candide

8 hours ago, TedG said:

 

Quite interesting. 🙂

The GDP of the EU is around 2/3 of the US GDP.

If you add the EU contribution and the individual contributions of EU member, you get a number which is much higher than the US contribution!

QED! 

17 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

That is not true at all.  The U.S. is far from the only country in the world with a foreign aid program.  Most of the U.S. aid to Kenya is channeled through businesses, NGOs, charities and local groups.  Basically, the U.S. pays the bills but it doesn't actively distribute the aid.   There's no major obstacle for another country, international organization or relief group to step in and fill the breach. The Arab petro-states, the EU and individual European countries as well as Japan, China, Australia, South Korea and others have plenty of money.  Let them take over from the U.S.  Many of those countries already have aid programs in Kenya. Just expand them.

They have allocated their aid budgets to other projects (or to a part of projects shared with usaid)  and already started to finance them. And the projects they are financing also need that money.

And a large number of them proportionally pay more than the US did.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/foreign-aid-given-as-a-share-of-national-income?time=earliest..2018

22 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Trump is such a dummy with his tariffs, shafting poor countries the US depends on for cooperation in the region, hurting US companies etc. Places will turn away and do more business with others, chiefly China.

What should also not be forgotten is that it's the Americans who are paying these tariffs.

It's like taking back with one hand what has been given with the other. 

People with money get tax cuts to buy a new BMW, but folks who can only afford cheap products from Asia are taxed with tariffs!

13 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

So you dont beleive that a significant portion of foreign aid is stolen? More intellectual dishonesty I see

Which percentage?

7 hours ago, SunsetT said:

And the alarming numbers of young Thai kids now smoking regularly before their brains have finished developing is also a serious issue. So I am pleased about this legal backtracking.

No problem, they can still take yaba  it's more discreet.

53 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

You arent a native english speaker so you dont understand rhetorical devices

Using an 'intellectual' expression doesn't hide the vacuity of your comments...

35 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

No we dont. Obviously, you think that poverty and breeding are not related.

 

Another hundred million from everyone else should cover the shortfall. Although half will still be wasted. Charity dude drives a Mercedes, poor people eat a bag of millet.

Budgets are already allocated to programs. It cannot be changed at once.

And, as usual, you have no proof that half is wasted...

2 hours ago, darbie-foos said:

why don't you show how Trump is bringing down the USA, have some examples like his secure border, jobs, low inflation, peace in ME. fixed Irans nuke plans, and so on. But do share how Trump has cocked up in USA. Back up your big mouth for once.

 

Unlike how Wilders caved to the muslims collapsing your government!

Unemployment is at 4.2%. It's not particularly low. Inflation is a bit lower, but it's due to OPEC, not Trump. Food inflation is higher than under  Biden despite Trump's promises. GDP growth is decreasing and is expected to be half the level reached under Biden. 

Some statistics

https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/norway-gives-more-foreign-aid-per-capita-than-any-other-oecd-country

2 hours ago, mogandave said:

BS

BS 

On this matter as on several others, a key issue is the sudden change of policy.

There is absolutely no way alternative solutions may be found and implemented quickly. For the people who were relying on it to survive, they may just die.

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

 

Classic Liberal hand wringing. 

 

There are people starving in the USA. People dying because they cannot afford healthcare. People homeless. National debt at 36 Trillion dollars.

 

Who elected the US as a global leader? A bastion of morals? 

 

Trump has already shown how easy it is to control borders and security risks. 

 

Why should they be paying for this?

 

You obviously don't (want to) know how it works.😆

Aid organisations are aware of potential corruption and usually don't trust governments to handle subsidies for this reason. They directly fund projects and control the use of funds.

4 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Let us know when Trump cuts Musk's subsidies will you. As for Trump subsidising and continuing to subsidise Musk linked to political support from Musk to Trump could you supply some evidence of this? Musk willingly endorsed and supported Trump in the election run up. He also knew that one of Trump's election promises was to do away with the EV mandate.

Maybe he won't cut subsidies, but he's openly threatening to cut them.

And it's pure coincidence that these threats come up after Musk criticized Trump's policies... 🙂

10 hours ago, gargamon said:

Sorry MAGA, no jobs.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/30/style/edward-burtynsky-china-africa-snap

CNN — 

Depicting endless rows of uniformed workers, Edward Burtynsky’s iconic images of mid-2000s Chinese factories spoke to the seemingly inexhaustible human labor behind China’s economic miracle. Just two decades later, the photographer’s glimpse inside an electric car plant near Shanghai presents the opposite phenomenon: a complete absence of people.

“This is a factory built by humans but run by robots,” Burtynsky said of the facility, which is owned by top Chinese automaker BYD, on a Zoom call. “I think it’s a foreshadowing of where our future is.”

BYD is at the forefront of a technological revolution. Last year, the company’s annual revenues surpassed American rival Tesla’s for the first time as it delivered 4.27 million vehicles (the 1.76 million EVs it produced in 2024 was just short of Tesla’s 1.79 million, but the Chinese company also delivered around 2.5 million hybrid vehicles). Its success is, partly, down to price: BYD’s entry-level model, the Seagull, starts at around $10,000 in China, a fraction of the $32,000 Tesla charges for its least expensive offering, the Model 3. And this affordability is, partly, down to highly automated manufacturing.

In 2023, Burtynsky was granted rare access to a BYD plant in Changzhou, a city about two hours’ drive from Shanghai. He obtained permission through the personal connections of British architect Sir Norman Foster, who wanted a cover image for Domus, a magazine he was guest-editing about the future of various industries, including transportation.

 

The Canadian photographer said the BYD plant had a “cathedral-esque” quality. 

Thanks to the mere size of its domestic market, China is able to reach uncomparable levels of economies of scale for all economic goods.

The U.S. has been benefitting from this type of advantage for decades after WW2. Now it's China's turn.

Even large economies such as the US or the EU will find it hard to compete. The only way is to unite and create a global market including those two entities, plus others such as Japan. This is obviously not what the current US administration is aiming at.

1 hour ago, darbie-foos said:

If this flies and it probably will it becomes another huge example of Trump WINNING. Gotta love that Stephen Miller sharing all the good news for liberals who can't cry loud enough these days since Trump took over the plans for MAGA starting in 2016 and again in 2024. Listening to Stephen Miller is like a stick of dynamite between the ears of democrats, "exploding heads syndrome" courtesy of Trump and the MAGA revolution.

 

 

What a waste of money! 

1 hour ago, darbie-foos said:

This is WINNING w/o a flippin doubt.

 

 

Who has paid these $121 billion? 

44 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

From your link: "Views of the legislation are highly partisan, with Republicans favoring it (73%)"

 

Oh boo hoo, the left wants higher taxes on the middle class. 

Lame deflection. 🤣

The majority of Americans have by clearly a negative perception of the bill, whatever the polling organisation!

4 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

 Do Americans know about what?

 

KFF.org 😆😆😆😆

The bill!

You may prefer Fox News Poll, I guess! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

By a 21-point margin, voters questioned in the most recent Fox News national poll opposed the federal budget legislation (38% favored vs. 59% opposed), which passed by the House of Representatives by just one vote last month.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/americans-weigh-big-beautiful-bill-polls

Two crucial issues are raised:

- an independent European nuclear protection.

- the (leading?) role of Germany- and also the role of other countries (as Germany currently has no own nuclear weapon).

“We should have a debate about an independent European nuclear umbrella, and that will only work with German leadership,” Jens Spahn, the conservatives' parliamentary group leader told German newspaper Welt. “If you can't provide a nuclear deterrent, you become a pawn in world politics.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-conservative-jens-spahn-european-nuclear-deterrent-independent-us/

17 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

So, you know nothing of the bill, and you're not from the US. 

 

Next

Do Americans know about it? 😆

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that was passed by House Republicans and is currently being discussed by the U.S. Senate is viewed unfavorably by a majority of adults (64%)" (vs 34% favorably)

https://www.kff.org/medicaid/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-views-of-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/

39 minutes ago, darbie-foos said:

You have many examples of Trump WINNING, and here's one of Biden winning, actually LOSING. Typical outcome for the LOSERS on the left.

 

 

Cherry pcking one month. It's a lame tactic. 😆

50 minutes ago, darbie-foos said:

Out on the 2024 campaign with Trump and more specifically the WINNING campaign.

 

Brilliance, genius level stick-handling by the MASTER himself

 

 

A campaign full of Trump lies, bring the price of food down, reduce debt, peace in Ukraine even before becoming President, etc... 🤣

American citizen are starting to be aware of it, according to Trump's approval ratings collapse, in particular about the economy.