Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU

[Dr. Strangelove]

[Kapture1]

Ilhan 0mar (D-Hamas) apparently supported family separation all along.

[iam416]

Heh

[Jeff Buchanan]

Kap with the post of the day .I often tire of the memes, the cartoons. But that was priceless.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Incidentally I don't know what to make of today's news. Wait, yes I do ........ I have had a Zodiak Vodka Martini and am currently sipping on Maker's Mark with a splash of soda.

Of course the press is painting Trump as an idiot in his participation in the G7. Never mind he thinks climate issues should be down the list of world priorities. I agree. Two things: (1) A strong US and global economy, favorable monetary policy that promotes investment will provide the technical solutions to the very real problem of global warming. Capping carbon emissions is fine/helpful but make that a local not a global mandate. (2) Free trade with the Chicoms recognizing they have to embrace structural change to participate in global wealth building.

Or that he thinks Russia should play a part in the G7 (I'm undecided but leaning towards it).

Or that other leaders - from the liberal EU - think Trump's trade stance with China is a losing proposition. I disagree - press on to get the Chicoms to do what the world is asking them to do and no US administration has held their fucking feet to the fire until now. The US dollar reigns supreme - use it to force change.

Then we have Boris Johnson asking the Queen to suspend Parliament AND SHE AGREES!

What this amounts to is a declaration that he knows best how to get GB out of the fucking EU and Queen Elizabeth agrees with him. Cool!. What a great Queen she has been and is. Read her history. A tough one - Victoria tough - if there ever has been one. I agree with Jonson (and the Queen) on the basis that no entity, especially one that thinks it is OK and requires EU members to conform to a liberally defined world order, should be allowed to dictate the policy - on a bunch of different levels - of a sovereign state. You don't want immigrants from Africa and the ME flooding your boarders, disrupting the social order, because of the shit-hole conditions in the countries they are trying to flee? Fuck that. Go home, fix your governments democratically, we will provide resources to help you do that. You don't want the EU dictating how your manufacturing capacity will be bounded by unrealistically achievable safety or emissions standards? Get out.

I think I like Boris Johnson. Very much like PDJT but without the penchant to have good policy poorly executed and/or defined in the public eye by dumb tweets.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[Jeff Buchanan]

Heh ...... the humor is appreciated.

AA, fuck-off.

talent, fuck off.

Wiz, go fuck a tractor.

Good night and God's speed. I will be in Ann Arbor tomorrow to initiate a glorious march to an NC on Saturday. Assuming M can get by Army next week and I'll be there for that one too.

[iam416]

Johnson has wisely put the issue to the test. Parliament still has lots of options including his removal. But, at this point the fucking around needs to stop. Either they effectuate the will of the people or they don't, but the issue ought to be put to bed.

IMO, they absolutely should Brexit. Short-term pain -- lots of it -- for long-term gains. Lots of them.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[iam416]

I disagree on the long-term. Strongly. Now, I generally believe the whole of Europe is waning and declining relative to the world. So, the UK will surely follow along that arc. But, in the long-term, I think it's far better for the UK to be free of Brussels. Now, my belief is premised on the assumption that the UK and EU will eventually re-establish more normalized trading. You seem to think the hard border will be there for decades.

[iam416]

It's also worth noting that London is, by far and away, the most important financial center in Europe and probably second only to NYC worldwide. Perhaps Frankfurt will fill that void, but that's an issue for the EU.

Eh, whatever. It's a preposterous organization -- at this point. I'm quite sure it has it's uses and I'm quite sure the organization's power creep has vastly exceeded those uses.

[AlabamAlum]

The EU was a genius idea originally. A trading bloc with the same currency and open import/export with reduced or no tariffs. They just made it ridiculous with all of the homogenized social and environmental policy foolishness and the open borders for permanent residency between nations.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Certainly, the UK is not the power it used to be but some of that has to do with the absorption of it's vitality, even some of it's identity, by the EU. Long term, in terms of the perception of the UK and the influence it brings to bear on the world stage, they will be better off out of the EU. That assumes no economic implosion precipitated by a hard Brexit. I find that hard to imagine. Details of inter-commonwealth trading will get sorted out and that is out of necessity.Trade will normalize with European nations over time and probably in less time than most Brits imagine it will. In terms of GDP, the UK ranks 6th among the G20 just behind Germany and ahead of France, India and the rest of the world's mature economies. Continental Europe's part in world trade is diminishing while Asia's rises. Those markets will be unaffected by trade hangover secondary to Brexit. Commerce is a powerful adjuster. The UK and the Commonwealth will be fine.

Long Live the Queen - the band that is.

[iam416]

The EU was a genius idea originally. A trading bloc with the same currency and open import/export with reduced or no tariffs. They just made it ridiculous with all of the homogenized social and environmental policy foolishness and the open borders for permanent residency between nations.

And, yet, according to "Dr." Strangelove, your beloved undeveloped frontal lobe forefathers will apparently cast their lot with the great Orwellian Technocracy instead of their fish and chips betters. Adam Smith weeps. As does the leader of contemporary Scottish thinking, Annie Lennox.