Here we go again:
14/11/12 13:56![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
underlankers.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpoliticsEvidently people in the United States have learned nothing from the last time a bunch of butthurt reactionaries tried to ragequit the United States after losing an election they made a lousy job of contesting:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20301477#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
If these people were agitating for 'peaceful' secession (which is still unconstitutional due to a Supreme Court ruling, not that these morons realize that) it'd be one thing, but US politics confirms a simple rule: those most likely to try to leave the USA altogether because an election doesn't work as they want it to work are likely to try to make this stick by a war if they don't get everything they want when they want it. To which I have this to say:
Bring the A-Game and it won't do you any good. The United States is not Afghanistan, it's not Lebanon. You're trying to leave a huge area that has almost no areas suited for intensive guerrilla warfare, with some of the most dense satellite covers on the planet, and you expect that it'd actually work? It's gonna suck to be you.
On other notes of dumbasses, Israel managed to off the latest leader of Hamas, though since this is like Al-Qaeda's No. 2 or the Dread Pirate Roberts I'm sure there'll be another in a few hours:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20328579
People have yet to learn that the only thing using military power against terrorists do is make the remaining ones more numerous and bolder. There is no permanent cure to terrorism because there will always be suicidal maniacs willing to strap bombs to themselves and blow people up for whatever lethal, murderous cause is the flavor of the Zeitgeist. Of course people in the USA won't accept that for any time to come because people in the USA assume they're somehow able to overturn mere reality by clapping their hands really hard and believing really intently.
In today's news of the blindingly obvious to everyone, the UN has decided it failed to protect civilians in Sri Lanka during its civil war. I think that this article at least should get a "Well, really now? Is water wet?" reaction from everybody, but this being the Internet you never know:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20331872
Haiti now faces another food crisis, this one from Hurricane Sandy, and is another Caribbean country devastated by the superstorm when it was still a relatively 'minor' hurricane hitting the islands here. This is not going to end well, I don't think. Poor Haiti, so far from God and so close to the United States and the Atlantic Hurricane season conga line:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20320487
And last but not least, Europe is now seeing more riots on the Greek model by people who've seen austerity and decided they do not like what they see:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20322096
I'm not sure what the rioters think should be done other than what's going on now, as it's pretty obvious that a status quo leading to both the proposed changes and this kind of backlash is well, not working. If this is to steal more high-quality TVs then it's probably not going to be very good for either the rioters or the countries affected. The odds that any of this does a thing in the world to resolve the EU's economic issues are somewhere around the odds that Kristen Stewart can master basic facial expressions in acting.
So there you have it, a broad poutpourri of the news of the present. Much of this is a repeat of what has gone before, leading to a simple question here: why is it that so much of what's already been seen keeps repeating itself? Haiti having another food crisis is easy to foresee, its infrastructure was already poor enough before the big earthquake and then damaged worse and the storm making it worse is no help. The European riots are a "Do you actually have an alternative? If not, stop that shit you're not helping" thing to me, and Israel playing the USA against Hamas's Al-Qaeda is a 'ho-hum' thing. I do, however, find it heavily ironic that people in the United States are once again so butthurt over losing an election they actually want to walk out. Then again, this is a country where people genuinely think the Devil made dinosaurs to offend the faith of Christians, so yeah. Ultimately I think what these stories show also is that some issues have deep roots, and that where multiple crises in a short time happen, the roots are unaffected and events repeat themselves, while elsewhere people learn nothing from the past and damn themselves to repeat it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20301477#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
If these people were agitating for 'peaceful' secession (which is still unconstitutional due to a Supreme Court ruling, not that these morons realize that) it'd be one thing, but US politics confirms a simple rule: those most likely to try to leave the USA altogether because an election doesn't work as they want it to work are likely to try to make this stick by a war if they don't get everything they want when they want it. To which I have this to say:
Bring the A-Game and it won't do you any good. The United States is not Afghanistan, it's not Lebanon. You're trying to leave a huge area that has almost no areas suited for intensive guerrilla warfare, with some of the most dense satellite covers on the planet, and you expect that it'd actually work? It's gonna suck to be you.
On other notes of dumbasses, Israel managed to off the latest leader of Hamas, though since this is like Al-Qaeda's No. 2 or the Dread Pirate Roberts I'm sure there'll be another in a few hours:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20328579
People have yet to learn that the only thing using military power against terrorists do is make the remaining ones more numerous and bolder. There is no permanent cure to terrorism because there will always be suicidal maniacs willing to strap bombs to themselves and blow people up for whatever lethal, murderous cause is the flavor of the Zeitgeist. Of course people in the USA won't accept that for any time to come because people in the USA assume they're somehow able to overturn mere reality by clapping their hands really hard and believing really intently.
In today's news of the blindingly obvious to everyone, the UN has decided it failed to protect civilians in Sri Lanka during its civil war. I think that this article at least should get a "Well, really now? Is water wet?" reaction from everybody, but this being the Internet you never know:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20331872
Haiti now faces another food crisis, this one from Hurricane Sandy, and is another Caribbean country devastated by the superstorm when it was still a relatively 'minor' hurricane hitting the islands here. This is not going to end well, I don't think. Poor Haiti, so far from God and so close to the United States and the Atlantic Hurricane season conga line:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20320487
And last but not least, Europe is now seeing more riots on the Greek model by people who've seen austerity and decided they do not like what they see:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20322096
I'm not sure what the rioters think should be done other than what's going on now, as it's pretty obvious that a status quo leading to both the proposed changes and this kind of backlash is well, not working. If this is to steal more high-quality TVs then it's probably not going to be very good for either the rioters or the countries affected. The odds that any of this does a thing in the world to resolve the EU's economic issues are somewhere around the odds that Kristen Stewart can master basic facial expressions in acting.
So there you have it, a broad poutpourri of the news of the present. Much of this is a repeat of what has gone before, leading to a simple question here: why is it that so much of what's already been seen keeps repeating itself? Haiti having another food crisis is easy to foresee, its infrastructure was already poor enough before the big earthquake and then damaged worse and the storm making it worse is no help. The European riots are a "Do you actually have an alternative? If not, stop that shit you're not helping" thing to me, and Israel playing the USA against Hamas's Al-Qaeda is a 'ho-hum' thing. I do, however, find it heavily ironic that people in the United States are once again so butthurt over losing an election they actually want to walk out. Then again, this is a country where people genuinely think the Devil made dinosaurs to offend the faith of Christians, so yeah. Ultimately I think what these stories show also is that some issues have deep roots, and that where multiple crises in a short time happen, the roots are unaffected and events repeat themselves, while elsewhere people learn nothing from the past and damn themselves to repeat it.
(no subject)
Date: 14/11/12 21:31 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 14/11/12 22:09 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 14/11/12 22:06 (UTC)I tell you what, the EU is rock solid currency wise. The conversion rate is killing me when I have to send payments overseas :/
(no subject)
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Date: 16/11/12 05:39 (UTC)I know classical Keynesian economics isn't exactly in vogue here, but it would indicate that if you run a 4% deficit, your economy will grow by more than 4%. It depends on the savings rate, but somewhere in the 8% range wouldn't be out of the ordinary. So, if that 8% relies on deficit spending, it will of course need to go. If your economy relies on running deficits to produce growth, you're headed for a blowup. The sooner it happens, the less severe the blowup. Greece wouldn't have been in such a bad spot if they did this a decade ago... and continuing down this course is not going to help the younger folks in Greece in the long term, it's making their situation worse.
(no subject)
Date: 16/11/12 06:37 (UTC)The last 30 years of reality has absolutely and undeniably refuted neo-liberal economics. Keynesianism, as Keynes saw it had some problems (as learnt in the stagflation crises of the 70s), but it is quite clear that counter-cyclical government intervention in the economy makes for a more stable economy with greater prosperity for a greater number of people.
(no subject)
Date: 16/11/12 08:59 (UTC)Not sure I agree with your definition of neo-liberal economics. I'd describe it as "have your cake and eat it too" economics. People like government services, they also like low taxes. For a while, you can have both. This is not an economic theory, it's politics.
(no subject)
Date: 16/11/12 21:51 (UTC)Except that it would mean more services in tact for society, less lamborghinis for rich guys. Are you suggesting a lamborghini for a rich guy is the same as health care for kids?
There are things about the Greek system that were ridiculous and had to change; a retirement age of 53 on 80% of your wage for one, and you're probably right, there wasn't the political will to get rid of the corruption in the system. Maybe with austerity there will be. The Greeks need to clean up their house, no doubt, but austerity is not a way of fixing your economy, even if it may fix your political system. But it's that whole shock doctrine thing, I doubt that the solutions will end up being better than the problem.
(no subject)
Date: 15/11/12 15:34 (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 15/11/12 16:58 (UTC)