Tariffs never made any sense to us. Civilized prosperity is built on trade, not autonomy. The man who makes his own shoes, grows his own food, and builds his own automobile, is a very busy man.
Where the hell was the supreme court when Biden let in 25 million illegal immigrants. The cost of that will suffer this country for another 20 years. There have been tariffs going on since 2016. Some that Trump started and Biden kept on collecting. This is all just more smoke and mirrors.
Do you remember Trump blocked the one piece of legislation that would have prevented the huge increase in illegal immigrants…and he was proud and happy to do it…this is a fact…
Bill always talks about real wealth as opposed to fake GDP.
Real wealth is what people do, the tangibles they produce. To me that is production.
The US at the time of WW2 was self sufficient, it had and produced natural resources, it was the leading industrial nation, it was avant- guard, inventive.
I watched the 12 blast furnaces of Bethlehem steel successively spark fireworks as the molten steel flowed out of furnaces into waiting rail cars, thirty-five thousand employed.
Americans produced their own food, every possible fruit and vegetables in season. Beef trucks running up and down the interstate from thousands of ranches to feeder lots and local slaughterhouses.
The production numbers and innovation during WW2… astounding.
All gone. All destroyed over 80 years of mismanagement and greed.
Today, the US is no better than England. They needed resources from empire.
Our empire was always vainglorious, in the minds of dunderheads, ephemeral and destructive.
There is a vivid story in the demise of a once great nation but there is no one smart enough to tell it. We are a nation of imbeciles. They call it higher education, and it increases in costs every 12 years. Everything increases in costs; it all goes to the top 20% and the rest can’t afford to live.
Everything being written about the deficit and tariffs puts the blame on Trump. The house and the Senate pass the spending bills which caused deficits. These are passed on to the president for signature.
The whole idea that the beginning of the last year was to cut the budget. DOGE gave insights on where extensive cuts could be made. It also showed the waste and fraud in government. Has Congress done anything to act upon any of this information? NO!!
Trump is trying to figure out ways to compact the deficit, but if Congress will not act on anything, then we continue along the path being set.
It looks like a permanent stalemate in Congress to get any corrective laws passed. There are a lot of possible solutions to these problems, but Bill, please stop blaming everything on Trump.
Trump's sole interests are 1) making more money for himself (and probably his family) and 2) gaining adoration of the American public as if he were some Caesar waving to his mob of admirers 2000 years ago. He is actually that egocentric and believes he can achieve those 2 goals by force. He could care less about how any of us here, who actually care about our and the country's future. He actually enjoys lording over the massive US underclass and the even greater mass of soon-to-become-underclass.
He has total faith in his crumbling and absurdly outdated military "brainstorms", supposedly to be implemented by a radio talkshow clown, who is almost unanimously rejected by the generals and admirals whose job is no longer protecting the homeland but "straightening out" the rest of the world. Trump's lone international supporter is Benjamin Netanyahu, who has already destroyed the country he barely commands, will bring another few centuries of prejudice against the brightest people on earth and who, together with Trump, intends to starve to death, kill, or disperse several million real Semites (that's REAL Anti-Semitism)..
His "brainstorms" to date have collapsed our tourist and education advantages, cut in half the value of the US dollar, promoted China into the position of world leader, put his "51st State" in a position of being able to destroy the US auto industry (450,000 employees), inspired widespread fear throughout the population and even hope for the incompetent Democrats.
No, Bonner, this is not a Supreme Smackdown. More of a technicality. Whether you agree with the tariffs or not, there are other laws passed by Congress that give the President the power to tariff. Apparently, as I understand it, the majority ruling still leaves Trump with the power to embargo goods from another country but not impose a tariff, because they define tariff as a tax and only Congress can tax! In any event, I wouldn't be wetting your pants yet, Bonner, until it all plays out.
When it comes to tariffs, the "devils in the details". Trump alleges that other countries are using tariffs and other means to prevent US goods into their countries (the extent that they do this is up for debate). Hence, he retaliates to get to fair trade. But I think the one thing that is becoming clear is that our judicial system is out of whack. They should just leave this tariff issue to be resolved between the legislative and the executive branches. They do not have to rule on everything. Especially the lower courts that seem to think they have more power than the president. Not to mention that the judicial system has been infiltrated by leftist idealogues that are hostile to the Constitution. We have three leftist whack jobs on the Supreme Court, one of which can't define what a woman is, and she's a woman! It is time to acknowledge that the Supreme Court justices are far from infallible and their power has to be limited. I would definitely support term limits but also define which political issues should be addressed by them and which should be left to the other two branches.
You're actually one of the idealogues hostile to the Constitution, which makes it clear that trade is to be regulated by Congress, not some madman who even bends it to "correct" personal differences. From every angle, his motivations, explanations, and actions on tariffs have been disastrous: from creating chaos to manufacturers here in the US to halving the value of the US dollar (as it relates to gold) to making China is the new world leader.
Maybe we should consider all recent presidents and members of CONgress as traitors. Their spending is destroying the nation from within. The Four Clowns of the Apocalypse (Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden) have run up a national debt of $33 trillion in 25 years.
That's interesting. The supreme court said the obamacare was a tax. Even the obama administration thought that was laughable , but was glad that it occurred. Doubling , my premiums supported by scotus , saying that it's a tax.
WOW. Do I have enough energy to comment on BB Bullshit. First of all, Israel does not control congress, if they did there would be no one voting against bills involving Israel. Second, the money ‘given’ to Israel is used to buy military and other goods from America. This creates thousands of jobs. Second, the tariffs was being used to create a level economic environment. We have been taken advantage of for many years by many countries. Third, SOTUS did nothing when Obama and Biden did many things that were not in the Constitution. Finally, you are so full of shit; your brain is malfunctioning from being deep in excrement. RETIRE.
Ah, but excrement can be used as fertilizer and Bonner's excrement seems to give rise to much better analysis and opinions on this page than his original bullshit.
How do these votes support your view that Israel does not control CONgress: The April 2024 Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act passed the House 366–58 and the Senate 79–18.
Why give money to Israel to create jobs here? Why give money to any country whose debt/GDP ratio is half of ours? Why give any money to a country that has universal healthcare while so many Americans struggle with health care costs?
Simple! It's a two way street, one side is giving our money away, and their return cut is just turned around on the other side and returned directly back to them. The more they give, the more they get. "easy-peasy"
Pray tell what is the return cut of the USA and Americans. We are becoming the world's second pariah state. It's a massive fall for us: From leader admired world-wide to pariah in a relative flash.
Dream on, Mr. Porter. Why is the name-calling and garbage language so necessary? Have you considered living in Israel? No other country matches the domestic bickering and hatred, so it would really be interesting to know which groups you would adore and which you would hate and address with profane names.
Bonner you’re antisemitic lies are coming through again. Israel is not even in the same ballpark when it comes to lobbyist power. I asked the question to Perplexity + the highest level AI. “What lobbyists are the most powerful in the US? The firepower industry shows up but Israel is nowhere to be found.
In Washington, “most powerful” usually means sectors and trade groups that consistently spend heavily, have deep relationships with both parties, and can block or shape major legislation. The top power centers are more about industries and umbrella groups than any single firm.
Biggest spenders and trade associations
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce – Long viewed as the premier business lobby, representing thousands of companies across sectors; it routinely tops federal lobbying spending lists and remains one of the most influential voices on taxes, regulation, and trade.[opensecrets +1]
• National Association of Realtors (NAR) – In recent years, NAR has been the single largest annual lobbying spender in the U.S., putting tens of millions into influencing housing, mortgage, and land-use policy.[statista +1]
• PhRMA and Big Pharma – The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and individual drug companies (Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, etc.) collectively run the largest industry lobbying operation in Washington, with big budgets focused on drug pricing, regulation, and Medicare policy.[politico +1]
• Health insurance and hospital interests – Blue Cross/Blue Shield, America’s Health Insurance Plans and related groups consistently rank among top spenders, heavily involved in any health‑care or insurance legislation.[opensecrets +1]
• Big Tech trade groups – Tech industry advocates and trade associations (often backed by Amazon, Alphabet/Google, Apple, Meta, etc.) are now described as among the most powerful corporate interests in Washington, with spending that eclipses traditional “Big Oil” and tobacco in some periods.[citizen +1]
Major corporate and sector lobbies
• Individual tech giants – Amazon, Alphabet/Google and others each spend millions per year on federal lobbying, employing large in‑house teams plus outside firms to shape antitrust, privacy, AI, and tax policy.[issueone +2]
• Defense contractors – Major defense firms such as Northrop Grumman and RTX (Raytheon Technologies) spend heavily and have deep ties to Pentagon and Hill decision‑makers, giving them substantial sway over defense budgets and procurement.[about.bgov +1]
• Energy and fossil fuels – Big Oil and gas companies, along with their trade associations, remain core players on climate, environmental, and tax policy, even as tech has caught up or surpassed them in total spending.[opensecrets +1]
• Financial services – Banks, asset managers, and their trade groups use substantial lobbying firepower on regulation, capital rules, derivatives, and tax issues; specialized firms cite financial services as one of their main areas of expertise.[about.bgov +1]
Top lobbying firms (the hired guns)
These are the K‑Street firms that many of the above industries retain to execute influence campaigns.
• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Akin Gump, Holland & Knight, Cornerstone Government Affairs, BGR, and several others each report tens of millions of dollars in annual federal lobbying revenue, serving clients across defense, health care, energy, tech, and finance.[about.bgov]
• Their power comes less from representing a single sector and more from their access networks, former senior officials on staff, and ability to coordinate complex, multi‑client campaigns.[thehill +1]
Context on “power”
• Spending ≠ everything: Power reflects not only dollars but also the ability to mobilize voters (e.g., realtors at the local level), the strategic importance of an industry (defense, finance, health care), and long‑term relationships with key committees. Still, the industries above are consistently at the top of the money rankings and the short lists of “who can’t you afford to cross” in Washington.[statista +3]
Is there a particular policy area you care most about (e.g., health care, defense, tech, or finance), so I can map out which specific lobbies matter most there?
So shut your antisemitic pie hole. Your lies cause harm to Jews everywhere.
The Great Elon's Grok has another response to the question of the power of AIPAC - Yes, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is widely considered one of the most powerful and influential lobbying groups in the United States, particularly when it comes to shaping U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and the Middle East.
But why is criticism of Israel or their government considered antisemetic? Jeffrey Sachs, a Jew, recently said Netanyahu is a "deep, dark, son of a bitch".
Who cares what Jeffrey Sachs says about Netanyahu. I voted for Trump but Netanyahu has more brains balls and is more trustworthy than Trump will ever be. Jews frequently disagree about things just like Christians do. And as far as AIPAC is concerned, if they are so all-powerful why did their candidate in New Jersey lose and how did that twelver prick Mamdani become the mayor of New York when AIPAC fought him and 85% of Jews voted for the other candidate. Carter, methinks you may have the same disease as Bonner.
Maybe the worm is turning. We'll see what happens in Kentucky with Massey Singer, Adelson and Paulson plus AIPAC are spending millions to defeat the dreaded Trump infidel. Seems like Trump's major issue with Massey is the release of the Epstein blackmail operation files. My only disease is an advanced case of cynicism.
Bill, the most powerful lobby in DC is neither firepower nor Israel. It's Christian nationalists, who derive their immense power from being nearly invisible. They desire nothing less than the conversion of the U.S. from a nation under the Constitution to one under the Bible. Mike Johnson even said that part right out loud. Almost without opposition--who's going to risk being seen as an enemy of Christianity?--they have placed their adherents everywhere. No one takes them as a serious threat to a secular, liberal democracy, which is exactly what they want--and what they are. Here's an abbreviated list of offices they control: vice presidency, House speaker, secDef, AG, secDHS, WH budget directorship, half the state legislatures, governorships of Fla. and Texas, numerous Trump-appointed federal judges, and the Supreme Court. SecState and Senate majority leader are at least adjacent. One of Trump's first actions in term 2 was to establish the White House Faith Office, dedicated to promoting Christianity and eliminating anti-Christian people, sentiment and writing from government. But he is just a useful idiot. He will be replaced, count on it....
I think the main problem is that Christians don’t really believe the most important parts of Jesus’ message when it’s the toughest to swallow: turning the other cheek when attacked, treating others as you would like to be treated, loving our neighbors as ourselves (regardless of race, country of origin, sexual orientation, etc.). Instead we resort to Old Testament standards like being so sure that we’re better than anyone else, arguing, thinking we’re always right or that our culture and nation are the best and those who disagree are simply wrong. My Chinese friends are the exact opposite. Because they assume that everyone else has his or her reasons for doing things they(my friends) go crazy when I criticize anyone— including even the government or the president of the United States. I’ve never seen a Taxi Driver react in the slightest when a car cuts in front of them. Xi Jinping never reacts negatively in speech or gestures to anyone regardless of how outrageously he or China is being attacked. I remember being in a group conversation once where it turned to a discussion of Japan and the Japanese. I made mere mention of their behavior in World War II against the Chinese: the people I was with were horrified and broke up the meeting immediately. Chinese assume that everyone has their reasons for doing whatever they’re doing and if something goes wrong, they look at themselves first and question their contribution to the problem, and merely look for opportunities to turn the “problem”into new opportunities. Is my observation that Chinese people are much better Christians than we are.
Oh, and by the way I just read this in Poetic Outlaws:
“Real improvement can be hoped for only if there is a radical change of consciousness. I fear all other measures will remain unreliable palliative since they do not penetrate to the depths where the evil is rooted and constantly renewed.”
—Carl Jung
Changing consciousness is probably even tougher than cutting spending. 😎
Open principal reason for the start of world war two was exactly because certain countries lack resources. We're actually started nineteen thirty seven when japan attacked china for natural resources. Later attacked united states for natural resources. China embargoed or attempted to embargo certain things for the united states during covid. Hard for a country to be a hundred percent self sufficient , but please don't be stupid. Just as we should secure ourselves against a stock market collapse with real assets.So , too , should a country secure itself with the ability to take care of itself.
so who is buying all this foreign stuff i thought bill told us the economy was cooked and everybody was broke? why doesn't trump just ignore the scotus like biden did with the student loans?
... and the watches are only around $600 to $100k each!
Some of the components (on the pricier models) are actually authentically Swiss!
Likely assembled by Uyghurs.
-
In total, Trump's 2025 financial disclosure reveals he earned significant income from various branded merchandise, including $2.8 million from watches, $2.5 million from sneakers and fragrances, and $1 million from guitars—all part of his broader licensing portfolio.
-
Good President, effective salesman and successful con artist all in one!
How about we talk about Trump the Farmer who just declared that the US must cobtinue to use glyphosphate in farming to further the production of food grown in the US. National emergency I think I read... has anyone with a brain talked to the ?mon-Monsanto researchers on the use of glyphosphate and how its a chelate in the soil and its long term negative impacts with soil contamination? Guess not cause Farmer POTUS just gave the green light to increase its use.. Should have bought Bayer...
Where the hell was the supreme court when Biden let in 25 million illegal immigrants. The cost of that will suffer this country for another 20 years. There have been tariffs going on since 2016. Some that Trump started and Biden kept on collecting. This is all just more smoke and mirrors.
What does illegal immigration have to do with illegal tarrifs…the SCOTUS is upholding the constitution…
... let me edify:
Biden allowed to forgo the Constitution and his job to secure the borders for more than 4 years.
Trump tries to ween the U.S. off of foreign goods gets slapped on the wrist within a year.
Trump used the wrong law…thanks to Scouts…we are still a nation of laws…
Apparently, we are a nation of laws when Trump is in office.
-
When Biden was in office, we were an open border land with a governing body practicing Nationalism against conservatives...
☝️THIS! 🎯
Eid: SCOTUS has become very political. Almost irrelevant
Not in this case…it should have been unanimous..
I also remember the court telling Biden what he could do with his student loan forgiveness…
Do you remember Trump blocked the one piece of legislation that would have prevented the huge increase in illegal immigrants…and he was proud and happy to do it…this is a fact…
I believe the bill in which you refer aimed to provide more legal protections for undocumented immigrants while allegedly enhancing border security.
-
Nothing would stop the influx so long as the Biden Admin was heralding open borders...
The influx was significantly curtailed by the end of Bidens term
yeah, some curtailing... only about 7.3 million in 2024.
Now you were just lying.
I've voted for trump 3 times but he is a fool in many ways. However the story you tell today, There has to be more to it. Has to be.
I was going to reply, but figured it was a waste of time.
Only 20 years?
Was there someone at the border counting and providing accurate numbers???
on please….just look around, you blind?
Bill always talks about real wealth as opposed to fake GDP.
Real wealth is what people do, the tangibles they produce. To me that is production.
The US at the time of WW2 was self sufficient, it had and produced natural resources, it was the leading industrial nation, it was avant- guard, inventive.
I watched the 12 blast furnaces of Bethlehem steel successively spark fireworks as the molten steel flowed out of furnaces into waiting rail cars, thirty-five thousand employed.
Americans produced their own food, every possible fruit and vegetables in season. Beef trucks running up and down the interstate from thousands of ranches to feeder lots and local slaughterhouses.
The production numbers and innovation during WW2… astounding.
All gone. All destroyed over 80 years of mismanagement and greed.
Today, the US is no better than England. They needed resources from empire.
Our empire was always vainglorious, in the minds of dunderheads, ephemeral and destructive.
There is a vivid story in the demise of a once great nation but there is no one smart enough to tell it. We are a nation of imbeciles. They call it higher education, and it increases in costs every 12 years. Everything increases in costs; it all goes to the top 20% and the rest can’t afford to live.
Xavier, a well written post. Thanks.
Everything being written about the deficit and tariffs puts the blame on Trump. The house and the Senate pass the spending bills which caused deficits. These are passed on to the president for signature.
The whole idea that the beginning of the last year was to cut the budget. DOGE gave insights on where extensive cuts could be made. It also showed the waste and fraud in government. Has Congress done anything to act upon any of this information? NO!!
Trump is trying to figure out ways to compact the deficit, but if Congress will not act on anything, then we continue along the path being set.
It looks like a permanent stalemate in Congress to get any corrective laws passed. There are a lot of possible solutions to these problems, but Bill, please stop blaming everything on Trump.
Trump's sole interests are 1) making more money for himself (and probably his family) and 2) gaining adoration of the American public as if he were some Caesar waving to his mob of admirers 2000 years ago. He is actually that egocentric and believes he can achieve those 2 goals by force. He could care less about how any of us here, who actually care about our and the country's future. He actually enjoys lording over the massive US underclass and the even greater mass of soon-to-become-underclass.
He has total faith in his crumbling and absurdly outdated military "brainstorms", supposedly to be implemented by a radio talkshow clown, who is almost unanimously rejected by the generals and admirals whose job is no longer protecting the homeland but "straightening out" the rest of the world. Trump's lone international supporter is Benjamin Netanyahu, who has already destroyed the country he barely commands, will bring another few centuries of prejudice against the brightest people on earth and who, together with Trump, intends to starve to death, kill, or disperse several million real Semites (that's REAL Anti-Semitism)..
His "brainstorms" to date have collapsed our tourist and education advantages, cut in half the value of the US dollar, promoted China into the position of world leader, put his "51st State" in a position of being able to destroy the US auto industry (450,000 employees), inspired widespread fear throughout the population and even hope for the incompetent Democrats.
Whatever happened to DOGE? It takes real muscles to do the heavy lifting of cutting spending. We’re led by a collective of weaklings.
No, Bonner, this is not a Supreme Smackdown. More of a technicality. Whether you agree with the tariffs or not, there are other laws passed by Congress that give the President the power to tariff. Apparently, as I understand it, the majority ruling still leaves Trump with the power to embargo goods from another country but not impose a tariff, because they define tariff as a tax and only Congress can tax! In any event, I wouldn't be wetting your pants yet, Bonner, until it all plays out.
When it comes to tariffs, the "devils in the details". Trump alleges that other countries are using tariffs and other means to prevent US goods into their countries (the extent that they do this is up for debate). Hence, he retaliates to get to fair trade. But I think the one thing that is becoming clear is that our judicial system is out of whack. They should just leave this tariff issue to be resolved between the legislative and the executive branches. They do not have to rule on everything. Especially the lower courts that seem to think they have more power than the president. Not to mention that the judicial system has been infiltrated by leftist idealogues that are hostile to the Constitution. We have three leftist whack jobs on the Supreme Court, one of which can't define what a woman is, and she's a woman! It is time to acknowledge that the Supreme Court justices are far from infallible and their power has to be limited. I would definitely support term limits but also define which political issues should be addressed by them and which should be left to the other two branches.
You're actually one of the idealogues hostile to the Constitution, which makes it clear that trade is to be regulated by Congress, not some madman who even bends it to "correct" personal differences. From every angle, his motivations, explanations, and actions on tariffs have been disastrous: from creating chaos to manufacturers here in the US to halving the value of the US dollar (as it relates to gold) to making China is the new world leader.
Bonner you’re sounding more and more like the far left lunatics like AOC etc: you’ve become a traitor to the USA.
Maybe we should consider all recent presidents and members of CONgress as traitors. Their spending is destroying the nation from within. The Four Clowns of the Apocalypse (Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden) have run up a national debt of $33 trillion in 25 years.
Areed.
If upholding the Constitution is considered far left …where does that leave republicans…
SCOTUS determined tariffs are taxes, specifically, taxes on imports.
-
.... if tariffs are indeed taxes, why use the word tariff at all?
Why not just say tax the import?
-
Taxes are for income.
Tariffs are the means by which we regulate trade and protect domestic markets.
Scotus should know better..
That's interesting. The supreme court said the obamacare was a tax. Even the obama administration thought that was laughable , but was glad that it occurred. Doubling , my premiums supported by scotus , saying that it's a tax.
The definition of a tariff…a tax on imports…only congress has the authority to impose taxes..
... the purpose of a tariff is to regulate trade.
The purpose of a tax is to increase revenue.
-
Trump's agenda is to regulate trade.
The revenue is the impetus for compliance.
-
IMO SCOTUS got it wrong...
If it's a tax, then label it as such...
..."if".
WOW. Do I have enough energy to comment on BB Bullshit. First of all, Israel does not control congress, if they did there would be no one voting against bills involving Israel. Second, the money ‘given’ to Israel is used to buy military and other goods from America. This creates thousands of jobs. Second, the tariffs was being used to create a level economic environment. We have been taken advantage of for many years by many countries. Third, SOTUS did nothing when Obama and Biden did many things that were not in the Constitution. Finally, you are so full of shit; your brain is malfunctioning from being deep in excrement. RETIRE.
Ah, but excrement can be used as fertilizer and Bonner's excrement seems to give rise to much better analysis and opinions on this page than his original bullshit.
How do these votes support your view that Israel does not control CONgress: The April 2024 Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act passed the House 366–58 and the Senate 79–18.
Why give money to Israel to create jobs here? Why give money to any country whose debt/GDP ratio is half of ours? Why give any money to a country that has universal healthcare while so many Americans struggle with health care costs?
Stop speaking the truth!!😂😂
Simple! It's a two way street, one side is giving our money away, and their return cut is just turned around on the other side and returned directly back to them. The more they give, the more they get. "easy-peasy"
Pray tell what is the return cut of the USA and Americans. We are becoming the world's second pariah state. It's a massive fall for us: From leader admired world-wide to pariah in a relative flash.
Dream on, Mr. Porter. Why is the name-calling and garbage language so necessary? Have you considered living in Israel? No other country matches the domestic bickering and hatred, so it would really be interesting to know which groups you would adore and which you would hate and address with profane names.
So the solution is to print money to create jobs?
Bill, you are becoming less and less relevant to me. Please remove me from your daily deranged ramblings. Your a rich TDS sycophant.
Bonner you’re antisemitic lies are coming through again. Israel is not even in the same ballpark when it comes to lobbyist power. I asked the question to Perplexity + the highest level AI. “What lobbyists are the most powerful in the US? The firepower industry shows up but Israel is nowhere to be found.
In Washington, “most powerful” usually means sectors and trade groups that consistently spend heavily, have deep relationships with both parties, and can block or shape major legislation. The top power centers are more about industries and umbrella groups than any single firm.
Biggest spenders and trade associations
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce – Long viewed as the premier business lobby, representing thousands of companies across sectors; it routinely tops federal lobbying spending lists and remains one of the most influential voices on taxes, regulation, and trade.[opensecrets +1]
• National Association of Realtors (NAR) – In recent years, NAR has been the single largest annual lobbying spender in the U.S., putting tens of millions into influencing housing, mortgage, and land-use policy.[statista +1]
• PhRMA and Big Pharma – The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and individual drug companies (Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, etc.) collectively run the largest industry lobbying operation in Washington, with big budgets focused on drug pricing, regulation, and Medicare policy.[politico +1]
• Health insurance and hospital interests – Blue Cross/Blue Shield, America’s Health Insurance Plans and related groups consistently rank among top spenders, heavily involved in any health‑care or insurance legislation.[opensecrets +1]
• Big Tech trade groups – Tech industry advocates and trade associations (often backed by Amazon, Alphabet/Google, Apple, Meta, etc.) are now described as among the most powerful corporate interests in Washington, with spending that eclipses traditional “Big Oil” and tobacco in some periods.[citizen +1]
Major corporate and sector lobbies
• Individual tech giants – Amazon, Alphabet/Google and others each spend millions per year on federal lobbying, employing large in‑house teams plus outside firms to shape antitrust, privacy, AI, and tax policy.[issueone +2]
• Defense contractors – Major defense firms such as Northrop Grumman and RTX (Raytheon Technologies) spend heavily and have deep ties to Pentagon and Hill decision‑makers, giving them substantial sway over defense budgets and procurement.[about.bgov +1]
• Energy and fossil fuels – Big Oil and gas companies, along with their trade associations, remain core players on climate, environmental, and tax policy, even as tech has caught up or surpassed them in total spending.[opensecrets +1]
• Financial services – Banks, asset managers, and their trade groups use substantial lobbying firepower on regulation, capital rules, derivatives, and tax issues; specialized firms cite financial services as one of their main areas of expertise.[about.bgov +1]
Top lobbying firms (the hired guns)
These are the K‑Street firms that many of the above industries retain to execute influence campaigns.
• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Akin Gump, Holland & Knight, Cornerstone Government Affairs, BGR, and several others each report tens of millions of dollars in annual federal lobbying revenue, serving clients across defense, health care, energy, tech, and finance.[about.bgov]
• Their power comes less from representing a single sector and more from their access networks, former senior officials on staff, and ability to coordinate complex, multi‑client campaigns.[thehill +1]
Context on “power”
• Spending ≠ everything: Power reflects not only dollars but also the ability to mobilize voters (e.g., realtors at the local level), the strategic importance of an industry (defense, finance, health care), and long‑term relationships with key committees. Still, the industries above are consistently at the top of the money rankings and the short lists of “who can’t you afford to cross” in Washington.[statista +3]
Is there a particular policy area you care most about (e.g., health care, defense, tech, or finance), so I can map out which specific lobbies matter most there?
So shut your antisemitic pie hole. Your lies cause harm to Jews everywhere.
The Great Elon's Grok has another response to the question of the power of AIPAC - Yes, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is widely considered one of the most powerful and influential lobbying groups in the United States, particularly when it comes to shaping U.S. foreign policy toward Israel and the Middle East.
But why is criticism of Israel or their government considered antisemetic? Jeffrey Sachs, a Jew, recently said Netanyahu is a "deep, dark, son of a bitch".
Who cares what Jeffrey Sachs says about Netanyahu. I voted for Trump but Netanyahu has more brains balls and is more trustworthy than Trump will ever be. Jews frequently disagree about things just like Christians do. And as far as AIPAC is concerned, if they are so all-powerful why did their candidate in New Jersey lose and how did that twelver prick Mamdani become the mayor of New York when AIPAC fought him and 85% of Jews voted for the other candidate. Carter, methinks you may have the same disease as Bonner.
Maybe the worm is turning. We'll see what happens in Kentucky with Massey Singer, Adelson and Paulson plus AIPAC are spending millions to defeat the dreaded Trump infidel. Seems like Trump's major issue with Massey is the release of the Epstein blackmail operation files. My only disease is an advanced case of cynicism.
Bill, the most powerful lobby in DC is neither firepower nor Israel. It's Christian nationalists, who derive their immense power from being nearly invisible. They desire nothing less than the conversion of the U.S. from a nation under the Constitution to one under the Bible. Mike Johnson even said that part right out loud. Almost without opposition--who's going to risk being seen as an enemy of Christianity?--they have placed their adherents everywhere. No one takes them as a serious threat to a secular, liberal democracy, which is exactly what they want--and what they are. Here's an abbreviated list of offices they control: vice presidency, House speaker, secDef, AG, secDHS, WH budget directorship, half the state legislatures, governorships of Fla. and Texas, numerous Trump-appointed federal judges, and the Supreme Court. SecState and Senate majority leader are at least adjacent. One of Trump's first actions in term 2 was to establish the White House Faith Office, dedicated to promoting Christianity and eliminating anti-Christian people, sentiment and writing from government. But he is just a useful idiot. He will be replaced, count on it....
That is quite a write up! This is the first time I have read about such things happening. I await for more views on Your write up.
You're right. This is not discussed much in the USA and it could be the major cause of financial and global appreciation deficits.
I do not know , but I will try and find some info on this. I hate going to Ai, so I must search deeper .
I think the main problem is that Christians don’t really believe the most important parts of Jesus’ message when it’s the toughest to swallow: turning the other cheek when attacked, treating others as you would like to be treated, loving our neighbors as ourselves (regardless of race, country of origin, sexual orientation, etc.). Instead we resort to Old Testament standards like being so sure that we’re better than anyone else, arguing, thinking we’re always right or that our culture and nation are the best and those who disagree are simply wrong. My Chinese friends are the exact opposite. Because they assume that everyone else has his or her reasons for doing things they(my friends) go crazy when I criticize anyone— including even the government or the president of the United States. I’ve never seen a Taxi Driver react in the slightest when a car cuts in front of them. Xi Jinping never reacts negatively in speech or gestures to anyone regardless of how outrageously he or China is being attacked. I remember being in a group conversation once where it turned to a discussion of Japan and the Japanese. I made mere mention of their behavior in World War II against the Chinese: the people I was with were horrified and broke up the meeting immediately. Chinese assume that everyone has their reasons for doing whatever they’re doing and if something goes wrong, they look at themselves first and question their contribution to the problem, and merely look for opportunities to turn the “problem”into new opportunities. Is my observation that Chinese people are much better Christians than we are.
Oh, and by the way I just read this in Poetic Outlaws:
“Real improvement can be hoped for only if there is a radical change of consciousness. I fear all other measures will remain unreliable palliative since they do not penetrate to the depths where the evil is rooted and constantly renewed.”
—Carl Jung
Changing consciousness is probably even tougher than cutting spending. 😎
Open principal reason for the start of world war two was exactly because certain countries lack resources. We're actually started nineteen thirty seven when japan attacked china for natural resources. Later attacked united states for natural resources. China embargoed or attempted to embargo certain things for the united states during covid. Hard for a country to be a hundred percent self sufficient , but please don't be stupid. Just as we should secure ourselves against a stock market collapse with real assets.So , too , should a country secure itself with the ability to take care of itself.
Did you just say that? Also, wondering why the link the Ai image processing????
so who is buying all this foreign stuff i thought bill told us the economy was cooked and everybody was broke? why doesn't trump just ignore the scotus like biden did with the student loans?
In this episode, Mr. Bonner welcomes China!
Come on, Icebergs. Go easy on China. They are printing the Trump $59.99 Bible for only $3 a pop.
... and the watches are only around $600 to $100k each!
Some of the components (on the pricier models) are actually authentically Swiss!
Likely assembled by Uyghurs.
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In total, Trump's 2025 financial disclosure reveals he earned significant income from various branded merchandise, including $2.8 million from watches, $2.5 million from sneakers and fragrances, and $1 million from guitars—all part of his broader licensing portfolio.
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Good President, effective salesman and successful con artist all in one!
How about we talk about Trump the Farmer who just declared that the US must cobtinue to use glyphosphate in farming to further the production of food grown in the US. National emergency I think I read... has anyone with a brain talked to the ?mon-Monsanto researchers on the use of glyphosphate and how its a chelate in the soil and its long term negative impacts with soil contamination? Guess not cause Farmer POTUS just gave the green light to increase its use.. Should have bought Bayer...
Oh good one, Bill!