Bill Gates says President Trump could be like John F. Kennedy

64 Comments

“Donald Trump could be a similar president to John F Kennedy, according to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates,” Ben Kentish reports for The Independent. “The billionaire entrepreneur said the President-elect embraced ‘innovation’ in the same way as JFK, who served as US President for almost three years before being assassinated in 1963.”

Kentish reports, “Mr Gates told CNBC: ‘A lot of his message has been about… where he sees things not as good as he’d like, but in the same way that President Kennedy talked about the space mission and got the country behind that, I think whether it’s education or stopping epidemics… [or] in this energy space, there can be a very upbeat message that [Mr Trump’s] administration [is] going to organize things, get rid of regulatory barriers, and have American leadership through innovation be one of the things that he gets behind.'”

“The Microsoft co-founder was later pictured meeting Mr Trump at Trump Tower,” Kentish reports. “John F Kennedy spoke publicly during his presidency about his belief in the importance of science and technology.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: What Bill Gates knows about innovation could fit into a thimble with room to spare.

Cutting taxes now is not to incur a budget deficit, but to achieve the more prosperous, expanding economy which can bring a budget surplus. — John F. Kennedy

Middle-income Americans and businesses will experience profound relief, and taxes will be greatly simplified for everyone… Reducing taxes will cause new companies and new jobs to come roaring back into our country. — Donald J. Trump

64 Comments

    1. Do you have your Brownshirt yet? I think you need to get one. We are plowed to dissent in this country, it’s the most American thing you can do. But since you don’t believe in facts or know anything about what our constitution actually says, go ahead. We can turn you into the secret service for threats against a candidate too btw… (you might not understand the very thinly veiled reference to an authoritarian right wing government that my grandparents spent 6 years trying to wipe off the face of the planet) and enjoy your Russian tea time! I also hope you don’t live on the coast, or have any pre existing conditions that would bar you from getting healthcare, don’t acitdentally get a tax increase because you fall into the new 33% tax bracket instead of the 30% bracket… and btw? JFK cut the top marginal rate from 91% under Eisenhower to 74% where it stayed until Reagan cut it all the way to 27%. When the economy does the best historically the average tax burden of the upper 1% is ~42% (exactly where it was under Roosevelt,Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Carter, and oddly Clinton’s second term as well. Currently the top marginal rate is 39.5%). The one “stagflation” episode aside, the us economy was the most stable and robust in the world for that 50 year period. We didn’t have one bank panic or crash. Then all those burdensome “regulations” started going away in the 80’s leading to more boom and bust cycles, that’s the natural state of capitalism if left without rules and adequate taxation to pay for everything you neeed on a daily basis.

      Also, the stock market on January 21st 2009? 8228.10, the stock market now? Almost 20,000.00 and the current president gets no credit for that? But, you’re immune to factual discussion, as someone was on here last night as well. And since you’ve mad so many threats against the current president and the candidate this year, we can still turn your writings in to the Secret service, although I think you’d like it to be more like the other “agency” with those initials…. we will enjoy our free healthcare up north starting in march, and you can enjoy your authoritarian paradise while all your civil liberties go away, and dissent is criminalized. Then when you finally wake up to what’s going on it’ll be too late…. order your brown shirt before the discover you…

      Reply

        2. Actually, in Obamas second term I distinctly remember you making 2 threats to him, and quoted Michael savage I believe once about it, I will dig through mdn and find them. You also said nothing about the threats made to clintons life when mr trump made them, in fact you republished is exact quote and encouraged it… check back in a few hours once I’ve had time to throw that in your face.

          Also, the brown shirts tactics? Really? Two guys who got fired for a doctored video of them suggesting the practice? You watch way too much fox. Voter suppression in the form “voter id” laws which which go after with “laser like precision” minorité voters (federal judge) to stop a nonexistent problem that’s happen approximately 30 times in 30 years? And the only person who did it this year was trump supporter in Iowa? I’m not the one projecting, his entire campaign was projection… the entir right wing is projection…

          I notice you carefully avoided my economic discourse and the like, because even though you may treat your opinion as facts, the rest of us in the reality based community (I hate that that’s a term) see through your nonsense. And have the hard data to back it up…

        3. Funny. We have voter ID in Hawaii and no one complains. Guess its because the Dems have unanimity in both legislative houses and the governor. The so called native Hawaiians main issue is opposition to a Thirty Meter telescope on the big islands because that is sacred land of their fire god, even though most profess to be Christians.

        5. Mike, my apologies for interrupting this thread.

          However, in a comment directed to me, re the MacDailyNews article, “Autodesk is totally committed to AutoCad and The Mac”, you stated, in part, that, “

          Courtesy of Steve Johnson, the partial list of features missing for AutoCAD on the Mac:

          LAYCUR, LAYDEL, LAYMRG, LAYWALK and LAYVPI
          DesignCentre
          Layer state manager
          ShowMotion
          Steering wheel
          Smart centrelines/centre marks
          Model documentation tools
          Table style editing
          Hatch creation preview
          Multi-line style creation
          Digitiser integration
          Geographic location
          Mtext superscript and subscript tools
          Optimised PDF output
          Hyperlink support in exported PDFs
          Sheet set links in exported multi-sheet PDFs
          Simplified, powerful rendering
          Override xref layer properties
          New feature highlighting
          Material creation, editing and mapping
          Advanced rendering settings
          Camera creation
          Point cloud
          Walkthroughs, flybys and animations
          Improved 3D graphics (stability, fidelity, performance)
          DWF™ underlays
          DGN underlays
          Data extraction
          Mark-up set manager
          dbConnect manager
          WMF import and export
          FBX import and export
          Design feed
          Import SketchUp files (SKP)
          Design share
          3D print studio
          Reference Navisworks models
          Co-ordination model object snap
          Import PDFs
          VisualLISP
          VBA
          DCL dialogues
          Action recorder and action macros
          Reference manager (standalone application)
          Custom dictionaries
          Password-protected drawings
          Digital signatures
          Migration tool enhancements
          CAD standards tools
          CUI import and export
          BIM 360 add-in
          Sysvar monitor

          As a follow up, I asked for a reference to the above.

          I would greatly appreciate it if you could supply such.

          Thank you in advance

        6. The SS that he mentions bears only a passing resemblance to the one of the same name from Germany’s past. Don’t pay any attention to what is behind the curtain.

        7. Exactly, I was making the comparison between our modern secret service and how the similar agency in Germany got taken over and put to use as the secret police by the nazi loyalists (goering, etc..) and that f14t16 and his ilk would like our secret service to function the same way, to stamp out “dissenters”. I was not saying the secret service was actually doing that, and I was reminding him that it works both ways.

        9. Oh, I am sure of that. Almost any red-blooded American male from the benighted 1960s would have voted for him over her. Today presents a slightly different story. Only slightly, because rampant misogyny has only slightly retreated since then. I do not mean to insinuate that Trump is misogynistic; to the contrary, he has thunderingly affirmed his respect for the female persuasion, turning over management of his businesses to them, even adding them to his cabinet. Although, thank God, he hasn’t considered Condoleeza Rice. Even though she wears dresses and not pantsuits.

    1. I think long ago we as “members of the cult” stopped listening to bill gates. Why anyone does given how many times he’s been famously wrong is amazing to me. Steve was right about almost everything save a couple mistakes and he’s not thought of the same way gates is. The moral is, steal your money from an innovator and you’re protected and celebrated, actually push the world forward and try to help people? Publicly evicserated at every turn when you make even a slight misstep. Nonsense.

      Reply

    3. I think you missed the point. Trump COULD be like Kennedy but that doesn’t mean that he is. The possibility is there for him to up his game and rise to the qualities of a good president.

      Reply

      1. Trump has no intention of being a great president. In order to do that you have to unite the people. For the US to be truly great, EVERY citizen needs a fair shot at education, health, and economic justice. Trump’s actions show the exact opposite. Trump want s to be like Putin, picking winners based solely on loyalty to Trump.

        I fear Trump will send millions of Americans into poverty. Trump makes tweets about saving a few hundred low pay jobs here and there while millions may soon lose the ability to pay for health care, or be able to tolerate environmental destruction, or pay for the out of control costs of education, or get loans to expand their small businesses since Wll Street only wants to exploit Americans. Enriching oneself via business deals is an entirely different skill set from leading a diverse nation of people who are tired of seeing the rich take all profits while the working class gets ignored.

        Reply

    2. Not that simple…

      http://www.npr.org/2013/11/12/244772593/jfks-lasting-economic-legacy-lower-tax-rates

      Kennedy got Congress to try to stimulate the economy by passing a “liberal” agenda that included:
      * Increasing the minimum wage.
      * Expanding unemployment benefits.
      * Boosting Social Security benefits to encourage workers to retire earlier.
      * Spending more for highway construction.

      It’s true, he did cut taxes, but at that time, the top marginal tax rate was 91 percent. The Kennedy-backed tax cuts took down that rate to 70 percent.

      Reply

        1. Some perspective on minimum wage is necessary.

          Kennedy raised the minimum wage by a huge $0.10 to $1.25 — a small jump as the current day equivalent of from (approximately) $9.07 to $9.86.

          The highest, then year equivalent adjusted for inflation, was in 1968 when the minimum wage was raised to $1.60 — the approximate equivalent today of about $11.10. AND, the era around 1968 is generally considered a period of overall prosperity in the U.S. Thus the argument could be made that relatively high minimum wages don’t damage an overall good economy.

          The counter argument is the 1944 minimum wage of $0.30 (translates to about $4.11 today) with great productivity, but that was during the war efforts and high employment — which most would take as an anomalous set of conditions.

      3. It’s really weird when you think about it. By today’s standards, Kennedy would seem Reagan-esq. Back then he was more of a Southern Democrat, which was nothing like the identarian/socialist left we have today. By today’s standards he would be pure Republican…
        —————————————————–
        http://ideas.time.com/2013/10/14/jfk-was-a-political-conservative/

        JFK Was a Political Conservative
        His image as a big-spending liberal is a widespread myth that needs correcting

        By Ira Stoll @IraStollOct. 14, 2013

        Far from being a big-spending liberal, Kennedy was a conservative by the standards of both his time and today. While he increased military spending, overall he restrained federal outlays. His plan for economic growth emphasized not deficits but tax-rate cuts that he argued would eventually pay for themselves by increasing government revenue. He reduced tariffs in pursuit of free trade, and he took a hard line against communism abroad and at home.

        In more candid and private moments, Kennedy’s closest aides have acknowledged as much. At one closed-door Boston gathering of Camelot veterans, Theodore Sorensen said, “Kennedy was a fiscal conservative. Most of us and the press and historians have, for one reason or another, treated Kennedy as being much more liberal than he so regarded himself at the time … in fiscal matters, he was extremely conservative, very cautious about the size of the budget.”

        Reply

        1. JFK was complicated. He spoke liberal and acted conservative behind the scenes. Nice to promote the Peace Corps and NASA in speeches while saber rattling and war mongering. Kennedy’s military escalations directly drew the USA into Vietnam.

          Of course, simple people ignore the reality that most effects of world leaders aren’t felt during their term of office.

        4. Kennedy was a true liberal in most areas, but he was a fiscal conservative — meaning, “We want to do great social and diplomatic things, but we have to figure out how to pay for them.” That is NOT the same as saying he was similar to Reagan. The underlying philosophies of what each wanted to do overall were very, very different.

          Reagan was an overall conservative. There were very few niches where Reagan was a progressive (but people must admit there were a very few). Kennedy was a progressive on many, many fronts, but just fiscally conservative.

          Take my personal favorite about Reagan. He personally pushed for, and got, unemployment rules passed that negated any use of a person’s employment as active duty military as credit toward unemployment benefits.

          Then take the example of a younger friend of mine that exited in 1982. He had a job lined up before he exited the military. Within 5 1/2 months after exiting and working at the new job, the company downsized and he got caught in the “last hired/first fired” scenario. Then, he was told that his 5 1/2 months of employment was not enough to get any unemployment benefits.

          So… he went without any income for the three or four weeks or so that it took him to find a new job (at a further reduced pay, I might add, because he *had* to have a job to pay the bills and support his family). All because Reagan pushed for eliminating using military service as credit toward unemployment benefits.

          Yep, the Reagan who claimed to strongly support the troops. Yep, making that change as to unemployment eligibility saved the federal government virtually nothing in the grand scheme of things. That’s just one specific example of which I am personally aware.

  7. Drumpf punked a lot of low information people scared of their own shadow. He has appointed at least 4 Goldman senior staff to positions in his government- that’ll show the banksters. He put Rick Perry- the dumbest of a group of dumbos to run for the GOP nomination in charge of an agency he could not even remember in a debate.

    The only good thing about Drumpf is that he is not Hillary Clinton.

    Reply

    1. Windows 95 was actually a good move by Microsoft, and it was as much due to
      Gates as to Balmer. Windows 95 was one of the main external reasons for Apple’s Dark Days. There were many, many internal reasons, but Windows 95 was one of the main external contributors.

      Now if you want to blame OS things on Balmer, you should point to things like Bob and Clippy and Windows ME. Those were true fiascos (especially Bob) about which Balmer should forever hang his head in shame.

      Reply

      1. Windows 95 succeeded because of Apple’s lack of adequate response to its arrival. Apple was in turmoil at the time with Gil Amelio running the circus.

        Wasn’t Melinda Gates associated with Bob?

        Reply

      2. Windows 95 is a DIRECT result of apple mismanagement (John sculley signing away the crowned jewels), and reverse engineering. The only reason the “start” menu was on the bottom left hand corner was to avoid the apple look and feel lawsuit. Microsoft has no original ideas ever, even excel (their best product) was purchased, as was DOS. All of Windows is stolen, just like android, from the same company! Microsoft gets ZERO credit for any of their software. Apple is the leader. Has been for 40 years. We wouldn’t even have “Personal computers” with Jobs and Woz.

        Reply

      1. That’s quite the attack JWSC, but like so many here that decide to go that route, it misses the mark. I wasn’t trying to trying to be a smart ass, rather I was pointing out a smart ass nation, you know the kind that has no regard for the sovereignty of other nations, the kind that tortures people and denies them justice. That’s the smart ass nation. Quite often they are made up of people that go on an attack others without justification and avoid or distract from the issue(s) brought forth.

        Now about you ideas on the issues, oh wait, you haven’t made any. I guess that concludes that.

        Reply

        1. I continue to admire your interpersonal skills: steadfast opposition to injustice, accompanied by cool restraint in the face of bullying opposition, a firm grasp on the relevant facts, and an uncanny talent for locating common ground.

          If I am not mistaken, you are an international diplomat, or the business equivalent of one. I wouldn’t suppose you’d accept an appointment from Donald Trump, given your disdain for the man, but if you did I feel the world would become a safer and better place.

        2. My it’s wonderful to wake up to one of your comments in the morning. All this interpersonal skill stuff you point out stems from a simple common trend I’ve observed from people of your country.

          1. Insult the messenger, the ad hominem attack.
          2. Distract from the main issue the smoke and mirrors approach.
          3. Never, ever under any circumstance deal with the issue at hand.

          Now insofar as the chump is concerned I don’t have any particular disdain for him, in fact I see the potential for your country to become like the free and civilized world under his leadership. Mind you the bar I’m setting is pretty low and for the record:

          a. Put those held at Guantanamo on the Bay Resort on trial or free them.
          b. Don’t start any new wars, end the ones you are engaged in.
          c. Don’t circumvent the Geneva convention.

          I’m not holding my breath, and it’s more than being a smart ass it’s based on facts. You’ve had over 700 detainees at Guantanamo on the Bay resort, most have been released without charge, there are still 59 people there. You’ve had this thing going for over a decade, and pragmatically it shows that the only type of justice your country is interested in when it comes for foreigners is justice denied.

          When it comes to war, the obummer is the first president to serve his entire term under war conditions, that’s 0% peace time so it’s not going to be hard for the chump to beat that but even that incredibly low bar is still not likely. I recently read that your country has been at war for 222 out of 239 years since 1776 and ironically I’m the one who’s a smart ass for pointing out the war mongering nature of your nation.

          Making the world a safer and better place is up to you, but putting any nation before the planet indicates to me a small vision and creates a situation where a national security puts global security at risk.

          Thanks again for your insightful comments, have a wonderful holiday season.

  15. Don’t focus on the equity (share) market. This is “lemmingsville” where everyone follows everyone else. To get an idea of the cost of money you need to look at the bond (money rate) markets. The fact is that the interest charged on bonds is going up. (As for the share market it is long overdue for a big correction.)

    This is based on a number of factors such as:

    1. The US economy is reaching full capacity so there is an expectation of interest rates rising, wages rising and a continual revival in the residential and commercial real estate market and perhaps worryingly,

    2. An expectation (based on the incoming president’s economic pronouncements) that he will overheat the economy. What I mean by this is that there is nothing wrong with productivity based infrastructure spending (like building needed roads, rail, airports etc.), but if the money goes into stadia and the like the bond markets will go nuts.

    Likewise, by cutting taxes (inputs) and then spending money on the above, on defence (like an insurance policy and there is no productivity gain) then the government has to borrow the money from somewhere and that somewhere is the international money market.

    The money will be lent but the marketplace will base the interest rate charged on the level of risk. Cutting taxes is based on tricklel down economics which doesn’t really work. In fact when Reagan left office he always said the one regret he had was the level of international debt he bequeathed to the next President (Bush senior…A.K.A. “the wise one”).

    Eventually this was dealt with by President Clinton (“the filthy one”) and then he moderately blew out the level of international debt in his second term.

    After that came Bush (the younger one) and Iraq and the deficit blew out like crazy.

    Coming back to Trump if he does half of what he’s promised to do then the international debt level will go nuts, and that’s my big nightmare. Interest rates and currency levels go up and the US economy comes to screaming halt. This is known as boom and bust.

    Last week I had a talk with my wife and we agreed that we’d be switching from a variable mortgage rate and going over to fixed one. You can make you own decisions.

    Reply

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