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placeholder

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Everything posted by placeholder

  1. Can you share with us some of those studies? Because there's no proof for it in any data that I've seen. Whether it was the Reagan tax cuts, the Bush tax cuts, or the Trump tax cuts, there was no noticeable effect on GDP. In fact, the only time that the economy experienced a sharp out-of-trend jump was after the Clinton tax increases of 1993. One noticeable effect of these tax cuts is increasing income inequality.
  2. On the other hand, the US backing of the Saudis in its war against the Houthis is quite relevant.
  3. The Saudis have been heavily invested in a rapprochement with Iran and with extricating itself from its disastrous military misadventure in Iran. There is an excellent article from Reuters which goes into this in some detail. However we can't link to reuters. Still if you look up the article looking for riyadh reluctant and the date of dec 21, 2023, you should have no trouble locating it. Here's a link to an article in Foreign which explains why the best of the bad options is not to bomb the Houthis. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/yemen/dont-bomb-houthis Among other things the author points out how such bombing could reignite the civil war in Yemen. The last thing the Saudis want is a resumption of conflict in Yemen. As for the those who decided to bomb Yemen, whatever their intent, and it looks to me more like a Hail Mary pass than anything else, it seems dubious that they're going to slow down the Houthis much.
  4. I have no idea who Marc Champion is. What I do know is that recent history teaches us that suppressing forces like the Houthis would take years and a huge commitment.
  5. Great idea! Now all we need are the trivial details of how to accomplish that.
  6. If the US does nothing? This is the kind of hysterical comment that always seems to be a consequence of war. I got news for you. The US is already doing something in response to the Houthi attacks. In fact, it's doing a lot. Unless you think shooting down drones and intercepting missiles is nothing. The question is what will be an effective response. It seems dubious that these targeted missions will put an end to the Houthi attacks. Most likely, they will be seen as ineffective. So, unless the US plans a fullscale invasion of Yemen, better to continue as is. So far, the US and company have been very effective in thwarting Houthi attacks.
  7. Nonsense. The stratosphere is still getting colder. There has been no reversal of the trend.
  8. More nonsense from you. I posed a question about what would stop the Houthis. BrianBkk tried to blameshift onto Hamas and claimed first that a "stop" later revised into a "pause" would be just the ticket. Since you've decided to insert yourself into this, how would a pause solve the Houthi problem?
  9. Sure they are. Absolutely. It's almost a dead cert that once a pause is estableishe, Israel will readily agree to an extension. You've got to be kidding.
  10. But you're the one who answered my question by citing a stop by Israel. In fact, a pause would solve nothing in regards to the Houthis.
  11. I was not accusing you of claiming it was counterproductive. Rather posing it as a possibility. And you don't see how neighboring countries' regimes endangered? If the US escalates its response against the Houthis, you think the local citizenry are going to be happy about their governments' friendly relations with the US? Have you noticed that MbS isn't exactly thrilled with the US response? In fact, have any of the locals joined in or even approved of these actions? You don't see the potential for major arrest if the US seriously escalates its response? And if the US just continues as it has been and the Houthis keep up their attacks, which seems likely, doesn't that actually make the US look weak?
  12. I think you need reminding of what I wrote and your reply: How does Israel pausing solve the Houthi problem?
  13. Well, if what you call the least bad option actually is counterproductive, then doing nothing, as you call it, is the better option. As numerous commentators have pointed out, these attacks will only make the Houthis more popular. Neighboring countries aren't happy about these attacks for fear they could destabilize their countries. You think actions that endanger the current regimes in the region are a good idea? That it's worth the risk? And it isn't as though nothing is being done. The US and others are shooting down drones.
  14. Thanks for exposing your massive ignorance. Do you even have a clue what "stone age" signifies?
  15. Well, then, what do you propose that would be an actual solution as opposed to supporting the current least bad option? What short of an invasion Israeli Gaza style even has a shot at success?
  16. And how was I supposed to know that? Your snarky comment about suggesting that I go back and read his comment hardly qualifies you to be a judge of who is an adult here and who isn't.
  17. Impossibility is a foolish standard to apply. way too difficult and costly is a better one. I doubt that the US and its current allies are up for the kind of effort it would take. Certainly the Saudis and other neighbors of Yemen wouldn't be thrilled. MbS may be a despot, but he has to be aware the the Saudi people overwhelmingly disapprove of Arab countries' ties to Israel.
  18. So this means that you agree with Morch. I'm supposed to know this how? Is he your official spokesperson?
  19. And would similar reasoning apply to the situation vis a vis the current efforts? Do you believe that the Houthis can be bombed into submission?
  20. Looks like the Houthis won't stop until Israel stops. For the Houthis this has been a godsend. They were losing popularity in Yemen.
  21. Not sure why you cited this article. It's thesis is that a proposed truce between the Saudis and the Houthis the terms of which were supported by the United States seem based on the assumption that the Saudis had the upper hand. Which was the opposite of the truth.
  22. And how are they going to stop the Houthis from committing acts of terrorism? Their missiles are launched from mobile sites. "They have “little in the way of large-scale, permanent military sites,” he said, “and instead use mobile launchpads for rockets and drones in addition to networks of tunnels and caves that makes their targeting highly complicated.” The strikes Friday, Jalal said, were “surgical, largely tactical and symbolic.” He doubted they work as a deterrent." https://archive.ph/vv1KM https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/12/houthi-us-strike-gaza/
  23. Does supporting more tax cuts for the "entrenched class" count as opposing the Swamp? Behind closed doors, Trump eyes second round of corporate tax cuts Publicly, the Trump campaign is saying its priority is tax relief for working-class families and small businesses https://archive.ph/cDZmb#selection-371.0-375.113 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/01/12/trump-tax-cuts-2024/
  24. Given that the Houthis persisted in their civil war despite massive bombardments from the Saudis (and massive support for those bombardments from the USA), how can anyone seriously believe that these attacks will deter the Houthis?
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