World, Writing, Wealth discussion
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Looking for a black hole?
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You'd better hope it behaves a bit like a black hole, i.e. what goes in stays there. But it may not. If it all started gushing out, I suspect the world's economies would be in deep trouble. The major corporations have put a lot there to avoid tax, and if Trump was to lower corporate tax to 20%, a lot might come back. So far, I rather fancy that these "black holes" have been the major cause of quantitative easing not having had the effect anyone predicted. The Fed prints, and these holes absorb.
Ian wrote: "So far, I rather fancy that these "black holes" have been the major cause of quantitative easing not having had the effect anyone predicted. The Fed prints, and these holes absorb...."May well be. Sometimes the money is as elusive as Higgs boson -:)
Nik, you sound like a frustrated IRS agent going after these major corporations. :-)
Ian wrote: "Nik, you sound like a frustrated IRS agent going after these major corporations. :-)"That's the thing - tax authorities rarely dare to deal with them - they are above their league, it's the small-medium fry they are after.
And with tax rulings and pre-rulings, most things are nicely wrapped up. It's when the companies of Enron's caliber go big bang together with one of the big 5 accounting firms, for example, you can get a rare glimpse behind the veil, how rotten some things can be
Given the above, does the US Federal treasury qualify as a black hole.It seems to have some odd features. Taxes go in, debt accumulates, there's the occasional curve that threatens to go exponential.
One of the blackest of them all might be a state procurement. That thing usually sucks in a lot of money, in some places for preposterous budgetary entries. Of course, I don't hint at cost-savvy F-35 project or similar highly efficient endeavors : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...
Nik wrote: "One of the blackest of them all might be a state procurement. That thing usually sucks in a lot of money, in some places for preposterous budgetary entries. Of course, I don't hint at cost-savvy F-..."I think the F-35 is revenge for all the complaining over the stealth bomber's price tag when that came out!
I wonder how many F-35s Trump will manage to sell on his current travels? That should give some idea of the F-35's value.
As per another thread, tracing the dough may expose previously unknown blackholes swallowing freshly printed colorful papers not to be ever seen again :)
Re Post 10, I see an F 35 has ended up at the bottom of the China Sea. I wonder who will recover it?
Oh, opponents painted Trump as unfit to have the nuclear option at his fingertips because he was so power hungry and deranged. He was supposedly in cahoots with Putin. But what did he ever do regarding foreign affairs that wasn't in our country's interests? I'd really like to know.
Scout wrote: "But what did he ever do regarding foreign affairs that wasn't in our country's interests? I'd really like to know."We'd all like to know... and his ongoing praise for Putin gives credibility to some very ugly rumours.
I'd ask again, what did he do, despite current rumors, that was against our national interests? It seems to me that he kept Putin in check.
Scout, it's clear you and I will never agree regarding Trump. As far as I'm concerned he's a major part of the problem the West has (not least in dealing with Russia).You disagree.
That's up to you and entirely your right.
But if the (very ugly) rumours are true, then it becomes pretty obvious why he continues to praise Putin and can you imagine how damaging that would be to the US if he was still president?
My view is Trump was a horrible person and I certainly do not agree with everything he did, but at least you knew where you were with him. I am afraid Biden is both ambiguous and ineffective,
Adrian, what did he do as president that was against our national interests? Can you give specific examples? That's all I'm asking.
Jeez, where do I start?OK, just to stay on immediate topic - Trump continues to praise Putin - the worst megalomaniac since Hitler. Why is he doing that?
Can you imagine what it would mean for the free world if Trump was still president and completely compromised when it comes to Russia?
First, by dealing with Putin this invasion of Ukraine might have been avoided. Not saying the deal would necessarily be perfect, but there would be all those dead who would be alive and all that damage not done so some might consider that a plus.There is also the question why Putin is a megalomaniac for taking this action to protect his country from having nuclear missiles on his doorstep aimed straight at him when Bush was a good guy for invading Iraq, killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and causing general chaos thereafter for no good reason at all (allegations of WMD that were rejected by UN weapons inspectors is not a good reason)? Putin appears to be rational; it is just that most people disagree with where his rational actions have taken him.
Adrian wrote: "Jeez, where do I start?OK, just to stay on immediate topic - Trump continues to praise Putin - the worst megalomaniac since Hitler. Why is he doing that?
."
Two reasons
1) He's not so much praising Putin as casting a sideways aspersion toward Biden. Putin isn't a genius because he's right. He's a genius for taking advantage of the weakest US president he'll ever face. This is why the Left is pushing this "he's praising Putin" narrative so strongly, because they need something to take the attention off of Biden's failure.
2) Praise and flattery is a tool in a negotiation. Leaders in the Middle East had a very good relationship with Trump early in his presidency because they effectively flattered him in their meetings. Trump was able to break through Kim Jong Un's walls by offering praise onto him. Trump is not trying to get any sort of business relationship out of Putin because there's no way he could do business in Russia in the current climate. Maybe he thinks of himself as Ronald Reagan in 1980 who set things into motion ahead of the election in order to secure the release of the hostages when he took office.
My opinion is slightly different regarding Biden. I think Biden has been sending very confusing signals to Putin who, if reading between the lines as sides usually do, came to the conclusion he had to do something while thee was still time. I think Putin could not understand what Biden was saying and I am also doubting whether Biden understood either.
Rather than turn yourself inside out trying to understand Trump's words and actions as something that makes some kind of sense from an ideological perspective. Why not just look at the plain meaning of his words (in light of the disaster happening in Ukraine) and then decide.
Adrian wrote: "Rather than turn yourself inside out trying to understand Trump's words and actions as something that makes some kind of sense from an ideological perspective. Why not just look at the plain meanin..."Because most people don't speak plainly. There is a nuance to words and the way they're delivered, and always, the context of words changes their meanings. And then I'm sure your source carefully edited what he said to change the meaning of what he said.
Here's the full transcript without media editing:
https://www.clayandbuck.com/president...
BUCK: Mr. President, in the last 24 hours we know Russia has said that they are recognizing two breakaway regions of Ukraine, and now this White House is stating that this is an “invasion.” That’s a strong word. What went wrong here? What has the current occupant of the Oval Office done that he could have done differently?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, what went wrong was a rigged election and what went wrong is a candidate that shouldn’t be there and a man that has no concept of what he’s doing. I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, “This is genius.” Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. (sarcastic)
So, Putin is now saying, “It’s independent,” a large section of Ukraine. I said, “How smart is that?” And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force… We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy… I know him very well. Very, very well.
By the way, this never would have happened with us. Had I been in office, not even thinkable. This would never have happened. But here’s a guy that says, you know, “I’m gonna declare a big portion of Ukraine independent,” he used the word “independent,” “and we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna go in and we’re gonna help keep peace.” You gotta say that’s pretty savvy. And you know what the response was from Biden? There was no response. They didn’t have one for that. No, it’s very sad. Very sad.
I'm guessing when you want to look at the plain meaning, you're not asking to look at how he summed up the whole thing as "very sad." And I'm not sure what the original implication against Trump is supposed to be because nowhere is he offering an endorsement or support for what Putin is doing.
And here is the actual audio if you want to hear the change in his voice when he's "calling Putin genius" and when he's tying that into Biden's handling of the situation. The question comes at approximately 2:00 with Trump's words following.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTf-J...
So if Churchill had described Hitler's actions as genius when criticising Chamberlain, would he ever have been British Prime Minister?There is nothing genius about Putin's murderous aggression and for Trump to describe it that way shows either the worst kind of political tone deafness, or something far worse...
Adrian, I know you don’t like Donald Trump and I can understand why, but surely his closer relationship with/ greater sympathy for Putin’s Russia would make the chances of war between East and West less likely, not more?
If you want to look for the causes of this war beyond Putin’s obvious aggression (Ian and I have been trying to do that on the other thread), you’ve got 8 years’ worth of troubles in Eastern Ukraine, NATO expansionism and Biden’s show of weakness with the disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan. I’m sure there’s more, but Trump? What’s he got to do with it?
As for Putin being the biggest megalomaniac since Hitler? Lol. Maybe for white, Western Europeans, but worldwide? Not a chance.
If you want to look for the causes of this war beyond Putin’s obvious aggression (Ian and I have been trying to do that on the other thread), you’ve got 8 years’ worth of troubles in Eastern Ukraine, NATO expansionism and Biden’s show of weakness with the disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan. I’m sure there’s more, but Trump? What’s he got to do with it?
As for Putin being the biggest megalomaniac since Hitler? Lol. Maybe for white, Western Europeans, but worldwide? Not a chance.
J.J. wrote: "...Here's the full transcript without media editing:..."Reading a transcript does cast a different light on media summaries, in my opinion.. Hard to know sometimes when he's sarcastic or serious and whether it's genius or "genius"
I was intrigued by the subject of black holes because I wrote a novel about black paint, black holes, LIGO and perpetual electrical power (The Phantom). If interested you can contact me at franksett@gmx.com or visit www.franksett.com. Unfortunately I was disappointed to learn that the black hole topic devolved into a Trump/Biden/Putin discussion. I, as those who have voiced their views, enjoy good political discourse. However I thought that Goodreads was essentially apolitical, other than the books that cover this discipline. Goodreads, to me, is one of the few reprieves from politics and I hope it remains as such, no matter how tempting it is to enter the political arena.
Frank wrote: "....Unfortunately I was disappointed to learn that the black hole topic devolved into a Trump/Biden/Putin discussion. I, as those who have voiced their views, enjoy good political discourse. However I thought that Goodreads was essentially apolitical, other than the books that cover this discipline. Goodreads, to me, is one of the few reprieves from politics and I hope it remains as such, no matter how tempting it is to enter the political arena...."A black hole, frightening as it sounds, seems harmless compared to some notorious earthlings.. Feel free to steer it back on track.
However, I should notice this: there are thousands of groups here that are properly dedicated to literature, books and pertinent stuff and maybe only a few - to political and other stuff, including this particularly dark corner :)
Not sure how many people enjoy its political and economic side, but the membership still slowly grows..
Anyhow, we have distinctive sections and politics rarely travel towards the writing and reading part...
Hope you'll enjoy some of it. I don't like much other social networks, but do this one, so indulge in discussing everything I like right here, even football & boxing :)
And wait, those drinking threads seem to multiply like Agent Smith in Matrix..
Adrian wrote: "So if Churchill had described Hitler's actions as genius when criticising Chamberlain, would he ever have been British Prime Minister?There is nothing genius about Putin's murderous aggression an..."
Maybe if someone had, and maybe if they recognized how savvy Hitler was for taking advantage of the times, of the situation, and of his neighbors, European leaders might have recognized his ambitions sooner. Maybe they could have put a stop to it before war broke out, and maybe they could have stopped him before tens of millions of lives were snuffed out.
I get it. The left is furious at Trump because he understood Putin in a way Obama, and now Biden, never did. They're furious he forged a strong relationship with an adversary and blunted his ambitions in a way the Left can't. A few years ago when the undercover Russian forces attacked one of our bases in the Middle East, and our forces humiliated them, Trump didn't over-react and drag us into another war. He let that day speak for itself and Russia didn't test us again. Meanwhile, the world is watching Ukraine, and Biden funds Russia's efforts by cutting off American oil production to buy Russian oil. He aided Russia's cyber efforts by releasing a major Russian cyber criminal we had in custody, and sending him back to Russia. Instead of strengthening sanctions, Biden lifted them. I get why a couple of words matter so much when the action on the Left is so weak and pathetic...when the American people look at our president and see someone helping Russia more than he's helping his own people, I can see why the left remains fixated on a couple of words from an ex-president, and why they continue making up vague, unfounded rumors.
It's nothing to do with the left being furious.Why must people look at such things through an ideological prism? It is plain as day what is going on and it looks like getting a whole lot worse.
I suppose further salami tactics resulting in a much broader war including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons will also be viewed as genius in some quarters...
If we want this discussion restricted to real black holes, then I suspect it will be brief because who in the group knows anything about them"? Do we want to discuss the emotional impact of being spaghettified?
Ian wrote: "If we want this discussion restricted to real black holes, then I suspect it will be brief because who in the group knows anything about them"? Do we want to discuss the emotional impact of being s..."Oddly enough, something along those lines happens in my next book.
This group is more interesting than most because we do discuss what's going on in the world. Amazingly, it continues to be a pretty safe place to discuss just about anything, to state your views, and to disagree without being too disagreeable. Not many places like it, and I'm thankful to be here. If there are topics you don't like, it's easy to skip over them and go on to ones you do like.
What I always say: state procurement is the biggest black hole (allegedly, of course):https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-05-30...
Our press offers some juicy examples: "specific nail" for 4,361 bucks instead of 46 (9400% profit), oil pressure switch - over 10K instead of 328 usd and more .
That's not some poor chap scamming social security for a few bucks
Excellent demonstration! Of course, gauging is less likely than secret research. Maybe "nails" stand for killer whales or "pump switches" for ditches and so on...
Where do you think all the money went?The Pentagon Has Never Passed An Audit. Some Senators Want To Change That
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/19/997961...
Aren't those off-shores an earthly black-holes sucking the dough is?