You might feel that leverage speeds up compounding. The problem is that leverage is more like compounding's hidden enemy: One million times zero equals zero.
- Manlobbi
Personal Finance Topics / Retirement Investing
No. of Recommendations: 4
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Pete Hegseth is unwatchable. At least Trump is mildly entertaining in a demented bull-sh!tting grandpa Simpson kind of way. But Hegseth's insufferable lecturing tone is immediately click-offable.
He's just now schooling the Iranian military about what they can and can't do, and earnestly trying to convince them of how defeated they really are and how great the U.S. military is in comparison. This power-drunk dude tries way too hard. Sounds like he's actually trying to convince himself, and failing miserably at that.
No. of Recommendations: 5
This power-drunk dude tries way too hard. Sounds like he's actually trying to convince himself, and failing miserably at that.
Never forget when this two-bit, tin-horn FOX blatherer called all the high ranking generals to the big meeting to lecture them. What an embarrassment this asshole is.
Very, very high on his own supply. Unfortunately he has control over the world's most powerful military.
No. of Recommendations: 6
He's just now schooling the Iranian military about what they can and can't do, and earnestly trying to convince them of how defeated they really are and how great the U.S. military is in comparison. This power-drunk dude tries way too hard. Sounds like he's actually trying to convince himself, and failing miserably at that.
It seems very unlikely he's trying to say anything to the Iranian military, and pretty unlikely that he's trying to convince himself. That's probably not the audience.
It's an audience of one. Donald Trump.
I find that's the most helpful filter for looking at these statements by cabinet officials, whether it's a press conference or congressional testimony. They're shaping their statements to be well-received by Trump. Their tone and presentation will be what they think Trump would want it to be.
No. of Recommendations: 1
This power-drunk dude tries way too hard. Sounds like he's actually trying to convince himself, and failing miserably at that.
And not just drunk on power.
As Homer Simpson said, "I'm like a chocoholic, but with beer."
No. of Recommendations: 4
It seems very unlikely he's trying to say anything to the Iranian military, and pretty unlikely that he's trying to convince himself. That's probably not the audience.
It's an audience of one. Donald Trump.
I find that's the most helpful filter for looking at these statements by cabinet officials, whether it's a press conference or congressional testimony. They're shaping their statements to be well-received by Trump. Their tone and presentation will be what they think Trump would want it to be.
You guys.
This board.
You're all so colored with your Trump loathing that you can't see anything objectively anymore.
It's a shame that so few are students of history. The pattern of what's happening here vis a vis Iran is so obvious it's funny. And it's working.
No. of Recommendations: 3
They're shaping their statements to be well-received by Trump. Their tone and presentation will be what they think Trump would want it to be. Yeah, well, there's always that in the background. But he WAS directly addressing Iran's military, rhetorically or not. Here's a direct quote:
"WHICH IS WHERE WE'LL START WITH A MESSAGE TO IRAN'S MILITARY LEADERSHIP, TO THE CAGED LEADERSHIP AND IRGC LEADERSHIP, WE ARE WATCHING YOU. OUR CAPABILITIES ARE NOT THE SAME. OUR MILITARY AND YOURS. REMEMBER, THIS IS NOT A FAIR FIGHT AND WE KNOW WHAT MILITARY ASSETS YOU ARE MOVING AND WHERE YOU WERE MOVING THEM TO. WHILE YOU WERE DIGGING OUT, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING, DIGGING OUT A BOMBED OUT AND DEVASTATE THE SUBTLETIES, WE ARE ONLY GETTING STRONGER. YOU ARE DIGGING OUT YOUR REMAINING LODGERS AND MISSILES WITH NO ABILITY TO REPLACE THEM. YOU HAVE NO DEFENSE INDUSTRY. NO ABILITY TO REPLENISH YOUR OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES. YOU ONLY HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE. YOU KNOW THAT AND WE KNOW THAT. YOU CAN MOVE THINGS AROUND BUT YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY REBUILD. YOU CAN DIG OUT FOR NOW BUT YOU CAN'T RECONSTITUTE. BUT WE CAN WE ARE RELOADING WITH MORE POWER THAN EVER BEFORE, AND BETTER INTELLIGENCE EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY BETTER INTELLIGENCE THAN EVER BEFORE. AS YOU EXPOSE YOURSELF WITH YOUR MOVEMENT TO OUR WATCHFUL EYE. WE ARE LOCKED AND LOADED ON YOUR CRITICAL DUAL USE INFRASTRUCTURE, ON YOUR REMAINING POWER GENERATION, AND ON YOUR ENERGY INDUSTRY. WE WOULD RATHER NOT HAVE TO DO IT, BUT WE ARE READY TO GO AT THE COMMAND OF OUR PRESIDENT AT THAT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON. THIS BLOCKADE WHICH OF THE CHAIRMAN WILL DETAIL THIS MORNING IS THE POLITE WAY THAT THIS CAN GO. YOUR ENERGY IS NOT MOVING, AND WILL NOT MOVE AND WE CAN DO THIS ALL DAY. BUT IT'S NOT DESTROY JET, YOUR ENERGY INDUSTRY IS NOT DESTROYED YET. YOU LIKE TO SAY PUBLICLY, IRAN, THAT YOU CONTROL THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A NAVY OR REAL DOMAIN AWARENESS. YOU CAN'T CONTROL ANYTHING. TO BE CLEAR, THREATENING TO SHOOT MISSILES AND DRONES AT SHIPS, COMMERCIAL SHIPS THAT A LAWFULLY TRANSCENDING INTERNATIONAL WATERS, THAT IS NOT CONTROL. THAT'S PIRACY. THAT'S TERRORISM. THE UNITED STATES NAVY CONTROLS THE TRAFFIC GOING IN AND OUT OF THE STRAIGHT, BECAUSE WE HAVE REAL ASSETS AND REAL CAPABILITIES. AND WE ARE DOING THIS LOCK A PERFORMANCE AT WITH LESS THAN 10% OF AMERICA'S NAVAL POWER. THE MATH IS CLEAR THAT WERE USING 10% OF THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL NAVY AND GET 0% OF YOUR NAVY. THAT'S REAL CONTROL AND WE HAVE A LONG TRACK RECORD OF DEALING WITH PIRATES AND TERRORISTS. BUT THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE. AS OUR NEGOTIATORS HAVE SAID, YOU, IRAN, CAN CHOOSE A PROSPEROUS FUTURE, A GOLDEN BRIDGE. AND WE HOPE THAT YOU DO FOR THE PEOPLE OF IRAN. IN THE MEANTIME AND FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES WE WILL MAINTAIN THIS BLOCKADE SUCCESSFULLY LIKE IT. BUT IF IRAN CHOOSES POORLY, THEN THEY WILL HAVE A BLOCKADE AND BOMBS DROPPING ON INFRASTRUCTURE, POWER AND ENERGY. ENERGY. AND AT THE SAME TIME TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT AND HER FRIEND OVER AT TREASURY ARE LAUNCHING OPERATION ECONOMIC THEORY AS WELL, MAXIMIZING ECONOMIC PRESSURE ACROSS THE ENTIRETY OF THE GOVERNMENT. TO IRAN, CHOOSE WISELY. THE WORLD WATCHED AND SO DID YOU AS A U.S. MILITARY MOVED SEAMLESSLY FROM MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS TO A WORLD-CLASS BLOCKADE. WE CAN MAKE THE TRANSITION AGAIN VERY QUICKLY AND EVEN MORE POWERFULLY THAN EVER. AT THE DIRECTION OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, THE WAR WILL ENSURE IRAN NEVER HAS A NUCLEAR WEAPON, NEVER. WE WOULD PREFER TO DO WITH THE NICE WAY, THROUGH A DEAL LED BY OUR GREAT VICE PRESIDENT AND NEGOTIATING TEAM, OR WE CAN DO IT THE HARD WAY. WE URGE THIS NEW REGIME TO CHOOSE WISELY."https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/sec...
