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The crisis has been averted, Trump will sanction Iranian leadership as if they keep their money where he can get at it. So the Iranian leaders don't get to sip imported champagne or drive a big american SUV, I'm sure they will be disappointed. The way to get them to stop is to cut Saudi Arabia loose
Now that would be interesting, Saudi Arabia using it's own treasure and resources to defend it's own interests, instead of us. Problem solved recall the fleet.
All of which was taking place under the Obama administration. Liberals were strangely quiet about it then.Quote:
You mean that's worse than defending and selling guns to tyrant murderers of an American in Turkey? Whose cleaning up that mess? Or abusing migrant kids in El Paso?
Good point, especially now that we are petroleum independent.Quote:
Now that would be interesting, Saudi Arabia using it's own treasure and resources to defend it's own interests, instead of us. Problem solved recall the fleet.
ah there is still the military industrial complex and those weapon sales
The US doesn't live with a dome of protection . What happens in the world affects us in many ways . It is naive to think that conflicts in the ME would not have an impact on us if we decided to retreat to fortress America . As you know ;our borders are in fact pretty porous .Quote:
Now that would be interesting, Saudi Arabia using it's own treasure and resources to defend it's own interests, instead of us. Problem solved recall the fleet.
If you were to retreat you might have enough troops to defend your borders, you could then invade your neighbours and solve the problemQuote:
Originally Posted by tomder55
no thanks I'd just as soon not live in a country like Australia dependent on stronger nations for their security .
Exactly correct. That's why all the complaining and finger-pointing just has a hollow ring to it. And true of most of the world. They depend on us for defense, and then want to complain.Quote:
no thanks I'd just as soon not live in a country like Australia dependent on stronger nations for their security .
Our conservatives don't get your humor Clete. It was humor wasn't it? I LMAO!
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Originally Posted by talaniman
A lot of what I say is tongue in cheek Tal, but you are right americans don't get our sense of humour which is often sardonic
You see the irony, Tom, is; your nation isn't the only one who would like to be our protector. I'm not sure who you are protecting us from, or, who we need to be protected from. We are very busy upgrading our navy and, of course, we are buying flying bricks from you. We don't have a large standing army it is true but we are not engaged in war as a way of lifeQuote:
no thanks I'd just as soon not live in a country like Australia dependent on stronger nations for their security
I'm sure the Chinese are greatly concerned now that you have gone from six rowboats to eight.Quote:
We are very busy upgrading our navy
As you said. Sardonic humor. No offense intended.
yeah that's the dilemna ;who's sphere of influence do you want to be under ?
No, we leave the row boats to you, our game is to catch fishermen and confiscate their boats, this has certain advantages. We arn't concerned about the chinese, they are busy with their neighbours and other boorsQuote:
Originally Posted by jlisenbe
They take the long view . Haven't you heard about their 2050 plan ? I know we won't be around to witness it ,or maybe we will ... ;but ..............https://www.news.com.au/finance/work...d5ca89a2479e94
Well don't say we didn't have fair warning.
That is an old article Tom we have moved a long way since thenQuote:
Originally Posted by tomder55
he made the address to the party 2 years ago about his 30 year plan. It is not that old .
The content is somewhat out of date, right now he has a Trump to fry. Remember Hitler's thousand year reich and how long it lasted, I give Xi about the sameQuote:
Originally Posted by tomder55
from your mouth to God's ears
That's the best warning his people get as to how much they get screwed for his agenda.
The chinese people are not being screwed, they are being lifted out of poverty in the socialist manner, I expect there are more millionaires in China than in the US. It is true they rush to invest in other places. Did you see that Trump has a plan to attract the best and brightest to US universities and residence? This will shore up the finances of those hallowed institutions. I'm wondering when Trump will announce his own belt and road initiative, you could lift the americas out of poverty and solve a few problems. A very fast train to Rio would be an executant start
That should always be the number one visa priority .Quote:
Did you see that Trump has a plan to attract the best and brightest to US universities and residence
a known failure of a policy . Trains were 19th and early 20th century technology . I can't believe how many people buy into this 'fast train ' panacea .Quote:
A very fast train to Rio would be an executant start
I think you miss the point, railways move freight quickly and economically, and where there are populations who don't have a romance with the automobile they are an effective means of transport. Take the train and hire a car at your destination. If there was a direct rail route I would use the car less, but then I grew up with trains, some people didn'tQuote:
Originally Posted by tomder55
Clete we can barely take care of the old ragedy crumbling roads, bridges, and schools we have now, let alone think about new trains. If you can't blow something up, it's not even a budgetary consideration, especially if a few cents of raising tax dollars are concerned.
This stems from the idea that disbursement of power and responsibility is a desirable thing, but reality says that the locals don't have the resources. I would have thought roads, bridges, rail would be strategic infrastructure but your focus is on projecting power elsewhere. You criticise us for not having large military forces but we do have the ability to move around an area as large as the US without expecting parts of the system to fall down. Taxes are a means to an end, not an end in themselves and we are not burdened with local taxes. I was astounded when you indicated the size of your local taxesQuote:
Originally Posted by talaniman
The system of transportation in the U.S. is very good. The idea of allocating responsibilities to the states has worked extremely well. There is the occasional breakdown, but considering that we have almost fifteen times the population of the Aussies, and a population that is spread out over most of the country as opposed to being concentrated in a relatively small area, it is great.Quote:
This stems from the idea that disbursement of power and responsibility is a desirable thing, but reality says that the locals don't have the resources. I would have thought roads, bridges, rail would be strategic infrastructure but your focus is on projecting power elsewhere. You criticise us for not having large military forces but we do have the ability to move around an area as large as the US without expecting parts of the system to fall down.
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Originally Posted by jlisenbe
Your population has been able to spread out because of the abundance of water, our population would have grown like yours if such resources existed but we have no great rivers draining the continent, the one long river system we have hardly has water in it in some places and it is not navigable, so our people live where water resources exist. You may be able to make the desert bloom but we cannot. However, with the land we have, we have done well, exporting food to the world as well as minerals. You should examine what a few determined people are capable of. One the one hand you lament your collapsing infrastructure and on the other hand, you say it is good. Make up your mind, then your politicians might be able to direct the resources to where you say it is needed. Your remarks demonstrate you don't understand our geography and the fact that we have large areas designated for native populations which are sparsely populated and undeveloped
I absolutely commend you. You have, indeed, done well as have we. I do get tired of your nonstop criticism. I think you have enough problems in your own country to occupy your attention.Quote:
However, with the land we have, we have done well, exporting food to the world as well as minerals. You should examine what a few determined people are capable of.
I have not lamented a collapsing infrastructure. Someone else might have, but I have not. I live in one of the poorest states, but our roads, bridges, rail lines, and airports are in good shape. Overall, our country's infrastructure is good, or at least it is as far as I'm aware.Quote:
One the one hand you lament your collapsing infrastructure and on the other hand, you say it is good. Make up your mind
You should talk to Tal he has a different opinionQuote:
Originally Posted by jlisenbe
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Originally Posted by talaniman https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/images...post-right.png
Clete we can barely take care of the old ragedy crumbling roads, bridges, and schools we have now
Tal and I have a different opinion on something??? Shocking!
there is a nominal difference in cost and if you took in the infrastructure costs to making every town able to receive cargo by rail I'm willing to bet the cost becomes a disadvantage . There are very few cities in the US that have sufficient rail yards that could receive freight . Cities like NY only have rail for passenger movement . So you still have to add in the cost of road freight into your calculation because rail does not provide "to dock" or door to door service .Quote:
railways move freight quickly and economically,
Here is NY infrastructer costs more because the price is inflated due to various corruptions. I travel to South Carolina sometimes .For the same money we use to patch pot holes ,they are building new roads and bridges .Imagine to infrastructure costs to build big freight hubs all across the nation where only a few exist now .
Even where they do exist ,it is a nightmare . Anyone from Chi town can tell you the horror of being around the 71s Street crossing where some people in cars wait up to 20 minutes for trains to pass. The gate at that junction is down sometimes 2 hours a day ..
Panama Canal is widened .Many cities on the east coast are dredging to be able to accept larger freighter . Sea transportation is still the best way to move large volumes of freight …..well that and pipelines for oil liquid gas and water .
We are talking trillions over years whatever the infrastructure plan is but states are struggling with their own infrastructure needs like broadband and the costs of fixing potholes in Mississippi, How about widening I-20 for gosh sakes JL?
Potholes are not a major problem here, or at least not that I know of other than in our capital city which is run by a bunch of incompetent liberal democrats with the result that the people with money are fleeing the city along with their tax monies.Quote:
and the costs of fixing potholes in Mississippi, How about widening I-20 for gosh sakes JL?
As to I-20, why would we want to widen it? I drive it frequently and I have never thought that it needed to be widened other than in the Jackson area where, you guessed it, it was widened several years ago.
Use to be the main drag when I visited peeps in the east. Terrible drive, worse at night. Glad they widened it though.
I've driven a lot of interstate. 99% of them are good or better. The ones in our state are very good. They are repaving now in our city though the existing condition was not really a problem.Quote:
Use to be the main drag when I visited peeps in the east. Terrible drive, worse at night. Glad they widened it though.
All the states have some form of leveraging their state budgets for projects both new and old and maintanance of existion infrastructure is an ongoing thing, be it potholes or just normal wear from the weather or usual traffic. Big trucks are brutal on roads.
if it isn't tankers in the Gulf it is tankers in the mediterranian, this may be the era of the tanker wars
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All the states have some form of leveraging their state budgets for projects both new and old and maintanance of existion infrastructure is an ongoing thing, be it potholes or just normal wear from the weather or usual traffic. Big trucks are brutal on roads.
Then you have douches like il duce Andrew Cuomo who can't economically build a 2 mile rail project .
https://nypost.com/2019/07/02/the-la...site%20buttons
it is legit to seize blockade runnersQuote:
if it isn't tankers in the Gulf it is tankers in the mediterranian, this may be the era of the tanker wars
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