Definition of Opinion:  A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof.

Please be respectful to others with differing opinions. 

Bill RIHS

Lorts, my post was two subjects. First, you can't give it a rest on Desantis and Ukrain. Second, just ESG. Are you fine with that and your Braden's veto of the bipartisan legislation?

Mike Lorts

Frank,

I have struggled with my view on the Russian/Ukrainian war because I didn't serve in the military. How could I encourage our country to participate in this war? I base my belief on history. The US was late coming to the aide of the UK during WW2. That delay allowed Hitler to gain strength. Fortunately we joined our allies to stop that madman. Obama made a huge error by not responding to Putin's invasion of Crimea. Xi and every other dictator is watching how this war ends. A Russian victory will encourage them to push forward with their plans to take over more vulnerable countries. It would be a mistake to compare this war to Vietnam.

Jim Coats

Greg Watkins

Mike Lorts

Bill,

My opinion on ESG is that as long as pension funds make it clear that they are using ESG as one of their screens I'm fine with that. My financial advisor would only use ESG if I gave. him permission.  Now that I answered your question on ESG will you give me your opinion on DeSantis view on the Ukrainian war.

Jim Coats

Greg.  Agreed on #9710.

Mike L.  I "think" we have all stated our stance on Ukraine based on our armchair knowledge.  Mine is get in or get out, but as I have said many times, I don't have access to the daily intel.  Ukraine is/was/may still be a corrupt country, but I grieve for their civilian losses.  DeSantis is not privvy to the intel either and I think he is hesitant to go all in verbally without intel on what "could be" another Afghanistan.  If you recall WWII history, Russian troops were used as cannon fodder by Stalin and he DID NOT CARE about the millions of Russian lives lost.....military and civilian.  On that subject, I think Ike and Bradley should have turned Patton loose and "Let him take Russia out "when he had the Army there to do it with."  Back to the other train of thought (I was derailed again), I'm afraid that Russian sonofabitch Putin doesn't care about the cost in lives.  "I  think" that Putin will never back off because he would lose face, and so, there you are.  IN or OUT.  Choose.  It "may" be that when it comes down to it, Europe/NATO may need to carry the burden.  I don't know and neither do you.

IF DeSantis is hesitant to go all in on Ukraine, that is ONE issue this country is facing.  I'm not going to enumerate all the others AGAIN for you.  NOT supporting the US involvement in Ukraine (totally or to some degree...we don't know what) would not necessarily eliminate him as a top ranked Republican candidate in my eyes.  I find it curious that you and some of the peacenik democrat party are just now rattling your flowers....I mean sabres....after your messiah Obama wanted nothing to do with it.  Have you checked with the head of the Star Chamber??

SECURE THE BORDER!!  AMERICA FIRST!!  FOLLOW THE MONEY!!  ENFORCE THE LAW!!**

**  I'm back to spelling out my CLOSER because I went back and saw that my acronym had been changed to FACE  in a couple of places.  Don't know how or why that happened.

DeWitt Bacon

I want to change the subject for now to what is happening in New York and the prosecutor, Alvin Bragg. Alvin Bragg is a Communist supported and funded by his Communist 'comrade,' George Soros. The Communists view Donald Trump as the biggest threat to the spread of Communism around the world. So they want to stop him from ever sitting in the White House again at any cost. Have you ever heard of Lavrentiy Beria? He was chief of the Russian secret police under Stalin. If you watch fox, you know who he is. He is mentioned many times. He is known for his Quote, "SHOW ME THE MAN AND I'LL FIND YOU THE CRIME." Bragg is following in the footsteps of Beria. As someone put it, Bragg is using 'gain of function' to elevate a misdemeanor, on which the statutes of limitation ran out years ago, to elevate it to a felony. The charges that Bragg is making would upgrade this to a federal case in which Bragg would have no jurisdiction. Bragg has no real case here, but he does have a liberal judge and liberal jurors on his side. Former President and current Presidential candidate Donald Trump thought he might be arrested today but so far, no word on that or even an indictment. I think Bragg knows he is walking on thin ice here. Could this all be saber-rattling on his part to distract us from the critical failures of the Biden administration?

Jim Coats

DeWitt.  I cannot wrap my brain around HOW people like Bragg get into....and stay in office.  The voters must be radical left or just plain ignorant.  

I can't say with certainty whether Bragg's quest will hurt OR help Trump.  IF he ever does file charges, this will be another media circus.  Someone once said that ANY publicity is good publicity....and guess who said that??  P.T. Barnum!!   See what I did there?.......Circus.....P.T. Barnum!  Get it?  I give up.

Bill RIHS

Mike Lorts, I doubt you or your advisor know what companies are using ESG. There is no law against now. Especially now that Braden vetoed efforts to do just that. As far as Desantis comments on Ukrain, I don't agree in total with him. You talk about jumping in too late, you mean just like Branden in Ukrain? Remember then this POTUS said he would be ok with a  "minor incursion". Then delayed giving the necessary equipment that he and the NATO were asked for. If numb nut had given what was need from the get go this subject would not be a subject for discussion. You still support this numb nut in our White House?

Mike Lorts

For all of you ranting about the NY DA's probable law suit against Trump wait until the Georgia law suit begins indictments. The Georgia suit has real teeth and could actually bring a conviction.

Frank Wiley

Two interesting things today.  1. Radek Sikorsky--Polands Foreign Minister said about giving the Migs to Ukraine, "We don't want Ukraine to attack Russian Territory."  How in the hell are they going to control that?  2. Georgia is considering letting Education Money follow the Student and be directed by the Parents like Arizona.  Georgia State Representative, a Democrat, Lydia Glaize said today that Parents that didn't graduate from High School aren't qualified to make educational decisions for their Children.  Can you imagine what would happen if a Republican ever said anything like that?  Google her and what she said.  Just filled up in Farmington N.M. At Sams Club---  $3.27 a gallon.  

Mike Lorts

Frank,

Ukrain wants/needs NATO, THE EU, and the US to continue to wage their war against Russia. Believe me, they will not do anything to jeopardize those relationships.

Frank Wiley

Remember what I said about a Rouge Pilot?  I bet it could happen.  The U.S. strictly adhered to the Geneva Convention in Vietnam (but not the NVA or VC) but do you remember a guy named Lt. Caley?

Bill RIHS

Mike Lorts, you have bought into every Liberal conspiracy theory starting with Russia. Remember you said Trump was a traitor/quilty of collation and would be found guilty. I am no legal expert but Alan Dershowitz said today that the Georgia law suit has less validity than the NYC's Bragg's bs.

Mike Lorts

Frank,

There could also be a rogue soldier that launches a series of long range missiles into Russia. That possibility would not exist if Putin had not invaded Ukrain. I understand that there is possibility of this war escalating into a nuclear war. It scares the hell out of me but I don't know of any other options. Diplomacy would be the best but Putin only responds to violence. If we (the World) do nothing because of the possibility of nuclear war Putin will not be be stopped.

My whole life I have advocated for non-violence. I guess I never imagined the world would never see another Hitler. I was a charter member of an organization called Beyond War which taught its member conflict resolution. My current stance on the Ukrainian War goes against all I was taught.

Frank Wiley

Mike L.--That was good of you to join "Beyond War".  Rotary has a program very similar.  We had a "Peace Conference" in Phoenix a number of years back between some high level Pakistanis and some high level Indians (Reps from India not Native Americans).  It was very successful!  There hasn't been a breakout of war between them since then.  The problem anti-war groups like that have is that it takes two parties that truly want peace!!  The problem we have with the Ukrainian situation is that Putin is crazy and evil.  Anyone who is killing Women and Children, and kidnapping children is mentally ill!!  Although their Country is being torn to shreds the Ukrainians are more than holding their own.  If we put a Coilition Army on Russias border what would Putin do and if he fired on us what would we do.  If we fired on him, what would he do?  If he fired on us what would we do?  I'm betting this would be way harder and bloodier than our coilition going into Iraq.

Frank Wiley

Obama put Janet Yellen as Fed Chair.  She started this mess when she lowered the Fed Rate from 3 1/2 to 3/4.   She then left the Fed.  Now she's the unqualified Treasury Secretary and has no clue what to do.  I.E. "Inflation is Transitory".

DeWitt Bacon

Frank

In your Post, 69721, you mentioned Georgia State Representative Lydia Glaiz and her comment that anyone that is not a Highschool graduate is not qualified to make educational decisions for their Children. I know that times have changed since the 40s, but for what it's worth. My dad was not a high school graduate. He went to work for his father's electrical business and, when he was old enough, joined the Navy and quickly rose to the rank of Chief Electrician. After the war, he joined the electrical union and quickly rose to a journeyman electrician. By the time he retired, he was a foreman running the jobs. He was a very intelligent man, a good father who cared a lot about our education. That, of course, was back in the days of EDUCATION, not INDOCTRINATION. Now we have a man with a college degree mumbling and bumbling his way around the white house, not knowing what he is doing, and tearing down our country. Perhaps it is Lydia who needs to go back to high school. I'm sure my dad could teach her a thing or two.

This post is not intended to praise my dad, although I think he is worthy of it. I'm sure many of you had dad's like that. Instead, it is an example of how people like Lydia Glaiz Don't know as much as they think they do.

Mike Lorts

Frank,

I share your concerns that this war could escalate into a nuclear war. We have lived in a "MAD" Mutually Assured Destruction world for decades. This is the first time we've had the leader of nuclear power that is willing to use his nuclear arsenal to hold the world hostage while he plunders Ukrain.

Mike Lorts

DeWitt,

My dad went to work at 13. He never finished his schooling. Eventually he started his own business and built it into a successful enterprise. Even though he was very savvy in business matters he was always aware of "he knew what he didn't know". He hired professionals to do he accounting and legal matters. In that regard I think parents should take an active role in their children's education but respect that their teachers are professionals.

Jim Coats

This is going to send both sides spinning out of control...at least a little bit.  What the GA state representative Lydia Glaiz said about "anyone who is not a high school grad is not qualified to make educational decisions for their children" is a bridge too far as a blanket, all-inclusive solution/statement and causes me to think of many examples where that is not....was not....the case.  However, there was some truth in what she said in my opinion.  I'm not trying to speak for her, but a thought occurred to me that there is probably a horrifyingly large number of "parents" who aren't qualified to make ANY decisions, not to mention educational decisions for their children.  I don't think that a parental education level is the only consideration.

IF the parent is derelict in their duty of care and comfort for their child, they are NOT qualified to make pretty much any decisions.  There can be many ingredients going into the "derelict" parent's lack of qualification, etc.  If I need to spell out the dozens or hundreds of situations that disqualifies a parent, then you haven't been watching what's happening in our country and the world for that matter.  Parents who are:  Harvard grads and drug addicts - not qualified; Abusive parents...physically and mentally, but they graduated from H.S., maybe even college - not qualified.  And so on.  

Just like the homeless problem....drug problem....gang problem...and so on to infinity where we, as a country, "seem" to feel those people are not worth saving because we have NOT after all these decades, this is NOT an easy fix and cannot be solved (as some on this Site want conservatives to do) in a paragraph or two with a new policy statement.  How long has this misery continued and how will we ever survive it?  Answer many, many decades and we will NOT.

I guess Glaiz's solution was to have the school board step in and "come to the rescue."  If not the school board, then who?  Nobody has done it so far.  I am truly asking who....who will step up to the plate?  We are not addressing this problem, but instead we want to spend money and human resources to change pronouns, teach grade school kids about gender changes, forgive student loans, pay reparations to blacks, ad infinitum.  That's where the current administration and left wing democrats want to spend your money.  We as a nation are spiraling out of control because of....here it comes....A LACK OF DISCIPLINE and WILL.  Until we as a nation learn discipline and conjur up a true will, we are doomed.

SECURE THE BORDER!!  AMERICA FIRST!!  FOLLOW THE MONEY!!  ENFORCE THE LAW!!

Mike Lorts

I want to ask all of you a question. When you were in school and you came home with a "D". How did your parents react?

Today if little Johnny comes home with a "D" his parents schedule a meeting with his teacher and ask the teacher why he/she is picking on little Johnny?

This is one reason our kids are not up to speed!!!

Dennis Moran

Mike Lorts ref # 9728

As long as the D wasn't in penmanship it didn't bother my dad....except one time he went to see the sister to get my report card...she had nothing good to tell him... except Dennis doen't seem to have time for school ...well i was punished that sunday by the only tv i watched was hockey...i learned alot, its been my favorite sport ever since. The way my folks looked at it a D was passing.  In high school it mattered more no major punishment except hearing my dad telling me i had to do better....playing football helped me their cause i had to improve my grades...I sill wish i would of gone to Madison 2 with kids I payed with and hung out with... .

as long as my kids tried a D was fine. .  When I look back so may people would of sold their soul for a B or A sure makes the grade worthless....Cheat and get the grade......I would much rather have a child that tries vs the letter grade.

Frank Wiley

Jim, I agree with you but I would add "work ethic".  I was never a great student but I was a good student when I went back to college after the Marine Corps.  The difference was dicipline and motivation.  It was funny how the threat of Vietnam helped me in "boot camp" and "ITR" concentrate on learning everything that would keep me alive.  Probably the only time in my life I was an "A" student.  When I got to college afterwards I knew I could excel.

Jim Coats