Is America doomed

[Showtime]

I 100% support what Trump/Musk are doing.  All the other countries in the world have been freeriding for far too long.

[Showtime]

2 hours ago, Caldera said:

There's no way Trump, or anyone else, can make America great again. He's a great showman and hyperactive, but I don't think there will be any tangible benefit for the vast majority of Americans. Most of the disruption he causes works in China's favor in any case. 

Look at all the dead weight in government he is getting rid of.  Same with all the illegals.  Americans are sick and tired of supporting the entire world themselves.  Look at what USA has given to Ukraine compared to Europe for example.  The difference is just staggering.  

[Showtime]

8 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Global warming is the Second Law of Thermodynamics in action. Climate change is the First Law of Thermodynamics.

 

About 95% of scientists agree climate change is real. The other 5% probably work for the fossil fuel industry.

 

Globally, less than 1.5% of people have had an education that includes a grounding in thermodynamics. It's therefore hardly surprising ignorance reigns supreme.

Wrong, there are Nobel laurates who don't believe man has had anything to do wit climate change.

[Showtime]

7 hours ago, Presnock said:

Totally agree that this whole tariff plan of Trump seems to be a plan of a total IDIOT.  Even prior to the start when there was mention of the possibility, experts at all levels and ages talked about how this was a plan of a total idiot who knows nothing about economics - but then HIS 6 Corporate bankruptcies  show that he didn't lose monies, it all came from his investors! while he and his family made money off them.  A real scam wizzard IMHO.  Yeah it looks like he wants to destroy the economy of the US, cause a recession knowing that he has money as do his friends so why should they care.  Joe Q. Citizen will of course lose everything he has worked for including his job.

 

Remember these so called experts are the ones without real college degrees and have never contributed anything to the nation or worked a real day in their lives.

[Showtime]

On 3/30/2025 at 2:14 AM, Lacessit said:

Based on my observations of the American steel industry, I would say it is more like 40 years.

 

I visited the research laboratories of US Steel in the early 80's. It employed 3000 scientists and engineers. By the early 90's, that number was 300, and more cuts were on the way.

 

You could also ask what it says about a nation, when it historically has the highest number of gated communities in the world. It's a pretty good measure of wealth inequality and paranoia.

 

And there has been so much innovation in the steel industry in the past 40 years.  Do you really think they need scientists and engineers?

[Lacessit]

Just now, Showtime said:

Wrong, there are Nobel laurates who don't believe man has had anything to do wit climate change.

Please list them.

 

They are laureates. Laurates are esters or salts of lauric acid.

[Lacessit]

14 minutes ago, Showtime said:

 

And there has been so much innovation in the steel industry in the past 40 years.  Do you really think they need scientists and engineers?

They don't need accountants and lawyers, they are the ones who got the US steel industry into its diminished state. Along with Boeing's dismal recent safety record.

 

South Korea is a highly developed economy with a strong manufacturing sector, and advanced technology. Heavily invested in STEM, and R&D.

 

It has more scientists and engineers as a percentage of its workforce than any other country.

 

QED.

[Lacessit]

21 minutes ago, Showtime said:

Look at all the dead weight in government he is getting rid of.  Same with all the illegals.  Americans are sick and tired of supporting the entire world themselves.  Look at what USA has given to Ukraine compared to Europe for example.  The difference is just staggering.  

False. The EU and UK combined have provided more funding to Ukraine than America.

 

The US contribution is mainly obsolete and redundant equipment it was going to scrap anyway.

[Rob Browder]

20 minutes ago, Showtime said:

I 100% support what Trump/Musk are doing.  All the other countries in the world have been freeriding for far too long.

I can see the point with Europe - especially given no reason for NATO to exist after the USSR + Warsaw Pact dissolved. 

 

Funny, though, how to spite the massive and growing national-debt, Israel gets more and more free tens of billions in "aid," plus deploying military-backup costing many billion more, every year - and they just happen to have a PAC (not registered as a foreign-agent) which donates heavily to almost everyone in Congress, and to Trump's campaign.  You get what you pay for, apparently - and with a huge ROI on those "donations."

 

The "DOGE" savings could never hope to recoup those ongoing losses, so don't hold out hope for paying down debt, or DOGE refund-checks.

[spidermike007]

Blazing idiots, ridiculously rich ivory tower gutter trash.

 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put it bluntly earlier this month when he pushed back against the idea that inexpensive products should be what Americans aspire to have. “Access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American dream,” he said in a speech to the Economic Club of New York.

 

Mr. Bessent, a former hedge fund investor who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, underscored that point in a follow-up interview on NBC, arguing that prosperity is not about buying “cheap baubles from China.”

 

“The American dream is not ‘let them eat flat screens,’” he said, arguing that it is instead about having good jobs that are not lost to foreign competition and wages that are high enough to afford homes.

 

The comments renewed a debate within the Republican Party over the merits of trade barriers that in recent years has sidelined traditional conservatives who prize free trade. Former Vice President Mike Pence shot back at Mr. Bessent, asserting on social media that the Treasury secretary misunderstood the aspirations of Americans.

 

“Tariffs are good as a means to bring nations like China to the table, but free trade lowers the costs of goods and improves the quality of life for every American,” Mr. Pence wrote on the social media platform X.

 

But the haphazard rollout of the tariffs and the fact that any changes to the tax code will not occur until later this year have left economists, trade experts and analysts wondering about the viability of Mr. Trump’s strategy and doubtful that his administration can convince consumers that they are better off with higher prices.

 

“My bet would be that people will not be willing to swallow higher prices, lower 401(k)s, lower wealth in exchange for the principle of a nationalistic economy,” said Stephen Haber, a professor and senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and the Hoover Institution. “Reality tends to trump ideology for most people.”

 

Pence is one of the few voices of reason left in the GOP. 

He is right. Trump and Bessent are in no position to discuss inflation, and they are dead wrong. Why would they care how these tax hikes affect us? They don't. Not one iota. 

[Presnock]

On 3/30/2025 at 7:25 PM, PomPolo said:

The Americans voted for him so when it happens only themselves to blame so no sympathy the best option would be to indict him for all his previous crimes and get themselves a new president but not that JD Vance weirdo

unfortunately, withe the candidates being selected by the super pacs, the voters are caught between a rock and boulder and this is what happens with a born liar as one candidate and he knows that repeat a lie enough times, enough people will believe that lie and Oiula! Trump is elected president.  Maybe over half voted for him but ALL except the very rich will suffer greatly IMHO during the next 4 years.  Sinvce the Republicans have voted judges, (supreme court too) and congress who all kneel at Trump's toes, he will continue to ignore the constitution and all sane laws of the US.  America will cease to be a democracy IMHO and thus, less free.

[Presnock]

17 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Agreed. 

especially this government IMHO.  Those "friendly" nations to the north and south are ceasing to feel secure about the US and can't blame them!

[Presnock]

On 3/30/2025 at 9:22 PM, advancebooking said:

Thanks to god Im not American....

Yeah I agree with your last statement we have enough %$#@s already IMHO

[PomPolo]

12 hours ago, Showtime said:

I 100% support what Trump/Musk are doing.  All the other countries in the world have been freeriding for far too long.

With the amount of dollars being printed ill give it less than half a century before the currency crashes and the euro possibly becomes the world's reference currency with 20% of all World reserves maybe even the yen America is good at borrowing and printing it has happened many times in history for different currencies then the US will have to start paying back the 36 trillion of debt it has

[Toby1947]

Is America doomed ? Who gives a toss ?

[Toby1947]

On 3/28/2025 at 5:59 PM, hotsun said:

The rest of the world will also never catch up in terms of entertainment. Sports specifically

Sport ? You only play rounder think you call it Base Ball most kid in the UK gave that up at about 10yrs old. Basket ball commonly known as Net Ball by the ladies playing it in the UK. American Football all protected with pads and helmets, ever heard of a real man's game called Rugby. And as for your boxers enough said. Bunch of large arsed Nancy boys 

[Dexxter]

On 3/29/2025 at 12:39 PM, Ben Zioner said:

Right now EU should definitely explore alliances with China.

 

Rally? Do you think China can be trusted?

[PomPolo]

7 minutes ago, Dexxter said:

 

Rally? Do you think China can be trusted?

Historically I would have said no but at the moment they seem a better option than the unpredictable protectionist yanks 

[Dexxter]

1 minute ago, PomPolo said:

Historically I would have said no but at the moment they seem a better option than the unpredictable protectionist yanks 

 

I hate to say this but I agree with you. China does seem to be the lessor of two evils for the moment.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 3/31/2025 at 7:06 PM, KannikaP said:

If some dialogue made up for a movie 45 years ago convinces you that the OPs question is answered, good on you.

Some things only become more relevant as the years go by.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Dexxter said:

 

I hate to say this but I agree with you. China does seem to be the lessor of two evils for the moment.

Ask the Tibetans if they agree with you.

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

Funny, though, how to spite the massive and growing national-debt, Israel gets more and more free tens of billions in "aid," plus deploying military-backup costing many billion more, every year - and they just happen to have a PAC (not registered as a foreign-agent) which donates heavily to almost everyone in Congress, and to Trump's campaign.  You get what you pay for, apparently - and with a huge ROI on those "donations."

Well said.

[thaibeachlovers]

19 hours ago, Caldera said:

There's no way Trump, or anyone else, can make America great again. He's a great showman and hyperactive, but I don't think there will be any tangible benefit for the vast majority of Americans. Most of the disruption he causes works in China's favor in any case. 

Even without making America great again, sticking it to the freeloading Euros, sticking it to the illegal immigrants, and making DEI go away has been a great result so far.

[sharot724]

2 hours ago, Dexxter said:

 

I hate to say this but I agree with you. China does seem to be the lessor of two evils for the moment.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/30/business/china-reciprocal-tariffs-us-trade-war-analysis-intl-hnk/index.html

 

that kinda makes it difficult

[Ben Zioner]

4 hours ago, PomPolo said:

and the euro possibly becomes the world's reference currency with 20% of all World reserves

As much as that would be nice, it is highly unlikely to happen soon; the French fail to agree on measures to curb their runaway deficit and the Germans not too brilliant either.

[KannikaP]

25 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Some things only become more relevant as the years go by.

True. In 1971 the beach Boys had a song on their Surfs Up album called Don't Go Near the Water, which is very relevant these dirty days.

[newnative]

8 hours ago, Presnock said:

unfortunately, withe the candidates being selected by the super pacs, the voters are caught between a rock and boulder and this is what happens with a born liar as one candidate and he knows that repeat a lie enough times, enough people will believe that lie and Oiula! Trump is elected president.  Maybe over half voted for him but ALL except the very rich will suffer greatly IMHO during the next 4 years.  Sinvce the Republicans have voted judges, (supreme court too) and congress who all kneel at Trump's toes, he will continue to ignore the constitution and all sane laws of the US.  America will cease to be a democracy IMHO and thus, less free.

   "Maybe over half voted for him..."  Trump wishes.   In 3 presidential elections, Trump failed all three times in reaching even 50% of the vote.   A large number of those who voted for him are now being royally screwed by him.  I don't know why any of them are surprised--the one truth he told in the election--somewhat hidden in his thousands of lies--was that he didn't care about them at all--he just wanted their vote.  

     I'm almost--almost--feeling sorry for those poor Republican congressmen/women who have to go back to their districts and face the wrath of the voters.  I think they've been told to cancel any public meetings as they have been so embarrassing to the Republican party and the president.   The mid-term elections next year should be interesting--if Americans are still allowed to vote, that is.  

    America's decline began with the Kennedy assassination, in my opinion.   The 20th century may have been the American Century; the 21st will be the Asian Century.   America has become so fractured, it's hard to see it being a United  States again.  But, perhaps Trump will be so bad that he will inadvertently be the catalyst to unite Americans--against him and his mostly illegal actions and policies. 

    When the earthquake hit I posted a short note on Facebook that my spouse and I were ok.  One of my American sisters responded that she had not even been aware of the earthquake--the news is so bad in America she has stopped watching any news altogether.  Sad that's the state of things--and we're only just starting month 4 of the second term of the worst president in US history.