Who's to Blame, and/or who gets the credit....

[DaBurglar]

 we currently have a phenomenon in this country of a VERY healthy economy  (the superficial, surface aspects and indexes anyway), employment (again on the surface/superficial) and crime.....and yet a VERY significant minority of voters saw fit to choose for president a man who INSISTED that all these things (and many others) were abject disasters, and that unless we elected him the country was headed towards oblivion  since he (and only he) knew how to fix it and stop it.....First off, how is this even possible?  True, if Obama (who now, unfathomably, enjoys one of the HIGHEST approval ratings EVER for a lame duck outgoing 2 term president) had been running for a third term he would have TROUNCED The Donald embarrassingly....and he is now finally being given some credit (or more specifically, being spared the baseless and absurd criticism and blame) that marked his 8 years in office.....but clearly voters hatred and DISSATTRACTION  to one HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON  had by far the most telling and decisive influence on the final results of the election.   So now, much to the anxiety (and horror, even) of people who actually know/understand a thing or two about the intricacies and nuances of Government, Finance, the Economy (both the Macro and Micro levels) and INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, we are watching unfold the spectacle of a Insulated, willfully ignorant, pathologically corrupt President-elect attempt to throw together a cabinet and executive team to perform the functions of the EXECUTIVE branch of the federal government for the next four years......I rue the day the Democrats simply acquiesced and "allowed" Hillary essentially to inherit the nomination simply because it was "her turn, her time", and I rue the day the REPUBLICANS could not find it in their hearts and minds to get behind early on ANY one of the other 12 candidates (but ideally JEB Bush or John Kasich).......Listen Up people.....brace yourselves, stock up on all non perishable foodstuffs and above all "Crystal Clear Sparkling Clean Water" .... the reckoning is coming.....I'm not going to preach, but keep a Bible handy too. Ask yourselves, what level (or manifestation) of DISASTER needs to unfold or needs to be seen & experienced before each of you realize and recognize just what a huge catastrophic mistake choosing this man was.....?

[Tedlark]

Who's got Harry Stanffer's telephone number?

[Carcounter]

The man hasn't even been sworn into office yet and the world is coming to an end. Throw together a cabinet. Really? DB, you and I live in a fairly prosperous part of the Country. The northeast. You are in Mass. and I am in NJ. It is hard for us to understand the way people feel in other parts of the country that are not doing as well. A whole lot of people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa who voted for Obama twice, voted for Trump this time. Try to understand their worries about the economy and jobs. They are not doing as well as you think. I just got back from a 4 day trip to Cleveland and can tell you that there are some fine people out there ( I personally prefer them to most people I encounter here in NY/NJ on a daily basis). They are hopeful that Trump will do something to stem the tide. I think he has handled himself quite well  so far in this transition period. In my opinion be prepared to be surprised-in a good way.

[edog743]

Da I am truly concerned with his cabinet picks. I believe he will deregulate any and all mining,oil drilling including fracking etc.

[Onenickelmiracl]

I blame you, if threads were titled right, we'd all be happy.

[seemoreroyals]

I never watched celebrity apprentice but I have a feeling that I will be watching it for the next four years whether I want to or not. I think we are in for a wild ride. But not in a good way like the people that voted for him are expecting. I hope I am wrong.

[case]

CNN is doing all it can to turn people against Trump. Every move The Donald makes is criticized. Give the man a chance.

[jetermacaw]

I just listen to Senator Joe Manchin, D West Virginia, he said the main reason Mr. Trump won was because outside of the two coasts, people STILL want to work.

[Tedlark]

And that includes WVA coal miners, HRC.....

[DaBurglar]

First, regarding "JOBS":    In the last 2 decades, BY FAR.....BY VERY VERY VERY FAR....the number of so called "good middle class jobs" (i.e. Manufacturing) that have been lost/eliminated have been because of.........TECHNOLOGICAL advancement and automation (in other words, "so called" PROGRESS)......you do not hear about this nearly enough, and it is no secret why:   Because politicians have NO ANSWER, no "antidote" for this......how do address a situation whereby the number of jobs being eliminated/lost due to technological progress far outstrips the number of new jobs being created?    That is not at all an easy answer.....you cannot tell companies to STOP innovating and finding less costly ways to do things!   Nor can you tell them, like Trump is trying to make everyone believe he can, that they cannot move their plants and factories somewhere else because its cheaper to and better for their bottomline...that's called CAPITALISM folks.     What you CAN do, and hopefully Trump does more of this, is restructure and implement government tax policies and regulations that make it desirable for companies to KEEP jobs in the USA....but that typically means TAXING the crap out of companies who make their goods overseas, and Republicans NEVER go for higher taxes....EVER.Second, regarding industries like everyone's favorite (and latest victim), the COAL MINERS:    You can look this up too, most of the coal miners in Kentucky and Pennsylvania and West Virginia have lost their job NOT simply or solely because of environmental regulations, but because the COAL INDUSTRY is now dominated by, and favors, MOUNTAIN TOP STRIP MINING versus digging holes in the ground to get and extract coal.   When coal companies employ a top down methodology to find and get the coal, far fewer workers are needed and instead machinery does all the work.  I wont even get into the still relevant and undeniable fact that coal is a filthy, horrible pollutant that has greatly contributed to global warming.....Coal is on its way out, one way or another;  Natural Gas Fracking is another undeniable, and unreversible, reason why coal is on the declins for good, its just too easy and less costly to grab the natural Gas, and its no contest as to which form of energy is less polluting, Natural Gas vs. Coal.    Thus, the reason(s) the VAST majority of the people in the Eastern Coal states are out of work is what I just mentioned......it does not take a genius to figure out why here, too, you dont hear a lot about this in the news....there is NO real solution to this quandry.Although, actually, there is ONE open avenue, or solution, to all the unemployed coal workers in Penn/ KY / W.Va ......go back to school and learn something else to do and make a living!    Sitting around in the Appalachian boondocks, collecting their own allottment of the public "dole" and constantly whining about environmental extremists taking away their living is pathetic....Trump himself does not give half a turd for any of those unemployed people who wasted their time and energy helping him get elected..... which is why he promised them things he knows can never come to fruition, because these people were just stepping stones, means to an end, and he does not care what happens to them now or forever more;  that's the kind of person he is, which is nothing new!   We have known about him for a long long time, which makes his election all the more mind boggling and really drives home just how awful Hillary Clinton was and is!!      Now, what would the responsible, even MORAL, thing to do as far as the Government is concerned when it comes to these out of work coal miners?   Seriously, what can and should be done to help these workers, who as other posters before me have pointed out, all want.....W A N T .... to work...?Funds and programs need to be set aside to assist all COAL industry workers who want it and qualify to be re-trained and re-educated in order to become viable employees in a different field or industry.  Seriously, what other option is there, and what more appropriate role of government is there and use of government funds, than helping workers in an industry that is disappearing due to forces beyond any of their control!?!?!?!?   This truly is what government exists for and to do.....to help people and society deal with problems and situations that are far beyond their own private and limited means of coping.    Simply being "Nostalgic" and remembering the days of yesteryear when America was supposedly "on top", and trying to recreate those days/conditions is impossible, irresponsible and pointless (as well as immoral since any person advocating such course of action is knowingly advocating for something he/she knows is false, unrealistic and most of all UNATTAINABLE..... and such a person is guilty of deceiving masses of people who are themselves vulnerable, desperate, afraid and full of anxiety, all of which makes them particularly susceptible to grandiose claims and proposals offering swift resolution of the problem or situation!)