About that Laptop...

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Private, yes, but that does not mean it is just for rich kids nor that it isn't highly reputable. Many of the best schools in the US are private with large endowments that can offer substantial scholarships to middle class families, sometimes bringing the cost below that of a public university. This particular one gave a friend of mine in high school a full ride.

Sorry, a bit off topic, but calling it a "private university for rich kids" just rubbed me the wrong way. A few schools, like USC, might have a stronger reputation for graduating kids from families with money than for academics, but I've never been under the impression that Washington University in St. Louis is one of them.

Slate podcast about Hunter Biden's laptop. Soft paywall.

In the early days of the internet, WUSTL was a hotbed of internet innovation.

Yes I see your point, many of the Ivy league universities have huge endowments so can afford to offer full or partial scholarships to 50-55% of their students. But that's still damn competitive. I wonder if Tiucker Carlson was trying the same trick as full house actress Lori Louchlin used to get her mediocre kids into college? when Hunter couldn't deliver he (Carlson) decided to bin the "friendship"

I'll read it whenever Hunter Biden is in the administration or running for office.

The GOP does this crap constantly. Didn't Kushner get $2bn from Saudis? He was actually you know, in the administration too.

Here's what you need to know about how the GOP works:

their goal is to divide the working and middle classes with stupid cultural issues while they cut taxes on the rich. They want to cut all government spending that benefits anyone but the rich (they need the military to keep the oil flowing and enemies of capitalism destroyed!).

The Democrats lie about the extent of their policy's impact. They say they will reduce inflation but in reality it is probably a slight reduction 3 years from now. Its true, but a lie in magnitude.

The GOP tells you they are protecting pre existing conditions while they are suing to remove protections. Yes, look up Mike Pence's 2020 RNC speech where he said this, and at the same time the administration was suing to remove the protections.

Republicans lie about their policy intent. Both Bush Jr and Trump lied extensively about their tax cuts impacts for the typical American. Nearly all of the benefits went to the rich in Bush Jr's case and it was extra blatant under Trump's cuts. In Trumps cuts, he straight up raised taxes on a lot of people making under 100k/year! Yet his base actually believes it was a tax cut! Like I can't convince them otherwise despite having a literal PhD in Economics! I've seen the analysis, and that requires a lot of reading and you have to take classes in other things to understand government accounting. Thats how they get away with it.

Republicans lie about being fiscally responsible. How they maintain that image is a master in marketing. When Clinton left, we were on track to really eliminate the national debt. Then GOP comes in and says they are going to cut taxes - no cuts in spending in fact we are going to blow a bunch on two wars. Oh and again, they lie and say "our tax cuts will pay for themselves, this war will be quick and easy! There are WMDs here! Slam Dunk!"

The "tax cuts will pay for themselves" lie is unparalleled in American politics and they've been saying it over and over again. The "MSM" at best just goes, "Republicans say it will pay for itself, Democrats disagree."

Its not an opinion. Tax cuts do not pay for themselves in most situations. The situations in which they can pay for themselves are in cases of extremely high taxes (like 90%) and we are far, far from that.

The bending over backwards of the media to try to make Paul Ryan seem like an intellectual serious budget balancer in the 2012 was astounding. He literally said he would balance the budget!*

*oh but he never told anyone really how. He just said he would do it with unspecified cuts. The problem is, if you wanted to balance the budget and not consider tax increases you are a moron. Yet the media so badly wants to have a "serious Republican" in their narrative so he was given a pass.

If the media since Reagan called it what it was and said "Republicans Lie about Impact of Cutting Taxes on the Budget," it would be easier. But right wingers would go, "media is biased!" No, the earth is billions of years old, we evolved from lower beings, and tax cuts don't pay for themselves. Saying otherwise is a lie and those repeating it don't actually believe it. Their goal is to blow up the debt so they can justify draconian cuts in the future. Its called "strategic debt accumulation." Its actually something they too studied in political science (as I did).

Its been the same since Reagan. Trump did not change a bit - his tax cut was actually a tax increase on most people! But the tax cuts on the rich were permanent.

They get away with it because the common American falls asleep when accountants start talking about capital gains taxes and such.

If the common American knew what the rich get away with - there would be a revolt.

And no, if you have a job that pays a salary, you are not rich.

Did you know that you can make 100k/year in capital gains in the US and pay $0 in tax?

If you have a few million to spare, I can tell you how to pay $0 in tax. You keep all your money invested in real estate and you borrow against the gains. The cost of borrowing gets deducted from your taxes and you use rent from rental properties to just barely cover the operating costs.

You can operate in this way forever because the interest rate is lower than the growth rate of the property.

Thats why Bill Gates has all his money in farmland and he rents it out to farmers. He never cashes out he just borrows off the cap gains and your wealth will grow forever, tax free. The rich do not want to pay into America. The rich are not patriotic - their kids won't be in the trenches with us if we get invaded by an enemy. Their kids will be at worst given exemptions and probably most likely they'd just leave the country.

But yes, by all means, lets talk about Hunter Biden's laptop.

Brilliant analysis! You just pwned the person to whom you were responding.

The whataboutism is strong with this one.

I probably shouldn't have clicked that link since I am basically out of data, but oh well.

So, now I am confused, that university is in st Louis, MO and is simply called Washington university in st Louis. So they weren't trying to get their kid in an elite university in DC instead of some no name place in fly-over country?

In flyover country, yes, but NOT a "no-name" University. It is a high tier school.

Interesting, I've never heard of it before, but I guess I am more familiar with the more coastal schools, especially those on the east coast. I'm still surprised that he was trying to get his kid into that university in St Louis, Mo when he lives in DC and is surrounded by elite universities.