Posts by Edward Fisher3

Kyle Nelson2 said:If we were living under the thumb of the Chinese instead of the Anglo-Saxons, I guess we’d all be walking on eggshells right now. We'd probably be watching every single word we typed on this forum, terrified that our social credit score would tank if we said something even slightly off. Maybe then we wouldn't even be able to pull off buying a train ticket or a flight.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Justin Smith5 said:I mean, better them having it than the Russians, I guess. It would be an absolute disaster if Putin actually had control over the global oil supply.

Let’s not pretend there isn't some hypocrisy at play here... if you had a daughter, wouldn't you just as easily prefer a Russian over, say, a Saudi for a son-in-law? Since we are already discussing catastrophes and supposed evils, why stop now?

By the way, those Saudis and their various satellites orbiting them... they don't really grasp the concept of refugees, do they? To them, people are just another commodity, much like any other import. If they can simply order a shipment from somewhere else, why wouldn't they?

The Palestinians weren't lying about anything... from the start of 2011 until now, there have been roughly 2 to 3 million people who arrived in Hadz... and about 100,000 were in training... excuse me... studying... plus, there will be several hundred thousand more currently working who applied for visas just like everyone else...
And that's really all there is to it. If anything, they are being quite accurate in their cold detachment... there isn't even any propaganda involved here!

Maria Booth said:Wait, you actually believe everything those news reporters feed you?

And there we have it... the conspiracy theory becomes reality. Isn't it funny how you claim we can't trust a single word printed in the papers, yet you end up contradicting your own logic time and time again?

At this point, I don't even know how anyone finds the nerve to call something a "theory" anymore. (Though, based on recent events, it seems most people lost their capacity for actual thought a long time ago.)

Hello.
I have been weighing a specific situation regarding the potential opening of a small business venture.

I need to procure services from a certain US company, but they strictly limit their clientele to registered corporations, sole proprietorships, or non-profit organizations; essentially, they won't deal with me as just an individual.

Since my requirement for these services is relatively short-term—perhaps lasting a few months, though the exact duration is uncertain—I am assuming the path of least resistance would be to register as a sole proprietor just to facilitate a contract.

During this brief window of operation, I anticipate generating a maximum of $20,000 to $30,000 $0.00 in revenue. Given that amount, I would remain under the threshold for sales tax registration, though I'll still be on the hook for income tax and other standard obligations, correct?

If I were providing something like IT consulting or marketing services, what percentage of that gross amount would actually remain in my pocket after I account for all the mandatory
taxes and fees?

Furthermore, how difficult is the process of dissolving such a business once the work is done? Is closing shop after only a few months a bureaucratic nightmare?

It seems true... PowerLock allows himself certain liberties that he begrudges everyone else, all while busy handing out lectures and penalties to anyone else who dares to step out of line!

👎

Do you actually know the distinction between a simple farmer and someone who is truly unrefined?

When people talk about "backroom politics," they aren't referring to geography!

Nowadays, you'll find more of that shady maneuvering along the California coast than you ever would in the rural interior!

In fact, even the local elites are busy practicing their own brand of dirty politics today.😁

Matt and Striker didn't bother trekking through Ercegovina; they headed straight for the coast to hit up Maui!
(They certainly knew exactly where the money was and what it was worth! 😁)

It’s honestly tragic how figures like Donald Trump, along with his various hangers-on and those beggars and sons who worship him (to name the cast of that particular soap opera), define success and intelligence by such narrow, crooked standards!
For them, that's the blueprint to follow—they believe *those* are the real players!
That is what they call progress!

It’s just common sense, really.

And there you have it: that damn backroom politics at work!

Eventually, Americans will see it...

They’ll realize it eventually; some people grasp the reality of things early enough to climb to the top of the food chain, while others remain oblivious until they find themselves at the very bottom.
But where does that leave us in this grand design?

And what exactly do we have left to "sell" to the next wave of millionaires emerging from China?

Maybe just our islands.

All that military hardware doesn't say a damn thing about how the average person actually lives.

I haven't even been told that...

But isn't it obvious they seem to be on an upward trajectory?

If Westerners are solely hunting for high-end quality, then what exactly is it that Russians are after... just cheap junk? 😁

Go ahead, tell me—what is it that Russians actually want?

You’ve listed what Westerners are looking for, but for what purpose? And what about the Russians? Is there even a fundamental difference to be found here?
It seems as though they're simply looking to squeeze every last dollar out of their pockets!

By the way, if anyone were to ask me whether I would opt for American or Russian citizenship... I’d choose the former without a second thought, if only to avoid any unnecessary friction. But sometimes, isn't it worth looking the truth in the eye and admitting that Russians aren't entirely "disposable" either?

The era of Russia is just beginning to dawn!

If you were to sit down with our business leaders and ask them whether they preferred partnering with Russian firms or Western ones, what would they say?
Who actually settles their invoices on schedule, and who is constantly dragging their feet?

They possess both the raw energy and the intellect, and more importantly, they have time on their side.

Is this truly the output of a nation whose time has supposedly passed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyjxqr4O4Ug

Even the Americans attempted to replicate this, yet it seems they never quite managed to pull it off.

One really ought to look strictly at the timeline starting from 1945, given that Japan has been building from absolute zero ever since.

If you ask me, looking at it this way makes more sense: even though everything was leveled, back in 1945 they possessed far more than we do today. What are we talking about? It’s their work ethic, their loyalty, their sheer diligence—those intangible qualities that actually matter. That carries much more weight, because as you can see, they managed to rise from the ashes in just twenty years despite having "nothing." The Germans followed a similar trajectory, didn't they?

Yet, one has to wonder where all that drive eventually leads... (admittedly, they are leagues ahead of us...) but still...
I read recently that they are at the top of the list for suicide rates—though who could have predicted such a thing, considering their immense wealth and specific psychological makeup, since they certainly aren't lacking for resources over there—and then there is the demographic crisis, that imbalance between the elderly and the youth that someone else already touched upon... and so on and so forth...

It proves that GDP isn't everything. Not all that glitters is gold, after all.

As for China... and their flood of knockoff products... it was quite similar with Japan in the early days, as was previously mentioned. You have Korea as another example. But how do we describe it? Practice makes perfect, right? And look at them now.
China is following that exact same path.

We already have satellite receivers in the electronics sector that are better than the original models, simply because these Chinese clones run cooler and cost significantly less.
The real question is when we will see a version of Coke or Verizon that outperforms the originals while being cheaper...
But let's be realistic; those companies aren't foolish. They will lean heavily into branding.😁

And before you know it, you end up with something like today's Apple, which isn't exactly cheap junk, is it?

if Japan were in the position of Russia or China, they would undoubtedly be a global superpower.

And what kind of superpower would that be? That is precisely why efforts are made to ensure that never happens. Because if a Chinese person becomes the master of the world, we are all finished, regardless of where we stand.
They lack empathy; they are driven to dominate. That seems to be the psychological blueprint—there is a certain sadistic streak in how they treat subordinates, or perhaps that is just the culture they operate under.

If what they call Capitalism is what they have over in Sweden, then maybe I’d like a piece of that too? 😁

But if I’m destined to get the version they have here in the US... well, I think I'll pass on that one.

It’s funny how both sides try to convince me that they are practicing true Capitalism...
Yet when I arrive in the US, people insist that the Scandinavian model isn't actually Capitalism at all...
They claim it’s more akin to Socialism and argue that such a system simply couldn't function in America...

And so on, and so forth...

Frankly, I couldn't care less what label you slap on it, as long as it allows for a decent standard of living!

Looking ahead, say ten or twenty years from now—God willing—if we somehow manage to implement a hybrid model, something composed of various elements with more than 50% social components that finally allows people to live decently in this part of the world...
Will they still try to insist that it is "Capitalism," even if its actual influence on society is reduced to, say, 30%? Or how is that distinction even determined?
Where does the line actually sit? When does someone decide, "No, this is Communism, this is Capitalism, and that third thing is Socialism"? Where is that boundary of exclusivity drawn?

Or shouldn't we just take the best parts of everything—not the absolute worst, as we tend to do by picking up the worst traits from both the East and the West—to create a better state, or rather, a better societal arrangement?

Have you even considered how the system functions over in Germany? Between the unions and the way things are run there...

True, but they never truly abandoned the principles of Socialism the way people here in America have!
In Germany, a worker is actually treated as a respected member of society.
What does it mean to be a real worker in America versus being one in Germany?
In the States, a worker is nothing more than a number—something you look at the same way you’d look at a disposable battery.
Once the charge runs out, you just swap them for a new one and toss the old one in the trash.

I won't get too deep into the analysis right now... but you all know exactly what I'm getting at.

It isn't as if the USA introduced Communism... they are simply borrowing certain communist methods of self-management... 🤣

It seems they aren't quite cut out for Marx

And yet, here you are, trying to sell us a load of nonsense under the guise of virtue😁

Capitalism and the laws of the free market don't recognize these kinds of state interventions, even when they claim it's all to save something or preserve social stability...

I realize the truth can be difficult to swallow... but what can you do? 😁

Give me a break...

The government stepped in, and they’ll step in again if necessary, all while maintaining the facade of Capitalism.

So, we should just take your word for it because you say it's true?!! 😁
Sit down and be quiet.

Even the birds on the wire can see what's actually happening here...

And this entire new thread serves as perfect proof!
Even the most rigid defenders of Capitalism—those local advocates who usually demand the immediate shutdown of domestic losers like our major Shipbuilders—are suddenly asking if these moves aren't actually following the path of Communist-Socialist "reforms," isn't it a bit contradictory for them to flip-flop like this?😂

Oh, sure... now it's all about saving jobs. 😁
Why doesn't our government simply save the jobs in the failing Shipbuilders and those other domestic industries bleeding cash, just to prove to America that we are even more dedicated capitalists than they are?
Maybe we'll get a reward for it.

And they might just end up being lumped in with the very last residents to finally leave Guantanamo!
Once (and if) Barack Obama finally puts an end to this absolute mockery of a situation. 😁

Let’s be perfectly honest for a moment—how many pieces would this journalist be torn into if this exact same thing had been done to Stalin, Marshall, or Saddam?

When will this nonsense finally come to an end?

😁

It’s a bit of an illness, really...
more specifically, how does one actually go about taking it? 🙂