VK, many good Americans are just as confused by our government's lack of financial responsibility as the rest of the world is. Problem is the government is self-perpetuating and unchecked by the people. Sure we get to "vote" (choose between whatever we think is the lesser of two evils), but for many politicians it's just a game to get votes to get to the next level. I live in Minnesota, and our state government shut down all but the "essential" government functions because the governor and the legislature couldn't agree on a budget. The federal government is essentially facing the same problem. (IMO they've got themselves involved in paying for and regulating things they really shouldn't.)
They are in zugzwang. Any action is worse than no action. Do significant spending cuts and you are fucked. Plus it won't help with debt. Borrow more money and you'll be fucked anyway, as all you buy is small extra time.
Q: So why should anybody believe that in the next 11 days you guys are going to make progress and be -- and actually reach a deal, when you've been working on this for months? A: That's like saying, you know, why should anybody believe Christmas is going to come until Christmas Day.
yup. and the scariest thing is that I personally can do pretty much nothing about it. (besides going off the power grid, growing a giant garden, and buying a couple Kalashnikovs to fend of the feds/hungry rednecks) :-)
Shut down NASA, clearly they are spending too much money "out there" and if we spent that money here on Earth we would have no problems any more... look closely near top of graph, you can see their spending from >100m with JWST (oh wait, don't have one now...)
>Shut down NASA, clearly they are spending too much money "out there"
Unfortunately this is very bad idea. Impact of such "savings" will result in loss that is times higher than savings themselfes. World is not a fairy tale. If you can't defend resources and control other countries who are forced to sell them at discounted prices someone will do the same and you'll be just another poor coutry.
I agree this is a very bad idea, I was poking fun at people who say "NASA is so expensive" - the graph shows very clearly how small it is compared to other things. Heck, America spends 5 times as much on tobacco as they do on space exploration, and that's only the purchase price, it doesn't include the cost in health care etc.
>How about ending the two stupid wars! We didn't even get cheap gas out of invading Iraq! What a scam job those wars are.
I am not absolutely sure, but my understanding is that both wars are highly profitable. In Iraq profits are made not by cheap oil, but by importing all profits of american companies, big money. In Afganistan - this is an important strategical point and last time I checked drugs are pretty profitable and US controls their export (this also give a clue why in 2001 Afganistan had been made responsible for attacks). However, in July 2000, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, collaborating with the United Nations to eradicate heroin production in Afghanistan, declared that growing poppies was un-Islamic, resulting in one of the world's most successful anti-drug campaigns. As a result of this ban, opium poppy cultivation was reduced by 91% from the previous year's estimate of 82,172 hectares. The ban was so effective that Helmand Province, which had accounted for more than half of this area, recorded no poppy cultivation during the 2001 season.
Look up some stuff on Butler too . . . he was a pretty legit dude.
@Bueller Sure it is! just increase the frame-rate and add ragtime. This emphasizes the absurdity by allowing one to view more of it in a shorter timeframe, and ragtime keeps your judgement honest.
@Vitaliy What profits did american companies make? You mean from weapons sales and outfits like Blackwater? I don't see those as profits, it's paid for by tax payers and there's no material benefit on the back end, unlike purchasing a car or appliance. Military spending is corporate welfare. And soldier are nothing more than a government worker, and in this instance, we'll be paying costly medical benefits for generations. I've never understood the "War is profitable" paradigm. It's even been proven that all the imperialism and colonial adventures of the British Empire wherein they looted and robbed countless countries of treasure was a net loss financially. War ain't cheap.
Look at oil contracts, building contracts, service contracts, transportation contracts in Iraq. If US company get oil for $15/b and sell oil for $100/b it certainly makes big profit.
In fact the American have been made to pay for the war and petrol industries. The money goes somewhere but not to the country but to those companies that are usually very close to the politician. Every-time somebody will talk about green energy, somebody will tell him that it is not cost effective etc... but imagine if all the money that went into the Iraq war had been used in sun, wind, geo thermal etc where would America be. How many jobs and resources would have been kept in the country. I would like someone to tell me how a war can be more cost effective than renewable energy.
The second thing is about the people themself. Like in all empires the people always are driven by pride. From the eqyptian to the Romans, I am sure if you made a poll during those time 9 out of 10 people would have told you that their empire would still exist until now. Unfortunately people don't think but are driven by emotion. If all American divided their car centimeter cube by two how much money their country would save. Does people need 3000/4000 cc cars to drive most of the time alone or two person. My 1500cc car is enough to drive 4 people without any problem. This is only one example. Living in a small country (ex british and french colony) I think like this, perhaps if I was born in the most powerful country in the world I would have thought differently.
Now what I a bit afraid is that tomorrow the American will go back to the Neo conservative bush adminitration because they will feel that the democrats have failed economic wise. The same conservative that brought their country to were it is now with those costly wars. They will tell that the problem is on those heath care and thigs like that so that they can feed their petrol and war industry friend.
@Vitaliy Those buildings and services are all outside the US! Our wars are good for Iraq's economy but not ours. what I'm saying is those contracts are corporate welfare, with no material benefit to the average person, it's merely transferring the wealth of American citizens to corporations via taxation. That's not capitalism. It's not the same as investing in infrastructure -- such as new roads and rail lines or new schools, or more police for security or exchange of capital for goods such as autos and TV's -- which improve standards of living. Even the oil barrel example you give, gas prices are higher than ever. You cannot even say the wars did much for share prices as they were flatline up until about two years ago. Worst of all, a lot of war was financed by China, so not only did we get nothing out of it, but it has put us deeper into debt, as your charts above reflect.
@dannnyel >>>>>If all American divided their car centimeter cube by two how much money their country would save. Does people need 3000/4000 cc cars to drive most of the time alone or two person. >>>>>>
Hah sorry, our cars are usually bigger than 3-4000! Sad but true.
I have a 3000 cc minivan because I drive my kids around, and that's considered a small engine.
And if we're stupid enough to elect another republican president, we deserve the pain that will result.
The problem is that people don't want to hear the truth and I mean everybody not only American. To a different level if a politician comes to another country where they drive 2500cc cars and tell them that they will tax it a lot for them to drive 1500cc ones they won't vote for him. So the politician just borrows the money and so on and so on until the country goes bankrupt (very simple analogy :-) ) When you think that most of the dept of the USA is held by China... it is staggering.
In the end as I said before America could end again with a conservative government that will play on the pride patriotism and religion. Again taking the example in my previous post if you went in a temple in Ancient Egypt and Rome the priest would have told you that their gods would have protected their empire until nowadays and for ever.
What China has today is the most formidable economic machine. A capitalist economy with a dictatorship political system... supposed communist. So they, the government can rule on the market to attain certain goal. They can direct the market to where they want it to go. They could starve half their population if need be to compete against the rest of the world.
@danyyyel <<<<br />What China has today is the most formidable economic machine. A capitalist economy with a dictatorship political system... supposed communist. So they, the government can rule on the market to attain certain goal. They can direct the market to where they want it to go. They could starve half their population if need be to compete against the rest of the world>>>>
And that's probably why China will falter. Economies that are managed to that extent usually fail. China is a slave state without a legal system. My money is on India
@Vitaliy >Welche Gewinne hat US-Unternehmen zu machen? Schau Ölverträge, Bau-, Dienstleistungs-, Transport-Verträge im Irak. Wenn US-Unternehmen bekommen Öl für 15 $ / b und verkaufen Öl für 100 $ / b macht es durchaus großen Gewinn< Yes!!!