Posts by restlesssurfer97

Anyway, I’m heading back to beer, because I ended up tossing the hard liquor straight into the trash, so the whole experiment was basically a bust.

Jessica Gonzalez said:There isn't really a fundamental difference between the US and some other parliamentary systems. Sure, they might be more efficient at certain things, but at the core, both are republics run by bureaucrats who aren't really good at much else.

Jüri Ratas (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈjy.ri ˈrɑ.tɑs]; born 2 July 1978) is an Estonian politician who has been Prime Minister of Estonia and Leader of the Centre Party since 2016. The Estonian government, active since April 2019, has been notable for its share of public scandals, resignations of ministers and the amount of public apologies from Ratas, mostly connected to the activities of the nationalist EKRE party, a coalition member.[1][2] His tenure has also seen the national budget of Estonia going into deficit after years of being in surplus.

Sound familiar?

Hold on, let’s clear something up first—what kind of perspective are you even using to make these judgments?
From where I'm sitting, it feels like you're some kind of alien thinking that all Western democracies are basically identical and there's zero distinction between them.

In terms of someone like that Japanese man or that Chinese man? Yeah, they're all pretty much the same.

But if you're looking at this from the perspective of an American citizen, you can't honestly sit there and tell me there's no difference between America and Estonia, or Germany, or Ireland.

Jüri Ratas (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈjy.ri ˈrɑ.tɑs]; born 2 July 1978) is an Estonian politician who has been Prime Minister of Estonia and Leader of the Centre Party since 2016. The Estonian government, active since April 2019, has been notable for its share of public scandals, resignations of ministers and the amount of public apologies from Ratas, mostly connected to the activities of the nationalist EKRE party, a coalition member.[1][2] His tenure has also seen the national budget of Estonia going into deficit after years of being in surplus.

Sound familiar?

Oh yeah, just like Plenković and the Republican Party. Not.

Jessica Gonzalez said:There isn't much to remember them by; these are peaceful times, and people generally just deal with trivial nonsense. I guess there's a better chance of someone getting a monument if they actually go out and conquer half the world rather than for cutting 150 municipalities to save some budget. These are just the kinds of times we live in—times of bureaucrats and con artists—and maybe it’s better that way. I feel like I'm always trying to tell you that in times like this, one person can't really achieve anything massive because the system is just too sluggish. It's slow because things are peaceful, so the bureaucratic machine has to stay busy with busywork. And then there's the public. Heroes only seem to emerge when an existential crisis hits, but we haven't faced a crisis involving dodging bombs or bullets in a long time. In America, we have democratic states where elections happen constantly at every level, leaders rotate, and the same old stories just cycle through and restart themselves. The elected officials might tweak taxes or certain government investments, but mostly, they just exist for their own sake. If I had completely tuned out the media over the last 20 years, I guess I wouldn't even know who was in power or what they were doing.

And while you're talking about how democracies just cycle through, look at how Estonia is building itself into a high-tech state of the future while the US falls behind, all because you claim "that's just how things are" and that we need to keep the public distracted, implying it's totally normal to be led by nothing but bureaucrats and con artists.

You get so caught up in your own narrative that you end up claiming stuff that I don't even think you actually believe yourself. Just chill out a bit and try to keep your thoughts from spiraling.

Jessica Gonzalez keeps going on and on about those monuments 🤣

ruggedjackal46 said:The news outlet is basically just a parrot repeating things we've heard a thousand times already. America is facing massive debt, a messy public sector, and rampant corruption. So, what's the professor's brilliant solution? Cut corruption and fire the bureaucrats. Wow, thanks, nobody else would have thought of that. 🙏

The United States is struggling because it hasn't nailed down its fundamental concept—basically, what should the government actually be doing? What services should it provide to its citizens? Once you answer that, the structure of the public sector follows, then you decide how much space to leave for the private sector, and finally, you determine how many people need to work and what their jobs should even be. Without those foundational ideas, the whole conversation just devolves into "fire the cronies." Everyone knows some guy in an office who does absolutely nothing, and sure, he should be fired. But how do we precisely define who is a "crony"? And more importantly, who gets to enforce that? The Republican Party or the Democratic Party? Hmm.

Anyway, I've spent plenty of time watching these professors look down their noses at us, explaining that corruption and nepotism aren't exactly great and definitely need fixing. As if we didn't know. But I haven't seen a single one offer a concrete plan. One such academic even ran for president and ended up with about 0.1% of the vote because, aside from diagnosing obvious problems, he had zero substance to offer.

Look, this guy laid out the problem using hard numbers, and his solution is also based on math.
Everything else he wrote was just to make it easier for regular readers to follow along, because obviously, not everyone processes data and statistics as quickly as he does.

restlesssurfer97 said:I honestly don't get why people constantly obsess over historical figures and their monuments, because to me, a true historical figure is just someone who actually stays in the collective memory, and if someone were to step up in the next four years and completely flip the script on everything here in America—not that I want to list every single issue right now—they’d definitely be etched into history books. Of course, they’d need to be some kind of visionary, but at the same time, they've got to be a practical doer, especially since it's already blindingly obvious just how much work needs to get done.

The way sheep-like followers idolize certain personalities doesn't mean anything to me, but if you think that era of powerful leadership is dead and gone, you're seriously mistaken.

Jessica Gonzalez said:The point is that in the future, there won't be any monuments like this for Plenković, or even Vučić, and probably not for Trump either. Well, I might not be so sure about Vučić.

You're really not reading, are you? 🤣

Yeah, obviously Plenković isn't getting any kind of monument, because let's be real, he’s neither a visionary nor the type of guy who’s actually going to change the face of America.
If someone like that actually shows up, they won't even need a monument to make sure people remember them, because trust me, they’re going to be unforgettable regardless. I know I'm repeating myself here, but honestly, whatever.

What's the point? I mean, if it relates to what I wrote, then fine, since you're talking directly to me 🤣

Look, I get that you're trying to spin things your way by following a certain train of thought, but honestly, it feels like you're just responding to me personally rather than actually connecting your answer back to the actual points I made. 🙂 .

Genghis Khan 🤣

I honestly don't get why people constantly obsess over historical figures and their monuments, because to me, a true historical figure is just someone who actually stays in the collective memory, and if someone were to step up in the next four years and completely flip the script on everything here in America—not that I want to list every single issue right now—they’d definitely be etched into history books. Of course, they’d need to be some kind of visionary, but at the same time, they've got to be a practical doer, especially since it's already blindingly obvious just how much work needs to get done.

The way sheep-like followers idolize certain personalities doesn't mean anything to me, but if you think that era of powerful leadership is dead and gone, you're seriously mistaken.

wiredrider9 said:The guy is basically bureaucratic trash, just like everyone else keeping this broken system running—from the judiciary and public administration to government contracts and straight-up corruption.

Exactly, I find myself constantly spiraling into thoughts about Plenković just like that, too.

ruggedjackal46 said:So, we’ve got yet another public sector professor preaching about downsizing the government and fighting corruption? They’re all popping up like clones at this point. 😂

If you ask me, I’d start by taking a little cut out of his own paycheck first. You know, practice what you preach. ☕

Kill the messenger. It’s a classic move, really.
You aren't even actually addressing what's being said, you're just attacking the person behind the keyboard.
By the way, how did everyone suddenly become a political hack overnight? I mean, I feel like we settled that question ages ago—we all know exactly who the real opportunists are and who actually cares about something. The real issue here isn't that everyone changed, it's just that certain people can't seem to shake off the reputation of the crowd they run with.
It was honestly such a massive hype when those three nurses first announced they were going to start their own union, thinking they’d finally shatter that monopoly held by the old guard unions that only look out for the lazy bureaucrats instead of the people actually doing the work, but man, looking back, absolutely nothing ever came of it.

Jessica Gonzalez said:Managing a massive system, especially one as big as the government, is a team effort. He’s really just the leader of a huge group of people, and the pool of candidates isn't great; he usually has to choose between people who don't know what they're doing or those who aren't exactly honest. For young, talented, and well-meaning people (if they exist, or at least while they're still young), getting into politics doesn't seem worth it. There are plenty of other careers where you can make good money and be a respectable person without being put in a position where you have to act dirty. Honestly, to be a corrupt jerk, you need a thick skin and zero shame, and not everyone has that.

Tapatalk exactly. I mean, is he seriously really that sick?

Honestly, at this point, we just need someone who’s actually going to go down in the history books, you know, like a real heavy hitter who can completely reshape the entire country and leave a permanent mark on our legacy, basically the first true historical figure to emerge after Franjo Harmon, but looking at the mess we've got right now, I guess we'll just have to see what happens.
(ps. I'm not even trying to say whether Franjo was a good guy or a bad guy, just stating the plain old fact that he’s a historical figure.)

I just finished watching the one-on-one, and I can totally confirm what I was already thinking—Plenković actually handles his critics way better than he handles the people trying to suck up to him, you could see it right from that first question, and then it became even more obvious when Bolkovic told him he’s a tough guy.
It doesn't matter how much I hate seeing him clash with Saucha, who basically saved his political career right at the jump, or his run-ins with Bandic and all those other backroom maneuvers just meant to keep him in that seat, I still can't help but feel like we've wasted a top-tier talent on absolutely nothing, kind of like how Gareth Bale was used in Wales. I've had a few drinks so I might just be daydreaming here, but man, I think he's a powerhouse, yet when I see the shady ways he clings to power, it honestly makes me sick. Total mixed feelings.

It’s just like water hitting a surface until everything finally shatters, honestly, because everything in this life just moves in these massive cycles of social evolution.
There is no way that's ever going to become the norm, you know, especially when it's being forced on us right now by one of those polarized sides of our divided society.

Paul Martinez73 said:Waiting on Veljaca to give Jaca his blessing... ☕
I honestly think at the start it should have just been

"Hi, I'm an App. Pick who you want to talk to:
A) A female
B) A male (white power position)
C) A male (non-white)
D) Someone unspecified"

Then the app directs you from there; you just pick whatever religion you want so nobody gets discriminated against...

But the funniest part is these "feminists"—like, why isn't it just called "female"? If it were, things would actually be equal, and calling it "female" wouldn't be discriminating against males🤣

"Pass us a law requiring at least 50% female employment in industry XY"
Yet you never hear them demand a minimum of 50% males🤣

🤣

Man, that is totally wild, but I gotta admit, it's actually a pretty solid concept. 🤣

Honestly, after sitting here and actually digesting this whole thing, I’ve gotta say, I think even someone like Vilim Ribić would be left totally speechless once he reads it.

SS. ☕

It couldn't be any more obvious, it's a crystal clear diagnosis of patient R.H.'s condition on the 29th.

Boris Podobnik: Because of this massive, bloated public sector, America is staring down a lethal scenario

Jessica Gonzalez said:Well, he actually speaks quite well. I guess he’s the only American statesman worth listening to, even if he does tend to ramble on without saying much of substance. He's got a way with words, though.

I mean, yeah, it’s a total pleasure to listen to him, especially when Berry, Maras, and that whole bunch of useless kids in Congress take all the toys away and leave these guys with nothing to do but sit there whimpering helplessly.

I mean, what kind of choices do we actually have, because honestly, who can even see a future in this backwater wasteland? 🤦

And we shouldn't even rule out the possibility that this thing just vanishes entirely, much like its predecessor did, because there's a real chance it's true what people are saying about how much more widespread it actually is than any of us realize, which could mean we're building up herd immunity without even noticing it.

The 3 million tests conducted here in the US is a seriously massive sample size, and when you see that nearly 20% came back positive, if you were to try and scale that up to the whole population, you're looking at something like 65 million carriers. Obviously, you can't just math it out that simply for a million different reasons, but you can't just brush it off either, because 3 million samples is an incredibly huge number to ignore.

urbanhawk17 said:US Travel Association Director Kristjan Staničić:

"He went over how much the US Travel Association is doing right now. 'We’re staying pretty busy on social media, posting whatever might spark some interest or an emotional connection to the USA during times like these,' he said."

🙏🙏

I think there are maybe 15 to 20 $0.00 locations, if I'm remembering correctly. There should be around three hundred branches total, unless my memory is totally failing me.

The WHO needs to be shut down immediately, they’re nothing but absolute clowns.

Or maybe it’s about Elizabeth II, you know, like the whole crown thing 🤷

The second Elizabeth ☕

And honestly, if Kosorica asks why she's the second one, someone better tell her it's just because Andrew was first 😂