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#41
Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...
Last post by dist - Today at 05:32:29 AM
That sounds very revisionist to me. Since the fall of the USSR, there wasn't any reason for any of the NATO country to reach this kind of commitments. The US overspent Europe for other reasons than having to defend Europe. The necessity to increase military spending in Europe has only very recently become a clear necessity, and this is where it has been lagging though efforts have been made. So let's not pretend that Europeans were free lunching on America's defense spending until it became clear that Putin was ready to military threatened and annexed its neighbours.
#42
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Admiral Yi - Today at 05:30:12 AM
Quote from: Josquius on Today at 05:07:03 AMI expect that high black unemployment rate gets blamed on the black people.

Not exclusively.
#43
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by Josquius - Today at 05:07:03 AM
I expect that high black unemployment rate gets blamed on the black people.
#44
Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...
Last post by garbon - Today at 04:38:44 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on February 11, 2025, 03:01:33 PMYou assumed a world in which you did not have your current privileges to make the point that you could have been drafted, then you assume you do have your current privileges to make the point that the economic mobility of the 70s would not have mattered to you, because you would have made it anyway. There is some inconsistency occuring.

Totally fair

Quote from: crazy canuck on February 11, 2025, 03:01:33 PMI too have been very lucky. I did not benefit from the social mobility of the 70s because I was too young.  But in the 80s I was still able to make it out of poverty, really only due to a bunch of luck, and being 6'7'' with an ability to play with a round ball.  Even though things have worked out quite well for me individually, I can still appreciate the fact that the 70s were much better economically for the vast majority of the population than afterward.

As long as we recongise that when we say 'the majority' we are implicitly meaning white.

A few graphs from Pew Research regarding trends in America.

Inequality in household income:


Inequality in poverty rate:


Inequality in home ownership (note this appears to suggest home ownership has remained steady?):


For unemployment, we can see even when it spiked up for white Americans in the 70s, it was never a bad as it was for black people:


So when we are talking about how relatively good people had it in the 70s, we need to remember who was benefiting at that time and who was not.
#45
Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...
Last post by Admiral Yi - Today at 04:36:18 AM
Quote from: viper37 on February 12, 2025, 08:33:38 PMI do not see them as bad faith questions.

You see Europe as freeriding on defense.  Your own definition does not meet reality.

Some countries are spending more than the US.  The US is reducing its military expenses while others are increasing it, that's closing the gap in my mind.

You maintain base in Europe as projection in power because a stable world is better for US commerce.  US does not have friends, it has interests.  Not my words.

Each time a rival gets stronger, the US lose.

If you want one or two question, again, was the US richer in 1931 or 1961?
For one more, if you were a time traveler, would you prefer to live in 1931 Georgia or 1961 New York and why?



Hats off to Poland.  That doesn't change the fact that the majority of European countries are paying less than 2% of GDP, a number they have promised to meet over and over and over again.

Your 1931/1961 question demonstrates you don't understand the concept of free riding. The fact that the US gets some benefit from NATO does not mean other countries are not free riding.  Free riding is about splitting the bill, not whether the food tastes good.
#46
Off the Record / Re: The Big Picture - Where's ...
Last post by Josquius - Today at 04:33:20 AM
Quote from: Solmyr on Today at 01:51:47 AM
Quote from: Josquius on February 12, 2025, 05:17:44 PMI'm hopeful Musk will be such a disaster for the US that this taints fascism for the rest of the world.

You'd think Hitler would have caused that already. :P

He did for a while. Lessons seem to be forgotten as they drift out living memory though.
#47
Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...
Last post by Jacob - Today at 02:51:10 AM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on Today at 01:57:08 AMThe eu needs to stop whining about a just peace, it needs to talk about victory.
And plan for it.

I completely agree.
#48
Off the Record / Re: Life and Death in Austria ...
Last post by Syt - Today at 02:05:16 AM
Coalition talks fell apart yesterday, it's back to square one. President asked in all party leaders for separate talks for today.

Possible options:

New elections. Would likely see a surge in FPÖ votes, mostly at expense of ÖVP. Though other party voters might be motivated to turn out in bigger numbers. But unless FPÖ wins absolute majority, no one would want to form a government with Kickl (and they have no other personnel alternatives, really).

The other parties try to get a coalition going again. After the mud slinging after the last attempt failed not likely.

An "expert" government of non-partisans who will act as custodians and seek parliamentary majorities as needed for their policies (which was fairly popular for the half year it happened recently, because they moved forward on a few stuck issues; not sure it's a reliable option for the next 4+ years).
#49
Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...
Last post by Crazy_Ivan80 - Today at 01:57:08 AM
The eu needs to stop whining about a just peace, it needs to talk about victory.
And plan for it.
#50
Off the Record / Re: The Big Picture - Where's ...
Last post by Crazy_Ivan80 - Today at 01:55:30 AM
Quote from: Solmyr on Today at 01:51:47 AM
Quote from: Josquius on February 12, 2025, 05:17:44 PMI'm hopeful Musk will be such a disaster for the US that this taints fascism for the rest of the world.

You'd think Hitler would have caused that already. :P

Or mao, or maduro, or Mugabe...