Gulf of Mexico ------>>>>>> Gulf of America

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

Hi there from an upper-class, educated, white, privileged but not entitled person who has money for luxury who was a dirt poor kid raised in a ghetto and who made it the hard way with no help from anyone, whose entire male family members served in WWII and Vietnam and who saw what living through a war does to a human body and mind, who established a foundation to help the financially challenged in my town, who donates a lot of money to local and national entities supporting humanitarian causes because I know first hand what it's like to be poor, hungry, and scared. Does this confession make my opinions more or less valid in your personal opinion?

The members here are a microcosm of the residents of this country as well as other countries and painting everyone with a broad brush is narrow minded. Please clarify what hypocrisy you hear "dripping from people" and how it differs from yours as you disparage members on a jewelry board for being able to buy jewelry when you are yourself a member.

Oh, I include myself in that description too. For sure. Here I am, lucky and privileged to be spending time exchanging ideas at the moment and not having to be at work. I really should be doing something else though! I am appreciative of that free time and value how the US freedoms and rights has allowed me to be able to be where I’m at. So, I absolutely include me in that entitled and privileged group.

You don’t have to give a personal confession of your life and you certainly don’t need any validation from me, or anyone. It sounds like you have a beautiful life and have done great things.

When I talk of hypocrisy, I’m referring to comments people have made about the re-naming of the Gulf, yet it’s done in other countries and extensively in England with colonization (they were the world’s worst!). I’m talking about acting like our allies and benefiting from us, yet some comments make me think that is not the true sentiment that lies underneath. Through these comments, and the whole discussion of this re-naming thing, it’s made me feel a tone that there is an underlying resentment of America.

This is no way a personally directed post towards you.

 

[Bonfire]

Easy to preach from one’s comfy sofa safe from all the brouhaha

I’m proud of my family’s service and my brother’s ultimate sacrifice so that I can voice my opinions from the safety of my comfy sofa.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Tiger- have ever heard of James G. Stavridis?
He’s got a very common sense approach to things. Former commander of NATO.
As a veteran, I’d be interested in your opinion of him. It’s always seemed to me ( never served, just enjoyed the fruit of this that did) it’s always seemed like NATO was Crucial to our own defense.

 

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

I’m proud of my family’s service and my brother’s ultimate sacrifice so that I can voice my opinions from the safety of my comfy sofa.

I’m very proud of it too! And grateful! Americans are very lucky to have had so many people sacrifice for them to be able to enjoy their privileges.
Again, PROUD to be an American

 

[Sunrises Sunsets]

I’ll tell you… I’m pretty darn old but I don’t recall, revealing my age
It’s pretty clear this discussion has reached a point of no return. Sad.
Peace to all.

To Ella- thank you for allowing us to vent. It’s ot going to fix anything but the sense of community is so valuable.

My judgment was based on the age of your children and that fact that you are still working. So are you crowding 80 also?

 

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

Tiger- have ever heard of James G. Stavridis?
He’s got a very common sense approach to things. Former commander of NATO.
As a veteran, I’d be interested in your opinion of him

Tiger- have ever heard of James G. Stavridis?
He’s got a very common sense approach to things. Former commander of NATO.
As a veteran, I’d be interested in your opinion of him. It’s always seemed to me ( never served, just enjoyed the fruit of this that did) it’s always seemed like NATO was Crucial to our own defense.

Rock, I haven’t read his works personally or heard of him but thank you for the head’s up. I looked him up quickly and it looks like he writes a lot and a lot of fiction. If I read anything, or have anything of value to mention about him, I will reach back out. I love when people give me new material to look into so thanks.

 

[Matata]

When I talk of hypocrisy, I’m referring to comments people have made about the re-naming of the Gulf, yet it’s done in other countries and extensively in England with colonization (they were the world’s worst!). I’m talking about acting like our allies and benefiting from us, yet some comments make me think that is not the true sentiment that lies underneath. Through these comments, and the whole discussion of this re-naming thing, it’s made me feel a tone that there is an underlying resentment of America.

Some countries don't like us and may never like us. They are entitled to their opinion to which we should listen and figure out what is legit and what we can work toward changing. None of the help we give or have given to other countries is given without the expectation of a quid pro quo so expecting nothing but gratitude from other countries is not reasonable.

I would like to see more humility in our leaders, less we're the greatest, best, strongest because we are not. Our economy leads other western countries but little else. In some categories we aren't even in the top 10. My mental image of our leaders and the superlatives they use to describe America is of King Kong on the Empire State Building beating on his chest to show his dominance and being destroyed due to his fascination with something much smaller than he. There is a lesson there for all of us.

The discord over the renaming of the Gulf is a symptom of the political divide that is harming the US and of the frustration and dislike other countries feel toward us. I agree with whoever it was who said that it is a distraction from more important pressing issues and challenges that we need to confront and resolve. I have no idea what the solution(s) is/are.

 

[missy]

I’m proud of my family’s service and my brother’s ultimate sacrifice so that I can voice my opinions from the safety of my comfy sofa.

And I’m proud of my family’s service in the military and defending our country. Thank goodness for those brave souls.

And I’m proud to be an American despite not always agreeing with our politicians.

 

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

Some countries don't like us and may never like us. They are entitled to their opinion to which we should listen and figure out what is legit and what we can work toward changing. None of the help we give or have given to other countries is given without the expectation of a quid pro quo so expecting nothing but gratitude from other countries is not reasonable.

I would like to see more humility in our leaders, less we're the greatest, best, strongest because we are not. Our economy leads other western countries but little else. In some categories we aren't even in the top 10. My mental image of our leaders and the superlatives they use to describe America is of King Kong on the Empire State Building beating on his chest to show his dominance and being destroyed due to his fascination with something much smaller than he. There is a lesson there for all of us.

The discord over the renaming of the Gulf is a symptom of the political divide that is harming the US and of the frustration and dislike other countries feel toward us. I agree with whoever it was who said that it is a distraction from more important pressing issues and challenges that we need to confront and resolve. I have no idea what the solution(s) is/are.

I really enjoyed your ideas. I think a solution is to have people discuss ideas and appreciate that Ella hasn’t shut us down or censored us here. There is much that can be changed and improved and way more commonality amongst us than not, which we can discover by having an open exchange of ideas. I think we don’t often get to exchange ideas and have conversations as lives are so busy, not to mention that we get our information from sources that are feeding us info. It’s often biased, in one way or another.

I think communication is the key solution. I think debate and discussion are good. I’m not for the wholesale disparaging of America itself. I’m happy that we can have the space to allow for alternate opinions.

I do disagree with a couple of your points. I think there is a definite quid pro quo in world politics. We don’t give aid to be kind. There is always an agenda behind it, that has something to do with our interests. I do think that we are entitled to feel that the people we are helping (along with ourselves) should be grateful to some degree, as oftentimes it comes at the expense of others’ major sacrifices.

 

[Rockdiamond]

@Tigerlilyrosepetal - and to all the friends reading…
I have Sirius xm.
There’s two hosts on the POTUS channel. Michael Smerconish, and Dan Abram’s (sp??)
Both have a very middle of the road approach- both take listener calls — both attract callers from both sides of the aisle.
Highly recommended.

 

[Matata]

I do think that we are entitled to feel that the people we are helping (along with ourselves) should be grateful to some degree, as oftentimes it comes at the expense of others’ major sacrifices.

I think it's how we express our expectation of gratitude that can be problematic. I remember my mother making me write a thank you note for every gift I received even though I had personally thanked the givers in person and I hated being forced to write something that I wasn't sincere about because I was forced and because I had already said thank you in person. LOL.

I understand your point. The relationships we have with our allies are complex and so weighed down by historical precedent that I'm not sure anyone knows what the gratitude scoreboard shows. I suspect that there is an unspoken understanding that all involved are grateful and appreciative of what is given and received. In spite of what some believe, none of us can get along without the help of the others as the dependance on the exchange of goods and services show.

The gratitude tide began to ebb at the end of January when demands were made that NATO countries pay more into defense spending or else. The "or else" has a way of erasing gratitude and creating resentment especially for countries who simply can't contribute more. So what do we do to our allies who can't pay more into the defense fund, kick them out of NATO, refuse to help them if they're attacked? What are the repercussions to America and to the world if we did that? Do we punish those who we feel aren't grateful enough?

There is a side in our political arena who say we shouldn't be the world's police, that we shouldn't care about what happens in other countries. They even say that we shouldn't care what happens to our less fortunate fellow citizens. That's why I remind people to an annoying degree that we exist on the same planet with nowhere else to go and if we can't get along we will be the instruments of our own demise.

 

[missy]

There is a side in our political arena who say we shouldn't be the world's police, that we shouldn't care about what happens in other countries. They even say that we shouldn't care what happens to our less fortunate fellow citizens. That's why I remind people to an annoying degree that we exist on the same planet with nowhere else to go and if we can't get along we will be the instruments of our own demise.

Agree. In a humane world we care what happens to others. To ignore the pain and suffering of our neighbors here or in another country is the beginning of the end of civilization.

“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others." - Albert Schweitzer

 

[Bonfire]

“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others." - Albert Schweitzer

I love this missy. We must also show compassion and stewardship for the animal kingdom and our environment that sustains us all.

 

[Sunrises Sunsets]

Food for thought: As of February 10, 2025, the USA's debt was $36.22 trillion.

Here is an information outline that was provided when the debt was $33. trillion, which has been paraphrased:

We are past the point of no return. We can't do anything about our debt now, mathematically it's impossible. There is talk to reduce the deficit, the amount borrowed each year, but unless the deficit goes to zero, the $33. trillion debt continues to grow. Annual interest is in excess of $1. trillion, that is over $9,000. per taxpayer for interest alone. Debt per taxpayer is over $300,000. and it's pretty clear that debt can't be repaid.

Like someone who has lived off their credit cards too long, the only choice is bankruptcy. But unlike bankruptcy, this will be much worse. The dollar will be destroyed as other currencies work to topple our monetary system to establish their own world monetary system. When our dollar no longer buys what we need merely to survive, it won't matter how much cash you have to your name.



Is there any wonder we are asking nations to pay their fair share of NATO, etc? Here/s the shocker for many, there is no USA Santa Claus.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Truly a terrifying scenario. Sharing my nightmares here- it’s something I fear we’re closer to than ever due to the divisive nature of our politics. And it really seems to me the beneficiary of the infighting is Putin- and Xi.

Xi- China takes a much longer game. They’ve also got more benefits if the US stays stable. We owe them a lot of money. And we contribute tons to their economy- they scare me less

Is there any wonder we are asking nations to pay their fair share of NATO, etc

This- from my perspective- this sort of sentiment is common. And it aids Putin. Other nations spending more- how does that help our finances? It’s not like there’s a quid pro quo. ie / if France increased its military budget by 1 billion, would we simply reduce our spending by an equal amount ???
Admiral Stavridis - I mentioned him before - talks about “soft power”. His assessment: The US has maintained much better security due to work of agencies like USAid.
Putting people with clear and obvious conflicts of interest- people who have no experience , and know nothing about this/ putting them in charge of “cost cutting” combined with thousands of completely arbitrary firings …. And bolstered by well crafted lies ( condoms in Gaza). Works quite well to further divide us.
None of this is making us any safer- nor is any of it substantially changing the horrific deficit numbers.
Many of us are terrified. I can’t imagine that people on the right felt this kind of fear from 2020-2024.

 

[Karl_K]

This- from my perspective- this sort of sentiment is common. And it aids Putin. Other nations spending more- how does that help our finances? It’s not like there’s a quid pro quo. ie / if France increased its military budget by 1 billion, would we simply reduce our spending by an equal amount ???

Yep there is 0 reason Europe can not defend itself and we should not have anything but a token force there.
Without nukes even France could take Russia right now in a conventional war.
The boogie man story of Russia no longer holds water.
I'm tired of it, they can do things for their people we cant do here because we pay for their defense and that needs to stop.

edit...It has nothing to do with the everyday people that live in Europe I want them to be safe. I just want their own country to do it not the US.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Yep there is 0 reason Europe can not defend itself and we should not have anything but a token force there

An interesting point and certainly worth discussing. In my perfect little world, the leaders negotiate discreetly.
But back to reality….what’s the security implications to us giving up forward air bases- such as Ramstein in Germany. I’m not a military minded guy but I do remember we used them in actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Again, not saying a discussion isn’t warranted but it’s not quite so black and white imo.
As far as the “Boogie Man of Russia” tell that to people living in Kiev. Really man…

 

[Karl_K]

As far as the “Boogie Man of Russia” tell that to people living in Kiev. Really man…

They are kicking his tail.
He had to bring in North Koreans to fight and buy drones from Iraq.
It proves Russia would have no chance against a modern army and 0 chance of a successful invasion of Europe.
Its time for Europe to stand up for themselves.

 

[Matata]

The boogie man story of Russia no longer holds water.

An unusual number of their detractors around the world mysteriously fall out of windows and off of balconies

Russia's cyber threats are real. They've hacked into our electrical grids and other crucial systems. I shudder to think what the RIFs and budget cuts to the FBI and CIA will do to our efforts to defend against Russia's hacking capabilities. Russia is also masterful at spreading lies through social media to which Americans are very susceptible -- read it on X believe it and repeat it everywhere.

There is agreement that the US needs to focus its efforts on China and Russia and that Europe needs to focus on building their arms industry.

 

[Karl_K]

Russia's cyber threats are real. T

They are a distant third behind China and North Korea sponsored hacking groups.
The billions we spend on troops in Europe could be better spent in part on cyber defense and infrastructure I agree.

 

[Sunrises Sunsets]

Truly a terrifying scenario. Sharing my nightmares here- it’s something I fear we’re closer to than ever due to the divisive nature of our politics. And it really seems to me the beneficiary of the infighting is Putin- and Xi.

Xi- China takes a much longer game. They’ve also got more benefits if the US stays stable. We owe them a lot of money. And we contribute tons to their economy- they scare me less

This- from my perspective- this sort of sentiment is common. And it aids Putin. Other nations spending more- how does that help our finances? It’s not like there’s a quid pro quo. ie / if France increased its military budget by 1 billion, would we simply reduce our spending by an equal amount ???
Admiral Stavridis - I mentioned him before - talks about “soft power”. His assessment: The US has maintained much better security due to work of agencies like USAid.
Putting people with clear and obvious conflicts of interest- people who have no experience , and know nothing about this/ putting them in charge of “cost cutting” combined with thousands of completely arbitrary firings …. And bolstered by well crafted lies ( condoms in Gaza). Works quite well to further divide us.
None of this is making us any safer- nor is any of it substantially changing the horrific deficit numbers.
Many of us are terrified. I can’t imagine that people on the right felt this kind of fear from 2020-2024.

You don't think everyone paying their fair share is a good idea? Where do we cut corners? That's like saying one is going to go out and buy another pair of shoes because there is debit on the credit card anyway.

USAID... have you been paying attention to what has been discovered in the dispersal of those funds? It's been agreed that somethings are worthwhile and will be kept and sends aid where needed but look through the huge abuse of funds that have been discovered. Look through all the waste they are finding and realize the funds that were paused and definitely needed have been reinstated.

China is taking their time because they want our country. Do people really think their investment in land and other critical infrastructure was to help us out? They don't want financial payback. They want your land and country.

To be honest, I have been terrified by the last four years. For me, it was four years without any leadership and look at the mess we're in today. And, of course, money would be saved if we didn't have to provide defense for every nation.

 

[Matata]

You don't think everyone paying their fair share is a good idea? Where do we cut corners? That's like saying one is going to go out and buy another pair of shoes because there is debit on the credit card anyway.

Speaking of fair share, money would also be available if tax cuts for the rich didn't happen in 2016-2020. The alleged savings due to DOGE are already affecting the voter base of the current administration the most; they are beginning to realize it and are starting to protest. Red states are among the poorest and benefit more from federal spending than blue states where more rich people live. If Washington taxes less and spends less the red states will lose the most in federal spending and the blue states would gain the most. Should we stop subsidizing those states because they cost more than they contribute?

 

[Starstruck8]

When I talk of hypocrisy, I’m referring to comments people have made about the re-naming of the Gulf, yet it’s done in other countries and extensively in England with colonization (they were the world’s worst!).

Up to WW1, 'empire', 'colonization' and 'annexation' were not dirty words. A nation could not be a 'great power' without an empire. The British were proud of their empire and we Australians were proud to be part it. Since the end of WWII, such things have been out of fashion. America, to its credit, lead and supported the change. But starting with Putin's grab for Ukraine, and continuing with America's noises about Greenland, that seems to be changing again. For the worse, IMO.

I’m talking about acting like our allies and benefiting from us, yet some comments make me think that is not the true sentiment that lies underneath. Through these comments, and the whole discussion of this re-naming thing, it’s made me feel a tone that there is an underlying resentment of America.

Well, I doubt that renaming the Gulf in itself caused much resentment, merely derision. The change makes no practical difference. It has no legal force outside America. It's hard to see it a more than a deliberate distraction.

But since you seem interested in 'our allies' attitudes to America, my view as an Australian is much like @LilAlex's, but more positive. I do have to say that using the phrase 'our allies' as if you own us grates a bit... "Be grateful, you wretches! Look at all we have done for you!"

To be a winner and dominant in the world, it seems to come with resentment as the cost.

When expressed this way, with a seeming lack of humility and empathy, and an evident lack of appreciation for how the US got where it is (hint: it's not all "freedom," brilliance, and hard work), it's not hard to see where the resentment comes from.

That said, in my own lifetime the US led by example and was something of a beacon -- however imperfect and, at times, self-deluded. Now (right now) the US is just an ignorant, selfish bully on the world stage and even most Americans recognize that. Traveling internationally 2016 - 2020, I was impressed how I was pitied as an American. I didn't encounter anger -- just disbelief and genuine pity for how far we had allowed ourselves to fall. Can't imagine what I'll hear now overseas in cabs, Ubers, restaurants, and shops.

America is the greatest country in the world, by any reasonable measure - GDP/capita (excluding tiny tax havens), military might, cultural influence. For the last 80 years it's been the 'leader of the free world'. That sounds like a cold war cliche, but it's literally true. Under American leadership, defeated Germany and Japan were rebuilt as normal countries, ruined Europe was reconstructed, most of the world has seen a massive rise in living standards, communism has been seen to have failed, WWIII has been avoided, and no nuclear weapons have been exploded in anger. These are great achievements.

If the 'rules base order' meant in practice that America mostly made the rules and gave the orders, most countries were pretty happy with that. So the attempted tariff bullying of Canada, on a laughable pretext about fentanyl, came as a shock. Is that how you treat your friends and allies? And then you rub it in with digs about a 51st state. That's not how we expect decent countries to conduct themselves. Who will be the next target? It's damaged confidence in America as an ally.

Of course, that may have been the intention. Maybe America is signaling that it cares only about America. But be careful what you wish for. Smaller nations forced to rely more on their own military capacities may seek to develop nuclear weapons. This is not a world I'm looking forward to.

 

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

[/QUOTE]

Up to WW1, 'empire', 'colonization' and 'annexation' were not dirty words. A nation could not be a 'great power'



Well, I doubt that renaming the Gulf in itself caused much resentment, merely derision. The change makes no practical difference. It has no legal force outside America. It's hard to see it a more than a deliberate distraction.

But since you seem interested in 'our allies' attitudes to America, my view as an Australian is much like @LilAlex's, but more positive. I do have to say that using the phrase 'our allies' as if you own us grates a bit... "Be grateful, you wretches! Look at all we have done for you!"




America is the greatest country in the world, by any reasonable measure - GDP/capita (excluding tiny tax havens), military might, cultural influence. For the last 80 years it's been the 'leader of the free world'. That sounds like a cold war cliche, but it's literally true. Under American leadership, defeated Germany and Japan were rebuilt as normal countries, ruined Europe was reconstructed, most of the world has seen a massive rise in living standards, communism has been seen to have failed, WWIII has been avoided, and no nuclear weapons have been exploded in anger. These are great achievements.

If the 'rules base order' meant in practice that America mostly made the rules and gave the orders, most countries were pretty happy with that. So the attempted tariff bullying of Canada, on a laughable pretext about fentanyl, came as a shock. Is that how you treat your friends and allies? And then you rub it in with digs about a 51st state. That's not how we expect decent countries to conduct themselves. Who will be the next target? It's damaged confidence in America as an ally.

Of course, that may have been the intention. Maybe America is signaling that it cares only about America. But be careful what you wish for. Smaller nations forced to rely more on their own military capacities may seek to develop nuclear weapons. This is not a world I'm looking forward to.

This is exactly the hypocrisy I see. Maybe in England alone ‘empire,’ ‘colonization,’ and ‘annexation’ were not dirty words to the English. This idea is also quite laughable. But you ask the Irish, before WWI and even now if the acts of England were and are atrocious to them. They would say what England did was certainly a dirty word and much more. And let’s even mention ‘colonization’ before WWI in America!!! That was such a dirty word that we fought to rid England of their oppression.

And, Yes, I agree with you @Starsruck that America is signaling it needs to take care of itself first. Not just signaling-but we are actively trying to do that.

Can’t take care of others, if you can’t take care of yourself first. There’s no shame or hidden game in that.

 

[Lookinagain]

There is talk to reduce the deficit, the amount borrowed each year, but unless the deficit goes to zero, the $33. trillion debt continues to grow. Annual interest is in excess of $1. trillion, that is over $9,000. per taxpayer for interest alone. Debt per taxpayer is over $300,000. and it's pretty clear that debt can't be repaid.

Last I heard they are trying to try to raise the debt ceiling by something like 4 trillion, while cutting taxes again. How does this help? It doesn't seem like there is a goal to at least make an attempt to pay down some of the debt.

 

[Rockdiamond]

They are kicking his tail.

Karl!! Buddy!!
Let’s acknowledge that Putn , KGB spymaster uses propaganda- he’s a master.
I’m not knowledgeable enough to say who’s “winning” but I do know of the efforts to blame Ukraine for getting attacked.
Maybe they are defending themselves better than expected- thank God.
But the negative effects of a ground war in Europe reach far beyond Ukraine.
I do have Ukrainian friends- they’re all very concerned. No one is like “ yea we’re kicking Vlad’s ass”

USAID... have you been paying attention to what has been discovered in the dispersal of those funds?

Ready, Fire, Aim
That’s the way this is being done.
The $50 million Gaza condoms.
It’s so easy to use misinformation to distract us.
“But if we take time the crooks can cover up their tracks”
The Rule of Law. The means are more important than the ends. Our Constitution.
To abandon our rule of law, we have to believe Musk is the most honest man in the world and thousands ( millions )of people who’ve dedicated their lives to working for the government are crooks.
To put in context- for sure there’s waste. I’ll bet we all want to see that addressed. But also realize how uncomfortable and plainly wrong this is.
We keep bringing England and Ireland- wasn’t there a civil war over this? Northern Ireland?
And the terror we’re feeling…. If we could please think critically- there have NEVER been this many disruptive moves by an administration for 250 years.
If you believed we were in danger of dictatorship from 2020-2024, I’m sorry.
There’s just no comparison. “ Oh they’re going to make me use pronouns!!!”
And we’re not taking of the leaders. If we were I guarantee you my scorn for the prior administration will dwarf yours. But they weren’t fascistic.

 

[Matata]

America is the greatest country in the world, by any reasonable measure - GDP/capita (excluding tiny tax havens), military might, cultural influence.

We rank 3rd behind Switzerland and Japan for overall quality of life and happiness in 2024 (US News and World Report). Switzerland has been #1 for the past 3 years. Rankings differ a bit on what we use for a comparison -- 11 wealthy western countries or those in the OECD -- but the results are consistent. We have a higher number of maternal deaths as well as a higher infant mortality rate. In spite of the fact that our health care system spends the most per capita, our outcomes rank last among 11 comparable wealthy countries and some comparisons rank us last in larger comparison groups. Our investment in health care and education (human capital) ranked 27th in the world a few years ago.

A google search will give a list of reasons why the country ranks poorly in critical areas for those who are curious. The money exists to make things better; it is the decisions by those in charge on how and where to spend it that affect outcomes. There is one party that is consistently resistent to programs that provide aid to the poor and it is a factor in many of those lower rankings.

So, yeah, we need to better manage how money is invested in helping our citizens. Trimming bureaucratic processes and increasing accessibility are good options. Gutting federal programs are not.

 

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

Karl!! Buddy!!
Let’s acknowledge that Putn , KGB spymaster uses propaganda- he’s a master.
I’m not knowledgeable enough to say who’s “winning” but I do know of the efforts to blame Ukraine for getting attacked.
Maybe they are defending themselves better than expected- thank God.
But the negative effects of a ground war in Europe reach far beyond Ukraine.
I do have Ukrainian friends- they’re all very concerned. No one is like “ yea we’re kicking Vlad’s ass”


Ready, Fire, Aim
That’s the way this is being done.
The $50 million Gaza condoms.
It’s so easy to use misinformation to distract us.
“But if we take time the crooks can cover up their tracks”
The Rule of Law. The means are more important than the ends. Our Constitution.
To abandon our rule of law, we have to believe Musk is the most honest man in the world and thousands ( millions )of people who’ve dedicated their lives to working for the government are crooks.
To put in context- for sure there’s waste. I’ll bet we all want to see that addressed. But also realize how uncomfortable and plainly wrong this is.
We keep bringing England and Ireland- wasn’t there a civil war over this? Northern Ireland?
And the terror we’re feeling…. If we could please think critically- there have NEVER been this many disruptive moves by an administration for 250 years.
If you believed we were in danger of dictatorship from 2020-2024, I’m sorry.
There’s just no comparison. “ Oh they’re going to make me use pronouns!!!”
And we’re not taking of the leaders. If we were I guarantee you my scorn for the prior administration will dwarf yours. But they weren’t fascistic.

@Rockdiamond,
Rock, you appear to be trying to make some good points but I can’t seem to relate as labeling the current administration as “fascists” seems too extreme and inaccurate for me. If we want to continue the dialogue, and some of it has been really productive, it’s avoiding how we say things that gets people outraged, where reason can be so easily lost and dialogue breaks down.

There are things you don’t like. I get it. Instead of pejoratively labeling, explain please instead, to open dialogue and not close it.

 

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

We rank 3rd behind Switzerland and Japan for overall quality of life and happiness in 2024 (US News and World Report). Switzerland has been #1 for the past 3 years. Rankings differ a bit on what we use for a comparison -- 11 wealthy western countries or those in the OECD -- but the results are consistent. We have a higher number of maternal deaths as well as a higher infant mortality rate. In spite of the fact that our health care system spends the most per capita, our outcomes rank last among 11 comparable wealthy countries and some comparisons rank us last in larger comparison groups. Our investment in health care and education (human capital) ranked 27th in the world a few years ago.

A google search will give a list of reasons why the country ranks poorly in critical areas for those who are curious. The money exists to make things better; it is the decisions by those in charge on how and where to spend it that affect outcomes. There is one party that is consistently resistent to programs that provide aid to the poor and it is a factor in many of those lower rankings.

So, yeah, we need to better manage how money is invested in helping our citizens. Trimming bureaucratic processes and increasing accessibility are good options. Gutting federal programs are not.

We really do need to improve the lives of our citizens so much. I think other countries may think we live the glorious 90210 lifestyle but sadly it’s not true. Both sides of the aisle want more prosperity for our citizens, but it’s how we get there that’s debated.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Thanks tiger. I appreciate the dialog. Apologies if my wording was strong. The situation kind of makes it difficult to describe without that word.
Banning a news organization because they won’t call a body of water a new name.
Naming one’s self the chairman of a national cultural arts organization
Threatening allies in a public and humiliating manner.
Breaking well established trade treaties
Installing heads of agencies based on loyalty as opposed to expertise
It’s really hard to ignore these and many other moves
I don’t know of “softer” words to describe this sort of flurry of activity.
If you listened to Musk speak, he openly admitted lying about the condoms. Ooops.
I guess from my perspective, allowing Musk unfettered access to our government and its systems…… that in itself seems anti democratic.
If you read any international news- or a broad swath of domestic news- the US is now considered a rougue state. Threatening its neighbors.
How is it ok for America to suggest Canada becomes the 51st state ??? Jokes have a place. This is not one of them.