite daughter circulating on the Internet, but none of the adult photos are of the real Xi Mingze, and only a few photos of her as a child are real.

According to previous media reports, Xi became his father's special adviser after his return to China, utilizing the knowledge he gained at Harvard to advise and become Xi's image adviser, as well as the mastermind of the “study group” that supports and protects Xi politically. Xi has taken his daughter with him on many of his trips abroad in order to cultivate her political qualities.
 
Just because I'm bored....

1. https://archive.is/Asool

2. ⬇️ DeepL Translated
I wonder if it has anything to do with Michelle Wu getting elected mayor of Boston in 2021, when Sinophobia should’ve been peaking

You know, since Wu reportedly got money from Chinese intelligence

Could also just be Boston elites proving how not-conservative they are
 
This is going to be a long post, so be warned.

This is mostly for people fighting with @SpergioLeonne, I'm a fabricator and wanted throw my hat in the ring so to speak, but others may find it informative. It seems a lot of people, even here, that are not directly involved in manufacturing seem to know little about how far it's come and how different it is from 20 to 60 years ago. Bringing manufacturing back to the United States doesn't mean we need to bring back sweat shop labor where we pay people next to nothing for it and the work doesn't need to be grueling, back breaking and monotonous. The dawn of new technologies has changed the manufacturing world in the same way email changed the office workforce.

Automation has been a huge force multiplier in manufacturing but not in the way that you think and not in a way that reduces jobs. When you think of welding robots you probably think about this.Welding-Robots-in-the-Automotive-Industry.webp
A huge machine that replaced human hands and isn't even safe to be around while it's in operation. These were implemented and are mostly used in auto manufacturing but this didn't replace the need for hand welders as these robots have a hard time welding in certain positions and working with thin or specialized materials. As time passed and manufacturing needed more hand welders that society wasn't producing it created a new tool to bridge the gap.
vactis_welding-tool_gallery2.webp
The co-bot. These smaller welding robots are more nimble and can be programmed by physically moving the robot through the motions of the weld it needs to make as it records the motions. No math or programming needed. This allows someone who has no skill to start welding productively and safely all while keeping their hands free as the co-bot does the work.

A human still needs to feed parts into the machine, supervise it and inspect the final product. it's not replacing you, and the down time you have while it welds allows the operator to do something else. Maybe they practice hand welding so they can pass a test from their CWI and take on more responsibility or maybe they just kick back and listen to podcasts while posting on their favorite forum. Either way manufacturing has come a very long way and I would encourage those who are uniformed to look into it and learn more. As for my personal experience, I have found many bright young people who come into my work with no skill who within a day can be taught how to run a co-bot and who use their down time to learn new skills and improve themselves. Some also just watch YouTube, which is fine. The parts get made either way.

In summary, manufacturing coming back to America if done correctly won't be a return to sweatshop labor and low IQ jobs. It will bring advances in industry and offer people who are willing to learn a lot of opportunities. Arguably with the same amount of down time that people in offices have thanks to automation.
 
In summary, manufacturing coming back to America if done correctly won't be a return to sweatshop labor and low IQ jobs. It will bring advances in industry and offer people who are willing to learn a lot of opportunities. Arguably with the same amount of down time that people in offices have thanks to automation.
The more important point is that reshoring manufacturing is not going to employ nearly the number of people that seems to be believed. The only real bump in low-skilled labor will be in construction - building all the plants - and that won't be done without firm commitments that policy won't change again 10 minutes from now. Billion-dollar plants require decades to pay off and if this is just short-term posturing nobody will put up that money.
 
The more important point is that reshoring manufacturing is not going to employ nearly the number of people that seems to be believed. The only real bump in low-skilled labor will be in construction - building all the plants - and that won't be done without firm commitments that policy won't change again 10 minutes from now. Billion-dollar plants require decades to pay off and if this is just short-term posturing nobody will put up that money.
Manufacturing is scalable. You don’t need a billion dollar plant to manufacture.

We also have a full ass green light from Vietnam to pick up some of what’s moving out of China, which is excellent in terms of isolating China. They were planning to build out a whole rail system to Vietnam, with their proprietary gauge tracks to lock in a level of interdependence
 
Manufacturing is scalable. You don’t need a billion dollar plant to manufacture.

We also have a full ass green light from Vietnam to pick up some of what’s moving out of China, which is excellent in terms of isolating China. They were planning to build out a whole rail system to Vietnam, with their proprietary gauge tracks to lock in a level of interdependence
That table-mounted robot welding arm in the guy's pic is well over 6 figures. For one. An industrial CNC machine can cost a million. For one.

It's not 1955 any more.
 
Need to start sending requests to end CAFE emission regulations would be nice to able to buy a light truck again
This but for reviving economy-grade sedans and station wagons. Make it so you can't do write-offs or deductions on the heavier trucks and SUVs anymore, for both the businesses and the public. Also make the manufacturing of smaller SUV-like vehicles get so expensive and bloated with technology that when the costs is passed down to the customers, they'll prefer the cheaper option as there will be no other choice. So basically, tax the living shit out of those taller, bigger vehicles.

Not only that but I'm all in favor of reducing luxurious models/trims from non-luxury car brands that we can go without. Maybe that'll get the consumers to quit wasting money on shit they don't need, like any F-150 that goes above the Lariat name and have trims like the King Ranch be a limited time offer.
If Trump actually did/said this (I've found no evidence that headline is true) he could win the 18 to 30 year old male vote for the Republican party for life

View attachment 7217895
A little ugly but if it were true, it would be a major seller here. Those dudes will want something they can do whatever they wish for a fairly low cost. It'd make the truck producers here scramble for a competitor.

All of this is a pretty optimistic outlook but I want to believe. Perhaps the form could do something..
 
I really don’t understand the Stephen Smith thing. To me, he was always just the black guy who looked like a leprechaun while inserting politics into ESPN. He’s just a flash in the pan who is shooting his shot way too early. There are real contenders like Shapiro, Whitmer, and Newsome out there. They know the time to gain momentum as a candidate is not for another couple of years.
then again, since he's a "outsider" like trump was, it might do him some good?
 
That table-mounted robot welding arm in the guy's pic is well over 6 figures. For one. An industrial CNC machine can cost a million. For one.

It's not 1955 any more.
A haas cnc mill is generally under $100k so some of you all will buy gmc trucks that cost more, and you don’t NEED the robot arm to do manufacturing, but it’s available as a smaller SCALE version of a big ass robot arm, is what the guy was trying to say.

You’re just throwing shit at the wall to what, say America can’t make things? Wait till service exports crash and see where you are
 
As someone adjacent to manufacturing(I’m in energy sector), some of the chemicals and shit that need to be handled make me glad there are regulations in place, because if companies had free reign to have workers around some of this shit longer than we allow its bad news for the poor fucker they choose
Beryllium. All I need to say
 
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