Is that the light at the end of the tunnel? (O.T. Thread)

[candyman93]

So the spy equipment was the size of 3 buses. The balloon was much larger.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-spotted-over-us-skies-pentagon-says/ar-AA1737Ue
 

Wtf kinda troll move is this

[NateDawg]

1 hour ago, candyman93 said:

So the spy equipment was the size of 3 buses. The balloon was much larger.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-spotted-over-us-skies-pentagon-says/ar-AA1737Ue
 

Wtf kinda troll move is this

Then they play victim when we eventually blow it up. They were willing to do this until somebody did something about it, clearly. It’s like they are just testing the waters to see what we will do.

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

1 hour ago, MWil23 said:

...and this doesn't even factor in the disaster of the last few years.

https://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/

That link is mind blowing...just so much good data there.

 

 

Not seeing issues with how people are being paid is simply a decision to be ignorant at this point.

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

21 minutes ago, NateDawg said:

Then they play victim when we eventually blow it up. They were willing to do this until somebody did something about it, clearly. It’s like they are just testing the waters to see what we will do.

Yeah there’s really no way to be surprised or angry this happened, it was only a matter of time.  I’m sure they just wanted to see how far they could push things and what the response would be.

[MWil23]

2 minutes ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

Not seeing issues with how people are being paid is simply a decision to be ignorant at this point.

Check out the college grad starting income proportional to 1980 starting in 2000. It's absolutely insane. Essentially $94K today is the median 1979 salary. THE MEDIAN!

[MWil23]

Just now, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

Yeah there’s really no way to be surprised or angry this happened, it was only a matter of time.  I’m sure they just wanted to see how far they could push things and what the response would be.

Responding with an F-22 missile was 100% the right move...but IMO should have happened a lot earlier given we could have done something about it when it was in Montana...then compensate any rancher for lost cattle to be honest.

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

Just now, MWil23 said:

Check out the college grad starting income proportional to 1980 starting in 2000. It's absolutely insane. Essentially $94K today is the median 1979 salary. THE MEDIAN!

That 94k puts you in the 75th percentile nowadays 

[MWil23]

3 minutes ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

That 94k puts you in the 75th percentile nowadays 

The starting salary for a Honda line 18 year old employee in 1982 with a HS degree was $55K a year with an insane pension plan.

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

32 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Responding with an F-22 missile was 100% the right move...but IMO should have happened a lot earlier given we could have done something about it when it was in Montana...then compensate any rancher for lost cattle to be honest.

Reports have come out this has been happening for years under both the current and former administrations so it’s hard to point to this particular instance as being an egregious error imo.

People on both sides just want to point fingers and pretend the other is incompetent and defend their guy.  The reality is both are incompetent.

Edited February 6, 2023 by LETSGOBROWNIES

[MWil23]

37 minutes ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

Reports have come out this has been happening for years under both the current and former administrations so it’s hard to point to this particular instance as being an egregious error imo.

People on both sides just want to point fingers and pretend the other is incompetent and defend their guy.  The reality is both are incompetent.

I'm sure it has been. I blame a good portion and various red and blue administrations for allowing constant outsourcing to our biggest geopolitical enemy, while becoming indebted to them.

I stand by my F-22 missile response as what should have happened. It's a nice flex.

[NateDawg]

2 hours ago, MWil23 said:

I'm sure it has been. I blame a good portion and various red and blue administrations for allowing constant outsourcing to our biggest geopolitical enemy, while becoming indebted to them.

Certainly one of my biggest grumbles with our country’s politics. Quit giving your money to China and some of these other countries when our country is hurting to stay afloat. Invest in the people here. Not trying to minimize some of the world issues, but when we throw millions or billions of dollars to overseas causes, and there are so many huge issues here, it’s a bit backwards. It’s a bipartisan issue largely. We are in bed with evil overseas governance and pretending there is no national debt at the same time. Put your wallet where your mouth is. Will never fully happen though. 

Open up American jobs and build the oil pipeline. Reduce the need to depend on Russian oil and that of other countries. Get rid of the outsourcing to manufacturing so many of our products in China and invest in American industry. I have a sneaking suspicion that another reason that we will never see a lot of this, though is the political kickbacks. These leaders have built their mansions on, making these overseas business deals. It’s amazing how many politicians are multi multi millionaires, years into politics, making a couple hundred thousand p/year. 

Edited February 6, 2023 by NateDawg

[MWil23]

10 minutes ago, NateDawg said:

I have a sneaking suspicion that another reason that we will never see a lot of this, though is the political kickbacks. These leaders have built their mansions on, making these overseas business deals. It’s amazing how many politicians are multi multi millionaires, years into politics, making a couple hundred thousand p/year.

Look at the insider trading net worth and back door handshake deals. Term limits for Congress should be a thing, if not also with age limits for politicians.

Congress should NEVER be able to exempt themselves from what they pass for every other American. You want a viable Social Security fix? Make them pay into it and use it themselves, we'll have a fix before the October budget negotiations.

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

46 minutes ago, NateDawg said:

Certainly one of my biggest grumbles with our country’s politics. Quit giving your money to China and some of these other countries when our country is hurting to stay afloat. Invest in the people here. Not trying to minimize some of the world issues, but when we throw millions or billions of dollars to overseas causes, and there are so many huge issues here, it’s a bit backwards. It’s a bipartisan issue largely. We are in bed with evil overseas governance and pretending there is no national debt at the same time. Put your wallet where your wallet is. Will never fully happen though. 

Open up American jobs and build the oil pipeline. Reduce the need to depend on Russian oil and that of other countries. Get rid of the outsourcing to manufacturing so many of our products in China and invest in American industry. I have a sneaking suspicion that another reason that we will never see a lot of this, though is the political kickbacks. These leaders have built their mansions on, making these overseas business deals. It’s amazing how many politicians are multi multi millionaires, years into politics, making a couple hundred thousand p/year. 

Piggybacking this, we need to stop looking backwards for the answers and start questioning why we do the things we do and improve upon them.

We have people who don’t want the world to advance beyond 1953 and many countries are lapping us in certain areas tbh.  
 

We are about as inefficient as conceivably possible in a number of areas.

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

42 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Look at the insider trading net worth and back door handshake deals. Term limits for Congress should be a thing, if not also with age limits for politicians.

Congress should NEVER be able to exempt themselves from what they pass for every other American. You want a viable Social Security fix? Make them pay into it and use it themselves, we'll have a fix before the October budget negotiations.

Yep. 
 

If $X.00 is the minimum wage, ok, you show me how it’s done.  

If X is the medical plan that’s suitable for others, cool, it’s certainly good enough for you.

If public transportation is funded appropriately, I’ll expect to see you use it.

Make these jackarses live the lifestyle they clearly have no problem pushing on to others.

[candyman93]

3 hours ago, NateDawg said:

Certainly one of my biggest grumbles with our country’s politics. Quit giving your money to China and some of these other countries when our country is hurting to stay afloat. Invest in the people here. Not trying to minimize some of the world issues, but when we throw millions or billions of dollars to overseas causes, and there are so many huge issues here, it’s a bit backwards. It’s a bipartisan issue largely. We are in bed with evil overseas governance and pretending there is no national debt at the same time. Put your wallet where your mouth is. Will never fully happen though. 

Open up American jobs and build the oil pipeline. Reduce the need to depend on Russian oil and that of other countries. Get rid of the outsourcing to manufacturing so many of our products in China and invest in American industry. I have a sneaking suspicion that another reason that we will never see a lot of this, though is the political kickbacks. These leaders have built their mansions on, making these overseas business deals. It’s amazing how many politicians are multi multi millionaires, years into politics, making a couple hundred thousand p/year. 

I understand and agree with what you’re saying, but here’s an ugly truth people don’t feel comfortable talking about-

 

Our currency is strong, therefore our labor costs more, and the end result is products become more expensive to manufacture here. This isn’t some capitalism / socialism rant, I’m speaking pure money.
 

Our system inherently relies on exploiting somebody-somewhere unless there’s tremendous innovation. Innovation is extremely expensive and difficult, thus there’s not a lot of it.

 

Mega companies have also discovered this business strategy- Focus on short profits and just buy out a company that innovates something.