Always keep in mind that one million times zero equals zero.
- Manlobbi
Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy❤
No. of Recommendations: 8
[borrowed from very stable genius's post]
But it bears repeating...
"The last four years (Trumps Presidency). We're all pretending we've got a lot to show for it,
because admitting what a disaster it's been is too tough to digest. But come on. There isn't really an upside to Trump." -Tucker Carlson
No. of Recommendations: 6
There isn't really an upside to Trump." -Tucker Carlson
I'm sure Trumpists are psyched about his transformation of the Supreme Court and other federal courts ... it's certainly a lasting and huge downside from my point of view as an Anti-Trumpist.
No. of Recommendations: 3
I'm sure Trumpists are psyched about his transformation of the Supreme Court and other federal courts ... it's certainly a lasting and huge downside from my point of view as an Anti-Trumpist.
Trump restored sanity to the courts. I realize it's stylish to hate everything he did but up until COVID he wasn't a terrible President. Much, much, much better than the woman-groping dementia patient we have now.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Trump restored sanity to the courts. I realize it's stylish to hate everything he did but up until COVID he wasn't a terrible President. Much, much, much better than the woman-groping dementia patient we have now.
What!
I will stipulate that Biden is a women's-hair-sniffing creepy guy, sometimes shrewd sometimes senile, prone to falling while walking or climbing stairs, etc. No prize he.
But Trump is in another dimension. I don't even care about his personal failings. He is a loser and a creep and a cheat and a freeloader and a deaft dodger and... I could go on. But fine, maybe he is on par with Bill Clinton up to and including creeping n underage teenage girls, though Clinton got one pregnant if Primary Colors is to be believed.
No, as a President, Trump was a massive failure. Obviously bungled Covid massively and caused hundreds of thousands of Americans to die needlessly. Spreading misinformation and disinformation and hampering good scientists from doing their job.
But even before Covid. Making stupid deals with Taliban bypassing American puppet government in Afghanistan. Endorsing Republicans' hatechet job against Blue state taxpayers when they limited SALT deduction to $10k. Bustards always complain about dividend tax saying it's double taxation. What is SALT deduction limit then except tax on tax?
Of course the constant breaking if ridiculous campaign promises/slogans. Mexico will pay for the wall. "What a piece of work is man" indeed 😀
No. of Recommendations: 1
Much, much, much better than the woman-groping dementia patient we have now. - Dope
--------------
Did you see him getting a tad bit handsy in a recent event with Eva Longoria?
No. of Recommendations: 0
What is SALT deduction limit then except tax on tax? - Kof3
----------------------
It placed a cap on the indirect subsidy to high tax states from low tax states. People in general just love them government subsidies.
No. of Recommendations: 2
Alright alright. Last sentence written while too emotional. I will self report to Manlobbi
No. of Recommendations: 0
Have a rec for self-reporting.
FWIW, I almost always "preview" my message for typos, and it also gives me time to reflect in case I said something nasty. Occasionally happens. But I want to converse with folks, not get into shouting matches with them.
No. of Recommendations: 0
Alright alright. Last sentence written while too emotional. I will self report to Manlobbi - Kof3
--------------
Doesn't hurt my feelings. Suit yourself.
No. of Recommendations: 1
It placed a cap on the indirect subsidy to high tax states from low tax states. People in general just love them government subsidies.
Let us try this again.
It placed a cap on the indirect subsidy to high tax states from low tax states. People in general just love them government subsidies.
This is the dumbest falsest Trumpiest thing I have ever heard.
It's just not. WTF.
You think double taxation is a subsidy? On what planet? If I can't spend the money then why should I pay tax on it? WTF!!!!!
If it is, why are RepUGLYcans so opposed to it when they carp their pants about dividend tax?
FWIW blue states pay $1.10 in FEDERAL taxes (not even counting the stupid double taxation) for every $1 they get in Federal money while red states contribute 85 c. Red states are beggars and moochers relying on blue states' charity while biting the hand that feeds them.
Low tax states cannot subsidize high tax states.
No. of Recommendations: 0
Doesn't hurt my feelings. Suit yourself.
Appreciate that.
In general ad hominem attacks achieve nothing except bring down the tone of the discussion.
I see that Manlobbi removed my post so all good.
No. of Recommendations: 0
Low tax states cannot subsidize high tax states.
----------------
Not directly. Indirectly and perhaps too subtlety.
An analogy, let's say the federal government provides a generous tax deduction to people who pay a lot for country club memberships/dues. By the federal government not collecting the associated tax, the deficit is increased, the effects of which are born by all of us.
Most regular folks would condemn that country club deduction claiming rightfully, why should I, who never play golf, provide a subsidy to those who do. Golf is a luxury and if someone finds it worthwhile, fine but let them pay for it.
Same with "luxury" of generous government social spending supported by high state and local taxes. If your locality wants a sweeping set of above baseline government services, fine, but don't depend on a tax deduction to justify the spending to constituent taxpaying voters. Says the local mayor, "Sure $50M for tents for the homeless is a lot of money but the property tax to cover it is only $80 and even that $80 is deductible."
No. of Recommendations: 3
Trump restored sanity to the courts. I realize it's stylish to hate everything he did but up until COVID he wasn't a terrible President. Much, much, much better than the woman-groping dementia patient we have now.
----------------
Not so sure about the courts. I like stability.
Covid just underscored how bad Trump was.
Actually, I think most thoughtful people have been surprised at how capable Biden is.
No. of Recommendations: 0
Actually, I think most thoughtful people have been surprised at how capable Biden is.
Capable at what? Asking seriously.
No. of Recommendations: 0
Actually, I think most thoughtful people have been surprised at how capable Biden is. - Lapsody
--------------------
I suppose that most of that long list of Biden accomplishments would fall under the heading of securing massive funding for various programs that his admirers feel are necessary and advance important goals.
Others, who are not quite as impressed, likely feel that some of those spending programs are ill conceived or downright wasteful. And of the worthy programs that remain, may not agree we can afford all of them simultaneously.
Just sayin'.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Same with "luxury" of generous government social spending supported by high state and local taxes.
Umm no. It's not a country club deduction is it. There is no voluntary component. Nor is it a direct service to me.
It is confiscation by blue state governments. And the motherloving RepUGLYcans are telling me it's a sin to live in a blue state. By not living in a bankrupt (fiscally and ideologically) red state I am a lesser human being who does not deserve any justice.
It's very very hard to see how this is not a discriminatory tax on blue state citizens of the US of A. Very sure it's petty revenge by repUGLYcans on people from states they hate.
Nuke Kansas.
No. of Recommendations: 0
"Nuke Kansas"
Sorry, misspelled "all south and midwest".
Useless leeches.
No. of Recommendations: 4
<<"The last four years (Trumps Presidency). We're all pretending we've got a lot to show for it,
because admitting what a disaster it's been is too tough to digest. But come on. There isn't really an upside to Trump." -Tucker Carlson>>
Yeah, Tucker did have some interesting things to say about Trump...
Alex Pfeiffer: "Trump has a pretty low rate at success in his business ventures."
Tucker Carlson: "All of them fail. What he's good at is destroying things. He's the undisputed world champion of that."
Tucker Carlson: "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. And I truly can't wait."
Tucker Carlson: "I hate him passionately."
Tucker Carlson: "He's a demonic force, a destroyer."
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/business/media/...
No. of Recommendations: 2
Yeah, Tucker did have some interesting things to say about Trump...
Alex Pfeiffer: "Trump has a pretty low rate at success in his business ventures."
Tucker Carlson: "All of them fail. What he's good at is destroying things. He's the undisputed world champion of that."
Tucker Carlson: "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. And I truly can't wait."
Tucker Carlson: "I hate him passionately."
Tucker Carlson: "He's a demonic force, a destroyer."
-----------------
Funny how Tucker was evil incarnate for years but now is a fan favorite of the left.
No. of Recommendations: 14
Dope1:
I realize it's stylish to hate everything he did but up until COVID he wasn't a terrible President. Much, much, much better than the woman-groping dementia patient we have now.Well, let's compare.
TRUMP BIDEN
Began is term by lying that Passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief
his swearing-in ceremony attracted relief package in March 2021
the largest inauguration crowd in U.S. history
Mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic By March 2021, more than 10 percent of the
(but did fast-track the vaccine) population (33 million) was fully vaccinated
High levels of cabinet and executive staff Passed a modest gun safety bill, the
turnover, including indictments and convictions first in a decade
of key campaign personnel (later pardoned)
Failed to repeal the ACA but did cut off Insured an additional 10 million Americans
subsidies that help low-income Americans through the ACA
Expanded federal support for religious schools Lowered healthcare and prescription drug costs
and organizations at the Education Department
Canceled up to $20,000 in federal student
Dismantled Obama-era policies that were designed loans (under litigation)
to curb abuses by for-profit colleges
Passed the CHIPS and Science Act
Overhauled financial crimes safeguards
Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT)
Eliminated 750,000 Americans from the SNAP program Act passed
through certain work mandates under the program
(which prompted several court battles) Led the global alliance that
has supported Ukraine
Weakened overtime rules, removing about
8 million American workers from eligibility Signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law
Loosened methane standards that even oil companies Oversaw the reauthorization of the Violence
such as BP and Shell publicly spoke out against Against Women Act
(resulting in court battles)
Pardoned all prior federal offenses of
For the first time attempted a Defense simple marijuana possession
Department-wide audit
Created over 13 million jobs
Passed a $1.5 trillion tax cut package
Passed bipartisan Infrastructure law
Worked to curb Robocalls to rebuild roads, bridges, rail, power grid,
expand internet access, clean water,
Quashed scientific research into climate change and a national network of EV charging stations
funded by government dollars
Passed Protecting America's First Responders Act
Rescinded rules protecting workers at federal
contractors from sexual harassment Rejoined Paris Climate Accord
Rolled back fuel efficiency targets back to Zawahiri and Qurayshi killed
just 1.5 percent improvement each year
Unified NATO
Led a big crack down on LEGAL immigration
AUKUS Submarine Deal
Blew up the bipartisan Toxic Substances Control Act
that would have more strictly regulated toxic chemicals Paid down the nation's deficit in each
of his first two years in office
Rallied the world against China's 5G dominance
Steered billions in subsidies to farmers
Rolled back rules on banks designed to prevent
another financial crisis
Reduced environmental approvals for infrastructure projects
Took steps to promote U.S. development of AI
Rolled back rules on racially segregated housing
Shifted the United States toward a more nationalist
trade policy characterized by an aggressive
use of tariffs
Creation of Space Force as our 6th Military branch
U.S. became the world's largest producer of crude oil
First Step Act criminal justice bill
Increased funding for HBCUs
ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was killed
Moved U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem
Added 25% to the nation's debt in one term
No. of Recommendations: 0
Do you get paid to post this stuff?
No. of Recommendations: 6
Funny how Tucker was evil incarnate for years but now is a fan favorite of the left.
I still despise the man. Speaking only for me, of course. He was a liar on the air, and apparently duplicitous where Trump was concerned (i.e. publicly praising him, privately saying he was evil). I think the "left" is just saying "see, even Republicans knew Trump was horrible".
He will never be a favorite of mine. And apparently FOX is now going after him because he is still under exclusive contract, so (allegedly) he cannot do his podcast (or whatever he's doing).
No. of Recommendations: 9
Capable at what? Asking seriously.
You didn't ask me, but just off-hand I would say he's much better at mending fences than Trump. Trump tried to shred many of our alliances, allowing -for example- China to fill the void, talking about leaving NATO, antagonizing our European allies. Biden is fixing / has fixed all that. He's a MUCH better politician than Trump could hope to be. We need our allies, we need alliances, we need partnerships. It's in America's best interests. China was more than happy to try to become the dominant player in southeast Asia, and they are making in-roads in Cuba and Africa. That is bad for us.
I know "politician" has odious associations, but a skilled one can still get stuff done. And understands diplomacy. Joe wasn't my first choice ever, but if the alternative is Trump...slam-dunk vote for Joe. He also appointed relatively competent people into positions of authority, as opposed to Trump who appointed either his son-in-law, or yes-men.
No. of Recommendations: 4
but up until COVID he wasn't a terrible President. Much, much, much better than the woman-groping dementia patient we have nowAbsurd statement and an inversion of reality, which is what it takes to be a Trumper.
https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2021/?page=o...Trump...4th from the bottom. He'll probably go lower over time.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Well, let's compare.
How unfair of you to use facts.
No. of Recommendations: 6
Funny how Tucker was evil incarnate for years but now is a fan favorite of the left.
Another ridiculous statement from you. Tucker's hypocrisy just shows what a lot of BS swill the right swallows whole without question.
No. of Recommendations: 7
up until COVID he wasn't a terrible President. Much, much, much better than the woman-groping dementia patient we have now
The Trump supporters need to exaggerate so as to make Trump seem less abhorrent.
Biden's verbal gaffes vs Trumps malicious sociopathic word salad and incessant lying ..... Biden's touchy appreciation vs Trump's history of serial sexual assault/marital infidelity .... Biden's son's alleged crimes vs Trump's actual convictions for charity fraud, tax crimes, sexual assault conviction.
Biden's successful political maneuvering vs Trump's attempts at autocracy.
After they repeat the lies enough times, they seem to brainwash themselves into believing their own lies on a scale like nobody has ever seen before.
What's concerning is the drift by the right to say the quiet things out loud: such as 'it's okay to ignore the Constitution' rather than going through the amendment process. This is especially worrisome when the advocates of essentially suspending the constitution would impose theocratic laws, deny equal rights to women, LGBTQ people, POC, etc.
aside- why does SPELL CHECK highlight sociopathic but not idiopathic? Is there another adjective to describe the traits of a sociopath like Trump?
No. of Recommendations: 2
Biden's verbal gaffes vs Trumps malicious sociopathic word salad and incessant lying ..... Biden's touchy appreciation vs Trump's history of serial sexual assault/marital infidelity .... Biden's son's alleged crimes vs Trump's actual convictions for charity fraud, tax crimes, sexual assault conviction.
Biden's successful political maneuvering vs Trump's attempts at autocracy.
LOL.
Thank you for my morning laugh trying to make sniff Biden sound like he is a decent man. He is not. He is a stupid ignorant liar who molests woman and little girls. Pictures are all over the web as proof, he just cannot keep his hands and nose off of them.
Even your side does not want him to run again come next year.
Kudos to his wife for putting up with him all these years as if their marriage is normal.
America and our military has gone to Hell since Sniff became president.
No. of Recommendations: 4
LurkerMom:
Thank you for my morning laugh trying to make sniff Biden...Every republican complaint against Biden is a projection.
Seasonal allergies -- seasonal pollen, notably trees, grasses and weeds -- have been noted in Biden's medical history dating back to his Senate days. Google "Trump sniffing" and you get 2,680,000 results, including:
Why Does Donald Trump Sniff So Much? (w/ Dr. Justin A. Frank)
Every Donald Trump Sniff At The 2nd Debate (original)
Trump Sniffling during Debate Catches Social Media's Attention
Donald Trump's Sniffling Continues: Here Are The Possible Causes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2016/10/09/d...What's Going On With Trump's Sniffling?
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/09...Caught on video: Trump's sniffles are back:
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/12/07/tru...LurkerMom:
He is a stupid ignorant liar who molests woman and little girls. Again, projection: Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse, awards accuser $5M
https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-tria...LurkerMom:
America and our military has gone to Hell since Sniff became president.Enlighten us.
No. of Recommendations: 4
LOL.....Pictures are all over the web as proof,Sigh.
Your standards of 'proof' are as challenged as your standards of 'respect' and 'family values.'
If 'sniff' makes Biden an indecent man, what does serial infidelity, a sexual assault conviction, multiple tax, business and charity fraud convictions and losses make Trump?
The entire world is 'going to hell' as the climate heats up and people in overpopulated areas migrate en masse. Ain't no wall high enough or long enough to stop them.
I can't "LOL" at you. You're like the guy in the grey t-shirt; a victim of right wing propaganda; a threat to the constitution and the principles of a republic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk
No. of Recommendations: 1
Thank you Commonone for the second morning laugh trying to make Sniff into something he is not.
Why do you bother wasting your time with the nonsense?
The whole world knows Sniff is a bumbling fool and so do you, but you must keep up the charade....it's all democrats and the left can do anymore.
Just make it up and fake it with lies and nonsense.
Looking forward to hearing more of a realistic campaign from RFK Jr. At least he is not a puppet following orders from his handlers like SniffBiden.
No. of Recommendations: 5
Trump...4th from the bottom. He'll probably go lower over time.
I expect so.
John Kelly describes his as "the most flawed person I have ever known." Barr calls him "a consummate narcissist" and "a fundamentally flawed person," and said he is a defiantly disobedient 9-year-old child.
At this point, I don't expect the Trumpers to see the realities. But for the rest of us, I think there's still more dark matter to emerge.
No. of Recommendations: 4
Thank you for my morning laugh trying to make sniff Biden sound like he is a decent man. He is not. He is a stupid ignorant liar who molests woman and little girls. Pictures are all over the web as proof, he just cannot keep his hands and nose off of them.
Even your side does not want him to run again come next year.
Kudos to his wife for putting up with him all these years as if their marriage is normal.
America and our military has gone to Hell since Sniff became president.
Please please wake up.
No. of Recommendations: 2
Keep it up wasting your time sano tearing down Trump. It doesn't matter to me.
Our next President WILL be a Republican. Biden doesn't stand a chance in hell.
Or maybe RFK Jr? Who knows?
RFK, hmm, shades of JFK.
No. of Recommendations: 8
LurkerMom:
Looking forward to hearing more of a realistic campaign from RFK Jr.Great timing. This morning, video surfaced of RFK Jr. comparing mask mandates to Nazi Holocaust camp experiments on Jews and Gypsies in WWII driven by the pharmaceutical industry in order to "enslave the entire human race and plunge us into a dystopian nightmare where the apocalyptical forces of ignorance and greed will be running our lives and ruining our children".
That guy's three bricks shy of a load.
https://twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1670824338...
No. of Recommendations: 1
'be running our lives and ruining our children".
That guy's three bricks shy of a load.'
I'd say RFK Jr was on the right track.
Yep, the masks sure did help to ruin the lives of American
Children. How many years are American children behind with the 3R's compared to the rest of the world? Last I heard it was at least two years.
And not to mention the social development of young children....
Snip
'COVID rules are blamed for 23% dive in young children's development: Disturbing study shows scores in three key cognitive tests slumped between 2018 and 2021, with face mask rules among possible culprits'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10247315/...
No. of Recommendations: 2
Trump tried to shred many of our alliances, allowing -for example- China to fill the void, talking about leaving NATO, antagonizing our European allies. Biden is fixing / has fixed all that. He's a MUCH better politician than Trump could hope to be. We need our allies, we need alliances, we need partnerships. It's in America's best interests. China was more than happy to try to become the dominant player in southeast Asia, and they are making in-roads in Cuba and Africa. That is bad for us.
Asking our allies to live up to their obligations and acutally pay for their national defense is the right thing to do. Under Trump the allies started to do that...and now they're backsliding again IIRC.
China is taking the lead in the world on many front's under Biden's watch. Pay attention to their moves with respect to currency.
No. of Recommendations: 2
No. of Recommendations: 10
LurkerMom:
'COVID rules are blamed for 23% dive in young children's development: Disturbing study shows scores in three key cognitive tests slumped between 2018 and 2021, with face mask rules among possible culprits'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10247315/...Umm, did you read the
actual study?
I'm going to take wild guess and say "no". Well, maybe it's not such a wild guess because the study doesn't actually state what the venerable Daily Mail claims about masking (although even the Daily Mail used the word "possible" in its copy).
First, that study does not appear to be published or peer-reviewed.
Second, the study says that children born
during the pandemic have worse scores on social and motor screening tests at 6 months.
Perhaps a more likely cause is the stress in parents brought on in the early months of the pandemic by hundreds of people dying daily and emergency rooms and ICUs filling beyond capacity.
And, in separate studies, Canadian researchers report increased risk of developmental delays among 1-year-olds born between April and November 2020 and a link between higher levels of distress experienced by pregnant women during the pandemic and changes in their babies' brains. (The studies are also awaiting peer review.)And the Brown study has all kinds of disclaimers, such as:
One aspect also not investigated here is the impact of mask-wearing by the study staff during child visits and assessments [53]. The inability of infants to see full facial expressions may have eliminated non-verbal cues, muffled instructions, or otherwise altered the understanding of the test questions and instructions."So, sorry, despite what the Daily Mail suggests, there's no definitive reason that scores declined... and no reason to believe they will not rebound.
But RFK Jr is gonna' love you.
https://hechingerreport.org/how-the-pandemic-is-af...The study you cited:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.10...
No. of Recommendations: 1
No. of Recommendations: 9
I'd say RFK Jr was on the right track.
Yep, the masks sure did help to ruin the lives of American
Children. How many years are American children behind with the 3R's compared to the rest of the world? Last I heard it was at least two years.....
Disturbing study shows scores in three key cognitive tests slumped between 2018 and 2021, with face mask rules among possible culprits'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10247315/...Several points here. Yes, masking at school was not ideal in terms of the degree of learning and social interactions that normally flourish in a school setting. But the lengthy total shutdown of in-school education and doing it all by zoom from home....for those families with computers....that preceded masking at school had a far more profound impact on progress than masking did.
And even the quote you give from the Daily Mail (which has a terrible terrible rating for.....poor reliability and substantial disinformation) says that the face mask rules were among POSSIBLE culprits.
As an aside....do you really think that the US was the only country that required masks in schools? Try adding Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany. And that's just Europe. We know that Asian countries also required this.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/03/mask...I call that an "aside" because the study that the Daily Mail describes did not compare the performance of American school kids with school kids in other countries. It was a ridiculously small number of kids providing pre-pandemic baseline scores (only 605) to 118 kids during the height of the pandemic (which was zoom time), and then 39 younger kids assessed through the end of 2021. And the "shocking results" that this tabloid refers to are tabloid-talk, and not the study conclusions.
Your confidence in this publication supports your prejudices, not the truth.
No. of Recommendations: 4
JFK Jr. also believes vaccines are not safe, that there's no connection between HIV and AIDS, that wifi causes the blood brain barrier to become leaky and the brain will develop cancer.
He wrote an anti-Fauci book that tries to connect him to Bill Gates and George Soros.
JFK Jr is so deep into right-wing conspiracy theories that Steve Bannon is likely to build a temple to him adjacent to the wall he collected millions (and stole; trial delayed until "May 27, 2024 ' roughly two months after former President Donald Trump will be on trial before the same judge, Juan Merchan, in a separate case related to falsifying business records tied to hush money payments."
I will not be surprised if JFK Jr. follows Tulsi Gabbard to the krazy side of the aisle where he actually polls higher than on the left side.
No. of Recommendations: 2
commonone asks, 'Umm, did you read the actual study?'
Yes I did.
You can deny the facts all you want. Biden's controllers want
you and your likeminded comrade to think Biden actually did a good job
controlling the covid crisis and had no impact on school children.
No. of Recommendations: 2
Under Trump the allies started to do that...and now they're backsliding again IIRC.
Apparently, Russia changed most minds. Our NATO allies have stepped-up their military spending substantially, and it's all due to Russia (neither Biden nor Trump).
Because of China, the Philippines have invited us to share a base in their country. Again, neither Biden nor Trump made that happen. External forces did. I don't think a POTUS could affect policy that much in other countries, in general. Fear works, and there is a lot of that lately with Putin and Xi.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Apparently, Russia changed most minds. Our NATO allies have stepped-up their military spending substantially, and it's all due to Russia (neither Biden nor Trump).Sure about that? The German model in particular has always been to defend Germany down to the last Pole:
https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/new...NATO members pledged back in 2014 they would spend 2% of their GDP on defence. However, in 2022, only seven countries met the pledge. As such, Stoltenberg has been calling for all military allies to increase their spending....and those 7 were:
https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/new...The seven include Estonia (2.12%), Greece (3,54%), Latvia (2.07%), Lithuania (2.47%), Poland (2.42%), the United Kingdom (2.16%), and the United States (3.46%).
In stark contrast, Europe's largest economies ' Germany (1.49%), Italy (1.51%), and France (1.89%) ' fall notably short of the 2% target.So, no. The europeans STILL aren't taking their obligations seriously even in light of Putin's Ukrainian invasion.
Because of China, the Philippines have invited us to share a base in their country. Again, neither Biden nor Trump made that happen. External forces did. I don't think a POTUS could affect policy that much in other countries, in general. Fear works, and there is a lot of that lately with Putin and Xi.Trump started the diplomacy along those lines and to his credit Biden got us some basing rights in 4 (IIRC) locations in the Philipenes. The Chinese are still making inroads into other places in the Southwest Pacific, but this coupled with the Port Moresby deals are a start. To your point, having the Chinese run the Philippine Coast Guard out of the Spratlys and build an air base there definitely got the PI's attention.
No. of Recommendations: 6
LurkerMom: He is a stupid ignorant liar who molests woman and little girls.
Constantly inverting reality. You have described Trump, not Biden.
No. of Recommendations: 3
I can't "LOL" at you. You're like the guy in the grey t-shirt; a victim of right wing propaganda; a threat to the constitution and the principles of a republic.
Great restraint in the face of a firehose of nonsense.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Since you mentioned Germany, I just looked that one up.
https://www.gmfus.org/news/germanys-defense-budget....
This week, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced that she wants to spend '130 billion ($140 billion) on defense equipment until 2030 ' increasing the overall defense spending by '3-4 billion annually over the next 15 years. There is a significant push to increase spending. Of course, Germany has a peculiar procurement system (contractors that don't get contracts routinely sue the German government, and the spending is put on hold until it resolves). I could link a video that takes a deep dive on that.
Poland is shipping lots of hardware to Ukraine, and scrambling to build/acquire more. Though, to be fair, they already spend more than 2% on the military. But they're increasing even more.
https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/polands-....
I didn't check all the NATO countries, but many/most are supplying Ukraine and beefing up their defenses in response to an aggressive Putin. Turkey might be an exception since they have closer ties to Russia than any other nation in NATO. They are walking a tightrope, though I am not an expert on why they are close to Russia. I just gleaned that from my consumption of the war in Ukraine, and how it has affected NATO (i.e. increased spending, admission of new members suddenly desperate to join the Alliance, etc).
To your point, having the Chinese run the Philippine Coast Guard out of the Spratlys and build an air base there definitely got the PI's attention.It did. But it really wasn't until Duterte termed-out, and the PI got a new president, that there was significant movement. Duterte
hated the US because of at least one incident while he was a governor(?) in Mindanao. So he refused our vaccines, tried to buy equipment from Russia, etc. Anything to avoid dealing with us. Marcos (Jr) isn't as anti-American, and is rightly scared of an aggressive China. China is not going to back down. I am predicting a dust-up in the future, whether it's invading Taiwan, or attacking a vessel on a FON mission, or seizing yet another island...it's probably going to get ugly.
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And here's how sorry the Germans are as defense partners:
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-milit..."We will have the planned division of the army combat-ready in 2025, two years ahead of time." While Germany does not have a single combat-ready army division at the moment, it had 12 such divisions in the 1980s during the Cold War.See that?
They don't even have 1 single Army division ready for combat and won't until 2025. That's pathetic. We have Guard formations more ready for war than their frontline people are.
Note that this article was written in 2022, and this claim was made:
Since Scholz's landmark speech on Feb. 27, three days after the invasion, Berlin has announced the purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the United States and said it is aiming to buy a missile defence system. Scholz also said Germany would sharply raise defence spending to more than 2% of its economic output.Riiiiight. The 2022 budget numbers don't seem to have borne that out.
From NATO, the only serious partners are Canada, Brits, the Poles, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Greeks. I'm glad the Finns and the Swedes are on board because Germany, Italy and France are essentially useless.
Heaven forbid if something were to happen with China because out of even the allies able to do anything, only the Brits would take our side.
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I didn't check all the NATO countries, but many/most are supplying Ukraine and beefing up their defenses in response to an aggressive Putin. Turkey might be an exception since they have closer ties to Russia than any other nation in NATO. They are walking a tightrope, though I am not an expert on why they are close to Russia. I just gleaned that from my consumption of the war in Ukraine, and how it has affected NATO (i.e. increased spending, admission of new members suddenly desperate to join the Alliance, etc).Because Erdogan is an Islamicist and an authoritarian straight from Putin's mold. He'd rather cozy up to the Russians and the Chinese for energy reasons that work with western powers. Here's one view of Turkey:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...Turkey lacks energy and its natural gas consumption depends heavily on imports. But being in the middle of the world's largest energy consumer, Europe, and the energy-rich countries of Central Asia and the Middle East, Turkey is in a strategically advantageous position in terms of the energy market (Cetin and Oguz, 2007a, Cetin and Oguz, 2007b). Turkey plans to be an energy hub, fitting well with the geopolitical structure of the region (Correlje and van der Lindeb, 2006). Promoting the diversification of energy sources and striving to build energy hub centers are important energy strategic goals for Turkey.
Therefore, China is an energy importing and consuming country; Pakistan is not only an energy importing and consuming country but an energy transit country; Iran is an energy supplier and transit country; and Turkey is an energy importing and transit country. The energy corridor of China'Pakistan'Iran'Turkey (CPIT) is an energy strategic corridor that connects these four countries. The construction of this corridor fits well with the energy strategic goals of the countries along the corridor.It always comes down to energy, btw. The Turks see themselves as the bridge between East and West and as such feel comfortable toeing the line between the two...if they can benefit.
I am predicting a dust-up in the future, whether it's invading Taiwan, or attacking a vessel on a FON mission, or seizing yet another island...it's probably going to get ugly.Circle 2027 on your calendar. That's when the poop gets dumped into the fan.
