soalbundy

While I admire your sentiments, unfortunately it shouldn't take courage to express in writing their opinions, as these former advisors have done, in a functioning democracy. Surely he can't just act as a dictator, where are the famous checks and balances? I'm appalled that such a man can still garner so much support, it doesn't say much for the average American. In Europe such a man would be thrown out of his party and would never again have a political future.

Oil and gas still are and probably will still be for the next 20 years important energy providers apart from that it oil is used for lubricants, plastics, fertilizers, road surfaces, in paints and chemicals. Countrys that have oil also have gas. Green energy has made huge strides but it still isn't able to replace oil and gas and probably never will completely, I can't envisage heavy mining machinery or tanks and fighter aircraft running on batteries.

Well not in the immediate future but this could be dangerous in two ways, (1) The Thai Baht would change to a Brics 'unit' which being partially backed by gold as well as being backed by energy (oil) of some Brics members would not only be extremely stable but would rise in value against all Fiat currencies. (2) There would, sooner or later, be a military component like NATO, self protection against outside interference and aggression, so we would have two blocks, East and West, a mirror image of the cold war with the Soviets. Imagine living in a free democratic Poland as an expat in days before a Soviet take over only to find one day that you as a westerner now live in a potential enemies country with your pension having lost half its value and you either face expulsion or are viewed with suspicion. Thailand wouldn't need or want western tourists (they are broke anyway) all their tourists would come visa free from Brics countrys, as a sort of Brics EU.

Right in there with night time farts.

There seems to be a lack of intellectual discourse of late

That is an exaggeration, it isn't in anyone's interest, not even BRICS would want that although in 3 to 5 years BRICS will cause a massive wealth transfer from West to East but an impoverished West will cause cause huge problems for BRICS themselves. As BRICS nations will see an increase in living standards there will be a corresponding fall in standards in the West, especially in heavily indebted America but not to poverty levels. The West will fight back of course and Europe with its great experience in manipulation due to its colonial past may even mitigate the BRICS successes to some degree, America with its usual less sophisticated approach may even try war as a last resort but such methods are doomed to fail. Whatever, a great reset is coming, blessed are those without debt.

Yes,my German pension is bigger than that but we are already retired, it wont take too long before the next bulk of retirees comes along and the funds get depleted (America is a case in point, many states wont be in a position to pay the promised amount of pensions to their retiring government workers). My German daughter who is 38 already assumes that she wont get a pension. There is a limit to the burden (wage deductions) that one can put on an ever decreasing number of young workers compared to an ever increasing number of retirees.

Let's not be too arrogant, it's a start from a very low bench mark, funds have to be available to raise pensions and this can take decades. At least they have seen the writing on the wall and are making a start. The same problems are facing the West where the demographics are a harbinger of bad times ahead, raising the retirement age to 70 is no longer unrealistic, with small incremental steps, in the future, this would ensure that many will never receive a pension or if then only for a short time thus reducing burden on the retirement funds, basically, if you don't have kids then you don't get a pension worthy of the name.

I wasn't referring to medical science. When people retire they can expect another 15 years of life, their pensions are paid by the young working populace. All other aspects of society, infrastructure such as roads, electricity, hospitals, police, teachers, the food chain, new innovations in high tech etc are kept functioning by the young working population and there aren't enough of them, the demographics are skewed because world wide people can't afford to have children, we need more children not less otherwise there will be a breakdown in society which is why retirement ages are being raised in every country, in Japan more diapers for adults are produced than for babies.

The cobra didn't want to die so refrained from biting the monk

On top of all the bad news in the world we get this as well.

China did that and now they have too many old people and not enough young people to support them or the social infrastructure in general

Oh no! not ungodly as well as murder, what were they thinking, no virgins for them now.

It's enough to make one stop smoking.

His right abdomen? How many abdomens does he have? Too many by the look of him.

The Aussie looks as if he has eaten a few taxi drivers in his time.

If this horror scenario ever became true then most western politicians would be holding their noses while having to congratulate him while making sure they aren't seen in a photograph with him, he is a universal laughing figure.

It's not corruption money, honest, trust me I'm a policeman who is good at bingo.

Certainly an honest one by admitting she is not a real woman but a trans-woman. This is going to shatter the fantasies of a few penis princesses out there.

139 million would be the lawyers fee.

Try using reason and logic to a 4 year old throwing a fit in a supermarket because mummy won't buy him sweets, you know it makes sense.

How is this woke agenda to be enforced? "My mummy slapped me" "No I didn't" "yes you did" "No I didn't"

Disgusting pedo, that hippo is underage.

They are weird, that's my opinion but then I'm not woke. As far as Trump is concerned I consider him to be a vile person of extreme low intelligence, so no I wouldn't vote for the criminal if I was an American, which I'm not.