The cycle of corruption is sickening. Start a war. Buy weapons. Graft. End war. Rebuild. Graft. Start new war. …….. and America crumbles. Fuck Joe Biden.
While I agree with your final sentiment, you're going to have to widely expand your range. They can't agree on much in DC, but they can agree that this con game is the best one going and that's why they keep playing it over and over and over.
Bush, Clinton, GWB, Obama, Biden and I'll throw in the past losers too like Dole, Romney, Ryan, McCain etc... are all the Uniparty. Trump wasn't and is the ONLY One that isn't
"So Russia gets Donbas. Ukraine gets peace. Xi gets credit for peace. The world gets that NATO is the impotent. And the vultures get the rebuilding trillions."
That is the deal.
Meanwhile, Trump unleashed American energy bringing the price of oil to $40 neutering Russia, Iran, and China. Economic leverage is our greatest weapon that our 'leaders' do not use because it will not enrich them.
What struck me yesterday and stopped me pretty much cold was a clip showing Zelensky saying that Americans will have to send their “sons and daughters” to the war. This has been fact checked by so-called media (such as the pathetic Newsweek) as misleading and without full context. You can bet, though, that's what that tyrant is thinking. He wants a hot world war in my opinion. This war disgusts me. I have become a peacenik. And you can also bet that the plan to rebuild Ukraine at some point will cost the U.S. (and other countries) trillions. Like I have said, force both sides to the table and partition Ukraine if necessary. I don't give a damn about their sovereignty and I am spelling it as Kiev now. This war will tear the world apart.
"...I do not know if this was the true goal of Biden because I don’t know who offered the bigger bribe."
That's really the only question, here, isn't it? The Biden crime family are essentially just thugs who will "serve" the highest bidder - in other words, Biden is a whore, pimping out the US.
"'Ukraine and several European nations are pushing hard to confiscate frozen Russian assets held abroad, but several skeptics, including officials in the Biden administration, have questioned the legality of such a move.'"
Since when has Biden, or his administration, cared in the slightest about legality?
My favorite line today was Don's comment on the NYT article: "It was an 1,800-word story that failed to include the word corruption."
One of the things that made America great was our long-standing devotion to free speech. When one has a healthy debate, most folks, being normal and sensible, can recognize the positions that are usually fairly good. Everyone can chime in on a topic. This "pools" the collective intelligence and perspectives of the whole population, and you get smarter and sounder results.
But with the monoculture of the Left that the media is enforcing today, we are getting a degree of dumbness that is now moving into the idiotic. People reading only the NYT and other Marxist/Leftist media are truly becoming stupider. Democrats are voluntarily embracing becoming an ostrich, while at the same time thinking themselves superior to the rest of the population.
There must be a fundamental principle here, that it is never smart to cut yourself off from information.
"But having Russia pay reparations makes too much sense to be a Democrat Party policy." I love the double-think here. Democrat Party policy, make the whole of the US (not all white by the way and not all--or even the vast majority--having had something to do with slavery) pay reparations for a bunch of people who have a certain skin color but none who were ever slaves. Also Democrat Policy, don't make Russian oligarchs, who did very much have something to do with this war, or so they tell us, not pay for fixing the damage they caused. (I know, the qualifier is that the war wasn't totally "unprovoked," but the Democrat and Republican parties act as if it was, so they have to live by that rule.)
But what I really take away is that the dead bodies and massive damage are just part of a con to defraud the American taxpayers of billions, if not eventually trillions, of dollars. Why am I not surprised?
That elite Uniparty herd needs to chill: haven't they ever read about what happened to the Romanoffs ? A "Wonder Woman" outfit fits a bit tight on Janet Yellen: something from the nondescript wardrobe of the overweight dwarf Thunberg would fit better - and describe the present state of Amerika's economic and policy poison to better effect.
Eh, I once again struggle to see the point here. Russia is economically isolated. The BRICS famed economic prowess is essentially over. Sanctions do not topple regimes, but they sure punish the hell out of the people living there, which forces the domestic tyrant to spend close attention to the domestic front, taking time and resources away from international messing around.
Russia's economy has runaway inflation - actually legitimately in the teens and maybe twenty percent. It's economy is shrinking by 2.5 to 3.5% GDP, and that's also probably being sugar coated a bit. India is busy trying to replace China as a preferred provider to the world, something it will likely have some success at doing. SO it will continue to staddle. Xi has a mess of problems at home and will not survive the decade - maybe not even the half of it.
There is no scenario where Russia eventually wins this long term desire to re-establish the Soviet era borders, it is just a matter of where their effort peters out and how they react to that inevitability. I'd prefer that happen as far away from their aim as possible, just so Putin doesn't think a last chance nuclear gambit has even a prayer of working. I don't know if Russia can be stopped in Ukraine, they are about to add about 500,000 men to the battlefield. But it is worth it to us to help them try. We pay this price now due to inactivity by W and The One to earlier acts of Russian aggression. Those suggesting we continue to appease Russia, for whatever their reason, don't read their history very well.
Actually, there is a scenario: Russia gets China to join it, and they realize the communists' century-long dream of being *the* world power.
You need to stop watching Fox News. China's Xi is doing just fine, as is Russia. Xi has found a system that keeps enough people in his country in just enough luxury that no one is going to topple him. They don't really have a reason to. As for Russia, the ruble is way up compared to the dollar and the store shelves are full. The people had to give up some extraneous American crap, like Apple Pay, but who needs that?
Meanwhile, we can't keep trains on tracks or planes in the air and our "real" inflation, for everyday items people depend on, is in the double digits. Groceries have nearly doubled in two years for example.
I haven't watched FOX news in years. Nice try. China's economy is cratering. Youth unemployment is approaching 20%, they have an almost 60/40 male to female imbalance meaning a significant number of young men will NEVER marry. They have a demographic collapse of historic proportion with not enough women to stop it - and are fading even now from being relevant. They are surviving on cheap consumer goods sold to the US.
The rubble is right about where it was before this all started - in the toilet, as it always has been 1.3 cents to the dollar. And their shelves are most certainly not full.
I can accept legitimate criticism of what is going on there and my opinion on it, but if you are just going to lie about stuff, or else spout about things you obviously know nothing about, I would suggest you find another forum in which to do it.
Even if the ruble is right back where it started, that means they're doing well. The dollars taken a tumble too, and there are no official sanctions on us. I'd say the scheme backfired.
But if we're talking "cheap consumer goods," go through your own home or just go to any store, maybe even walk through your house. Take everything made in China out. What are you wearing? What are you sleeping on? What are you eating on? What small appliances are you using?
As for your other points, the labor force participation rate for all youth in July 2022 in the US (so no college going on) was 60.4% (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/youth.pdf). I'll do the math for you. That's a 39.6% unemployment rate. Now I know what you'll say, part of those aren't looking for work, but you don't know that that's not true in China. Despite the propaganda, China has some very wealthy families and a thriving middle class, relatively speaking.
And perhaps *you* should find another forum. I don't appreciate being called a liar. I notice that you don't provide links. You just make claims that sound very much like the kind of propaganda I'd find on Fox News (other than a few hosts that seem to worry more about reality than making people feel "safe" in their worldviews).
Excellent - I got you to go get some actual facts. And of course I am sure the random reporter story is very statistically significant.
I never said we don't have problems. We do. I never compared Russia against us accept for your wildly inaccurate statement about the dollar visa vi the Ruble. It is a junk currency nobody wants. The labor participation rate for the entire US population is around 62.5%, having never recovered from the Obama administration gutting of mostly the adult male working population where upwards of 7 Million of them are missing. As to your unemployment rate of youth, I think you need to go back and do some better math. That isn't how it is calculated. It is typically around 10-15% and that includes 18-20 year olds.
As to demographics, the US is at a bit of a inflection point - but our population is still growing. Will the millennials reproduce at a rate to sustain us. That is still an open book. Personally I think no, the native US female birth rate is below replacement. We may be facing the exact same problem as China is today. We don't have an immediate problem - oh and worlddata still relies on UN data that most private demographers no longer accept as valid. China itself has admitted to overcounting its population by upward of 130 million people.
I'd start reading Eberstadt from Harvard and Zeihan, who runs his own business. They will shoot down most of your demographic arguments pretty quickly. Your China take above is absolutely completely wrong, even the UN is beginning to wonder, and they are mostly clueless.
As to being called a liar, you seem like you can do research at some level. Both your demographic charts actually cite the same source however. I don't like being accused of watching FOX news as some sort of putdown, especially when you were incorrect. I called you a liar OR misinformed. Only you know the truth. If you want to get testy about it - you should think about the snark threw out there to start. It wasn't cute. I'm happy to be civil, but if you start throwing things, I am happy to throw it back.
Now, if you'd like to have a civil conversation about the Russian economy, our Chinese demographics, I'd be happy to do it. I feel very comfortable at that point digging out my stuff and throwing it out there for everyone to see and evaluate.
This is what Substack is for -- different opinions that commenters can debate with civility. As readers, we can decide for ourselves what we want to believe. Debate is good. Let's keep it reasoned and civil. I say this without making any accusations about either of you. You both make your points. I am happy to read differing opinions.
Thank you for the reminder, and, yes, I know that I offended Mr. Mills. He hit a sore spot. I have watched way too much blood be spilled in wars cheered on by people who had no skin in the game and only half the information and no courage to question further. It's time it stopped.
Yes, I enjoy an intelligent debate between people of differing ideologies and viewpoints. Just keep it classy and avoid ad hominem insults and name calling. Especially “Jeffrey”.
Okay, before I read this, go back and give me links to back up what you're saying.
And as for that "random" reporter, he was in Moscow. Have any of *your* "sources" sent pictures from an actual Russian store?
I've only been commenting on this site for a couple weeks, and both times Don Surber included anything about Ukraine, you've tried to set us all straight (including the author) about how vital and important Ukraine is and how we're too dumb to know this, and you use every stinking talking point many of us seek out independent media to escape.
I love people like you. You love snark when it's not directed at you or it agrees with you. Even worse, you're condescending as hell: "I got you to get actual facts." Well, no, you got me to provide "actual evidence," something you've not done yet.
I am linking an article that discusses China in detail, including the UN data you cited, and it's assumptions (which on birth rates are already known to be incorrect they assume 1.7, it's 1.3 and still falling towards 1). It has references to other studies. Based upon what is out there I think it is the best summary document I could find. Hint - there is a reference to China shrinking by half by around 2050. Even worse than the title.
I have attempted to link in webpages of some additional data, but the charts cannot be referenced via a web address, only copied and pasted, probably to minimize its use outside of the website, which doesn't help me. I don't think I can put in a chart - but I will try. Nope.
Essentially I will try and see if there is a way to copy these to a web address so I can link China and the US's demographic charts. It shows how the one child policy in China has severely reduced the number of women under 40, and therefore why the falling birthrate is so terrible for them, and how it will result in catastrophic population declines soon.. The US chart, yes with the aid of immigration and the actual existence of a millennial generation (that exists almost nowhere else in the developed world, or even in much of the developing world) shows us maintaining our population, perhaps even increasing while we see exactly how many kids the millennials end up having. We may be facing the same future - just out 3 or 4 decades.
China is the fastest aging society in the world, I think in history. They are older than us in the US. They soon will be older than anyone else, even the Japanese. They are not the only country in demographic collapse - Russia, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and yes Ukraine, are all on unsustainable population paths over the next few decades. And obviously if the Russian- Ukranian war spins out of control and impacts crop exports as well as fertilizer exports, the resulting reduction in calories all over the world will result in some scary population drops as food scarcity becomes a thing again.
I will grab some links on the demographic stuff for your perusal - though it may be a bit later today. As to Russia goods availability, I won't have pictures, but I will have data for you to back up my point, I hope you realize that one reporter with pictures on either side is pretty thin. I've read way too many articles on the Russian economy to suggest it's wonderful over there.
And since hopefully we have called a truce, I'll leave paragraph 4 alone.
I would let you know as for paragraph three - my sources for this are very much not mainstream at all, as I rarely believe what most of what we would call mainstream press to be very true. I have mentioned an infinite number of times that Putin has behaved over the last 2 decades like a man trying to reinstitute Soviet era borders. SO far no one has managed to even address Georgia, Crimea, the Stans (I always forget which one it is) he has been involved in. The most I get is some Minsk Accord stuff, and Russian ethnicity on Ukraine - with absolutely no pushback on Putin's mercenary war in the Donbass. Seem's like everyone forgets he sent troops in first. And he got the first stooge elected. Funny how when he starts messing in other countries, by getting our guy elected we are the only violator. So I look at Putin's motivation with clear eyes. He hasn't stopped yet. There are some who would go even further, suggesting Putin sees this as an existential event, which Russia must win or die. Which if so, he will never stop until he literally can't go forward anymore. Therefore, it is in our interest to have him spend Russia's last full measure as an offensive force here, in Ukraine.
I get that we are frustrated by Biden. What a waste. We know that he is on the take from probably every country on the planet, including Russia, Ukraine, and China. I find that our disdain for anything he touches; and I get it, I feel part of that myself; is clouding our response to what is actually at stake. I don't want our boys defending Poland against actual Russian troops. And I am fearful of what Putin would do if his forces were annihilated as would be the case. I have yet to see anyone address what will get Putin to stop expanding, outside of he is afraid of NATO, which is not an answer, just a justification for why he is so paranoid.
Well Don, seems this article has touched a few nerves.
I get it. Everything about the Ukraine/Russia war stinks to high heaven and the fact that we can’t rely on even our own government for actual facts or the truth, much less the MSM, just makes it all the more frustrating.
Add to that the fact that we here in this country are suffering too - maybe not with bombs dropping on us (yet) - but we are being crushed by the absolute craziness of this Administration’s policies and overall reckless and illegal behavior!
Nothing seems to make the least bit of sense anymore, and it just compounds daily with little to no light at the end of the tunnel. These are freaking scary times, with unadulterated nutcases running the asylum.
I Just pray that God will have mercy on us when this all comes to a head, which it will.
The cycle of corruption is sickening. Start a war. Buy weapons. Graft. End war. Rebuild. Graft. Start new war. …….. and America crumbles. Fuck Joe Biden.
While I agree with your final sentiment, you're going to have to widely expand your range. They can't agree on much in DC, but they can agree that this con game is the best one going and that's why they keep playing it over and over and over.
It's looking more and more like there's a method to this madness. A planned collapse is looking like what it is.
Well said! Agree fully. Evil is metastasized in America and worldwide!
Why is it the democrat party gets the US into these situations? Follow the money!
Not to absolve the Democrats, but HW, and then W, did what they could to wrest that mantle from the Dems, using two campaigns in Iraq to do so.
It's the Uniparty. The Uniparty loves wars.
Bush, Clinton, GWB, Obama, Biden and I'll throw in the past losers too like Dole, Romney, Ryan, McCain etc... are all the Uniparty. Trump wasn't and is the ONLY One that isn't
"So Russia gets Donbas. Ukraine gets peace. Xi gets credit for peace. The world gets that NATO is the impotent. And the vultures get the rebuilding trillions."
That is the deal.
Meanwhile, Trump unleashed American energy bringing the price of oil to $40 neutering Russia, Iran, and China. Economic leverage is our greatest weapon that our 'leaders' do not use because it will not enrich them.
Yes, let's get to the table for peace. Stop this bloody madness.
What struck me yesterday and stopped me pretty much cold was a clip showing Zelensky saying that Americans will have to send their “sons and daughters” to the war. This has been fact checked by so-called media (such as the pathetic Newsweek) as misleading and without full context. You can bet, though, that's what that tyrant is thinking. He wants a hot world war in my opinion. This war disgusts me. I have become a peacenik. And you can also bet that the plan to rebuild Ukraine at some point will cost the U.S. (and other countries) trillions. Like I have said, force both sides to the table and partition Ukraine if necessary. I don't give a damn about their sovereignty and I am spelling it as Kiev now. This war will tear the world apart.
The first article in the peace calls for Zelenskyy to return all the money in all of his and his family’s bank accounts world wide
The problem. Zelensky is only saying what some in Washington are thinking. He isn't the only one who wants the US involved in a hot war with Russia.
"...I do not know if this was the true goal of Biden because I don’t know who offered the bigger bribe."
That's really the only question, here, isn't it? The Biden crime family are essentially just thugs who will "serve" the highest bidder - in other words, Biden is a whore, pimping out the US.
Being a whore is in the Biden family DNA.
"'Ukraine and several European nations are pushing hard to confiscate frozen Russian assets held abroad, but several skeptics, including officials in the Biden administration, have questioned the legality of such a move.'"
Since when has Biden, or his administration, cared in the slightest about legality?
L’etat c’est moi. Said a famous Frenchman who lost his head.
I think the more appropriate expression is: Après moi le déluge.
I say that because there will be a ton of clean up after the Biden regime.
That too.
I don’t want to sound cynical, but are sure this poll is totally scientific? Just asking.....
It's been peer-reviewed by my cat
You should loan your cat to a number of "science" journals that need peer review!
Good one Poca man!!👏🏻👏🏻
It's scientific enough, for me. It certainly passes muster with what the left considers to be scientific...
are you questioning the science??? You then must be questioning Fauci. He is Science!
As I've been saying from the beginning of this 'war'... If the democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) are for it, I'm against it! Go Putin!!!
Yup, thinking about joining Team Putin! Haha!
My favorite line today was Don's comment on the NYT article: "It was an 1,800-word story that failed to include the word corruption."
One of the things that made America great was our long-standing devotion to free speech. When one has a healthy debate, most folks, being normal and sensible, can recognize the positions that are usually fairly good. Everyone can chime in on a topic. This "pools" the collective intelligence and perspectives of the whole population, and you get smarter and sounder results.
But with the monoculture of the Left that the media is enforcing today, we are getting a degree of dumbness that is now moving into the idiotic. People reading only the NYT and other Marxist/Leftist media are truly becoming stupider. Democrats are voluntarily embracing becoming an ostrich, while at the same time thinking themselves superior to the rest of the population.
There must be a fundamental principle here, that it is never smart to cut yourself off from information.
"There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.” - SunTzu
Our nation is not benefitting, but the donor's and their politicians are.
"But having Russia pay reparations makes too much sense to be a Democrat Party policy." I love the double-think here. Democrat Party policy, make the whole of the US (not all white by the way and not all--or even the vast majority--having had something to do with slavery) pay reparations for a bunch of people who have a certain skin color but none who were ever slaves. Also Democrat Policy, don't make Russian oligarchs, who did very much have something to do with this war, or so they tell us, not pay for fixing the damage they caused. (I know, the qualifier is that the war wasn't totally "unprovoked," but the Democrat and Republican parties act as if it was, so they have to live by that rule.)
But what I really take away is that the dead bodies and massive damage are just part of a con to defraud the American taxpayers of billions, if not eventually trillions, of dollars. Why am I not surprised?
"Ukraine’s economy is about the size of New Mexico’s — with 20 times as many people."
Don't worry, New Mexico is working hard on the graft.
That elite Uniparty herd needs to chill: haven't they ever read about what happened to the Romanoffs ? A "Wonder Woman" outfit fits a bit tight on Janet Yellen: something from the nondescript wardrobe of the overweight dwarf Thunberg would fit better - and describe the present state of Amerika's economic and policy poison to better effect.
Eh, I once again struggle to see the point here. Russia is economically isolated. The BRICS famed economic prowess is essentially over. Sanctions do not topple regimes, but they sure punish the hell out of the people living there, which forces the domestic tyrant to spend close attention to the domestic front, taking time and resources away from international messing around.
Russia's economy has runaway inflation - actually legitimately in the teens and maybe twenty percent. It's economy is shrinking by 2.5 to 3.5% GDP, and that's also probably being sugar coated a bit. India is busy trying to replace China as a preferred provider to the world, something it will likely have some success at doing. SO it will continue to staddle. Xi has a mess of problems at home and will not survive the decade - maybe not even the half of it.
There is no scenario where Russia eventually wins this long term desire to re-establish the Soviet era borders, it is just a matter of where their effort peters out and how they react to that inevitability. I'd prefer that happen as far away from their aim as possible, just so Putin doesn't think a last chance nuclear gambit has even a prayer of working. I don't know if Russia can be stopped in Ukraine, they are about to add about 500,000 men to the battlefield. But it is worth it to us to help them try. We pay this price now due to inactivity by W and The One to earlier acts of Russian aggression. Those suggesting we continue to appease Russia, for whatever their reason, don't read their history very well.
Actually, there is a scenario: Russia gets China to join it, and they realize the communists' century-long dream of being *the* world power.
You need to stop watching Fox News. China's Xi is doing just fine, as is Russia. Xi has found a system that keeps enough people in his country in just enough luxury that no one is going to topple him. They don't really have a reason to. As for Russia, the ruble is way up compared to the dollar and the store shelves are full. The people had to give up some extraneous American crap, like Apple Pay, but who needs that?
Meanwhile, we can't keep trains on tracks or planes in the air and our "real" inflation, for everyday items people depend on, is in the double digits. Groceries have nearly doubled in two years for example.
So I wouldn't start crowing just yet.
I haven't watched FOX news in years. Nice try. China's economy is cratering. Youth unemployment is approaching 20%, they have an almost 60/40 male to female imbalance meaning a significant number of young men will NEVER marry. They have a demographic collapse of historic proportion with not enough women to stop it - and are fading even now from being relevant. They are surviving on cheap consumer goods sold to the US.
The rubble is right about where it was before this all started - in the toilet, as it always has been 1.3 cents to the dollar. And their shelves are most certainly not full.
I can accept legitimate criticism of what is going on there and my opinion on it, but if you are just going to lie about stuff, or else spout about things you obviously know nothing about, I would suggest you find another forum in which to do it.
A Rebel News reporter went over to Russia and walked in a random store. Their shelves are more full than ours (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fpp5ZWFtA0).
Even if the ruble is right back where it started, that means they're doing well. The dollars taken a tumble too, and there are no official sanctions on us. I'd say the scheme backfired.
China "survives" on more than "cheap consumer goods sold to the US." You're living in the 1980s. China produces a sizable chunk of our pharmaceuticals (https://www.fda.gov/news-events/congressional-testimony/safeguarding-pharmaceutical-supply-chains-global-economy-10302019). They are rapidly growing their share of the global semiconductor market (https://www.semiconductors.org/chinas-share-of-global-chip-sales-now-surpasses-taiwan-closing-in-on-europe-and-japan/). They also make 70% of all iPhones (https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-supply-chain-data-shows-receding-exposure-china-risks-mount-2022-11-30/#:~:text=The%20concentration%20of%20suppliers%20in,world's%20most%20profitable%20smartphone%20vendor). These are not "cheap consumer goods."
But if we're talking "cheap consumer goods," go through your own home or just go to any store, maybe even walk through your house. Take everything made in China out. What are you wearing? What are you sleeping on? What are you eating on? What small appliances are you using?
As for your other points, the labor force participation rate for all youth in July 2022 in the US (so no college going on) was 60.4% (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/youth.pdf). I'll do the math for you. That's a 39.6% unemployment rate. Now I know what you'll say, part of those aren't looking for work, but you don't know that that's not true in China. Despite the propaganda, China has some very wealthy families and a thriving middle class, relatively speaking.
And as for the US, we would be at near zero population grown without immigration, and even with immigration, we're at less than .5% (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/population-growth-rate-with-and-without-migration). China itself is holding right around the zero mark, so, no, their population is not in decline and really no worse off than ours (https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/CHN/china/population-growth-rate).
And perhaps *you* should find another forum. I don't appreciate being called a liar. I notice that you don't provide links. You just make claims that sound very much like the kind of propaganda I'd find on Fox News (other than a few hosts that seem to worry more about reality than making people feel "safe" in their worldviews).
Excellent - I got you to go get some actual facts. And of course I am sure the random reporter story is very statistically significant.
I never said we don't have problems. We do. I never compared Russia against us accept for your wildly inaccurate statement about the dollar visa vi the Ruble. It is a junk currency nobody wants. The labor participation rate for the entire US population is around 62.5%, having never recovered from the Obama administration gutting of mostly the adult male working population where upwards of 7 Million of them are missing. As to your unemployment rate of youth, I think you need to go back and do some better math. That isn't how it is calculated. It is typically around 10-15% and that includes 18-20 year olds.
As to demographics, the US is at a bit of a inflection point - but our population is still growing. Will the millennials reproduce at a rate to sustain us. That is still an open book. Personally I think no, the native US female birth rate is below replacement. We may be facing the exact same problem as China is today. We don't have an immediate problem - oh and worlddata still relies on UN data that most private demographers no longer accept as valid. China itself has admitted to overcounting its population by upward of 130 million people.
I'd start reading Eberstadt from Harvard and Zeihan, who runs his own business. They will shoot down most of your demographic arguments pretty quickly. Your China take above is absolutely completely wrong, even the UN is beginning to wonder, and they are mostly clueless.
As to being called a liar, you seem like you can do research at some level. Both your demographic charts actually cite the same source however. I don't like being accused of watching FOX news as some sort of putdown, especially when you were incorrect. I called you a liar OR misinformed. Only you know the truth. If you want to get testy about it - you should think about the snark threw out there to start. It wasn't cute. I'm happy to be civil, but if you start throwing things, I am happy to throw it back.
Now, if you'd like to have a civil conversation about the Russian economy, our Chinese demographics, I'd be happy to do it. I feel very comfortable at that point digging out my stuff and throwing it out there for everyone to see and evaluate.
This is what Substack is for -- different opinions that commenters can debate with civility. As readers, we can decide for ourselves what we want to believe. Debate is good. Let's keep it reasoned and civil. I say this without making any accusations about either of you. You both make your points. I am happy to read differing opinions.
"Let's keep it reasoned and civil."
Thank you for the reminder, and, yes, I know that I offended Mr. Mills. He hit a sore spot. I have watched way too much blood be spilled in wars cheered on by people who had no skin in the game and only half the information and no courage to question further. It's time it stopped.
Yes, I enjoy an intelligent debate between people of differing ideologies and viewpoints. Just keep it classy and avoid ad hominem insults and name calling. Especially “Jeffrey”.
Okay, before I read this, go back and give me links to back up what you're saying.
And as for that "random" reporter, he was in Moscow. Have any of *your* "sources" sent pictures from an actual Russian store?
I've only been commenting on this site for a couple weeks, and both times Don Surber included anything about Ukraine, you've tried to set us all straight (including the author) about how vital and important Ukraine is and how we're too dumb to know this, and you use every stinking talking point many of us seek out independent media to escape.
I love people like you. You love snark when it's not directed at you or it agrees with you. Even worse, you're condescending as hell: "I got you to get actual facts." Well, no, you got me to provide "actual evidence," something you've not done yet.
So do that, and get back to me.
Welcome Lillia and great input! Thanks for sharing
I am linking an article that discusses China in detail, including the UN data you cited, and it's assumptions (which on birth rates are already known to be incorrect they assume 1.7, it's 1.3 and still falling towards 1). It has references to other studies. Based upon what is out there I think it is the best summary document I could find. Hint - there is a reference to China shrinking by half by around 2050. Even worse than the title.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2190995/chinas-population-could-halve-within-next-45-years-new-study-warns
I have attempted to link in webpages of some additional data, but the charts cannot be referenced via a web address, only copied and pasted, probably to minimize its use outside of the website, which doesn't help me. I don't think I can put in a chart - but I will try. Nope.
Essentially I will try and see if there is a way to copy these to a web address so I can link China and the US's demographic charts. It shows how the one child policy in China has severely reduced the number of women under 40, and therefore why the falling birthrate is so terrible for them, and how it will result in catastrophic population declines soon.. The US chart, yes with the aid of immigration and the actual existence of a millennial generation (that exists almost nowhere else in the developed world, or even in much of the developing world) shows us maintaining our population, perhaps even increasing while we see exactly how many kids the millennials end up having. We may be facing the same future - just out 3 or 4 decades.
China is the fastest aging society in the world, I think in history. They are older than us in the US. They soon will be older than anyone else, even the Japanese. They are not the only country in demographic collapse - Russia, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and yes Ukraine, are all on unsustainable population paths over the next few decades. And obviously if the Russian- Ukranian war spins out of control and impacts crop exports as well as fertilizer exports, the resulting reduction in calories all over the world will result in some scary population drops as food scarcity becomes a thing again.
Now I'll try to get to Russia's economy.
I will grab some links on the demographic stuff for your perusal - though it may be a bit later today. As to Russia goods availability, I won't have pictures, but I will have data for you to back up my point, I hope you realize that one reporter with pictures on either side is pretty thin. I've read way too many articles on the Russian economy to suggest it's wonderful over there.
And since hopefully we have called a truce, I'll leave paragraph 4 alone.
I would let you know as for paragraph three - my sources for this are very much not mainstream at all, as I rarely believe what most of what we would call mainstream press to be very true. I have mentioned an infinite number of times that Putin has behaved over the last 2 decades like a man trying to reinstitute Soviet era borders. SO far no one has managed to even address Georgia, Crimea, the Stans (I always forget which one it is) he has been involved in. The most I get is some Minsk Accord stuff, and Russian ethnicity on Ukraine - with absolutely no pushback on Putin's mercenary war in the Donbass. Seem's like everyone forgets he sent troops in first. And he got the first stooge elected. Funny how when he starts messing in other countries, by getting our guy elected we are the only violator. So I look at Putin's motivation with clear eyes. He hasn't stopped yet. There are some who would go even further, suggesting Putin sees this as an existential event, which Russia must win or die. Which if so, he will never stop until he literally can't go forward anymore. Therefore, it is in our interest to have him spend Russia's last full measure as an offensive force here, in Ukraine.
I get that we are frustrated by Biden. What a waste. We know that he is on the take from probably every country on the planet, including Russia, Ukraine, and China. I find that our disdain for anything he touches; and I get it, I feel part of that myself; is clouding our response to what is actually at stake. I don't want our boys defending Poland against actual Russian troops. And I am fearful of what Putin would do if his forces were annihilated as would be the case. I have yet to see anyone address what will get Putin to stop expanding, outside of he is afraid of NATO, which is not an answer, just a justification for why he is so paranoid.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/devastating-moment-clarity-ukraine
That's a very practical and clear-eyed assessment. Thank you.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/devastating-moment-clarity-ukraine
The poll should have said Biden and Zelenskyy
Well Don, seems this article has touched a few nerves.
I get it. Everything about the Ukraine/Russia war stinks to high heaven and the fact that we can’t rely on even our own government for actual facts or the truth, much less the MSM, just makes it all the more frustrating.
Add to that the fact that we here in this country are suffering too - maybe not with bombs dropping on us (yet) - but we are being crushed by the absolute craziness of this Administration’s policies and overall reckless and illegal behavior!
Nothing seems to make the least bit of sense anymore, and it just compounds daily with little to no light at the end of the tunnel. These are freaking scary times, with unadulterated nutcases running the asylum.
I Just pray that God will have mercy on us when this all comes to a head, which it will.