Artist defends anti-Trump billboard

[Teh One Who Knocks]

FOX News


http://i.imgur.com/bgaSWPj.jpg

The artist behind an anti-Trump billboard seen along a Phoenix roadway defended her illustration of the president seen in between dollar-sign shaped swastikas and mushroom clouds.

“I think a lot of people are feeling this way and I'm just trying to express what I think is on a lot of people's minds these days," Karen Fiorito, the artist, told KPNX-TV on Saturday. "Something that really concerned us was this idea of a dictatorship where things were going in a certain direction."

Clowns are also seen in the mushroom clouds and Trump is pictured wearing a Russian lapel. The opposite side of billboard has sign language, which stands for “unity,” Fox 10 Phoenix reported.

The California-based artist said she received backing from the billboard’s owner Beatrice Moore.

"I got the opportunity to have a platform to say something, and I took that opportunity, and I take full responsibility for it," Fiorito told Fox 10 Phoenix.

http://i.imgur.com/mEwUdZ9.jpg

Moore told KPNX-TV that the billboard will stay up as long as Trump is president.

"Some of these issues are so important you can't not speak out,” Moore said.

Some residents around the billboard expressed their displeasure about the structure.

"I think this is the greatest thing that I've seen in a long time," Mike Bolenbach told Fox 10 Phoenix. "I think everything Donald Trump is doing is destroying America from the inside."

Jeff Whiteman added, "I don't necessarily agree with the leader of our country and all the things going on, but I would not disrespect him or any leader.”

The pair was reportedly behind another controversial billboard. Fiorito created a billboard of then-President George W. Bush and other officials in 2004 as part of her master of fine arts thesis at Arizona State, according to KPNX-TV.

The billboard read: "Dear America, we lied to you for your own good. Now trust us."

[RBP]

Trump Derangement Syndrome.

In actual news, the national debt dropped $100B in Trumps first 2 months.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Can you imagine if someone had done something like this to Obama when he was president?

[RBP]

Can you imagine if someone had done something like this to Obama when he was president?

There you go comparing Jesus to Lucifer again.

:villagers:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Trump Derangement Syndrome.

In actual news, the national debt dropped $100B in Trumps first 2 months.

Yeah, and Obummer spent $400B in his first 2 months. But, nobody wants to talk about that

[deebakes]

those were the good ol' days :rofl:

[lost in melb.]

Actually you both are wrong. Neither Obama or trump are responsible for this.
The President really has no say on how much the Federal government spends.
That is Congress. The President's job as chief executive is to determine how
some of the money allocated by Congress will be spent. Again, not how much.

Now, the President can make suggestions. They can go to their cabinet members
and heads of the different departments and ask them how much money they will
need and make a proposal "budget". Congress can straight tell them to "fu*k off
and we don't like you proposal. If they can't come to an agreement for a new
budget before the old one expires. The government shuts down and people
bi*ch about how they can't see the Grand Canyon.

Going back to the president making suggestions. Let's use trump's proposal
as an example. Part of the agenda he wants to put forward is keeping the
US in perpetual warfare. So part of his proposal was raising the Department
of Defense's budget by 600 billion dollars. If Congress doesn't agree with
that, it won't happen. It most likely will. Because war is something both
sides seem to have no problem agreeing on.

I know it's popular to blame the President for these things. They are the most
visible face of the Federal government and you have to have a photographic
memory to know all 500+ Congress critters. Most of them work in the
shadows. Only known to their home state.

A lot of people (myself included) believe that the Federal government works
best when the branches are divided. With one side controlling the Executive
branch and the other in control of the legislative branch. There are checks
and balances. That doesn't always seem to work out when there is a
Republican in the White House and a Democrat-controlled Congress.
Look at Reagan and George W Bush for examples. The deficit doesn't
matter mentality pervades both party's mindset.

Bill Clinton and the Republican controlled Congress he had are examples of
it working. People like to big up Clinton for having a budget surplus when
he left office and George W fu*ked it off. That surplus would not have
happened if it was not for Newt Gingrich and the Republicans pushing
back on Clinton's original proposal. Clinton's original 1996 budget proposal
would have added almost 200 Billion every year to the debt.

One funny example that should be talked about more. During the 2010
budget talks, Obama proposed bigger cuts to Social Security and other
programs than the Republicans in Congress did. That is an old-school conservatives' wet dream. So, what did the Republicans do? They refused
the cuts. Because it would affect the people in their states and did not want
to have to go back home and defend them.

So what does the President really do?

Budgets are not blank checks. Congress allocates certain amounts of money
to each function of government. There are also certain guidelines put in on
what each department can spend the money on. For example the Department
of Health and Human Services can not use it's money to pay for abortions.
There are also what are called entitlements. A name I personally hate. They
are benefits. Entitlements for the most part cannot be touched. Because there
are taxes collected specifically to fund those programs and cannot be used for
anything else. Yes, I know the money coming in is stolen all the time. But, the
money going out is locked in and is a fixed expense that has to be honored.

Then there is the equivalent to "petty cash'. Money given to a department with
no restriction put on it. This is where the President can use the infamous
executive order to instruct departments to do certain things. This is where
the President has their most power in deciding on how some of the discretionary
spending is used. They can also use their power to tell a department to ignore
certain things. Obama did this by telling the DOJ to leave state-sanctioned
marijuana alone. Some say he overextended himself with his decision to protect
children who were brought to the US illegally by the parents and was sued for it.
trump is going through the same thing with his immigration ban.

Long story longer.

The President can request funds. But, there will be a lot of backdoor negotiations.
They have control over how some of the money is spent. But, the majority of the
budget expenses are agreed to by the Executive and Legislative branches. Which
during the majority of Obama's Presidency was divided. We are fu*ked now
because there is no balance. A completely Republican controlled Federal
government has shown over and over again they don't care about fiscal
responsibility. The same when it is a complete Democrat controlled entity.
A Republican Executive Branch and Democrat controlled Legislature fair a little
better. A Democrat in the White House and Republican Congress at least
guarantees the very basics of the government are still working with an
eye on the check book.


That is how government works on the Federal level. All that other other sh*t
is WWF.

If anyone can to point to any errors let me know, I will correct them. I wrote
this all from my experience of watching how it works for the last 25+ years.
So, I may be off on a few things. Let me know if you have any questions as well.

:idk: