Conservative or liberal (politics)

SaltAcidFatHeatAcid

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Jul 19, 2022
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curiousity here, (you mentioned ai before) but what actually is your business? I'm in marine-civil contracting as a daytime job & architecture for my own one man company.

Large commercial/structural engineer. Though I’m a healthcare guy, we do a lot of work in the auto sector (industrial MFC). AI is a focus I have for internal tech dev and comitttee work. And my wife’s company does 100% of their manufacturing in Vietnam. Not easily or quickly moved elsewhere.
 
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Progrez

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Jun 17, 2022
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This is just nuts and apparently they deported a gay person too because he was incorrectly perceived as a member of a gang for having crowns.

 

dmgtz96

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Jul 13, 2020
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Even this guy who has a lot of money is not happy what Trump is doing.

People who have lots of money are the biggest losers right now. I've lost close to $8k already. People who have been contributing to their 401ks for decades have lost $100k or more
 

Jetflag

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Jul 17, 2020
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People who have lots of money are the biggest losers right now. I've lost close to $8k already. People who have been contributing to their 401ks for decades have lost $100k or more
Tax the rich. Trump achieved real socialism 🤣

not laughing at your misfortune m8 but that’s just funny to me 😄
 
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Progrez

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People who have lots of money are the biggest losers right now. I've lost close to $8k already. People who have been contributing to their 401ks for decades have lost $100k or more
Bloody hell man that's a lot. I have studied finance but I don't have any say in this matter because I am also losing money too I lost $1000 which is my fortnightly income .
 
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dmgtz96

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Jul 13, 2020
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Tax the rich. Trump achieved real socialism 🤣

not laughing at your misfortune m8 but that’s just funny to me 😄
My only cope is that much wealthier people and near retirees are getting destroyed while their social security is being taken away. Fuck them

My vote will still be for Republicans as far as I'm concerned
 
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Jetflag

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My only cope is that much wealthier people and near retirees are getting destroyed while their social security is being taken away. Fuck them

My vote will still be for Republicans as far as I'm concerned
2 weeks before the election m8..😉 i at least always make my final decision near the electoral finish line.
 
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SaltAcidFatHeatAcid

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Jul 19, 2022
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curiousity here, (you mentioned ai before) but what actually is your business? I'm in marine-civil contracting as a daytime job & architecture for my own one man company.

Since I mentioned Vietnam in particular - have you see the news they offered to lower tariffs to zero? Navarro says it's not enough as the admin takes particular issue with the trade deficit. This is why this is such bad policy in general - no defined remedy for other countries to work towards.
 
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Jetflag

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Jul 17, 2020
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Since I mentioned Vietnam in particular - have you see the news they offered to lower tariffs to zero? Navarro says it's not enough as the admin takes particular issue with the trade deficit. This is why this is such bad policy in general - no defined remedy for other countries to work towards.
no, I haven't. thanks for the headsup. I have been following the British and EU's developments on that front but life has been getting a bit in the way heh. will reply in more depth later as to what my thoughs on this are.

Small spoiler: i'm no fan of tarrifs &/or uncertainty
 
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Jetflag

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So there's has, aside from the Vietnam situation, also been a bit of a knee-fall from the EU in that they're considering 0-0 tariffs. The Trump administration doesn't seem all that interested however. It seems he intends on crashing the market intentionally. Which is short term going to hurt all, including me/Europe (me and the misses decided today to stop the flex-lease contract of our EV in light of the recent market developments, and invest that into our own property).

Now i'm not an economist, and a fair bit of a moron when it comes to spending my money wisely (which is why i married a tax-advisor)... But there's a bit of a theory going the rounds that @dmgtz96 already sort of touched upon, which might explain the method to the madness and I was wondering what ya'll @Hensmon @SaltAcidFatHeatAcid etc. think of this.

It goes something like this:

Trump intentionally crashes the stock market -> This incentivizes/ pushes investors to move their money into safer assets like US treasury bonds -> This then (historically) makes the fed to slash interrest rates end- may. Which will ultimatly allow the Trump administration to refinance trillions of US national debt at much lower price/cheaply.

it also weakens the dollar and drops mortgage rates.

The people most affected by this are the 8 á 10% of americans, who own 90% of the stock market. the other 10% are owned by 40% of us citizens, most of which can afford to suffer a crash/won't go bankrupt on them.. .and 50% are currently in debt and rent instead of own.

if (and thats a big if)

this pans out the way as layed out... Trump will effectively pain the US richtest short term and handing it to the middle class via lower prices, whilst getting rid of a large part of the US debt (which right now is paying off more interrest then it does actuall debt)
 

SaltAcidFatHeatAcid

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Jul 19, 2022
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if (and thats a big if)

this pans out the way as layed out... Trump will effectively pain the US richtest short term and handing it to the middle class via lower prices, whilst getting rid of a large part of the US debt (which right now is paying off more interrest then it does actuall debt)

The answer may be more simple. The US gov't is controlled by billionaires who appear to lack empathy, led by a tariff-loving-septuagenarian with a toddler's understanding of economics. I don't think those in control really care if stocks drop - they'll make money. If they cut deals, they'll make money. They are gambling with the world economy while damaging the US' reputation as a reliable trading partner, driving our allies in to less favorable alliances that do not include the USA. Who knows what will happen but I fear you are rationalizing actions that are largely irrational.

Meanwhile there is a massive swath of population who are about to draw on their 401k/superannuation who will feel real pain immediately. Your #'s rationalizing who gets affected is simplistic - stock market crashes typically go with layoffs and economic hardships. As well as damage to existing trade relationships and businesses who based their operations on rules built slowly and with care.
 
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Jetflag

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The answer may be more simple. The US gov't is controlled by billionaires who appear to lack empathy, led by a tariff-loving-septuagenarian with a toddler's understanding of economics. I don't think those in control really care if stocks drop - they'll make money. If they cut deals, they'll make money. They are gambling with the world economy while damaging the US' reputation as a reliable trading partner, driving our allies in to less favorable alliances that do not include the USA. Who knows what will happen but I fear you are rationalizing actions that are largely irrational.

Meanwhile there is a massive swath of population who are about to draw on their 401k/superannuation who will feel real pain immediately. Your #'s rationalizing who gets affected is simplistic - stock market crashes typically go with layoffs and economic hardships. As well as damage to existing trade relationships and businesses who based their operations on rules built slowly and with care.
lol, well, thats one way of looking at it.

To be clear though: its not my #'s...the theory is floating out and about online and I just happened to pick it up/ ask what everyone thought.

from my continent/countries perspective. Tarrifs hurt everyone short term, but

if if the EU plays its cards right i could turn out beneficial for them, as big companies prefer stability over profit, making the EU a more interresting settlement option. (which they most likely won't and keep chasing businesses away with choke-bureaucracy, but that aside)
 
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Jetflag

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Welp.

this certainly was an interesting watch.

for every left-leaning liberal American on this forum who doesn’t like neocon global interventionism:

recommended.

links/sources provided by the way.

 

SaltAcidFatHeatAcid

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2022
656 Posts
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this certainly was an interesting watch.

I find this format/style tough to watch, but I am not the target demographic I guess. No real comments about the PSYops aspects. Anyone with a history of the org understands USAID is combo AID, combo soft power, combo influence peddling. Voice of America for instance, or Free Radio funding would be a positive outcome of some these ops even though this podcaster ignores that aspect completely.

That being said, taking a sledgehammer to the USAID agency, instead of implementing real change and carving away programs they didn't value, is what many take exception with. They threw the baby out with the bathwater. Look at what is happening in Sudan right now. Or Myanmar, South Africa, Afghanistan, Subsaharan Africa. There were a lot of programs operating with USAID funding that *poof* disappeared, which puts millions in jeopardy. For those upset about some thousands of dead in Gaza on here - if millions die due to lack of food because we retract funding with no notice - does that weigh on your conscience? Prob not, it's a more subtle way of watching people die - not as sexy as Bibi carpet bombing civilians I guess. Wild.

And for this podcaster in particular - she notes she doesn't give a fuck about cancelling USAID and the impact b/c people at home in the USA are not being taken care of. She lists Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Child Tax Credits, fixing roads - all of which are likely to be cut under Trump. What bullshit... she notes the Republicans are not going to fix or help any of this but still uses it as a main point to not care about USAID. And lastly, she covers nothing about the positive funding and the truly horrific impacts the loss of that will have. From her perspective, Trump destroyed something worthless. Without covering the positives, this is about as one sided as it gets. Lame.
 
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