The All Things Political Thread (One thread to rule them all and in the darkness bind them)

[Darkpriest]

32 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

Actually Norway appears to be saving money hand over fist.

Also, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Germany if you want other examples. Actually, while some countries are better managed than others, the entirety of Western Europe has robust social welfare policies. Most of them do not have oil

Lets look at Sweden. 

Debt to GDP seems fairly stable

However real GDP is not that impressive (GDP minus inflation) 

So how does the standard of living improves? Can you afford more than your parents at the same age or less? How's that walefare dream going? 

 

Note: Not everything sweden does is bad, for example how they approached a solution to get this company lock in there. 

If they'd have an IPO I'd jump on board right away as early as possible 

https://northvolt.com/

Even if most of the production is located outside of Sweden, because of. (drum rolls) taxes and social security fees

Edited March 26, 2021 by Darkpriest

[BruceVC]

10 minutes ago, Darkpriest said:

How do you want to achieve that? Cap prices for companies providing those services? Increaing taxes? More debt? Perhaps stop listening and paying so much to ass twerking or ball catching performers and male all that money be directed at your baseline education and trade/craftmenship schools? 

Yes but some of these ass twerking ladies are really hot....like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj 

So lets make sure we keep funding these initiatives as part of arts and culture spending, they very important and if they need socialist funding I support it. Just stay away from unreasonable interference  in the private sector and more important governments over regulation in the financial sector 

[HoonDing]

"Yes but some of these ass twerking ladies are really hot....like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj "

what is this? I considered you a staunch Verwoerdist

[BruceVC]

5 minutes ago, HoonDing said:

"Yes but some of these ass twerking ladies are really hot....like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj "

what is this? I considered you a staunch Verwoerdist

Im disappointed Hoonding, all these years I have been on this forum and  debating and you think I am racist ?

You very naughty but its okay I forgive you because you make me laugh 

 

[Pidesco]

17 minutes ago, Darkpriest said:

Lets look at Sweden. 

Debt to GDP seems fairly stable

However real GDP is not that impressive (GDP minus inflation) 

So how does the standard of living improves? Can you afford more than your parents at the same age or less? How's that walefare dream going? 

 

Note: Not everything sweden does is bad, for example how they approached a solution to get this company lock in there. 

If they'd have an IPO I'd jump on board right away as early as possible 

https://northvolt.com/

Swedes treat whales very well.

 

For myself, I can say that I, unfortunately, do not own any whales, but my single income family makes about the same money as my parent's double income family. The caveat is that I am Portuguese, and Portugal is a country with very low wages, although my parents had quite high wages by Portuguese standards.

As for real wages and purchase power that is a global problem that nowadays affects pretty much every single developed country in the world. Social welfare policies are one of the methods to alleviate the problem. If you want to read more about it, the essential work is Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty.

[Darkpriest]

2 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

Swedes treat whales very well.

 

For myself, I can say that I, unfortunately, do not own any whales, but my single income family makes about the same money as my parent's double income family. The caveat is that I am Portuguese, and Portugal is a country with very low wages, although my parents had quite high wages by Portuguese standards.

As for real wages and purchase power that is a global problem that nowadays affects pretty much every single developed country in the world. Social welfare policies are one of the methods to alleviate the problem. If you want to read more about it, the essential work is Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty.

I'd like to hear from people from Estonia or Slovakia, to see if they have the same amount of issues on their purchasing power relative to ones prior and in the same magnitude like the long time walefare or outright socialist countries. 

 

 

[BruceVC]

19 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

Swedes treat whales very well.

 

For myself, I can say that I, unfortunately, do not own any whales, by.

Pidesco you have raised an interesting point and one that has often confused me. I know you Portuguese so maybe you cant answer this but why do Nordic people hate dolphins and whales and like killing them in barbaric ways ?

 http://greenplanetethics.com/dolphin-killing-in-denmark-faroe-islands/#:~:text=Dolphin killing in Denmark is a ritual requirement,watch the ritual slaughter of the Calderon Dolphins.

https://us.whales.org/our-4-goals/stop-whaling/whaling-in-norway/

I consider the Nordic countries bastions of human rights and fairness so this behavior surprises me ? I support hunting in SA but its only done during hunting season and when their is going to be culling of animals like buck and elephant anyway . Also you pay big money to hunt in SA so international hunters help pay for the upkeep and sustainability of our game reserves 

 

[Pidesco]

21 minutes ago, Darkpriest said:

I'd like to hear from people from Estonia or Slovakia, to see if they have the same amount of issues on their purchasing power relative to ones prior and in the same magnitude like the long time walefare or outright socialist countries. 

 

 

Countries that had very low wages more recently are dubious examples.

To take an example I'm more familiar with, Purchasing power in Portugal increased immensely following the end of the dictatorship in 1974, but it still increased relatively little given how very low purchasing power was to begin with. To take an extreme hypothetical if you begin with making 5 bucks a month and after a year you are making 20 bucks a month, your purchasing power increased 300%, but your purchasing power is still horrible.

 

So people from the Baltic states have had excellent purchasing power increases since the end of the USSR, but they still would have better real wages in Sweden, where purchasing power has stagnated in recent years. A doctor in Lithuania makes a lot less money there than in Sweden.

 

https://knoema.com/WBWDI2019Jan/world-development-indicators-wdi

[Pidesco]

3 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Pidesco you have raised an interesting point and one that has often confused me. I know you Portuguese so maybe you cant answer this but why do Nordic people hate dolphins and whales and like killing them in barbaric ways ?

 http://greenplanetethics.com/dolphin-killing-in-denmark-faroe-islands/#:~:text=Dolphin killing in Denmark is a ritual requirement,watch the ritual slaughter of the Calderon Dolphins.

https://us.whales.org/our-4-goals/stop-whaling/whaling-in-norway/

I consider the Nordic countries bastions of human rights and fairness so this behavior surprises me ? I support hunting in SA but its only done during hunting season and when their is going to be culling of animals like buck and elephant anyway . Also you pay big money to hunt in SA so international hunters help pay for the upkeep and sustainability of our game reserves 

 

It was a joke.

Culture is culture. People will do abhorrent/stupid stuff with no problem if their culture permits/glorifies it. See bullfighting in Spain and Portugal, blackface in the Netherlands, gun fetishism in the US.

[Zoraptor]

1 hour ago, Darkpriest said:

They've had years of budgetary surplus due to oil revenue, so like a spoiled rich child, they have some money to squander, but with a certain lifestyle and dwindling resources, that won't last forever.

You've just described every oil sheikdom in the middle east. Except, maybe, Oman.

OTOH, Norway has a trillion dollar sovereign wealth fund thanks to its oil that means that the whole country could go on holiday for literally years if it wanted to. If there's one country that cannot be accused of squandering its oil wealth it's Norway.

[Darkpriest]

7 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

Countries that had very low wages more recently are dubious examples.

To take an example I'm more familiar with, Purchasing power in Portugal increased immensely following the end of the dictatorship in 1974, but it still increased relatively little given how very low purchasing power was to begin with. To take an extreme hypothetical if you begin with making 5 bucks a month and after a year you are making 20 bucks a month, your purchasing power increased 300%, but your purchasing power is still horrible.

 

So people from the Baltic states have had excellent purchasing power increases since the end of the USSR, but they still would have better real wages in Sweden, where purchasing power has stagnated in recent years. A doctor in Lithuania makes a lot less money there than in Sweden.

 

https://knoema.com/WBWDI2019Jan/world-development-indicators-wdi

So in other words, they adopted policies, which allowed them to grow from that poorer state and are at a velocity, where they already got past some of the older EU members, yet not there, where there are some of thre richest members? 

We can check in 15-20 more years at this velocity? 

[Darkpriest]

2 minutes ago, Zoraptor said:

You've just described every oil sheikdom in the middle east. Except, maybe, Oman.

OTOH, Norway has a trillion dollar sovereign wealth fund thanks to its oil that means that the whole country could go on holiday for literally years if it wanted to. If there's one country that cannot be accused of squandering its oil wealth it's Norway.

Yes, however, I wonder how resilient that fund is, especially, when there is a political pressure to its investment strategy. 

[Pidesco]

3 minutes ago, Darkpriest said:

So in other words, they adopted policies, which allowed them to grow from that poorer state and are at a velocity, where they already got past some of the older EU members, yet not there, where there are some of thre richest members? 

We can check in 15-20 more years at this velocity? 

Check the graphic they have stagnated already.

[Darkpriest]

17 minutes ago, Pidesco said:

Check the graphic they have stagnated already.

Yes, at 7-10% growth and their inflation was at ca 3.5% with 10% gdp growth (if we are talking Estonia still) that's real gdp of 6.5%, how many times higher than the great walefare haven of Sweden? The one with less than 1% or negative real gdp growth? 

[Pidesco]

5 minutes ago, Darkpriest said:

Yes, at 7-10% growth and their inflation was at ca 3.5% with 10% gdp growth (if we are talking Estonia still) that's real gdp of 6.5%, how many times higher than the great walefare haven of Sweden? The one with less than 1% or negative real gdp growth? 

[Darkpriest]

So when is the current US admin about to bomb the hell out of Iraq? 

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/Oil-Smuggling-And-Politics-Washingtons-Patience-With-Iraq-Is-Wearing-Thin.html

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Iran-Looks-To-Expand-Oil-Influence-In-Africa-Through-New-Pipeline.html

I wonder if this will be at a time when Iraq will eventually tell US forces to GTFO, closing in the route with pillaged Syrian oil

Edited March 26, 2021 by Darkpriest

[BruceVC]

23 minutes ago, Darkpriest said:

So when is the current US admin about to bomb the hell out of Iraq? 

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/Oil-Smuggling-And-Politics-Washingtons-Patience-With-Iraq-Is-Wearing-Thin.html

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Iran-Looks-To-Expand-Oil-Influence-In-Africa-Through-New-Pipeline.html

I wonder if this will be at a time when Iraq will eventually tell US forces to GTFO, closing in the route with pillaged Syrian oil

The  USA is the worlds biggest producer of oil  nowadays due to fracking and has been for several years, so it doesnt need to bomb any country because of oil. Back to the drawing board my friend because this is no longer a valid reason for the USA to intervene militarily in any country 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2020/09/29/did-the-us-become-the-worlds-top-oil-producer-under-president-trump/?sh=2d38a82320dd

 

[Darkpriest]

19 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

The  USA is the worlds biggest producer of oil  nowadays due to fracking and has been for several years, so it doesnt need to bomb any country because of oil. Back to the drawing board my friend because this is no longer a valid reason for the USA to intervene militarily in any country 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2020/09/29/did-the-us-become-the-worlds-top-oil-producer-under-president-trump/?sh=2d38a82320dd

 

Incentive:

https://www.ft.com/content/a8eff41a-07c2-4b36-a89a-ab9df8a90016

 

Some of past pratices:

Some random quote quickly googled

 

The US looting of Syrian oil was fist confirmed during a Senate hearing exchange between South Carolina Republican Senenator Lindsey Graham and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in late July.

Graham said Mazloum Abdi, general commander of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had informed him that a deal had been signed with an American firm to "modernize the oil fields in northeastern Syria,” and asked Pompeo whether the US administration was supportive of it.

"We are," the top US diplomat replied, according to Press TV. "The deal took a little longer ... than we had hoped, and now we're in implementation."

Edited March 26, 2021 by Darkpriest

[BruceVC]

8 minutes ago, Darkpriest said:

Some random quote quickly googled

 

The US looting of Syrian oil was fist confirmed during a Senate hearing exchange between South Carolina Republican Senenator Lindsey Graham and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in late July.

Graham said Mazloum Abdi, general commander of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had informed him that a deal had been signed with an American firm to "modernize the oil fields in northeastern Syria,” and asked Pompeo whether the US administration was supportive of it.

"We are," the top US diplomat replied, according to Press TV. "The deal took a little longer ... than we had hoped, and now we're in implementation."

Their is a massive difference in the definition of the words " looting " and "modernize " 

But saying all that if a USA oil company decides to invest in the Syrian  oil resources thats their choice. I cant see that happening considering the fact Syria is a complete economic disaster with most of the country destroyed by Assads refusal to give all his citizens equal economic rights and opportunities

So why would any private sector company want to invest now in Syria ? But good luck to them if they want to 

[Darkpriest]

6 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Their is a massive difference in the definition of the words " looting " and "modernize " 

But saying all that if a USA oil company decides to invest in the Syrian  oil resources thats their choice. I cant see that happening considering the fact Syria is a complete economic disaster with most of the country destroyed by Assads refusal to give all his citizens equal economic rights and opportunities

So why would any private sector company want to invest now in Syria ? But good luck to them if they want to 

Not sure how credible this source is, but my guess would be, that it is quite low. I'd filter carefully through the spin in this piece, and try to limit it to verification of cited incidents. 

https://southfront.org/the-u-s-continues-to-smuggle-oil/

I wonder if @Zoraptor would have some more credible pieces of information on this area (as he shown in the past)

 

 

[Darkpriest]

So when will Dems announce another round of debt increase and printing money? 

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/americans-income-collpsed-most-record-february

[Guard Dog]

I watched the replay of the Biden press conference last night. I feel sorry for that guy. It sucks to get old and he looked VERY old. You can tell his mind wandered off on him a few times. The questions with one exception were slow pitch softballs. He didn't call on anyone from a news service that might challenge him. Not sure where he is going with the "get rid of the fillibuster" thing. If they want to go back to actually making the senators and reps talk to fillibuster a bill I'm good with that. But to make all legislation simple majority forever is a HUGE mistake. Someday you will not be in power. 

More and more I'm convinced the 17th Amendment was a colassal mistake. It was the first step in the disenfranchisement of the state governments and is one bad act away from creating the tyranny of the majority. And do NOT f-----g blubber to me about democracy. Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch.  

[BruceVC]

27 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

I watched the replay of the Biden press conference last night. I feel sorry for that guy. It sucks to get old and he looked VERY old. You can tell his mind wandered off on him a few times. The questions with one exception were slow pitch softballs. He didn't call on anyone from a news service that might challenge him. Not sure where he is going with the "get rid of the fillibuster" thing. If they want to go back to actually making the senators and reps talk to fillibuster a bill I'm good with that. But to make all legislation simple majority forever is a HUGE mistake. Someday you will not be in power. 

More and more I'm convinced the 17th Amendment was a colassal mistake. It was the first step in the disenfranchisement of the state governments and is one bad act away from creating the tyranny of the majority. And do NOT f-----g blubber to me about democracy. Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch.  

Well I am not sure the  Biden interview was that bad. We all know he is at an older age and comes across  in a more  " reserved " way so I didnt see anything out of the ordinary 

But his age doesnt seem to concern most of the media that much  ... why are people like the beautiful Kaitlan Collins (CNN WH Correspondant ) asking him " are you going to run in the next election" !!! WTF.....what kind of question is that, I am just worried he will last to the end of this term and I mean that in empathetic way. I would be very concerned if he has another 4 years 

 

 

[Raithe]

"If the votes didn't matter, would they be trying so hard to steal them?"

[rjshae]

6 hours ago, Darkpriest said:

So when is the current US admin about to bomb the hell out of Iraq? 

...

I wonder if this will be at a time when Iraq will eventually tell US forces to GTFO, closing in the route with pillaged Syrian oil

Ideally we'd GTFO once the Syrian civil war started to wind down, but then some other issue would crop up such as Iran. It wouldn't surprise me if the last administration was actually stoking hostility toward Iran for that reason. As long as Iran acts belligerent toward its neighbors, then we have an excuse to keep troops nearby. The only real solution is to fully convert the USA to renewable energy sources.