The first hole of golf I ever played, I scored a birdie. It all went downhill from there. A bloke I know scored an albatross, and never shut up about it. He married one too.

Interesting article from The Independent on possible changes to the power structure in Russia

maccamax wrote: [QUOTE=Tlazolteotl] "Golf match? I've won 18 Club Championships including this weekend."

     Congratulations Tiaz .   A tough game to master.   Like Eddie Charlton ( World snooker Champion ) once told our club members '
If your not prepared to practice 8 hours a day , 6 days a week , forget the high level ambitions. That's a lot of practice.

My friends wife scored a hole in one recently ....   Haven't heard the end of it yet.      Over the moon achievement. [/QUOTE

That's a quote from the braggart in chief not me.

Dr E wrote: You could win a C grade club championship without ever breaking 100 ... not a major achievement.

I've never broken 200 so what hope me.

That is two words, Doc !

Mini-Golf

Dr E wrote: Lawn bowlers have smoking, drinking, food and punting within 20 meters of their finger tips at all times ... it is the ultimate sport!

Yeah, if they can stand up to the challenge   

Comment: US tax cuts prove Donald Trump is nothing but a fake populist

http:www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/comment-us-tax-cuts-prove-donald-trump-is-nothing-but-a-fake-populist/ar-BBFoHwc?li=AAgfYrC&ocid=mailsignout

. And their president. Trump, in short, is no populist, he is only masquerading as one. He's a fake populist. Then again, Trump has never made any bones about his attitude to enriching himself. "The point is," as he once said, "you can never be too greedy."

US tax cuts prove Donald Trump is nothing but a fake populist

Peter Hartcher

Published: November 21 2017 - 12:00AM

 The tax reform proposal now being developed in the US Congress confirms that Donald Trump is no populist. A populist is someone who champions the ordinary folk against the elite. This is precisely what Donald Trump did in running for the presidency. He said that he "used to be" part of America's "financial elite", though "I hate to say it". But, said the man who claimed to be worth $US10 billion ($13.25 billion), he had changed: "You know the funny thing, I don't get along with rich people. I get along with the middle class and the poor people better than I get along with the rich people."

And these were the people he would serve as president: "Every day, I wake up determined to deliver a better life for the people all across this nation that have been neglected, ignored, and abandoned," said Trump. "These are the forgotten men and women of our country." He would "drain the swamp" of corrupt elites and lobbyists. And overarching his appeal to the overlooked was his pitch to patriotism: "I am going to make America great again."

We can now test his claims against the tax reform plans he and his party are supporting. There is no more honest reckoning of a politician's true loyalties than how he or she distributes the cash. There are now three key Republican proposals for US tax reform. The President set the agenda by writing the first set of proposals. The Republicans in both chambers of the US Congress have now each put forward their own versions. The Republicans, who dominate both chambers and hold the White House, don't want to miss this opportunity. They're racing to legislate by the end of the year.

The House and Senate versions differ. They will need to be reconciled and amended. But there are enough commonalities across the three plans to give a clear picture of intent. Trump's original plan was drafted to make sure that the greatest benefit went to the richest Americans.

America is a a country where the richest three people have as much wealth as the poorest half of the population, according to the Institute for Policy Studies based on the Forbes rich list. That is, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos of Amazon together have estimated wealth of a quarter of a trillion US dollars, about the same as the combined the wealth of the poorest 160 million Americans. Two of those three mega-rich men, Gates and Buffett, say that the system is broken. Buffett says that it's unfair that he pays the same amount of tax as his secretary. This pair campaigns for a fairer tax system. But the Republicans have revealed themselves to hold the opposite priority.

For example, the three versions of Republican tax reform would either abolish or dramatically cut back the amount of inheritance tax paid by the rich. Never has so much been offered to so few - only about 5,500 American families are expected to pay this tax this year. Only estates assessed at over $5.49 million pay any inheritance tax at all, or double this amount in the event that it's the estate of a couple.

All three plans would cut the amount of tax paid by high income earners. In the House version, the top marginal rate would remain as it is at 39.6 per cent. But changes to allowances and other tax provisions guarantee that the overall tax burden would fall. For instance, the plan would abolish the alternative minimum tax, as originally urged by Trump. This is a tax that makes sure that, however cleverly the rich are able to claim deductions, they still pay at least some income tax.

The combined effect of all the provisions in the most complete and advanced of the three, the House plan, which was last week passed by the House and now goes to the Senate, is that the richest 1 per cent get 21 per cent of the total tax cut, according to the Tax Policy Centre at the Brookings Institution. To qualify for the top 1 per cent you need an annual income of $US730,000. Having qualified, you'd get a tax cut of about $US37,000 or 2.5 per cent of income. By the year 2050, this group's share of the total benefit would have swollen to 50 per cent. The bottom one-fifth of earners would get a tax cut too - of $60 a year, equal to 0.4 per cent of their average total income. Those in the middle would have tax relief of $US840 a year, or 1.5 per cent of income.

Trump has claimed that the Republican plans would not benefit him or his family personally. "It's not good for me," the President said. "Believe me." But an analysis of his 2005 tax return found that the House tax plan would have saved Trump personally $US20 million that year, according to Maury Cartine, a tax expert at Marcum LLP, commissioned by TV network NBC News, no friend of Trump's. The biggest bonanza, however, would go to his heirs. If the Bloomberg Billionaire Index is correct in estimating Trump's true net wealth at $US2.86 billion, his heirs would reap a benefit of $US1.1 billion.

As for making America great again, the Republican plans would increase the US national debt. The House plan, for instance, on its own declared aim would add $US1.5 trillion to the US federal debt over a decade. To curb the debt blow-out, congressional "pay-as-you-go" rules mean that the White House's Office of Management and Budget will be required to make offsetting cuts to spending. How much? A cut of $US136 billion in 2018, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Trump's response? According to US media reports, White House officials have started drafting proposals to cut welfare spending. So people on welfare would face cuts to finance a tax plan whose biggest beneficiaries are the rich. It's hard to see how that helps the ordinary people.

And if the Congress refuses to cut welfare spending or some other category sufficiently, the deficit goes up. The Bipartisan Policy Centre says that the US could be running deficits of $US1 trillion a year from 2019. It's looking unmistakably like a Republican plunder of the US Treasury on behalf of their supporters and donors. And their president. Trump, in short, is no populist, he is only masquerading as one. He's a fake populist. Then again, Trump has never made any bones about his attitude to enriching himself. "The point is," as he once said, "you can never be too greedy."

Peter Hartcher is international editor.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/us-tax-cuts-prove-donald-trump-is-nothing-but-a-fake-populist-20171119-gzoq1n.html

maccamax wrote: Dr E wrote: Lawn bowlers have smoking, drinking, food and punting within 20 meters of their finger tips at all times ... it is the ultimate sport! By the time you get to lawn bowls there's not much interest in those pleasures Doc. Which reminds me of a funny one of yesteryear. If you have a moth ball in each hand , what does it signify.       A very large moth ..       I'm Desperate for a laugh aye.

So much to catch up on maxie, with Mueller having opened up at least 30 lines of inquiry and subpoenas and indictments flying in all directions. It has taken me a couple of days to try to get up to speed 

Where's the "smoking gun"? 

Dr E wrote: Where's the "smoking gun"?  ... and don't say "in Bill Clintons pants"!

This weeks prize ..I'm sure

Glad I read the lateat posts...
Trump seems to be going fine.
Done.

Greeting Shammy       

Always good to see some good American input into TBV.

I know teaching infants is a drag but someone has to do it.

Regards to Family and all those good Yanks ,doing what their great at,
        Screwing.      . The nose cones onto the armoury for delivery to NK if they don't behave.
Appears quiet on the Home front at the moment .

I hope you saw DR E, asking where the "smoking Gun " was.
Plus his recognising some may Jest ( In Bill Clinton's Trousers )
Loved that humour .      Reminder how good Bill really was .