2020 US Election Thread

[TheBig3]

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

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I must say, your contributions lately have shown a marked improvement.

[OccultHawk]

Originally Posted by TheBig3

It's said that if all the people on earth grouped up together they'd take up slightly more space than the State of Rhode Island. Doubtless, we could fit them all in Montana.

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[TheBig3]

Fine, I lol'd at that. Not proud of it but I did.

Speaking of things I'm not proud of, I have to admit after years of them getting the best concerts, and transplants always sending photos back east from the beach whilst we were getting buried in snow, I take some joy in seeing California be "all passion, no logistics":

Newsletter: Does anyone really understand California’s ballot collection law?

[Lisnaholic]

These days, historical perspectives and hard economic facts don't seem to have much place in electioneering. That's one reason that neither Dems nor GOP are presenting this kind of info to the electorate:-



As with WWII, Coronavirus will be pushing many countries to new national debt peaks. Unfortunately for the US, Trump has already nudged the debt up to WWII levels, and as the graph is dated April 2020, the startling effects of CV bail-outs may be still to come: I imagine that they will show as a vertical line going off the scale, but let's not worry, someone else will be picking up the tab, I suppose.

[TheBig3]

And yet, one of the nations foremost economists says Biden should spend like a drunken sailor


Why Biden Will Need to Spend Big
The economic case for deficit spending is overwhelming.

[Frownland]

Originally Posted by elphenor

nobody even knows how much debt the US can take on before it really matters

we're a bit like Trump in that regard, our brand is too big to fail even as we make one stupid decision after another

I'm pretty sure that China's recent infrastructure assistance in Africa is a form of alliance building for when the u.s. debt comes due because they know that the u.s. will fight any payment requests and ensuing sanctions.

[OccultHawk]

Originally Posted by Frownland

I'm pretty sure that China's recent infrastructure assistance in Africa is a form of alliance building for when the u.s. debt comes due because they know that the u.s. will fight any payment requests and ensuing sanctions.

As the economies equalize America’s buying power will decline and when America’s buying power declines China will be less inclined to loan money since it won’t be cycled back into their economy through American purchase of their exports. That’s when China will be incentivized to take back what is rightfully hers. Next thing you know America is the new Taiwan with the new SARS to go with it.

[jwb]

Originally Posted by Frownland

I'm pretty sure that China's recent infrastructure assistance in Africa is a form of alliance building for when the u.s. debt comes due because they know that the u.s. will fight any payment requests and ensuing sanctions.

Nah I think it's just a more modern version of good old fashioned imperialism/colonialism. I.E. Leveraging your position as a lender to exploit debtor nations for natural resources.

The US debt they own theoretically is designed as a similar form of leverage over us. Of course they aren't really worried about actually collecting a lump sum from us.

They buy up US currency because they want leverage and to a large extent they also depend on us economically. As 2008 showed. Of course that relationship goes both ways.

But yeah, as it stands China couldn't do **** if we said we're not going to pay. Our military dwarfs theirs. Investing in Africa doesn't change that. But of course they aren't even in it to make a quick buck anyway. They're playing to win.

[Anteater]

China sucks the dingdong. God Bless the USA.

[Frownland]

Originally Posted by jwb

Nah I think it's just a more modern version of good old fashioned imperialism/colonialism. I.E. Leveraging your position as a lender to exploit debtor nations for natural resources.

It's both.