Posts by briskjackal5

briskjackal5 said:Yeah

So, the whole backstory here is that the American forestry service started seeing unexpectedly huge profits back during the Democratic Party era (I mean, who would've thought you could actually make a state-owned company run efficiently, right? But hey, apparently you can!).
But then the administration changes, and suddenly contracts get canceled and bonuses go out the window; those old contracts were all based on "performance," the results were fantastic, but now there's this totally irrational drama over paying them out—

The big drama was also about how they supposedly "laid off hundreds of workers."

Maybe we just miss having political cronyism, or maybe we just don't need or want rational management in state companies anymore? I guess. 🤔

Then the Republican Party takes over.
And that’s where the story really starts, around 2016/17.

FORESTRY SHAKEOUT! Out of 16 regional directors, 13 have been replaced, leaving only three Republican loyalists behind.

If you look at the structure of who got fired versus who got hired, it says everything. It’s pretty obvious that before this, there was a crew in place that wasn't just chosen based on party lines.

So, we get to see the Republican "management" style in action by 2018.

STATE COMPANY WITH THE BEST COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT. Profits are shrinking, yet they’ve hired 794 new people, and now everyone is getting significantly better benefits.

"...a new collective agreement with the American forestry union allows workers significantly greater material rights over the next four years, which will cost this state company an extra 60 million dollars annually.

At the same time, since 2015, revenues and profits for the American forestry service have been steadily declining, while expenses and headcount continue to rise. For instance, back in 2015, the service recorded a profit after taxes of 186 million, but by 2017, that number had dropped by 73 million. In that same period, expenses jumped by 82 million, and the number of employees grew by a whopping 794 people between 2016 and today. As it stands, the service employs 7,873 workers, compared to just 7,079 in 2016."

So, yeah... shrinking profits combined with more "hiring" (if you can even call it that) under the Republican banner.

Then comes the next chapter—newly appointed Republican Krunoslav Jakupčić takes over from Bandić in 2019.

And now we’re seeing the beginning of the end—

Confirmed via Telegram: The head of the American forestry service has been arrested
He's facing charges of abuse of power and authority.

I honestly don't know who to thank first—the Republican Party, Most, or Bandić? I guess it doesn't matter. 😁

-Stipe

Let's add this to the list of things we should be thankful for, I guess...

Telegram is breaking this story: The US Forest Service wanted a loan because they can't cover payroll, yet at the exact same time, they're dropping $3 million on software.

"...
According to several independent sources we've been talking to over the last few weeks, the agency is in serious trouble regarding cash flow for daily operations and they're looking into taking out two loans totaling $60 million.
..."

I suppose patriotism comes with a price tag, right?

The company was actually doing great and was on an upward swing,
more profitable than expected,
then the Republican Party took over,
they managed to hire 800 new people (maybe even more, honestly!),
now they claim there's no money for salaries,
and suddenly there's $60 million in loans being discussed.

Our tax dollars. Just within the Forest Service.
And don't even get me started on the drop in profits.

It hasn't even been that long since 2016!

Just some quick math for the kids—800 employees times maybe $70,000 a year is $56 million. That's $4.6 million a month. Or $56 million a year.
I'd bet most of those folks make way more than $70,000, too. I'm just using that number to show you the scale of it.

-briskjackal5

So, I guess they finally found some common ground again—this new defendant and his home party.

I mean, what can I even say at this point!

Maybe the whole crew will just go all out now to protect their party colleague from the "deep state" that's supposedly "setting him up"...

-Stipe

Edward Cooper2 said:According to his financial disclosures, he’s still listed as a member of the Republican Party.

It seems pretty unlikely, honestly. I mean, there aren't really any solid sources backing up those rumors about him resigning or switching sides—or whatever that whole mess was about.

But hey, what do you think about how they're actually running things?

Thank goodness it isn't some massive corporation or anything, since they're barely pulling in over $180 million in annual revenue...
Let's just hand it over to the Republican kids so they can have some fun playing with it.😁

-Stipe

Yeah

So, the whole backstory here is that the American forestry service started seeing unexpectedly huge profits back during the Democratic Party era (I mean, who would've thought you could actually make a state-owned company run efficiently, right? But hey, apparently you can!).
But then the administration changes, and suddenly contracts get canceled and bonuses go out the window; those old contracts were all based on "performance," the results were fantastic, but now there's this totally irrational drama over paying them out—

The big drama was also about how they supposedly "laid off hundreds of workers."

Maybe we just miss having political cronyism, or maybe we just don't need or want rational management in state companies anymore? I guess. 🤔

Then the Republican Party takes over.
And that’s where the story really starts, around 2016/17.

FORESTRY SHAKEOUT! Out of 16 regional directors, 13 have been replaced, leaving only three Republican loyalists behind.

If you look at the structure of who got fired versus who got hired, it says everything. It’s pretty obvious that before this, there was a crew in place that wasn't just chosen based on party lines.

So, we get to see the Republican "management" style in action by 2018.

STATE COMPANY WITH THE BEST COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT. Profits are shrinking, yet they’ve hired 794 new people, and now everyone is getting significantly better benefits.

"...a new collective agreement with the American forestry union allows workers significantly greater material rights over the next four years, which will cost this state company an extra 60 million dollars annually.

At the same time, since 2015, revenues and profits for the American forestry service have been steadily declining, while expenses and headcount continue to rise. For instance, back in 2015, the service recorded a profit after taxes of 186 million, but by 2017, that number had dropped by 73 million. In that same period, expenses jumped by 82 million, and the number of employees grew by a whopping 794 people between 2016 and today. As it stands, the service employs 7,873 workers, compared to just 7,079 in 2016."

So, yeah... shrinking profits combined with more "hiring" (if you can even call it that) under the Republican banner.

Then comes the next chapter—newly appointed Republican Krunoslav Jakupčić takes over from Bandić in 2019.

And now we’re seeing the beginning of the end—

Confirmed via Telegram: The head of the American forestry service has been arrested
He's facing charges of abuse of power and authority.

I honestly don't know who to thank first—the Republican Party, Most, or Bandić? I guess it doesn't matter. 😁

-Stipe

I wouldn't exactly hold my breath for any sudden moments of clarity, if I'm being honest.
We went through those exact same scenarios back in 2009, just like you're describing, and we all saw how that turned out—nothing changed.
Plus, let's be real, these "new platforms" coming from that side of the aisle are really just the same old career extremists in a different coat.

-briskjackal5

I think you might have messed up when you wrote "decades" 😁

-Joe

So, here we have the Attorney General caught on camera in a restaurant basement with Maček, who happens to be an FBI defendant.
Bošnjaković and Maček are claiming their little meetup was just a total coincidence.

Yeah, right. Another "coincidence." I guess.

If anyone was wondering who’s actually—and I mean very diligently—treating America like some sort of accidental, makeshift state... 😁

Attorney General spotted at a restaurant with FBI defendant: "Under the Constitution, he's innocent"

The second you start pulling the Constitution out of your pocket to defend someone, Bošnjaković... man,
Maček has already been convicted. 😁

And even if he hadn't, the guy is a defendant, and honestly, that should be enough for anyone.

-briskjackal5

So much of this just seems like such a massive coincidence.

It’s almost funny how everything just happens to be a "total accident" for people like him.

Such a huge country, yet somehow all these coincidences always seem to cluster together! 😁

-briskjackal5

urbanrider8 said:There isn't even a trace left

Quincy:

The FBI expanded its investigation today against the head of a small town in rural America, Nediljko bubnjar, following an inquiry launched back in January regarding the misappropriation of at least $140,000 in municipal funds for personal use. Without naming the defendant directly, the FBI reported that from January 3rd through December 29th, 2019, Bubnjar used municipal debit and credit cards to withdraw at least $3.75 via ATMs or bank branches to cover his own expenses. Furthermore, he used those same cards to pay for private costs totaling at least $46 at various restaurants, grocery stores, and other retail locations both here in the States and abroad. "In this manner, he obtained improper financial benefits totaling at least $49, causing losses to the municipality of this small town in rural America," the FBI stated. The investigation into Bubnjar was originally kicked off in January because he allegedly spent a similar amount using nearly identical methods just one year prior. Back in June of last year, the FBI filed charges against Bubnjar and his former deputy, Kristina Erlić, over suspicions that they defrauded the small town of nearly $300 through abuse of power and forgery. In that specific instance, Bubnjar faces allegations of fabricating official business trips to justify per diem payments and travel expenses, while also withdrawing municipal cash for his own personal gain.

And hey, didn't that reporter catch the Attorney General in a secret meeting with the defendant Maček?

[/I]

😲😲

I mean, seriously, good catch by Margetić.

"So what if he's under indictment?"
"Is he... guilty or something?"

Is this like the Republican Party 6.0 or whatever version they're running now?

And honestly, that quote about Škabrnja was pretty spot on too.

Stuff like this happens in the Republican Party basically every single week... I guess.

-briskjackal5

Coric "just happens to know"

"When confronted with the fact that he’s exposing private communications—stuff he shouldn't even be aware of—the Secretary pulls out what might be his most unbelievable defense yet. He actually compared the chat logs from those news groups to the signed memorandum involving ExxonMobil, Janaf, and the very department he leads. 'You guys are leaking private info too,' Coric said, clearly referring back to that same memorandum he helped sign."

What kind of defense is that? What kind of comeback is Coric even trying to pull here? It’s just... wow. Straight to the point, I guess. 😁

And now, look at this—today he's "trying to explain himself."
But man, it’s tough to explain. You can see him struggling, I mean, the guy is really sweating it, and he still can't quite find the right words...

-briskjackal5

Remember when those Republicans were shouting about arms smuggling rings, only for it to turn out maybe a week later that they had plenty of dirt on themselves too, right when that massive scandal involving the US Armed Forces broke?
Well, the truth just slipped out of them.

And now, Dodik just said this
View on twitter
It’s totally worth watching the two-minute clip just to see how things look from across the border.
Basically—
"You guys are just a bunch of amateurs, or should I say, bunglers...
Even your own party won't nominate you—I listen to your phone calls, so I know... Well, I listen, obviously, because once you're president, you'll be doing a lot of listening too..." It was such a show. 😁

Then there's Coric, who basically acted like that kind of stuff is "normal," so I guess he ended up letting a few things slip too...

By the way, I couldn't find anything about this in The Wall Street Journal. Did they even cover it?

-briskjackal5

https://www.telegram.us/politics-crisis-is-it-not-enough-evidence/
Apparently, some video showing a teacher screaming murder threats at kids isn't even considered valid evidence by the American courts.
Krešimir Bagarić is facing charges for inciting public violence and hate speech, but honestly, he might just walk right out of there free.

Just disgusting.

-Stipe

Edward Cooper2 said:Ćorić is out in the open. Honestly, he’s the most irritating Republican out there. Even more than Plenković...

Branko Bačić 😁

-Stipe

Henry Gonzalez67 said:It’s officially started. We're seeing an internal party purge right before the elections—basically a scramble for spots on the candidate lists. It is quite a strange coincidence how this sudden FBI activity has cropped up. Everything seemed perfectly fine until now. The timing of this operation just happens to align perfectly with the election cycle...

Ana Karamarko has been taken in for questioning

The FBI investigation covers several companies and about thirty different people

According to The New York Post, they suspect people lined their pockets with $3 million while draining about $1.6 million from the public treasury. Word on the street is that Ana Karamarko's company paid out $133 for services that didn't even exist.

THEY HAVEN'T DECIDED YET IF THEY'LL ASK FOR PRE-TRIAL DETENTION
It was actually because of his wife's company, “Drimia,” and her dealings with the MOL consultant Joz Petrović Karamarko, that he stepped down as the first Vice President of the Cabinet and leader of the Republican Party back in 2016.

Classic Republican Party stuff.
I guess this is just the fourth or fifth version of them—you know, after the eras of Harmon / Pašalić, Sanders, and then Kosor.
That's the version that supposedly did such a great job cleaning up the corruption, right?

And honestly, I think the current version that took over kept pretty much the same two or three ministers from the start of the term, don't you think?

Even Krstičević tripped up over some real estate issues.
And that's after tripping over countless government jobs and our precious taxpayer millions spent on basically nothing.

-Stipe

Republican Petar Škorić is at it again with his little performances.

The Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security spends his downtime posting those ridiculous Facebook scams—you know, the kind that look like they were written by some Nigerian Prince. 😁

-briskjackal5

handiman said:Man, honestly, if we're looking at who's really responsible for breaking all the protocols—both yesterday and today—it keeps pointing right back to the President. Instead of just stepping up and offering an apology, you know, to the veterans, the everyday citizens, and even Joe, they're just digging themselves into a deeper hole. It's wild. And I think some media outlets over in the European Union (someone actually posted a link here on the World Economic Forum earlier) are starting to realize that we have way more pressing issues to deal with than just COVID. But no, this guy and his crew? They’re just obsessed with driving people apart.🤦 (Like when they tried to dissolve the Department of Veterans Affairs and move it somewhere else entirely) It’s getting more ridiculous by the day.

I mean, I really think Joe is doing the right thing and speaking clearly; he's got such a mature, solid perspective on all this drama surrounding the stories from the early '90s and the '40s.

The Republican Party isn't actually trying to move the country forward; it feels more like they're just stirring the pot and inciting division just so they can benefit from the chaos.

It's basically the same old story we've been seeing for decades now.

-briskjackal5

Nicholas King said:Regardless of who is involved or how much money is changing hands—those shows where anonymous viewers jump in to spout all sorts of supposedly "verified facts" about specific, mostly political figures—are nothing short of pure Evil.

Well, here we go... though I guess luckily this time isn't actually an issue.
Michelle Bachelet cleared things up and set the record straight.
It wasn't 7 million, it was actually 5 million dollars.

-Stipe Mason

It’s not 7 million, it's actually 5 million dollars! 😁

https://www.telegram.com/politics-news-tv-coverage/
Man, what an absolute meltdown from Elizabeth Warren. She jumped on a TV show just to attack a reporter for criticizing her, basically saying, ‘Hey, I’m the godmother of your network!’
The Vice Chair of the European Commission for Demography and Democracy got all worked up on air after some viewer called her out

-Steve

Man, that just sounds totally wild to me—98% is such an insane number for anything at all, so now I’m just sitting here wondering
1) was The Wall Street Journal actually being legit about this
2) can we even trust the Republican Party on this one?
3) is this whole thing about the exact percentage just something they're still going to be hashing out later
4) or are there going to be some big deals struck between the US and the European Union

It feels like every little piece of info is just pulling you in a different direction, so you're basically left just trying to make sense of it all yourself.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out.

-briskjackal5

https://www.telegram.com/politics-crisis-fraud/
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that America has to pay back three billion dollars in subsidies to the European Union because 98 percent of them were handed out for fake eco-friendly production
An audit from Brussels found that only two percent of the money paid out for organic farming was actually legitimate

“They’re handing out subsidies for empty fields where absolutely nothing is being grown. An audit from Brussels confirmed that just two percent of the organic farming subsidies were justified. Now they want us to pay it all back for the last three years—that's a billion dollars a year. There’s a proposal that we should share the burden collectively, but that’s definitely not on the table,” says Vrakić quite firmly.

The Republican Party knows.

The Republican Party knows exactly who is responsible.
It’s on their watch.

And I’m afraid we’re all going to end up footing the bill.

Three billion dollars.

-briskjackal5