CleverOleg

I also think some of it is simple wishcasting. Americans (whether we’re talking about professional economists or Joe Six Pack) cannot wrap their heads around the idea of China not only growing how it has, but even moreso the idea that there is nothing the west can do to stop China’s economy from lapping us. We’ve been checkmated. Saying China’s economy is doing bad is just cope. Any bad news gets latched onto like a bone a dog won’t let go of.

I do wonder how Americans will react when the average person in China undeniably has a better quality of life than the average American (we may already be there afaik, but it’s not readily apparent if so)

I think this Moola guy is associated with Kaur Kender, someone who is not a leftist and didn’t have much at all to do with the game other than screw Robert Kurvitz out of ZA/UM and his IP. These are the crooks who stole the game, in other words.

If anything they seem too low. Only 44% reading a book in a year is way too low; I suspect a large number of Americans consider “reading the Bible” some to be reading a book. Thinking about my immediate social circle (which skews to have college degrees), I bet at least 80% haven’t read a book in the last year if you exclude the Bible.

With the nomination of Rubio to Secretary of State, I think US imperialism will be refocusing on Latin American shortly.

I think the Musk / DOGE thing is a bit overblown. DOGE is just an advisory committee, he will have no power to actually do anything. The federal budget is already stripped fairly lean, and the spending that is there usually has many patrons in congress who will protect it regardless of party affiliation. And that’s assuming his committee gets funded, which is not a sure thing.

I honestly think Musk is in it only because he thinks it’s cool and funny to head up a committee called “DOGE” and that’s about it.

Of all the times for a stroke to have sidelined Matt Christman…

I think this is a fascinating point. You can map out the explosion in growth in the production of commodities under capitalism against the exploitation of non-renewable resources, and those two lines will move in lockstep. Essentially, all the amazing growth and human development due to capitalism was “purchased” by mortgaging the future. There isn’t anything “magical” about capitalism, it’s secret is that it just utilizes the ability to exploit resources that at best are never replenishing and at worst will kill the planet. I suppose a counter would be that those resources need to be exploited in order to develop technologies that allow humanity to have an advanced, developed future that can provide for everyone while being in harmony with nature. And I think that’s true, except that socialism is the only way to get there.

I’m pretty sure it’s made up tbh.

A PBJ sandwich is vegan and is probably healthier than what a large majority of Americans eat for lunch.

I more or less agree, but Rubio in the Secretary of State position is bad because he’s gonna want to pivot hard against Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, et al. But it’s not like he’s particularly competent so I don’t know…

The writers admitted they added that line in hopes of getting a free Tesla.

Tbh I’ve come to kind of downplay workplace democracy in the transition to socialism, personally. Not to say that collective enterprises in socialism can’t be productive (of course they can). But ultimately do I want to have a vote on how many tons of steel we’re manufacturing this week? I think workers care more about income inequality, work hours, safety, and economic insecurity. If you already have a system that guarantees you a job and your needs like housing and food will be met regardless, that you won’t have to work crazy hours and that you get vacation time… I’m not sure workplace democracy is all that critical of an issue. A lot of the notions of workplace democracy and syndicalism were forged in a time when central planning with computers was something that was difficult to even dream about. And there are some incompatibilities with central planning and workplace democracy under socialism.

Not that that shouldn’t be a goal of course, just that I think in the socialist stage I don’t know if that’s really a critical issue.