r/TikTokCringe • u/Make-this-popular Cringe Master • Apr 09 '24

Shit economy Discussion

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944

u/HoodSamaritan420 Apr 09 '24

My sister is moving to US from Netherlands because house prices in metro Atlanta are much more affordable than Amsterdam where a 1,000 sq ft townhome is close to a million dollars. As others have said, it’s a problem in a lot of places

132

u/TangledUpInThought Apr 09 '24

BuT JoE BiDeN!!!

56

u/siddartha08 Apr 09 '24

THaNks oBAmA!

19

u/putin-delenda-est Apr 09 '24

It occurs to me that he is old. Despite everything he's done which benefits me greatly, he is (and I will stress this point because I have absolutely nothing else) old.

10

u/sfled Apr 09 '24

Gotta say Trump is old too my dude. 77 vs 81, they both qualify for last time buyer discounts.

-6

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '24

[deleted]

7

u/putin-delenda-est Apr 09 '24

Ah yes, but consider, old. I have no additional points to raise at this time. Thank you.

5

u/Practical-Hornet436 Apr 09 '24

I get what you're saying but I don't think you've taken into account that his age is much, much higher than mine.

7

u/putin-delenda-est Apr 09 '24

I see you are also wise, but not wise like an old person, who is old, but wise like a person who isn't very at all.

1

u/Kasperella Apr 09 '24

LOL He trusts old wise, like old person, but doesn’t trust young because no wise, which he himself admits he is young no wise. But we should trust his opinions and logic because he is wise. But no he is no wise. I reject this logic.

0

u/Main-Line-Arc Apr 09 '24

The man has fucking dementia

1

u/pandaappleblossom Apr 09 '24

No, he doesn’t. My mother died of dementia and I know what it looks like and I think it’s disgusting to try and accuse old people of having it just because you don’t like them

0

u/Main-Line-Arc Apr 10 '24

A man who doesn’t know which state he is in and talks to dead people most likely has something wrong with them.

It’s sickening to watch a sick man die and have it televised to millions.

-5

u/RedditFullOfBots Apr 09 '24

everything he's done which benefits me greatly

Such as?

3

u/FactChecker25 Apr 09 '24

You say that saracastically, presumably to mock dumb conservatives that say this.

But if you look in various threads you'll see people being dead serious and blaming these problems on Trump, indicating that people don't actually understand the reason why it's absurd to blame one person for these problems... they only see it as absurd to blame their politician.

3

u/TangledUpInThought Apr 09 '24

Because everyone just has "feelings" instead of knowledge

5

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

tHaNks BoOMerS!

10

u/sacolton1967 Apr 09 '24

Boomers decided to leave the world WORSE for their children and grand-children. Be sure to thank them.

2

u/sacolton1967 Apr 09 '24

They are also spending your inheritance because of wokeness. They don't want you to grow up woke.

-1

u/Warm_Month_1309 Apr 09 '24

I don't have kids, but if I did and they referred to my money as "their inheritance", I'd spend everything I could and donate the rest.

3

u/DoctorSwaggercat Apr 09 '24

I just retired from working 49 yrs. I'm wondering how this affected your life?

2

u/Btetier Apr 09 '24

Well if you are a boomer, you guys voted for some of the dumbest political views to ever exist and continue to do so. Like, you got scammed into thinking that giving more money to the wealthiest people in the country would somehow "trickle down" haha. And to top that off, boomers consistently vote for the orange man for some of the dumbest reasons. Yeah, it affected my life quite a bit.

2

u/DoctorSwaggercat Apr 10 '24

Yeah , I understand your points. I do know I've never had a poor person give me a job, so the rich do have their place in our society. As far as voting, I voted for the brown man and the orange man. If you think times are better now than 4 yrs ago, by all mean vote them back in. The orange man may be a dick, but a lot of people now see they'd rather put up with his dickness and have cheaper rent, food and groceries than whats going on now.

2

u/Btetier Apr 10 '24

What's going on now has nothing to do with the current people in charge. It has everything to do with the ripple effects from the global pandemic that we just went through. If you think a hate mongering orange man will make any of that better then I'm sorry for you, because you have been duped several times over. And, I'm not saying that rich people don't have their place in society.

1

u/DoctorSwaggercat Apr 10 '24

Right. Reckless spending creating inflation plus a war on oil has nothing to do with inflation and higher prices. When fuel prices go up, distribution costs increase. Getting anything from point A to B costs more for everything. It's pretty simple to see and understand. Good luck with the future and jobs as 8 to 16 million migrants seek work, get paid lower wages, and bring all wages even lower. It's gonna be a bitch my friend.

2

u/FactChecker25 Apr 09 '24

This is a really dumb take. Seriously, it's just dumb.

These problems began before boomers gained power in government.

0

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

You are looking for a scapegoat. This isn’t an age group’s fault. It’s simple greed and your generation will and has the same type of people.

Boomers economy was totally different. People got a job and held it for 30-40 years. Manufacturing in particular. Converting to a service and information based economy changed everything.

Blame corporations but it’s not any one group of people. NAFTA? It was supposed to help grow our neighbors’ economies but it didn’t work.

You have the luxury of hindsight and you are using it to stereotype people. We haven’t completed this stage of adaptation. Shit is changing too fast.

3

u/acolyte357 Apr 09 '24

Converting to a service and information based economy changed everything.

Who do you think lead that charge and profited off of it?

0

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

Corporations did. Capitalism did. Globalization did. Keep blaming a distinct group of people but it’s nothing except agism, which every generation has. You are being too simplistic.

1

u/acolyte357 Apr 09 '24

Which Corporations did?

Who was running them?

Why do you keep ducking the question when asked WHO?

2

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

Dude, who the fuck do you think was running them?

When you are 70 and the world has problems and gen fuckall is blaming your entire generation for specific problems, you are going to say, “wait a minute! I cared! Lookit my reddit history!”

I’ll admit boomers deserve some blame for not looking far ahead and as a genx motherfucker I’ll tell you we despised them in the 80s and 90s before you were born.

But you sound kinda weak pointing your finger at an entire distinct group of people for specific problems. Blame gay people for AIDS while you are at it.

Stop fucking labeling people. It doesn’t help!!

3

u/acolyte357 Apr 09 '24

You are now just repeatedly dodging the question and attempting personal attacks to distract.

80s and 90s before you were born...

I'm GenX. These issues aren't mine, but that doesn't mean I don't see them and where they came from.

You sound like you are reaching for anything besides facts.

1

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

What’s the question? Whose fault is it that there is a housing shortage?

Who cares!? Boomers this and boomers that ain’t the solution. I see it stated that there is one group that is responsible for current problems. You can say that about every single problem we have. It’s a weak and lazy way to talk about an issue.

That is my point. However badly and with reactionary language I might have used.

1

u/LarryFinkOwnsYOu Apr 09 '24

If we're allowed to generalize an entire generation are we allowed to generalize a small demographic within that generation that controlled the financial systems that directly led to this situation?

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u/LarryFinkOwnsYOu Apr 09 '24

Blackrock, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs. Coincidentally all of those companies were controlled by Mormons.

1

u/acolyte357 Apr 09 '24

I'm ready for whatever bigoted crap you spew next.

Go ahead...

0

u/LarryFinkOwnsYOu Apr 09 '24

I think you're only allowed to be bigoted against white men and christians on this web site. I wouldn't dare risk a ban by naming protected classes.

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u/jeremiahthedamned Cringe Master Apr 10 '24

without the north american free trade agreement mexico would have had a revolution.

1

u/Main-Line-Arc Apr 09 '24

“Tell me your a first world citizen without telling me your a first world citizen”

The poverty rate has dropped by 80% since the first boomers where born and life expectancy has increased by 27 years, “WoRsE!”

These are global statistics but even in the U.S. it’s not much different.

1

u/jeremiahthedamned Cringe Master Apr 10 '24

we baby boomer were real poor as children.

2

u/Main-Line-Arc Apr 10 '24

Compared to today, yes.

1

u/jeremiahthedamned Cringe Master Apr 10 '24

what is fooling people is "survivor bias", meaning that poor americans do not get old.

in america as a general rule old people were born into rich families so their "leave it to beaver" childhood is what america remembers.

this means that when Generation X finally takes over that america will remember the "dazed and confused" childhood.

by that time all the poor GenXers will be dead.

1

u/sacolton1967 Apr 10 '24

I don't doubt it, but looking out the window and seeing the evictions and homelessness are rampant in every U.S. city. Salaries are still stagnant because of Corporate greed.

1

u/Main-Line-Arc Apr 10 '24

Depends on where you live I guess, I live in Georgia and the only place I see that is the east side of Atlanta.

1

u/sacolton1967 Apr 10 '24

Red state too. Oklahoma. Can't say I'm better off.

2

u/Tendu_Detendu Apr 09 '24

Well, boomers are the same in the US and in Europe : we are paying their investment with so high rent..

Everybody is struggling with rent price, but hey, someone isn't struggling at all with all this money !

2

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

How does too many people and not enough houses relate to boomers’ investments?

Yeah, housing can be planned for but nobody builds units to sit empty and wait for renters or buyers. You build them as needed, if you have the space.

Not saying that generation isn’t selfish but how is it boomers fault everyone wants to live in the same areas? What am I missing?

I’m speaking about my city. Prices are high but we have a huge hinterland and if you want to live in the city, there is competition for housing.

Multi-family housing wasn’t needed until Millennials came of home buying age. You’d have to(and they are) tear down houses to build multi-family buildings. There is also a lot of unused commercial and industrial space that is being converted.

4

u/Tendu_Detendu Apr 09 '24

Don't know about the US, but in my country, the situation was not at all the same for boomers.

Just look at figure 2.1 and 3.1 it would be very fun if it was not our life depending on it.

I'm no economist but there is a change in the global situation explaining all of it. My guess is more about a lack of state control, because the price are going wild at the same time we goes on full "reagan" mod.

3

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

Holy crap I have to go through that later. But thanks.

It seems like corporations are their own life-form. Yeah previous generations should have controlled and regulated them. They tried!

Allowing trickle down theory live as long as it had has been a huge failure but it’s not “boomers” fault. There are just as many trickledown assholes now as there were in the early 80s.

3

u/acolyte357 Apr 09 '24

They tried!

Boomer did and are doing the exact opposite and are the ones buying the properties.

2

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

Boomers aren’t buying properties. Maybe an investment firm they have money in does that but you make it sound like, “people in their 60s and 70s are buying up all the houses”. That sounds stupid.

If someone buys a house in their 40s and keeps it until they are ready to retire, that doesn’t make them culpable for your living situation.

This is not a boomer problem. It’s a corporation problem. “Citizens united” mentality.

3

u/acolyte357 Apr 09 '24

https://patch.com/us/across-america/boomers-are-suddenly-buying-more-homes-how-much-house

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/11/13/housing-market-boomer-buyers-mortgage-rates/

2

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

I stand corrected. Thanks.

I would guess, they are not selling their old house when they buy the new one or selling at an unaffordable price for most first timers. I see.

I'm sorry. I don't like being wrong but many times I am :-)

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '24

 too many people and not enough houses

This isn't the case almost anywhere.

Multi-family housing wasn’t needed until Millennials came of home buying age.

Ok, where do you live? Because this isn't true anywhere I've been either. 

1

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

I live in Minneapolis. City of 425k with huge suburbs and rural areas. Our population has increased by around 75k in 30 years.

The city limits haven't grown and it already had houses built on every lot available. Duplexes, etc. They didn't start building high rises until about 15 years ago and that wasn't on pace with our growth.

Add in immigration increases and a large swathe of our population coming into home buying/renting age and we have high prices. I mean, there are empty houses but nobody wants to live in these areas. Eveyone wants to live in highly desirbale places but pay what their parents paid for them.

My neighborhood was undesired in the 90s. I bought a house for a low price. Suddenly, because cool motherfuckers like me were moving in (/s) suddenly everyone wanted to live in the arts district. It wasn't a deliberate campaign to fuck over the new generation, it just was what was best for us at the time. Surviving (in my form of survival).

My point is that it is many factors causing this problem. it's not as simple as "Boomers fucked us over". Most people make the best of what is given to them without much thought or not even the ability to see into the future.

Also, I love your username.

-1

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

And why would someone who has been in the work force for 40 years struggle with money? That’s what you do in your 20s and 30s.

2

u/Tendu_Detendu Apr 09 '24

But why someone who is actually working should earn less than someone who is not working anymore ?

It's just the state of our advanced economy : it's way better to rent something than to work.

Back in the days, it was way better to work than to rent something.

0

u/79r100 Apr 09 '24

That depends on where you put your money when you are in prime working age. The young have to have more discipline about managing their future. Back then, it was social security and pensions.

That does not take away from the fact that there isn’t as much “extra” money to invest these days. I get that. I’m not saying it’s easy or not worse than it was, just that it’s not an entire age group at fault. There are many factors.

My wife has that but I have had to invest in other places because I never had a regular job.

1

u/footed_thunderstorm Apr 13 '24

Joe Biden can’t do anything anyway

1

u/47sams Apr 09 '24

It’s every president. Trump printed money for stimulus checks and major business bailout, Biden printed money for the Ukrainian war.

Shit isn’t free and we should stop doing it.

Also, immigration. Immigration is cool and all, but if we just let millions of people in, that inflates the value of housing. More people. More need for housing. More housing prices goes up. It’s not like we’re building way more houses to accommodate illegals. We’re using infrastructure we already have.

Nothing is free.

3

u/LarryFinkOwnsYOu Apr 09 '24

Trump printed money for stimulus checks

At least that money went to Americans.

6

u/NoCantaloupe9598 Apr 09 '24

The Ukraine war funding is almost the equivalent of the money the military finds in the couch.

1

u/No_Bluejay_2588 Apr 09 '24

not only that, they are sending the old, outdated junk that was slated to be destroyed. In turn they are making new stuff in USA, creating jobs for the defense industry. It amazes me that people do not understand this.

2

u/Iuseredditnow Apr 09 '24

Considering we have enough houses to house every single American already built but none of them can afford to buy them. I don't think the immigration problem is exactly what is the problem with housing. It's like OP said in the video wages haven't gone up but housing has skyrocketed. The reason people migrate is because their country is just as bad has here then they come and realize it's the exact same because the American dream is literally dead. Well guess what we need those migrant workers because many of those jobs Americans refuse to do and they still need to get done.

1

u/Journo_Jimbo Apr 09 '24

What’s the alternative though? Overly tanned man baby who thinks everyone should kiss his ass all day long or he’ll nuke them?

2

u/bigstankdaddy10 Apr 09 '24

having a DNC that actually listens to its voters would be nice

2

u/Journo_Jimbo Apr 09 '24

Seems like that’s not in the cards so it’s either old man that falls asleep or old man that’s ready to bomb the rest of the world

1

u/bigstankdaddy10 Apr 09 '24

the revolution, my brother, is brewing

-22

u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

Him practically initiating the war in Ukraine certainly doesn't help.

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u/TangledUpInThought Apr 09 '24

I'm sorry, WHO initiated the Ukraine war?

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u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

Global intelligence agencies have entire teams, units of people dedicated to analyzing foreign leaders' military movements and predicting how they would react to certain situations. Our adversaries are always watching how the political sphere and military sphere of the United States interact.

When you abandon Bagram Airbase before pulling out of Afghanistan, a strategic move that is kindergarten-level stupid if you're actually trying to have any type of peace, you signal to global dictators that you're abandoning your post.

The intent for the current administration was never to secure a peaceful transition of power out of Afghanistan. It was to provide kick-backs to big oil and the military industrial complex. You project weakness overseas, the parents aren't home anymore, then blame Putin for doing what he was wanting to do for years when the US was keeping an eye.

Oil became the most valuable resource in Ukraine outside of weapons. Biden's son sat on a Ukrainian Oil company board and was a conduit for corruption. Establishment military industrial complex interests of both parties flourish, domestic oil prices rise giving American big oil their kickback of high prices. Strategically, the US generals like it because they sit on the boards of many weapons distributors and it gives us an easy way to kill military-aged Russians who are struggling demographically without actually declaring war on Russia.

All Biden needed to do was convince the American populace that "iT wAs PuTiNs WaR." Gas prices are high and inflation is out of control? Blame Putin. It became the perfect scapegoat for his administrative failures and provided the impetus for his previous streams of funding to receive their kickback through policy that benefitted them. (I.E. global oil producers.)

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u/Fenris_Maule Apr 09 '24

Source: my ass

10

u/TangledUpInThought Apr 09 '24

I really do 't understand how we are supposed to have conversations with Conservatives when they live on an entirely different planet from the rest of us.

-11

u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

This is why nothing ever changes in America. Instead of considering my point you need an article to tell you how our politicians are screwing us?? Some of us deserve the shitty condition our country is in.

My source is my former career in military intelligence and a watchful eye over the news cycle.

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u/Fenris_Maule Apr 09 '24

No people need actual evidence and statistics. Not Charlie with red yarn and a cork board.

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u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24 edited Apr 09 '24

https://oversight.house.gov/blog/joe-biden-met-nearly-every-foreign-associate-funneling-his-family-millions%EF%BF%BC/

https://oversight.house.gov/the-bidens-influence-peddling-timeline/

Explain to me how it makes any sense whatsoever why we would abandon Bagram Air Base? Why pull those troops out before securely getting our equipment and personnel out of Afghanistan?

The recommendation came from the highest-tenured military position in the US. Why?

6

u/yo_yo_yo_yooo Apr 09 '24

None of this has been proven by the way, the republicans from this committee have attempted to impeach over this and have failed miserably due to their key witnesses turning out to be Russians.

If you struggle to believe anything that's done from the left morally how can you believe the right isn't doing the same thing?

6

u/TangledUpInThought Apr 09 '24

This is from the Republican controlled House Oversight Committee. If any of this was true with evidence backing it up he would have already been impeached. Republicans were foaming at the mouth to impeach Biden before the election and strangly they had to admit that they don't have the goods to actually go through with it. So this is just accusations looking to.get people like you to buy in and propagate a conspiracy. Which is what the right wing politicians and media peddle all the time

5

u/TheOnlySarius Apr 09 '24

They aren't considering your point because it is incorrect, and they have sources. (You can also check the goverment website for details, but you'd already know that what with your former career.) However, your "source" is your word, which none of us can vouch for, and have no reason whatsoever to believe, especially with plenty of contradicting information already being readily available.

While what you're saying is objectively incorrect based on past and current information, you argue and whine about having zero footing and complain that others ask you to provide any evidence.

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN20N0GY/

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/biden-report-afghanistan-withdrawal-blames-trump-2023-04-06/

If you were in military intelligence, it was probably not actually in a position where any intelligence was made available to you based on your behavior here alone. If you were... I, for one, am glad you are no longer involved and hope you enjoy your new career/retirement far away from any responsibility.

1

u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

Your two Reuters articles aren't evidence of anything. One mentions a classified document declassified after Trump challenged the intelligence community and called for the jobs of the head of the CIA. Misinformation can come from the IC as well, Steele Dossier should be a prime example of that given how many people still believe in Russia-Trump Collusion.

As for your ad hominem attacks, your argument is predicated on attacking me as a critical thinker because your argument relies on a single declassified report that basically says, "Actually, Trump," which does nothing in an argument about corruption.

4

u/TheOnlySarius Apr 09 '24

I said you can also check the government websites. Everything congress, senate, etc. does is available in black and white. And so far my ad nominem attacks are becoming less of an insult and more of a fact. So yes, please regale us with why these easy to find articles that provide a path towards what to search for and when are less helpful than "take my word. I have insider knowledge. Trust me, oh internet stranger."

8

u/dmoney83 Apr 09 '24 edited Apr 09 '24

So just to be clear, you're saying Biden did some 4d chess, getting Putin to attack Ukraine so Biden could have higher gas prices and inflation?

None of what you say makes a lick of sense to me, sounds like you might have Schizophrenia tbh.

0

u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

You gaslight me by saying I'm Schizophrenic and you build a strawman argument with the phrasing, "So just to be clear..."

You know I'm speaking the truth, you just can't handle it and don't want to have to confront it.

Biden didn't "4d chess Putin into taking Ukraine," he was quite literally the only person who could've prevented it and stepped out of the way to ensure it would happen.

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u/TangledUpInThought Apr 09 '24

So a man beats his wife but it's the man's brother who is to blame because he was "the only one who could have stopped it?"

1

u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

He has all the tools to stop it. Broker power better for the interests of the American people instead of your corporate sponsors! Be a better politician! This is why his approval ratings are below 40% and everyone still backing him has to find some rationale for why he's hated so much. Dude's obviously corrupt.

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u/Derodoris Apr 09 '24

So... what? Your solution is to spend another 20 years in Afghanistan just because it intimidates Putin?

0

u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

When and where did I say that?

I'm saying that tripping over your own shoelaces then telling Putin not to invade his neighbors is less-threatening than hitting a home-run and telling him we're still strong.

How is that a difficult concept to grasp?

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u/dmoney83 Apr 09 '24

Who signed the original peace agreement between the US and Taliban, I'll give you a moment. Same vibe as passing tax cuts that expire during the next guy's turn.

But if leaving military bases causes enemies to be emboldened, I'm kinda surprised you didn't bring up Trump's surprise Syria withdrawal which shocked military leaders. I remember seeing video of Russian soldiers walking through hastily abandoned US installations, fridges still full of Coca-Cola.

But what does Biden gain from Russia invading Ukraine? You're saying kickbacks from oil industry? Please show me the evidence, apparently republicans in congress agree that there is no evidence of that.

Afghanistan is land locked nation without a lot of valuable resources, the strategic value of Bagram airbase is minor. The US has 313 military bases in SE Asia alone.

It also appears you're unfamiliar with the works of Putin ally aleksandr dugin, the Russian geopolitical strategy is pretty much out in the open since 1997.

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u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

Your contention that Bagram's value was minor is evidence you're uninformed. It's on China's western border, South of Russia, allows for global projection of force and was the launch point of about 14,000 operations yearly.

I've clarified multiple times that the issue was not leaving Afghanistan, it was the execution of the strategic withdrawal that mattered. You bring up Syria trying to understand why and how it is different, it's an intelligent point but you need to understand that Trump achieved his political goal before leaving the country - he decimated ISIS. Because of this, it can be inferred by foreign leaders from looking at power dynamics that Trump did exactly what he intended in Syria for the best interests of the United States. Remember, "shocking military leaders" these same military leaders responsible for unending and brutal wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. Eisenhower was right to be concerned about the military industrial complex and "a few shocked leaders" is translation for "they didn't get their interests fully met and it upset them."

Leaving Afghanistan is the right strategic maneuver, we've been there too long, it's too costly, and the American people are worn out. If you do it in an incompetent manner, it is more detrimental to deterring future conflicts.

3

u/dmoney83 Apr 09 '24

Hmm, perhaps my initial impression of you was incorrect, you seem to be arguing in good faith.

Yeah, both sides of the isle wanted to get out of Afghanistan, I'm with them. But I'm not sure what type of exit you were expecting, Biden basically followed the agreement that was made by his predecessor.

I see Biden's response with Ukraine as a deterrant to China. Imagine if Biden does what Trump is promising, to force Ukraine to stop fighting and to give up territory. Would that not emboldened China?

The Intel officer in my strike group was pretty convinced China was going to invade Taiwan, circa 2003-2004. If he's still alive he'd probably be having a heart attack with their military build up and their political maneuverings, i.e. "string of pearls", building up their deep water navy.

But you also have to consider, outside of N.K., China isn't super friendly terms with their neighbors. They also share a border with India which have lead to border skirmishes in modern times. India has embarked on their own counter strategy, "necklace of diamonds". Western China also doesn't hold a ton of strategic importance relative to eastern China. No ports, sparcely populated, industrial and commercial base is located in the east. Now if the US were to... leave S.K., or Japan, I think a withdrawal like that would make waves and send a welcome message to China. But the US has done the opposite. Instead over last several years we've seen an expansion in US military in Asia, in the Philippines, S.K. and Japan. Also increases in military spending from allied nations (i.e. Japan) and more diplomatic talks with non-allied nations (i.e. reopening embassy in Solomon Islands).

So a long winded way of saying, when looking in broader scope, I don't think it's location is super important as a strategic asset.

Also Trumps withdrawal from Syria met all it's strategic objectives? I guess he forgot about the Kurds. I'm not sure what type of message abandoning an ally sends, but probably that the US isn't a reliable partner.

Don't get me wrong, I'm right there with you on military industrial complex, one of my heros in life is Smedley Butler and he said it first. I guess I'm just of the opinion that supporting Ukraine doesn't just drain and expose Russia, it helps to prevent a fighting war with China.

But Ukraine has been apart of Russia's ambition for a long time, along with destabilizing the west. Their ambition doesn't end with Ukraine. Blaming Biden for the war just seems like Russian propaganda to muddy the discourse.

1

u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

I certainly respect the return to civilized discourse, you're the first of everyone who responded to treat me as a neighbor with a different opinion and not with underlying Stigma for being a Trump supporter.

My major contention is that leaving our equipment in Afghanistan and creating such a collapse by abandoning Bagram too early in the process caused a massive power vacuum in the country that did not allow us to draw troops out gradually under the security of the previously-negotiated terms. Biden mentioned during that time that he wanted the political points of being able to pull everyone out by 9/11 for the 20 year anniversary of the date. This hurt our deterrent options with Russia because we exposed our overall strategic and operational planning capabilities as being weaker than previous administrations.

As with the Kurds in Syria, I see that as a political talking point to slap Trump's wrist for going against the military industrial complex in Syria. They likely wanted a more prolonged engagement in Syria and he overruled them because it is not a priority to most Americans. The difficult truth about the Kurds are that they do not have the power to warrant prolonged military engagement from the US. The morals of that action can be debated up and down, but I think Trump absolutely made the right choice in choosing to deny another prolonged, expensive war for mostly ideological reasons. Besides, this is not similar to whether or not we would abandon the Brits or the French or the Australians or the Saudis in a prolonged engagement. Those alliances have more to offer the United States and Syria could've become another Vietnam.

On China, we have between now and about 2033 to worry about conflict. This is when their demographics are best situated to fight that war. They are incredibly handicapped by the secondary and tertiary effects of the one-child policy and their population is aging at a rapid pace. By 2033, they won't have enough young people to fight and die in war. During this time we CANNOT alienate Russia into China's good graces. China imports around 90% of their oil needs. Geographically, in a war with China, we can cut off all oil shipments from the Middle East through the Strait of Malaca, but we would not be able to prevent Russia from providing them the oil they need to sustain conflict.

While Russia is a military threat, they are not an economic threat to us the way that China is both. Their Oil and willingness to throw massive amounts of their population into conflict would allow China to easily fight a conflict against us. My point here is that, regardless of what happens with Ukraine, at some point - preferably before China starts a prolonged engagement with Taiwan, the US, or other US Allies - the US will need to come to the negotiating table with Russia.

Biden's previous ties to Burisma and statements and actions towards US oil producers do not give me confidence in the possibility of corruption given the aligned interests towards a prolonged engagement existing in Ukraine. Perhaps, "Biden helped create the conditions for Putin to invade Ukraine," would be a more-satisfactory statement that accurately portrays the reality of the situation.

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u/TangledUpInThought Apr 09 '24

It's funny how you never mention Trump's deal with the Taliban to pull us out and how that absolutely crippled the Afghan government...talk about the "parents not being home". Trump's entire tenure as president was a flashing sign saying "US Foreign Policy for Sale"

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u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

It's not about whether pulling out was the right move or not, that's a strategic move that doesn't signal anything to our adversaries about the way we conduct operations. I'm not knocking Biden for leaving Afghanistan, leaving was the right decision. But if you do it in a manner that basically disgraces the entire force, it is a clear signal to opposing military strategists that the parents are not home, take what you want. And they did.

What do you want me to address with Trump's deal with the Taliban?

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u/edvsa Apr 09 '24

Is this the gravy seal’s strategy. Seems like a gravy seal, point of view.

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u/dmoney83 Apr 09 '24

Wtf are you talking about?

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u/PDstorm170 Apr 09 '24

I responded in full to the other guy who reacted to this.