The road to dystopia?
- Thread starter CO. Hoosier
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That’s a nice history piece. Seriously. But I think it is mired in 20th century thinking. We are almost through the first quarter of the 21st century and we have a different kind of demagoguery . It’s the demagoguery of group think, obedience, and conformity. The levers of power in the United States are so diverse and significant, a single person like Trump is utterly incapable of bringing it down The notion that Trump can do this is the result of his opponents scare tactics who don’t really understand our system.
The demagogue we need to worry about is the asymmetrical force of government, education, media, and big tech. It’s so pervasive we don’t see it. When these forces merge, as we see now, the result is mind-deadening conformist thinking that operates on fear. This is the road to dystopia.
But Biden giving one to Iran, Hamas, Houthis, IS, etc. is not?
Did I say it isn't, though we are now launching a lot of strikes against the Houthis. The difficult part is it is awful hard to crush a crazy insurgency by air. I'm fairly confident it has never been done. To really stop the Houthis will require boots on the ground. I doubt many support that.
But he pointed out the Houthis, and I suggested there are flaws in Trump's policy as well. If you want to prioritize the Houthis, fine. I am not saying that is wrong, nor right. It's a choice. Just as supporting Ukraine or not is a choice.
But it leads to a question, I would not support American troops in Ukraine nor in Yemen.
If you really want to stop the Houthis, ( Or Hamas, or Hezbollah) you bring maximum pressure on Iran. We had them on the brink in January 2021 and Biden took our knee off their neck.
The recent Biden Houthi terror designation and resulting trade restrictions are a damn joke. Biden‘s exceptions make them ineffective.
I have no idea why Biden is doing what he is doing with Iran, all it is causing is chaos and bloodshed. I spent a fair amount of time looking for a cogent defense of the Obama/Biden Iran policy and have never found one. I’ve asked that question on this board several times and nobody has responded or even posted a link. The Obama/Biden Iran policy has been a dismal deadly failure.
I am not sure "on the brink" means what you think it does. We have had HARSH sanctions on North Korea for far longer. Even harsher than Iran because China will buy Iranian oil no matter the sanction, but North Korea has little oil. We had sanctions on Cuba for quite a while, perhaps we can discuss the day it led to a successful revolt against Castro. We have sanctions on Venezuela, they have free elections scheduled when?
That isn't to say Biden's done a great job. I am just pointing out that the idea of "on the brink" isn't anything reality understands. A good link below, sanctions are used when you can't go to war but want to. But they don't work (South Africa being the exception).
Do Economic Sanctions Work? A Brief History
<div class="cms-textAlign-left">Weeks after the U.S. and the G7 countries weaponized the global financial system to impose their harshest-ever sanctions on Russia, fissures are becoming apparent. Countries impose but often backpedal on sanctions against bad actors for a simple reason — a reluctance…
www.governing.com
Is the latest dystopia (fear of losing our old Democratic ways of governing) really much different than the fear of being on the road to socialism which dates back to the New Deal era ?
Do you agree with that article? There is so much wrong with it, I don’t know where to begin.I am not sure "on the brink" means what you think it does. We have had HARSH sanctions on North Korea for far longer. Even harsher than Iran because China will buy Iranian oil no matter the sanction, but North Korea has little oil. We had sanctions on Cuba for quite a while, perhaps we can discuss the day it led to a successful revolt against Castro. We have sanctions on Venezuela, they have free elections scheduled when?
That isn't to say Biden's done a great job. I am just pointing out that the idea of "on the brink" isn't anything reality understands. A good link below, sanctions are used when you can't go to war but want to. But they don't work (South Africa being the exception).
Do Economic Sanctions Work? A Brief History
<div class="cms-textAlign-left">Weeks after the U.S. and the G7 countries weaponized the global financial system to impose their harshest-ever sanctions on Russia, fissures are becoming apparent. Countries impose but often backpedal on sanctions against bad actors for a simple reason — a reluctance…
Sanctions work in Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela. They are all economic and political basket cases whose regional influence is practically nil. They are held together politically by draconian, brutal and ruthless governments.
Iran was destined to be similar. We let them off the floor. While NK military depends upon importing money from friendly nations, Iran exports its deadly terrorism throughout the region. North Korea has no important surrogates. Iran‘s surrogates are kicking ass and we not only sit by, but in many ways give Iran a hug. Ballistic anti- ship missiles are not a product of peasants in Yemen. They are Iranian or bought with Iranian money. Iran had no spare cash at the ende of the Trump administration.
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And dissent will be quashed. How do I know that? They've said so.
There's a reason Trump loves and sucks up to dictators and despots around the world. He wants that shit here.
Based on what @Willdog7 posts dissent won’t need to be quashed because dissent won’t happen. The battle ground isn’t out there between black and whites or between .Trump and notrump, The battle ground is inside and between our ears. Many have already lost that battle including those who believe like you and Willfog.
There are countermeasures, but we need to know them to use them. Countermeasures don’t come from nevertrumpers or a similar sort.
Thanks for the name calling ,SRIV94 they the poster would just not let me be. I guest its in my head that Desantis wants to sanitize book bannings and slavery. I guest its in my head that they want to teach our black children that slavery was good for us. That there is no racism that everything is equal. Yeah I would be in a fog if I believe the sh** you are stating. Sir we know your history towards black people.
Don't forget massive inflation. Our family has been affected by it. We make a lot of daily decisions simply because stuff costs more now.
I hate hearing that pastor. Biden will have a lot of explaining to do to God for making peoples’ lives so hard. We know that
Sincerely have empathy for your situation as a pastor.
How can you ask for a raise in pay from the congregation in order to take care of your family when the flock is in the same boat ?
Blaming a president or the invisible hands of the economy are examples of how to release our frustrations, but we must have faith in something when facing tough times.
Van, bow to you and your Savior on the subject of faith.
Van, have sympathy for those of us who have lost faith.
YOU Are running on old news. The economy is improving, Voters perceptions are improving and gas prices are lower. Only thing you can say bad is his age but trump is up there too.
We haven't lost faith in the Lord. It's just that gas prices and other items cost more. No, I can't ask for more money. The people in the church have to pay for daily items too.
The Road to Dystopia: Sounds like an old Bing Crosby/Bob Hope movie . . .
You are a Pastor do you believe? Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. Yes I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you in my mighty righteous hand. Isaiah 41:10. God will bless you in your situation.
The notion that ”they want to teach our black children that slavery was good for us” might be in your head, but if it is, it was put there by the liberal black swamp. We had at least one thread about this and we discussed all all aspects of it. First, the language that triggered the outrage came from a black guy. Secondly those who are interested in perpetuating race issues deliberately and falsely interpreted it. Lastly since this was in Florida, and DeSantis was a national Republican figure, the media ran with the false interpretation and it stuck.
You are a willing participant in the falsity, not because it’s objectively true, but because you want it to be true.
This kind Of mass mind manipulation is why we are on the road to dystopia
I have no idea what you mean by the other points because I’m not familiar with either one.
Finally I didn’t call you any names. If you think my frank confrontation of important issues is name calling, that is yet another reason we are on the road to dystopia.
W wanted to reach across the aisle and be The Education President.
Sorry that we had a massive economic disruption with the pandemic.
Also sorry that Putin invaded Ukraine and saw oil prices spike from ~$75 to ~$120 in the spring of 22.
These two things are why inflation spiked across the globe.
Stimulus checks, especially those that went directly to people, is a gnat on the ass of an elephant.
In 2008 the govt dumped a bunch of money into circulation and there was little inflation impact but you guys think a couple of stimulus checks caused the entire globe to deal with escalating inflation?
I mean the stimulus checks were drawfed in size compared to the PPP bailouts but I never hear a peep about them.
Because the overwhelming majority was from Covid into the war in Ukraine.
Predictably as oil prices have come down prices are following (but not quick enough which is where price gouging allegations are coming from).
Biden’s stimulus threw us over the edge after trump. And Biden didn’t want to stop. This isn’t our opinion it’s the opinion of fed experts. That some of you libs continue to be ignorant is getting old.
I will say this ,Im Willdog not Willfog, They are also trying to ban books in Texas,Indiana and Georgia. It as no false interpatation it was your Desantis. TYpical GOP ANSWER IT was not me shame on you sir.
It didn't have a thousandth of the impact you think it did.
The two biggest causes is the pandemic disruption and then oil prices spiking up nearly double when Putin invaded Ukraine.
You think $7 gas was from stimulus checks?
You think stimulus checks (and not PPP) caused inflation for the entire globe? C'mon man.
Did they help cause some inflation. They did, but as I said the impact was a pimple vs oil prices spiking (and it's why Biden aggressively turned on our reserves, trying to get oil prices down).
Wanna know what else the stimulus and PPP money helped with....fighting off a recession that most experts predicted was inevitable and never happened.
I don't see that brought up much especially being a business owner. I hope you never have a business collapse under the weight of a recession or worse a depression.
Back to the point, stimulus checks didn't impact one of the most fundamental driver of costs...gas and oil.
That was Putin's invasion.
Oil prices are back down to it's normal range (70 to 90) and have been for about a year....which is why prices are following.
There you go again. Nobody is banning books. Choosing what books are suitable, or not suitable, for youngsters is not banning books. You can still obtain the book. You say “book ban” for other reasons because of how it sounds.
It was a typo. But you know that.
What Explains Global Inflation
This paper examines the drivers of fluctuations in global inflation, defined as a common factor across monthly headline consumer price index (CPI) inflation in G7 countries, over the past half-century.
www.worldbank.org
'In addition, oil price and global demand shocks were the main drivers of movements in global inflation around every global recession since 1970 (1975, 1982, 1991, 2009, and 2020). For example, in the early months of the COVID19-induced global recession of 2020, demand shocks severely depressed global inflation. Oil price and global demand shocks led the surge in global inflation between mid-2020 and mid-2022, as well as the disinflation since mid-2022.
Evolution of the drivers of global inflation. Over time, the role of global demand shocks and oil price shocks has grown and that of global supply shocks has receded.'
I have posted a thousand times how Biden’s stim raised prices HERE in excess of other countries. Prices WE ARE NOW STUCK WITH INTO PERPETUITY. House prices? Draconian Covid measures from Dems significantly impacted same by way of remote work. Gas? Lack of initial investment as a result of Biden’s attack on gas. Lies about their leases bs. Businesses? Ppp a total debacle. No meaningful means testing. Total abuse that will cost us all. And still so many businesses lost unnecessarily with stupidity. Ban on outdoor sports. Good grief.
You are clueless. Again and again and again. Uninformed and clueless. And my tolerance for it is exhausted
You can say trump is a pos and his post election behavior should disqualify him from office. Great fine. It’s opinion that if you hold I’m fine with. I’m not fine with recasting a god awful president in Biden bc you are simply ignorant
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Biden’s American Rescue Plan worsened inflation. The question is how much.
Was it a minor contributor or a major factor in the US’s inflation woes?
www.vox.com
You are asleep. The only good thing to happen under Biden is he was blocked from doing more.
I was acknowledging the thousand times you've stated it. Seems like millions.
It's your Comcast. RIP IGW. RIP.
I hope there’s a conspiracy surrounding what happened to IGW
Murt you can say it a million times and you will just be wrong a million times.
It's like saying it was fat people that caused the Titanic to sink. They didn't help, but the biggest factor was the hole the iceberg cut.
Every inflationary period we've had has come down to oil. It's why we didn't have crazy inflation about handing out bailout cash in 2008.
Yeah I'm kindof worried as I'm pretty sure he's an old hippie. I'm guessing in his 70's.
