BruceVC

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2014/08/27/ben-bernanke-the-2008-financial-crisis-was-worse-than-the-great-depression/#31600c9877c0 But thats the interesting thing about 2008....Ben Bernanke was a student of the 1929 Great Depression....and the Fed under his direction did the opposite what happened in 1929 He pumped large amounts of money into the financial sector to prevent the likes of AIG from going insolvent ..in 1929 the various banks were left to crash or survive and many went bankrupt So they did learn lessons from 1929

I want in on what they're paying you. Do you honestly consider 2008 a crash of the worlds economy? It was bad I won't deny it but it wasnt a crash...1929 was a crash

Russia has a cheek, maybe they should worry about trying to get there economy out of recession instead of criticizing Merkel Criticizing leadership of those countries that have given Russia economical sanctions is actually one the ways Medvedev tries to to get Russia out of the regression. As if they get people question their leaders in immigration issues they can use that to make them to question sanctions against Russia. Good points ...but even if the West drops sanctions the Russian economy needs the oil price to get back to a level where its profitable for them in order to end there recession Also most investors won't go back into Russia until there overall economy is more healthy...so its interesting to think what the Russians believe will fundementally change if sanctions are dropped?

Here's what I said 25 pages ago On the plus side we're due for another market crash and I don't see the left as it exists now surviving that. What do you think would be the cause of another market crash? Do you mean like 2008....which wasn't a crash but a serious slowdown and period of financial negative contagion But people like Ben Bernanke prevented a real crash like in 1929 through difficult but prudent fiscal policies http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/27/news/economy/ben-bernanke-great-depression/index.html

You right, I do believe he is a good guy who wants to do good things. And he has done many good things, I can list them if you want to discuss them? But don't you think using the word evil is hyperbole.....its just seems extreme? What would you call using the IRS to shut down political organizations whose aims are opposed to his? I disagree. Completely and emphatically. Not one this has that man accomplished that I would call completely good especially since so much of it was done by ignoring or subverting the law. I can't help but notice you never comment on the problems I bring up that the Obama administration has either created in whole or exacerbated. It doesn't matter. We are not going to come to any kind of agreement on this. There is no accomplishment you are going to mention that I won't find fault with and no over-reach or abuse that I could being up that you won't gloss over or ignore. You and I will find no common ground here. Okay this IRS issue, I have heard about it but its not something that is a constant discussion on the various international media networks I watch So maybe just give me a summary...what political organisations have been shut down?

Russia has a cheek, maybe they should worry about trying to get there economy out of recession instead of criticizing Merkel

http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/world/2016/02/11/us-russia-agree-deal-cease-fire-syrias-civil-war/80259530/ So Russia and the USA have agreed on a ceasefire and also defined who the " good" guys are so Russia stops bombing them...apparently Russia wasn't sure exactly who were considered the bad guys in Syria and will now focus there bombing campaign on ISIS and AQ linked groups in Syria

Whats your prediction, I like the question. I'll give my prediction after you

You right, I do believe he is a good guy who wants to do good things. And he has done many good things, I can list them if you want to discuss them? But don't you think using the word evil is hyperbole.....its just seems extreme?

Another reason why I find myself aligned with the Democrats, watching the Democratic National Committee debate both Sanders and Clinton have a period where they both debating who is less critical of Obama....they both are huge supporters of his legacy which matters to me I still want Clinton to be the nominee but I can really live with a Sanders presidency...personally most of his ideas I object to I dont believe will ever be realistically implemented, for example this restructuring of the financial sector, its just rhetoric IMO But its very reassuring that they both support most of the fundamental ideals of Obama..which is a more equitable and fair society for all. Nothing wrong with that

No its a prudent tactic, he stands by his principles..which is no need for egregious personal attacks It may be naive but much of what he stands for could be considered idealistic and he is doing well amongst much of the Democratic base so it is working

Yum, that sounds delicious

Yes you do raise a valid point, I think you will find that throughout Germany mayors and local leaders were asked to be accepting ....of course this needs to be managed The mayor was insensitive and myopic, why should local Germans now not be able to walk in there own town? Of course this must be rejected as it was The refugees can come to Germany but they need to learn the rules and customs of the Germans...if they can't accept this then send them back to Syria?

" head chef "

But you see how he got booed, you can't now accept this type of intimidation in small towns So for me this is a sign of the expected resilience of the Germans. They won't accept it and thats a good thing

That is fitting, you don't do that in Russia You don't do that anywhere but in Russia they will react that way

Your wife must love the fact you are such a good cook, does she cook?

I have been using Excel for about 12 years, its much more powerful than people may initially think I have seen people manipulate the macro functionality so it serves as a database

Oh that's a load of bull. It is impossible to classify the politics of an entire state you have never visited by the reputation you think it has because of what you've read on the internet. Yes obviously GD But I want valid opinions about the states, anecdotal if possible. I can research a lot, I have relatives in the USA and I watch international media but your stories are important ...I share them with people on the radio and other mediums so people don't generalize about the USA Be specific - its not really state but city region you're looking at. Metro Atlanta isn't like Savannah, which isn't like Macon or Augusta or Albany. Also it might be helpful to know what metrics you might like. Cost of Living? Crime? Traffic? Happiness Index? Yes okay I need to consider these things, I am not worried about any level of crime ....I will be happy wherever I go, except for maybe Alaska I had to cancel the Skype call today so I will reschedule this week

Poor Bruce has spermotoxicosis and hallucinate strippers in any random videos with girls. Oby where do live? Everyone says you not really Russian In real world analog of Inquanock. Where is that ? Siberia?

Poor Bruce has spermotoxicosis and hallucinate strippers in any random videos with girls. Oby where do live? Everyone says you not really Russian

So do you think that Russians who criticize/don't like Putin are unpatriotic people that don't like their home country as they opposite view of majority? As my point was that you logic "No because you are dismissing the views of large numbers of Canadians, Trudeau won a majority. In other words why do you feel you are better than all those people? I would still say its unpatriotic and very arrogant" don't necessary hold water if you example put it in following way "No because you are dismissing the views of large numbers of Russians, Putin won a majority. In other words why do you feel you are better than all those people? I would still say its unpatriotic and very arrogant", and therefore I asked if you actually ably it to every case or only those where winners of elections have similar world view with you? Okay I understand the question now....thank goodness that post I made can still be used Putins support around 80 % approval ratings is not based on a proper metric or rather it misplaced support for Putin because of most Russians they see Putin as a hero, they see him as restoring Russian pride...yet as I explained Putin has in fact sacrificed the economy. Now many Russians accept this as price to pay for Georgia. Crimea and Ukraine. They think its worth the economic sacrifice But its not, Putin is using foreign reserves to shield the economic impact from hitting Russia in its worst way. I predict Russia has about 2-3 years left before being bankrupt. Even Iran who really hated the West after 5 years of sanctions returned to the negotiations. The support for Putin and his foreign policies will also start being eroded once the economy starts really getting bad....you see without an economy whats the real point of patriotism? And this applies to the 20 % who don't support Putin...its not about patriotism. They see what Putin has done , its a rejection of a damaging force You cannot compare the Russian reality to Canada who has some of the happiest citizens in the world and is a first world Democracy. Canada works so when there is a majority victory in some elections you must realize its from people who voted for Trudeau because they think he offers the best and overall most progressive future Its a vote done for the right reasons ...not because they believe Canada needs to restore an old empire So yes when someone like Volo turns around and says Trudeau is some sort of dysfunctional, weak fool its a baseless and arrogant comment

I am not sure if your logic actually holds water, or is this one of those cases that is in effect only when you support those that are in power? So Elerond hear me out for a second as you are logical, watch this interview and tell me what you think about Trudeau http://wn.com/justin_trudeau_cnn_interview_in_davos_for_fareed_zakaria_gps Tell me what you think about Putin that won Russian election with wider margin? Well to be fair its a really bad analogy as the two people are so different and achieved political leadership through such different strategies ..but its also a good question as I can make a relevant comparison So Putin has an excellent approval rating, 80-85 % so some may immediately say " Putin is a great leader as the Russian people really support him "..but what if I told you in fact what really matters in a great leader is what price and sacrifice was needed to be paid by the country ...by the actual citizens ? This must be considered when we compare the 2 men Putin restored Russian pride but neglected the internal economy. The failure to diversify outside of oil of gas for Russia wasn't just about Putin's lack of focus but also the fact in order to control Russia and its growth he has discouraged many types of investors as Russia is seen as a risk But this would have negligible if the oil price hadn't crashed, then add to that Western sanctions for the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and suddenly Russia is in a recession ....like a real protracted recession. You can research how bad it is ....its bad because Russia needs the oil price to be at $90-110 to make it profitable to extract oil So life in Russia has become hard for the average Russian citizen http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2015/01/04/what-will-russias-recession-look-like/#25742d8e40e8 http://www.euronews.com/2016/02/03/russian-recession-set-to-deepen-says-central-bank/ And there is no easy fix. I have seen this same thing throughout Africa and it can take years to resolve because there is NO appetite for people to invest in Russia Trudeau won by less and is less well liked but would he neglect growing the Canadian economy outside of oil just so he can push a military agenda ? Highly unlikely So I'll let you decide Who is the better leader ?

I can possibly see that but I still think he makes loads of sense, like when he says " we can't become a society that lives in fear" Somehow I can imagine him sending refugees to an island