"If Harvard was serious about education, they would make the school tuition free paid for by gains from the endowment fund."

How would that show they're serious about education? What's the connection?

It's okay if poor people die.

"Only the weak will fail!"

This 22 minute speech by the Prime Minister of Singapore given on April 8 of this year explains why the world has no choice but to turn its back on the United States. I transcribed the intro. It's a measured and well thought out commentary:

We have known for some time that the world is in flux. The familiar signposts are fading, but the contours of the new global system have yet to take shape. So we are in a period of transition. Uncertain, unsettled, and increasingly unstable. But the recent Liberation Day tariff announcement by the US confirms this stark reality. The era of Rules-Based Globalization and Free Trade is over. This marks a profound turning point. We are entering a new phase in global affairs. One that is more arbitrary, protectionist, and dangerous.

For nearly eighty years since the end of World War II, America was the anchor for the free market economies of the world. It championed free trade and open markets and led efforts to build a multilateral trading system. This WTO system ushered in decades of global growth and stability. It allowed trade to flourish and lifted millions out of poverty. It benefited the world and contributed to America's own economic strength. And objectively, America continues to enjoy unrivaled economic heft. In fact, the US rebounded more quickly than other advanced economies from the COVID pandemic. It surged ahead of all its major competitors in the advanced industrial world.

But not all Americans feel this way about their economy. There are hollowed out towns in what was once America's thriving industrial belt. There are workers whose jobs have disappeared and whose incomes have stagnated. They believe that the American economy is fundamentally broken. Discontent was already visible in the 1990s, when protestors disrupted the WTO meeting in Seattle. Frustrations deepened following the global financial crisis of 2008 and more recently after the COVID pandemic.

To be clear, the global economic system is in need of reform. Singapore and many others have called for changes, and we have been working with like-minded countries and partners at the WTO to reform its processes.

A key concern in America is China. The sense that America has given away too much in allowing China to join the WTO and that China competes on an unfair basis, for example by heavily subsidizing its own companies, putting up non-tariff barriers, and restricting market access to US firms.

These concerns should be addressed within the WTO framework. In particular the trade arrangements and concessions made in the past when China was only 5% of the world's economy should be updated when China now makes up 15% of the world's GDP. And if there are disagreements, they should be resolved through the dispute resolution settlement system -- which has been paralyzed and urgently needs to be restored and reformed.

But what the US is doing now is not reform.

It is rejecting the very system it created.

It's still global warming, little buddy.

You're the clever one who thinks Volcanoes make as much CO2 as Cars. Remember?

"Voters empty chair' Republicans who are skipping town halls across the country"

Remember when Clint Eastwood had Obama in a chair?

Remember how humiliating that was for Republicans?

Like McRib, it's back.

"automated algorithms" are created by humans.

Humans are doing this to children.
Not "automated algorithms."

Boaz can't protect his own women and children.

"Only the weak will fail!"

Little punk is "not familiar with that case."

And he's not going to spend five minutes familiarizing himself with it either!

GracieAmazed supports Due Process for immigrants now?

When did that change?

"Harvard has a $53B endowment - why are we giving them $9B in taxpayer money?"

We give Harvard money, and they use the money to go research stuff.
It's a foreign concept to you.
But it's how the United States became the leading high tech economy in the world.

Nothing better than two guys who didn't go to college saying Uncle Sam should be in charge of private collage curriculum, hiring policy, admissions policy, recruiting policy, tenure policy.

You guys should have gone to college.
Then you would have been able to get jobs where your boss wasn't a micromanager
And you'd know there's a better life to be had.

But you don't know that.
And now it's too late for you to learn.

Robbing Poor Peter to pay Rich Paul?

Now that's running the government like a business!

A payday loan business.

"He was deported for his ties to an international terrorist organization"

There's no evidence of any such ties.

"I'd like to include them in the group of people to get them out of the country"

But why? What is the upside to getting them out of the country?

Normally the Populist Dictator comes to power After the economy crashes.

Trump is counting on a crashed economy will win him more support.

He is definitely thinking outside the box!

My bad, it's a 145% tariff on China.

So the $2 flip flops cost $4.90 now.

And you're happy to pay nearly $3 in taxes for $2 flip flops.

"And if you have to spend an extra dollar for a pair of $2 Chinese flip flops that last a week, too bad"

You don't know how much a 125% tariff is, do you?

For your math to work out, flip flops went from $1.60 to 3.60.

The truth is an affirmative defense, though I'm not sure Republicans can really understand why, given their predilection for Alternate Facts and Alternate Electors.

Fishpaw is used to people thinking he's a douche, so he doesn't understand the big deal.

"Other countries (China, Japan) have typically purchased that debt, but they did so under the impression that the bonds would not fall in value."

I think the ones I have are guaranteed to double in value in 20 years. That's not a killer ROI, but it's supposed to be a way to keep your money safe while modestly outpacing inflation.

Trump is destroying that because he is insane. Trump thinks American global dominance in the world is too expensive for the global elite, when in fact it's the source of their riches.

Abandoning our post as the global hegemon will cost us pretty much all the gains we've made since the end of World War Two.

Republicans don't understand, or don't care, or both.

"Not that I give a crap what DOGE says"

But Eberly.
They found twenty-five cents that the Blue States stole from you.
You don't care about twenty-five cents?
???

"Trump administration contends it has no duty to comply with court orders."

Yes, we get it.

The Disaster Capitalism chickens have come home to roost.

Subaru dealer has sent multiple emails asking to buy back my car, they specifically mention the tariffs.

"Are you back to the 2000 -------- you bragged about previously"

Nancy Reagan welcome to the Drudge Retort.