Steven P

I am kind of glad of our tax system... employee so someone else worries about it all... but the ones who do worry about don't need to be masters in astrophysics! Debt ceiling - never been a fan of borrowing now in the hope that my Children and their children pay it all back - except in exceptional circumstances - which through history were generally big wars and defending ourselves. On the flip side, UK debt was nicely falling till the last government when it was steadily climbing and that excludes Covid - never sure if it is left / right wing policies as much as a "bribe the people to stay in power longer" policy. Generally think it is a good thing - this is all you can spend type of thing and not just keep lumping todays problems in children / grand children / great grand children to pay back, they will have their own problems. However my favourite ex-president has bigly plans including buying Greenland (?!), Musk and the other tech billionaires who funded his campaign to 100's of millions are also going to want their $$+ back (and it was Musk who started calling for the debt ceiling to be scrapped... wonder why....), perhaps having some scrutiny is a good thing

You should still be able to phone and text (the message I had from O2 was very vague, not specifically saying phones and texting will stop, suggesting it won't be as good at 2G as it was at 3G)... though expected to be turned off in the 2030s. Newer trackers should work on newer systems - 4G and 5G

The debt ceiling has worked for about 100 years... nothing wrong with that, the check is there to limit how much they can borrow without further scrutiny - nothing wrong with that. Remove it and their national debt can spiral further without that extra scrutiny. It is agreed and raised annually anyway.. but go beyond that you have to go back cap in hand - giving some restraint to all presidents.

Are you suggesting that the membership of ArbTalk, despite the many many posts on the subject can't stop them?

Intriguing and bringing it to the present day, with the thread topic. All about Financial control, and yet The Rapist wants to remove the US debt ceiling. US debt ceiling stops their Government borrowing too much without going back to the senate to explain why and ask for more. Yes, suppose politicians should watch it.

apparently 2G is staying on because a lot of smart meters use that - with luck the trackers will if all they need is SMS

The other is also a thing down south somewhere at a holiday park

Likewise, nothing outstanding, try to get out for a run or walk Christmas day, take The Boys if they'll come. I'll cook so it's done right. Afternoon recovering, sleep on the couch till I can make it to bed. Boxing day is racing rather than a walk, lunch wondering how come there are no left overs from the day before (Yesterday we had a turkey big enough for twice our family, a ham that would also feed them, bacon, pigs in blankets, roasties, veggies, stuffing, gravies and sauces, sweat treats... and yet.. not a thing I can put in between 2 slices of bread today (frustratingly no apple sauce, the ones from my trees had decided to rot this year)). Then friends rather than family after a quick dash to the shops (because they were closed for nearly a whole day yesterday). No racing this morning, and so unusual for me on boxing day, I had an hour to kill and went out with the litter picker and grabbed a couple of Tesco bags full from the wood and lane. I prefer racing, but that makes the world a prettier place. And now, see what comedy is on the TV.

What's the red string stuff? I can identify the rest

Noted. Editing JohnsonDs posts is biggly badly bad.

Most are facts and so some are completely made up of course?.. I wonder if any of your posts have been 'fact checked' and shown to be incorrect in many many ways? (I do know the answer but it is funny seeing you squirm out of answering uncomfortable questions) Still if you say you only post facts then they simply must be true my dear. Oooh, loving the italics tonight

I guess it is humour you are using then? Must be the way you tell them. No tell a lie, most of your posts are hate ridden bile, angry, repetitive, and after about the 40th attempt at the same ridiculed comment, pointless. I am guessing that since I am not alone in my comments about your angry wording, the words you use give the appearance - to many - of an angry insignificant man whose only worth he sees in life is trolling an internet forum for Arborists with a right wing and racist agenda. That'll answer the first line, not in my head. Cried big time over on Potus since Joe got the boot? Not really, he is too old - anyone past say 70 should be retired from a political post (including the UKs house of Lords by the way), cannot bleat about what I believe in. He was too old when he beat Trump, and is still too old.

I think you've missed the point. You're angry about politics happening in the US, where to be honest it is mostly a background entertainment to our lives in the UK.. imagine if you were personally vested in their politics.. ie living there... and how angry you'd be when their politics affects you personally every day. Furious might indeed be the word.

If you look back though, Biden has said all along that Federal death sentences are something to get rid off.... he paused them all in taking office... so one can't really be surprised when he acted on his well known morals. "SP Bubble"... la la laa.... missing me much to name check me in a part of the thread I was sitting out of for festive spirits and all that?

And a hypothetical answer perhaps?

TM: last few times our road was closed I've stood and watched the drivers get out the cars, move the cones and drive on. Some even put the cones back again. Hilarious when they get turned back and have to repeat, all for the sake of a 1/4 mile detour. Last time the workers parked a wagon at one end and a tanker at the other which worked. Lights? Would never work here.

Looking at the charts of the last 2 years, 5 quarters of negative growth, 1 flatlining, and 2 of actual growth (coming off the back of 5 negative growth, perhaps a bounce back). Since this spans 2 different administrations perhaps there is something more fundamentally wrong than whoever the current chancellor is. I wonder if the UK had any major political upheavals in say, the last 5 years that is affecting its growth.

Going on what I do - sounds similar to you, use the battery saw in the garage on firewood. Guessing the hedge trimmings arn't going to be 2' diameter, more 6"? I went battery for the same reason - didn't want to trip on cables and is handy to have that saw out and about. Matching bar and chain is a small consideration when talking multiple batteries though it is handy. Based on you mostly cutting smaller stuff with it, and the 261 for anything meaty, I'd go 220. (As far as I understand it, till you get to a certain diameter the chain speeds will be pretty much the same, same cutting ability, unless you reach that point with the hedge trimmings the performance will be the same... happy to be corrected on that part though)

No stubby had it. Grrr for all the others out there as pedantic as me!

Whatever. (think whatever is said about your personal life is said by you, not by any one else) Anyway, anyone fancy going back to Biden or the Trump-Musk marriage?

Ooooh, tetchy this morning arn't you... perhaps you should have had a lie in. Tended to do that with the little ones when they were grumpy, put them down for a nap and they get up in a far better mood. However, if I was to give advice that would be listened to... what did your post last night actually bring to the discussion? Any insights into the POTUS thread... the way I read it it was just cheap digs... perhaps there is a place where you say it best, when you say nothing at all. When you do say, it is generally nothing to do with the thread at all, just cheap trying to get a verbal one up-manship over -anyone- really. And when that doesn't work, we all become (checking the latast insults) "sad deluded clowns" So as I might have mentioned before, bring something worthwhile to the discussion. Very few (errr.... none) other embers to the forum spend anywhere like your 90% of posts trying to spew forth insults and verbals. Try a different tact and you might find people will engage positively with you.

This:

Maybe you should get an early night one day. Or get me out of your head.

You'll have to post the link to that one (not the screen shot you mde up on MS Paint), none of the news channels I read say anything about any previous crimes. Also post the link to the news report where he rejoined the Islamic faith.

Always a good thing. I remember first driving and after 100 miles the car would be splattered with flies, 5 years ago could do the same thing every day and nothing. Last year was the first one for quiet a few after a couple of hundred mile round trip where I thought car could do with a fly clean... and if this helps improve wildlife numbers this is another good thing.