Market manipulation

[CptTrips]

Free helicopter rides for all the ones that contribute to market manipulation and take advantage of insider trading

Technically that would only be half a helicopter ride.

[Busher]

Would it be earth shattering if "public servants" actually worked to serve the interests of the public some day?

[Oldman731]

Would it be earth shattering if "public servants" actually worked to serve the interests of the public some day?

Would you like to be a public servant?  With people prying into not only your own childhood, but that of your wife, your children, and all of their relatives?  With a public expectation that you have never made a serious mistake?  With the internet ability to track down everything you've ever said?

After I practiced law for a few years, I told my wife that there are people out there - many people - that she would never be able to understand.  Those people have different values, different goals, different upbringings.  As an extreme example, most people will never be able to understand a serial killer's mind.  Broaden that inquiry:  There are a lot of people you will never understand.

I have known a few politicians in my time.  They are not like you or me.  They don't mind exposing their families to that sort of scrutiny.  Probably that was different 250 years ago.  But now, the public expects perfection.

You wouldn't want to do it.  I don't want to do it.  I doubt that most of the people on these boards would want to be public servants.  So please give a break to the people who are willing to do that.

- oldman

[Brooke]

It's terribly bad to just shrug off.

We are of like mind on this one.

Some of my state's Congressmen (Senator Marsha Blackburn, Congressman Tim Burchett, for example) have been pushing for and sponsoring bills for its elimination.  I strongly support that.

If you've placed very large bets

It is a blatant source of conflict of interest.  It is one of the many parts of the loathsome giant political grift machine.

[Busher]

Would you like to be a public servant?  With people prying into not only your own childhood, but that of your wife, your children, and all of their relatives?  With a public expectation that you have never made a serious mistake?  With the internet ability to track down everything you've ever said?

After I practiced law for a few years, I told my wife that there are people out there - many people - that she would never be able to understand.  Those people have different values, different goals, different upbringings.  As an extreme example, most people will never be able to understand a serial killer's mind.  Broaden that inquiry:  There are a lot of people you will never understand.

I have known a few politicians in my time.  They are not like you or me.  They don't mind exposing their families to that sort of scrutiny.  Probably that was different 250 years ago.  But now, the public expects perfection.

You wouldn't want to do it.  I don't want to do it.  I doubt that most of the people on these boards would want to be public servants.  So please give a break to the people who are willing to do that.

- oldman

In The Republic, Plato suggests that true leaders should be motivated by a sense of duty, not by ambition, greed, or the desire for control. He argued that anyone who actively seeks power is likely to be corrupted by it, while those who are reluctant to wield it are more likely to govern with wisdom, justice, and selflessness.

I believe the electorate has the right to demand integrity and ethics... and the congress should be expected to enforce it.

[DmonSlyr]

In The Republic, Plato suggests that true leaders should be motivated by a sense of duty, not by ambition, greed, or the desire for control. He argued that anyone who actively seeks power is likely to be corrupted by it, while those who are reluctant to wield it are more likely to govern with wisdom, justice, and selflessness.

I believe the electorate has the right to demand integrity and ethics... and the congress should be expected to enforce it.

Well in America, congress positions were never meant to be full time careers with forever long retirement funds after 5 years, and their salaries were relatively low to prevent that. It was merely their duty to sacrifice their time for the betterment of the country and not for their own personal gain. Our government now is basically controlled by NGOs and interest groups, and if you dont have money to begin with. You have to kiss some butt to get it, not from individuals, but from mega donors who have their own agendas. But let's face it. Insider trading is a perfect example of Congress isnt holier than thou on every decision because they are voting for their donors agenda, not the peoples, and they will leak information to those donors which could put certain operations at risk. Further, a group of individuals with the same overall agenda thats been carefully crafted by those interest groups over decades to appear partisan, but really all pushing the same NGO interest. Isnt any different than a single person doing the same thing.

[Eagler]

The gig was never meant to be for life..

Corrupt useless selfish self-centered bought and paid for stooges imo..sry oldman no sympathy from me for them as it deals with this and most of their job performances...

They are helping the ship sink these days imo...

And it seems the choices just keep getting worse..matter of time imo...maybe we can replace them all with properly programmed AI...

Eagler

[AKIron]

Sure seems like we are the only ones getting muted for politics right. They can make slights and faints all day but when you defend then we are the ones who get muted. Funny how that works.

It's HT's board and he can moderate it any way he wants. It is becoming more obvious which way that is. A tiny subset of Bluesky.

[CptTrips]

Would you like to be a public servant?  With people prying into not only your own childhood, but that of your wife, your children, and all of their relatives?  With a public expectation that you have never made a serious mistake?  With the internet ability to track down everything you've ever said?

We should all keep in mind they are human.  However given the power over our lives they can wield, they have to be held to the highest standard.

The trend over the decades hasn't been that we've been too mean to these poor politicians.  The trend is that we've lowered our standards more and more, NOT hold our leaders to the same standards we would hold our military leaders. 

When the other side act illegally is it horrendous, their side however, never never never never does anything wrong.  Their leader can never be held accountable for anything ever, or else that is their "side" losing and the other "side" winning.
We elect people we would never invite for dinner in our homes or want to date our sister. or buy a used car from... Yet we hand the the keys to the military and the nuclear codes.

Bottom line is that you can not have a civil society any better than the basic moral character of its leaders.  Decide what kind of country you want to live in.

[CptTrips]

It's HT's board and he can moderate it any way he wants. It is becoming more obvious which way that is. A tiny subset of Bluesky.

Well I can tell you Demonslayer's problem.

He goes from the proposition to, "You're all a bunch of pathetic CLOWNS!  You all make me sick to my stomach, you potato peeling Communists!" in two posts.

He is an earlier climaxer.

[CptTrips]

In The Republic, Plato suggests that true leaders should be motivated by a sense of duty, not by ambition, greed, or the desire for control. He argued that anyone who actively seeks power is likely to be corrupted by it, while those who are reluctant to wield it are more likely to govern with wisdom, justice, and selflessness.

I believe the electorate has the right to demand integrity and ethics... and the congress should be expected to enforce it.

I've always thought the same thing about cops.  The ones who really really really want to do that probably shouldn't be allowed.

I always thought the Florentine Republic had an interesting system:

https://chatgpt.com/share/69c684af-ad70-8330-a2a1-a78d13fb52de

[DmonSlyr]

Well I can tell you Demonslayer's problem.

He goes from the proposition to, "You're all a bunch of pathetic CLOWNS!  You all make me sick to my stomach, you potato peeling Communists!" in two posts.

He is an earlier climaxer.

That's false. I only respond to peoples posts and comments in an aggressive way directly if they insult me. I only quote and respond to ill informed political comments. Never starting politcal threads or starting posts about politics. I alwaya merely counter. You can go back and review my post history. Further, I actually play the game and comment in many other areas of the forums, unlike most of you, including Eviscerate whose 99% of comments are political in nature and is just here for politics. Also, you should learn history and understand the dangers of communism and how its crept into America. No coincidence the party of physical slavery is now the party of mental slavery who promotes communist ideas and tactics. Time for you guys to get a grip. 47 is only here because of 70 years of corruption that has been allowed and believe me I enjoy every day watching all the Rhinos and donkeys cry watching their syndicate all get exposed and dismantled after what they've done to America.

[Oldman731]

Bottom line is that you can not have a civil society any better than the basic moral character of its leaders.  Decide what kind of country you want to live in.

My very point.  Given the cost of being in politics, we aren't going to get Ben Franklins or Abraham Lincolns anymore.  Their modern-day equivalents are just not interested.

- oldman

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

Would you like to be a public servant?  With people prying into not only your own childhood, but that of your wife, your children, and all of their relatives?  With a public expectation that you have never made a serious mistake?  With the internet ability to track down everything you've ever said?

After I practiced law for a few years, I told my wife that there are people out there - many people - that she would never be able to understand.  Those people have different values, different goals, different upbringings.  As an extreme example, most people will never be able to understand a serial killer's mind.  Broaden that inquiry:  There are a lot of people you will never understand.

I have known a few politicians in my time.  They are not like you or me.  They don't mind exposing their families to that sort of scrutiny.  Probably that was different 250 years ago.  But now, the public expects perfection.

You wouldn't want to do it.  I don't want to do it.  I doubt that most of the people on these boards would want to be public servants.  So please give a break to the people who are willing to do that.

- oldman

I refuse to give a break to criminals who steal from me, waste my money, and attempt to RULE over me rather than govern with my consent. Sorry, not buying that crap. Out of 535 members of congress, there might be 50 public servants, the rest are grifters.

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

My very point.  Given the cost of being in politics, we aren't going to get Ben Franklins or Abraham Lincolns anymore.  Their modern-day equivalents are just not interested.

- oldman

"Our Constitution was designed to govern a moral and religious people, and is wholly unsuited to govern any other".


The vast majority of the nation is neither moral nor religious, and most of the rest are lazy and apathetic, not to mention just plain stupid. Everyone is getting the government that most deserve.

"Democracy, the theory that the people know what they want, and deserve to get it, good and hard." Which is why they designed a Constitution based representative Republic, that is devolving into a "democracy", because stupid people believe that to be what they "want".

You ain't getting Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, or Hamilton anymore, because stupid, lazy, immoral people want politicians to steal for them. Not because those people do not exist, or are unwilling to serve.