Posts by Nancy Gomez26

James Phillips92 said:He'll end up losing his grip on power just like Ceaușescu did back in the day.

That exit had a certain flair to it. He governed with a specific brand of chaos, so it stands to reason he left with that same signature. It’s a trajectory Lukashenko might find himself following soon enough. If I were to offer a bit of a paraphrase, I’d suggest that a bullet tends to resolve certain dilemmas far more efficiently than a tractor or a bottle of vodka.

gentlerider7 said:The Russians are running with this narrative in their media right now, spinning this whole tale that Poland, backed by the USA, is gearing up to invade and annex western Ukraine, while Lukashenko supposedly plays the hero trying to protect Ukraine's borders.

We should probably start logging these "arguments" alongside the dates they were uttered. It’s a predictable cycle. First, it was denying that Ukraine or Ukrainians even exist as a nation. Then came "denazification." Next, it was stopping the expansion of NATO. Then they pivoted to protecting the Russian language and those helpless, defenseless people in Ukraine. Then came the supposed biological threats—claims that they're developing bio-weapons. We've seen the talk about restoring the USSR, the theft of borscht, and now, preventing a Polish occupation of western Ukraine. If anyone remembers any other "justifications" for this "special operation," please, feel free to add them to the list. If they had just picked one single excuse and stuck to it, they might actually carry some weight. They won't ever mention a real motive. What they're doing is utterly farcical; it’s starting to look like a bad joke. It would be funny if it weren't so grim, considering people are dying on both sides every single day because of a few unserious fools sitting in the White House.

Christian Torres3 said:Luke is just waiting for the dust to settle so he can jump ship to whichever side comes out on top.

If someone could actually guarantee him he’d stay in power, he’d make that move in a heartbeat. Right now? Not so much. But that's the thing about a democracy—there are no such guarantees. You have to actually fight the fight. You have to sweat, grind, and outmaneuver the opposition at the ballot box. For a man like him, that kind of fair, level playing field is fundamentally unacceptable. He can't stomach a legitimate political struggle.

analogbear5 said:I think you might have mixed up Belarus and Kazakhstan. I get why you'd feel that way about the first one, but not really for Kazakhstan. Either way—show me the source.

That was my own observation, so there is no "source" to provide.

hollowdriver13 said:The President of Kazakhstan is sitting there acting totally stone-faced, claiming he doesn't recognize the DPR or LNR, even though Putin is literally sitting just a few feet away from him. Man's got some serious guts, I'll give him that—he might just end up becoming a legend in the world of exotic Russian tea blends.

https://mobile.twitter.com/McFaul/st...34394534105088

Of course they won't recognize them. Kazakhstan—much like Mexico—is positioning itself to be the primary middleman for imported goods flowing into the Russian Federation, which is currently suffocating under seven rounds of sanctions. It’s a calculated dance. By playing this way, they can dodge another nineteen rounds of sanctions if the pressure increases.

ironpuma29 said:It’s not just that the US hasn't stepped in militarily in Ukraine—no country has. Officially, there are no foreign armies there, just volunteers.
The consensus was simply to send weapons, money, and handle the refugee crisis.

If that Russian madman with his nukes threatens total annihilation, everyone holds back.

Ukraine is fighting because they refuse to live under a Russian boot... everyone else helps how they can, and how they're allowed to.

Putin is blackmailing 9 billion people...

A president changing the course of history on this planet... the new reality is that nuclear-armed nations can act however they want toward anyone's territory.
Pandora's box is open.

What’s stopping China from doing the exact same thing... threatening the world while taking Taiwan.
Is anyone actually going to risk Armageddon?!

I don't think so.

Soldiers and civilians will die... while the rest of us plummet economically.

Where were the red lines before? Who was pushing? Who's the fox in all this?!?
Some families argue and find a compromise... then you have those who just beat everyone down—mostly women and kids—and then there are those who just kill everyone... that's Russia.

Well, Putin's policy chose that path.

Russia has been building its network of influence for 30 years... and now the old man decided it's finally time to pull the trigger.

Everything has changed economically for sure, and geopolitically maybe just in parts of Ukraine... plus, new political blocs have formed.

I hope this killing and destruction stops... but it's hard... Russia has enough weaponry to
trample the entire European Union, and I don't see who could stop them...

We all rely on NATO membership, but hypothetically, if Russia actually invaded Lithuania with the same threat... would the world really risk a nuclear war?!
Or Mexico, or the US?

No one is going to defend these tiny states... and that's an opportunity the Kremlin might decide to take at any moment.

The major economic powers like the EU and the USA... they won't touch them.

Russia issues these twisted, indirect threats, only to backtrack once they realize nobody is flinching. They claim they never meant it, just so they can reset the stage and start threatening again a few days later. Honestly, the rest of the world couldn't care less about their posturing. It isn't because they lack the capacity to trigger an Armageddon; it’s because any rational person understands that you simply do not negotiate with blackmailers. If they truly want to push the button and initiate the self-destruction of the planet—then fine. Let them.
After the occupation of Crimea, Moscow made quite the spectacle of their threats. They claimed that being cut off from SWIFT would be viewed as a direct assault on the Russian Federation—implying some sort of inevitable retaliation. Well, here we are. Most of their banks have been disconnected from the system, with the momentum clearly shifting toward a total blackout of their ability to process international payments. It turns out those grandstanding warnings didn't carry much weight. Nobody is particularly trembling at their bluster. The same pattern holds true for their rhetoric regarding outside interference. They issued plenty of ultimatums, warning the world to stay out of Ukraine, yet weaponry continues to flow in unabated. As for why we aren't seeing foreign troops on the ground? It isn't because of some fear of Russian "warnings." It’s simple math and cold politics. Ukraine has the manpower to hold its own, and frankly, no Western leader is looking to win an election by sending their own soldiers to die for another nation's borders. That is the reality of why NATO remains on the sidelines, not because of some phantom threat from the Kremlin.
Pandora's Box only swings open when it catches the attention of intellectuals like this. Honestly, I suspect Americans owe more to the Kremlin than anyone cares to admit regarding the sheer scale of Western aid. If it weren't for those heavy-handed "warnings" coming out of Moscow, who’s to say this level of support wouldn't have stayed modest? Now, it’s become a matter of principle. Every time we hear a new threat from Putin, a fresh tranche of assistance is announced almost immediately. It’s a cycle. With every warning, Putin’s credibility erodes further. It wasn't exactly soaring before, but now? It’s deep in the red.

Nicholas Watson said:Believe it or not, China really does have a major issue with a shrinking youth population. That’s actually why they finally scrapped the one-child policy.

Even abandoning that policy won't fix the birth rate, it seems. I was watching a documentary about life in China recently, and it was frankly disheartening. You see entire families crammed into single apartments—even in relatively upscale high-rises in major cities—simply because they can't afford separate housing. Then there's the cost of childcare; it's enough to give anyone a headache. To make ends meet, wages would need to be significantly higher, which runs contrary to my general perception of the Chinese economy. Meanwhile, you have underdeveloped rural areas sitting alongside these sprawling, ghost cities—massive developments with absolutely no buyers. It is a landscape defined by contradictions and wasted capital.

Paul Thomas46 said:You're talking as if China is facing a population shortage.

Even if they were cut in half, there still wouldn't be an issue—aside from the overcrowding, of course.

The real crisis is their demographic collapse. Their population is aging at an alarming, rapid pace. They have plenty of people now, but the real question is how many will even be left in 30 or 50 years.

George Robinson43 said:The era of Xiju's dominance is nearing its end.

Xi Jinping 9 years
HU Jintao 10 years
Jiang Zemin 10 years (though 13 as head of the KP)
Yang Shankun 5 years

Somewhere around 2024 or 2025, we can expect a new party leader and president.
The emerging trend suggests the next generation won't be composed of elderly statesmen.

Unfortunately, you've misread the situation. Xi has already rigged the system to ensure he remains president for life, much like Mao. His predecessors were more prudent; they understood that staying at the summit for too long is bad for stability. This one? It seems his ambitions lie elsewhere.

Larry Wilson25 said:He’s actually got a decent amount of leverage there, mostly because Germany is such a massive gear in the machine for both China and the US—not to mention our own role within the European Union. Honestly, that might be his last real bargaining chip besides those nuclear warheads. Now, the Germans are definitely feeling the squeeze right now, but let’s be real—they aren't a stupid nation. They won't just let this happen indefinitely. They'll take a hit, sure, but they have long memories. It was honestly such a massive blunder for a country like that to put all their eggs in one basket.

Look, we’re probably looking at a mini-recession because of this whole war and the energy dependency issues, but in the long run, it should actually pull us closer together as a community. And as for Russia? They just lost a major customer who actually deals in hard currency. I mean, the Indian Rupee and the Chinese Renbi are tied to the dollar, not the Euro. The EU is still a powerhouse, especially with hydrocarbon production, but because of all the green energy mandates, we aren't out there drilling fields like they do in Texas.
It's going to be a struggle, no doubt, but we'll come out of this economically stronger. Long-term, even militarily—because let's face it, it hurts everyone that the UK and the US are the ones calling all the shots. Putin would never have even thought about attacking if we were as strong militarily as we are economically.

Germany became addicted to Russian gas because they prioritize pure rationality. Russian gas was simply the cheapest option—technically speaking—and until now, the supply was reliable. It was a win-win scenario; only extreme irrationality could have ruined such a perfect arrangement (which is precisely what happened). To the Germans, this was likely an unthinkable scenario, yet here we are. Figures like Putin always look for ways to trap you in a disadvantageous, dependent position during the first move, only to exploit it ruthlessly for their own ends. From the German perspective, these little power games probably don't even seem rational, especially when, on the other side, the long-term fallout ruins everyone's business and stalls economic growth. Entirely different sets of priorities led to a total miscalculation of risk.
The fundamental mistake made by the West in this entire affair was failing to adequately punish the interventions in the Caucasus in Georgia. Back then, the West likely calculated the impact on gas and oil supplies, which led to the lack of consequences for the seizure of Crimea... The occupation of Ukraine is merely the logical progression of that same process, just on a much larger scale. If Ukraine had suffered the same fate, he would have moved steadily onward, likely toward Moldova and Kazakhstan.

Jessica Peterson2 said:They won't even need a "special operation." The current average population density in the Russian Far East has already plummeted to just 1.16 people per square kilometer.
Over the next 20 to 30 years, the Chinese will likely find themselves able to peacefully occupy completely empty regions—all without the need for massacring civilians, leveling entire towns, or shelling hospitals and maternity wards.🤷

The real question is how many Chinese people actually make up that 1.16 per km². The only truly problematic variable in this scenario is that birth rates in China are also plummeting, and they are aging at an alarming rate. Decades of the one-child policy, followed by the preference for a specific gender, have exacted a heavy toll. The European Union and the USA address these demographic gaps through immigration, but very few people are looking to move to China.

urbanotter said:I don't really have anything else to add.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...2756587&type=3

civilized 🙏🙏

p.s.

you could be out there with a real tractor, sitting in the shade under an oak tree, sipping a cold beer
while he just keeps plowing and plowing, and you can't talk him out of it until he's burned through every last drop of diesel.

Quinn:

10,000 driverless tractors coming soon to Russia—all produced for the domestic market. The John Deere autonomous tractor will allow for robotic control over all farming operations, including planting, fertilizing, and tilling.

https://www.agroklub.com/ratarstvo/u...trzistu/72111/

The moment you view plowing as a core part of production, you’ve already fallen hopelessly behind technologically. Autonomous tractors aren't some futuristic concept; they've been a reality for quite some time. It isn't rocket science. The flaw in this fantasy of sitting under a tree while machines work themselves is what happens when something jams or breaks down—you need immediate intervention from the seat. If you're in the cab, you notice and fix it. If you're lounging under a tree while a machine runs itself, it's impossible. Autosteer is certainly a useful tool when you're working all day and need to maintain precise lines, say during planting or tillage to minimize overlap, but that's where its utility ends.
One thing regarding the Russians remains fundamentally unclear to me: they supposedly have mass-produced tractors running on artificial intelligence (which is fine in theory), yet their military aircraft rely on Western GPS systems during operations, despite having their own GLONASS. Something about that doesn't quite add up; it feels like they are somewhat detached from reality.

urbanotter said:So, how many acres is this guy in that Small town in the Midwest actually farming, considering he dropped nearly $5 million on a new tractor? He even went as far as telling reporters—which feels a bit dishonest if you ask me—that the machine would pay for itself in four or five years just by cutting down on labor costs.

He must be planting marijuana then, since you're claiming there's no money to be made in corn or wheat.

Now, I see a colleague mentioning that ExxonMobil isn't using Russian oil, which makes me wonder why there's been a massive oil tanker sitting anchored right outside of Urine for days. To make things weirder, the people at the refinery in Urine called it "Čermak," which, as everyone knows, is the entity Crodux sold to ExxonMobil.

I'm just a simple guy who usually fills up at Shell, but all that blue diesel comes straight from the Urine refinery.
I mean, at least half of it is ours, so the government should at least get a little cut from it.

Maybe that's why my engine coughs every once in a while. Or maybe it's just the guys on my boat consuming too much beer, because they claim they can see Putin's face staring back at them in the exhaust smoke.

Have you noticed anything strange, or have your local folks seen any bloody figures appearing in the exhaust fumes?

I heard a rumor that starting next year, foreign investors will be allowed to buy up land here in the States.

Given how much the Midwest region has been hollowed out lately, I'm genuinely curious to see who is actually going to swoop in and settle there.
And man, imagine the chaos if we hadn't imposed those sanctions on Russia.

We all know how things ought to be done, regardless of the consequences.🙏

The folks out there purchasing those top-of-the-line machines usually pull it off through capital investment tax credits. That sticker price you see? That’s just the starting point. Once the subsidies kick in, the actual cost drops by anywhere from 40% to 90%. Of course, that percentage fluctuates wildly depending on how close you are to the drilling sites or which specific district you operate in. When you're looking at a potential 90% rebate, the logic becomes simple: why wouldn't you buy the most expensive model available? Even if you don't strictly need the extra capacity, it doesn't matter. You get to spend a few days acting like the big shot in a small Midwestern town. And for some people, that status is everything. Honestly, if you're going to play the game, you might as well go all in.

The Midwest region was sold off long ago. There isn't a single acre of free land left to buy, yet prices have been climbing steadily for years. We aren't quite at Western European levels yet, but the trajectory is unmistakable. To survive in today's economy, you have to maintain high productivity—which means farming massive acreage—otherwise, you’re invisible. You might as well walk away rather than operate at a loss only to drown in debt. Rationality in investment is the only way forward. It is pure folly to sink capital into machinery if those machines spend most of their time sitting idle in a shed. The more hours they pull throughout the year, the better the ROI. At the end of the day, every producer has to engineer their own setup to suit their specific needs.

We have implemented sanctions, just like any other civilized nation that refuses to tolerate aggression in Europe during the 21st century. I have no idea how this will all play out in the end—but we are operating on a very simple principle here. If the Russians want to indulge their delusions, they can try to realize them somewhere else; at least they actually have territory to work with. Ultimately, everything rests on the Ukrainians. If they want their independence, they’ve unfortunately been forced into a position where they must die to achieve it. We are here to help as much as we possibly can, but they will undoubtedly bear the heaviest burden. That goes for them, and for every Russian soldier whom Putin has sent straight to a slaughterhouse.

brightheron64 said:I was listening to The New York Times, and Novotny mentioned that even though it looks like we produce twice as much wheat as we actually need, about 90% of it is diverted to livestock feed rather than bread... which means we end up importing much more expensive, high-quality wheat specifically suited for our domestic bakeries, driving up the cost of bread and other flour-based goods everywhere.

Then you have some advisor from the Department of Agriculture trying to dispute that, though even they have to admit that we are importing significant amounts of wheat...

There is feed wheat, sure, but the vast majority of production is indeed bread wheat. Even then, there’s a distinction; you have hard and soft varieties, high-quality types with better "improvers," and lower-grade options. Millers understand the ratios better than anyone when it comes to grinding them into flour. In our country, we could likely grow most of those premium varieties, but since they yield less, they would require higher payouts and separate handling from the standard stock. No buyer wants to deal with that headache—mostly because there aren't enough buyers yet, so they can afford to be picky. But specialized production requires specialized contracts, specific seed preparation, and strict oversight from the start. It’s possible, but it’s extra work that requires an extra margin to make it worth someone’s while. The Italians are masters at these niches. That’s exactly why their grain processing and pasta industries are so renowned.
Bread prices are rising simply because global wheat prices are rising. Since we operate on a completely open market, we pay that global rate. If there aren't buyers here at that price, there are plenty of buyers abroad. For our producers, it doesn't matter who the buyer is, as long as they pay the agreed amount—but it matters deeply to us what that buyback price is.

rowdyraven112 said:The bottom line? The market sets the price. Farmers are telling us that planting wheat hasn't been profitable lately; production costs are eating the sales price alive. At least, that’s how it’s been. The only thing keeping some people afloat is government subsidies. Essentially, the government is footing the bill to ensure food security. Right now, global wheat reserves are low, which means prices are climbing regardless of how much effort farmers put into the soil. It'll sell at whatever the market demands. But next year? Who knows. Costs could rise while prices tank. That’s when the government steps in again to bail out wheat production. This isn't just an American issue; it happens everywhere. Honestly, I can't think of a single country where wheat farming is consistently profitable without state intervention.

There is very little margin in wheat or corn. You need massive acreage and high yield just to survive. Only a tiny fraction of farmers actually manage that scale. On the flip side, expecting to make a living off such crops with only a few acres is naive. For them, any subsidy amount is merely survival money—social welfare, really—not capital for expansion. For small-scale producers, almost any buyback price is a losing game because their fixed overhead is already too high to cover. Those with limited land should have pivoted to different types of production, but that requires specialized knowledge, marketing expertise, and a host of other skills. If they possessed those capabilities, they would already be among the large-scale operators. Opportunities existed, but that window is closing or has already slammed shut. At this stage, you simply work with the resources you have left.

George Robinson43 said:Look, if you're worried about sourcing, just go to a station like Shell or ExxonMobil. Their gasoline is 100% non-Russian, and over the last two years, they've managed to cut their Russian diesel and heating oil imports down from 7% to essentially zero. If you want to deal with that messy Canadian-Russian conglomerate, you'll be stuck with Russian products, but you have better options here. 😉

As far as I'm concerned, the origin doesn't matter. Once I fill my tank and pay the bill, it's mine.

rowdyraven112 said:Not too long ago, some farmers decided to go all-in on zucchini. What happened? The market was flooded, supply spiked, and the buyback prices tanked. You want to know what they were getting? Roughly... $6.75 If I remember correctly, next year we’re going to see way more small-time farmers popping up out of nowhere, all hoping for another handout. What, do they think it works like that? $6.75 Per pound. This year's price hovered around... $1.75Per pound.

Look, the market's going to set this year's wheat prices. With the situation over in Ukraine, there's already a massive shortage. Unless the government steps in and bans grain exports—which, let’s be honest, would make sense—farmers are going to sell at whatever the market dictates. They aren't going to sell at the price you have stuck in your head. ☕

Zucchini is a local commodity. It’s highly perishable and, as far as I know, there isn't much industrial processing for it here. It’s grown and consumed locally; it has to be moved within days before it rots. Consequently, you can squeeze much higher margins out of zucchini per acre than you can from corn. It requires significant manual labor, which limits how many acres one can realistically manage.
Corn and wheat, however, are staples of global trade. Their prices are set on international exchanges. Quality standards for wheat are strictly defined, waste during intake is calculated, and logistics costs are transparent. These are dried crops—harvested dry, stored, and consumed year-round. But the profit margin per acre on corn is significantly lower than on zucchini. The industry is heavily mechanized; you need massive acreage and high yields just to see any meaningful return.
These two categories of goods are fundamentally different products, despite both being food items. The price of corn in the States is influenced more by crop assessments in the Midwest or the war in Ukraine than by whether we had a wet or dry season in our own backyard. This is because the domestic price is tethered to the global market; it cannot exceed the world price plus shipping, nor can it drop below the world price minus shipping and processing costs. Global pricing is driven by supply, demand, and the constant speculation regarding future surpluses or shortages.

rowdyraven112 said:It's obvious they're just jerks. ☕
If they had any actual arguments, they wouldn't have to label everyone a "Putin follower" or a "Kremlin lickspittle." They claim Russia will collapse, then ask why you don't just go work in Russia if you like Putin so much... their entire communication strategy is basically just proactive small talk with Dumb and Dumber.☕
On one hand, they scream hatred toward Putin and claim solidarity with the people of Ukraine, yet on the other, they buy Russian gas and fuel, effectively funding the aggression against Ukraine. Of course, they still buy food at the grocery store that was delivered using Russian fuel.☕

Let me be clear: when I pull up to a station, fill my tank, and pay the bill, that fuel becomes my property. Period. It doesn't matter where the supply originated. This idea that Putin is bundling his fuel with some hidden political agenda—acting as though he maintains a lingering claim over the energy I've already paid for and consumed—is a logical fallacy that simply doesn't hold water for me.

Putin is a despicable man. He shows the least amount of regard for his own people, who will be left to shoulder the consequences of his decision to launch an open war in Ukraine for years to come. Once he is gone, Russia will likely find itself even weaker than when he first seized power, back when the nation was already in a state of absolute desperation.

Bryan Booth82 said:That is a pretty naive explanation. It suggests that Germans are genetically programmed to thrive while Russians can live on cabbage and water, and that things have always been this way and will remain so until the end of time.

Look, it’s a decent enough theory to toss around at a bar after two beers, but let's be honest: it’s a low-level argument meant for the uncritical or those who don't want to think too hard about the current moment.

Abigail, I really wish this could be a place with slightly higher standards than what we're seeing here.

The idea that Germany isn't collapsing and Russia isn't advancing simply because it’s "destiny" or written in their DNA is nonsense. The actual reasons are much more complex.
Best regards

No, it isn't written in their genes that Germans must prosper; it's simply that organization is their entire existence. They track, analyze, plan, and organize based on the situation—which is constantly shifting. If you want to extract maximum value from any endeavor, you need a system and discipline. The Germans react to even the slightest hint of trouble with immediate, coordinated action.
With the Russians, everything is constant chaos. Organization is practically science fiction there; things are usually handled on the fly with a heavy dose of improvisation (which might have its niche benefits, but carries far more drawbacks). It is certainly not true that everyone in Germany is perfectly organized or that everyone in Russia works with systematic precision. There are good and bad examples on both sides, but one thing is certain: in a competitive economic environment, constant improvisation is hard to sustain. In an environment defined by volatility, long-term planning and organization simply lose their utility.

urbanotter said:You can't seriously think I don't realize electric cars don't have pistons; you're just grasping at descriptive metaphors to try and prove to me that every product starts from raw materials and
I drove a Mercedes for several years before my daughter "stole" it from me—it was an A 180.
Ten years ago, it was the perfect city car; there was enough room for four grown adults, it had a low floor since the battery was tucked under the passenger side, and the seats were high enough that you just slide right into them, much like the Grand Cherokee I drive now.

Regarding the Chinese auto industry, you should really look into ten of their brands and models that will be dominating the roads in Russia soon; some of those buyers who have the cash for a Mercedes will end up buying one regardless of the price tag.

That represents that 5% mentioned by the blogger Krule in his live stream, which is essentially like having one rotten apple in a basket—it eventually spoils the whole lot.

https://hr.expertevolux.com/top-samy...lej-iz-kitaja/

Instead of worrying about what 95% of Russians will be driving, maybe you should focus more on what we'll be driving ourselves.
I've been hearing that the price of used cars in Germany has spiked significantly, and it seems like Germans are increasingly turning away from new models in favor of second-hand ones.

It seems the prevailing wisdom here is "I don't care if my neighbor's cow dies, as long as mine stays healthy."

As Mirjana Hrga wrote on her profile recently, the last true "macho men" were the ones from the 90s; those guys knew how to strip down and reassemble an AK-47, whereas today's crowd is carrying Vuitton bags and wearing feathers around their necks.

Either that, or I'll just make you laugh or cry.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a Mercedes as soon as you can, while they're still actually available on the market

I'm not really a Mercedes guy; I need a different kind of vehicle—something with a rear hitch so a forklift can load a pallet. Even Mercedes has options like that (since Mitsubishi works for them), but it's too expensive for me; I have more pressing investments.
There is no need to worry about Russians; they have their own vehicles, or they can travel back in time, wait out the current regime, or just smuggle some junk across the border. It might get a little "hot," but who cares when there's a brutal winter over there. As for the Chinese auto industry, it feels a bit "off" to me—they seem a bit green right now, though they’ll likely be solid in a while. I once wrote about a colleague who bought a new Chinese tractor because it was such a bargain; it seemed fine at first, but there are plenty of teething problems. In the end, the man bought used Western tractors and is completely satisfied with them—he’d sell the new Chinese one in a heartbeat. It's hard to claim a Yugo is a good car once you've driven a Golf (which isn't anything special itself). For Chinese standards, their tractor is probably perfectly fine; for our standards today, not so much.