Sanctions on Russia

Noah Diaz said:War isn't about cash flow; it’s about raw resources. That is the only logic that matters here. This conflict won't end until one side runs completely dry. Right now, Ukraine is looking much closer to that breaking point.

So, when America sells weapons to its NATO allies, what exactly are we calling that? Is it just an act of love? Or when those last few war profiteers turn around and hike up gas prices—or even blow up energy infrastructure—what’s the label then? Friendship, maybe? 😁

Smuggling is rampant when dealing with European Union or G7 nations, yet trade with countries like India or China is actually booming, reaching volumes even higher than last year.

Listen, you can't just say money doesn't matter.🤔
How on earth do they plan on paying their soldiers?🤔
Are they handing out a Coal bucket and a liter of crude oil every morning?

And how do they pay Iran for weapons?🤔
I'm not entirely sure what they're using, since I don't think Iran has much use for raw crude oil right now.
Maybe they try paying them with sweet talk?🤔

I already know what your rebuttal is going to be: "Oh, all the other essentials like food, microchips, machinery, and weaponry... well, Mother Russia produces everything herself in massive quantities, unlike the impoverished West, so there's no point in even arguing."
Best regards,

Noah Diaz said:War isn't about cash flow; it’s about raw resources. That is the only logic that matters here. This conflict won't end until one side runs completely dry. Right now, Ukraine is looking much closer to that breaking point.

So, when America sells weapons to its NATO allies, what exactly are we calling that? Is it just an act of love? Or when those last few war profiteers turn around and hike up gas prices—or even blow up energy infrastructure—what’s the label then? Friendship, maybe? 😁

Smuggling is rampant when dealing with European Union or G7 nations, yet trade with countries like India or China is actually booming, reaching volumes even higher than last year.

Yeah, but you can't pull those resources without money. Unrefined oil isn't worth much if you can't pay to get it out of the ground.

analogbear5 said:Yeah, but you can't pull those resources without money. Unrefined oil isn't worth much if you can't pay to get it out of the ground.

Back in the days of Stalin, oil was extracted whenever it was needed regardless of liquid assets—it seems like certain people have gotten completely stuck in that era of propaganda.
I honestly feel like we are sinking deeper and deeper into this delusion... and the worst part is, they don't even realize it.
Best,

Noah Diaz said:War isn't about cash flow; it’s about raw resources. That is the only logic that matters here. This conflict won't end until one side runs completely dry. Right now, Ukraine is looking much closer to that breaking point.

So, when America sells weapons to its NATO allies, what exactly are we calling that? Is it just an act of love? Or when those last few war profiteers turn around and hike up gas prices—or even blow up energy infrastructure—what’s the label then? Friendship, maybe? 😁

Smuggling is rampant when dealing with European Union or G7 nations, yet trade with countries like India or China is actually booming, reaching volumes even higher than last year.

I guess money only stops being relevant when people are essentially trying to fight a war with sticks and stones.

Bryan Booth82 said:Listen, you can't just say money doesn't matter.🤔
How on earth do they plan on paying their soldiers?🤔
Are they handing out a Coal bucket and a liter of crude oil every morning?

And how do they pay Iran for weapons?🤔
I'm not entirely sure what they're using, since I don't think Iran has much use for raw crude oil right now.
Maybe they try paying them with sweet talk?🤔

I already know what your rebuttal is going to be: "Oh, all the other essentials like food, microchips, machinery, and weaponry... well, Mother Russia produces everything herself in massive quantities, unlike the impoverished West, so there's no point in even arguing."
Best regards,

Look, you probably think this is just more Russian propaganda, but honestly, every war follows the exact same logic.

You have to feed the troops, arm the soldiers, stock up on ammunition, and ensure there's enough fuel to get everything to the front lines.

Sure, you can print money whenever you feel like it, but you can't just manufacture physical resources out of thin air.

It’s just an obvious reality that the West holds a massive, multi-layered advantage over Russia.

Noah Diaz said:Look, you probably think this is just more Russian propaganda, but honestly, every war follows the exact same logic.

You have to feed the troops, arm the soldiers, stock up on ammunition, and ensure there's enough fuel to get everything to the front lines.

Sure, you can print money whenever you feel like it, but you can't just manufacture physical resources out of thin air.

Thank God, right? I mean, seriously—Russia’s rolling out with trucks that have flat tires and an army that looks like they’re dressed in scrap metal. They’ve even got canned goods that probably expired before the 90s. It's a total joke. They claim to be loaded with resources, but honestly? Someone should just tell those Russian soldiers to strap a five-gallon jerry can of gasoline to their backs—that way, when they're freezing their asses off in a trench, they can just pour some gas on themselves and get nice and toasty. Seriously.

Noah Diaz said:Look, you probably think this is just more Russian propaganda, but honestly, every war follows the exact same logic.

You have to feed the troops, arm the soldiers, stock up on ammunition, and ensure there's enough fuel to get everything to the front lines.

Sure, you can print money whenever you feel like it, but you can't just manufacture physical resources out of thin air.

Mexico just struck lithium, so based on your logic—I'm half-expecting to see an EV factory popping up overnight.

Noah Diaz said:Look, you probably think this is just more Russian propaganda, but honestly, every war follows the exact same logic.

You have to feed the troops, arm the soldiers, stock up on ammunition, and ensure there's enough fuel to get everything to the front lines.

Sure, you can print money whenever you feel like it, but you can't just manufacture physical resources out of thin air.

Right, because it’s just that simple. Food is just a resource that exists—kind of like in FarmVille. You just click a button and suddenly there's food. You don't need a farmer to grow it, you don't need a factory to process it, you don't need machinery to can it, you don't need tools for the farmer to work with, you don't need people to maintain those machines, and you certainly don't need factories to manufacture all the parts for any of it... The entire concept of an economy would basically be a total myth. 🙄

I don't even know where to start with this one. It’s just wild how people try to spin things lately. Honestly, I'm just sitting here thinking about how much noise there is out there. Just total chaos. Anyway, stay chill. kaže:
Look, money isn't even the point.🤔
How do they even pay the soldiers?🤔
A coal bucket and a liter of crude oil every single day?

How exactly are they footing the bill for all that weaponry going to Iran?🤔
I'm not totally sure about this one, though. Like, why would they even need all that crude oil?
Maybe it’s all just about how you say it. 🤔

I already know exactly what you’re gonna say. You’ll probably claim that Russia produces everything else needed for a war—stuff like food, electronics, heavy machinery, weapons, all that good stuff—in massive quantities. You'll argue they've got it all in spades while the West is just struggling to stay afloat, making the whole debate pointless.
Pro-Russia party.

Pro-Russia parties in the West really think every single Russian lives on nothing but potatoes and vodka. It's honestly hilarious.

Nathan Thomas12 said:Market price—because, you know, capitalism.

The guy I was citing argued that China buying up Russian energy proves they're just exploiting the situation for profit rather than being "friendly." So, I asked how American leaders treat their European allies when they sell them energy at five times the price—what kind of relationship is that? And my answer was just that it's simply "market principles."

So why isn't it considered "the market" when China and India buy oil and gas, but instead it's called exploitation?...

Nathan Thomas12 said:You're barking up the wrong tree.🕺
So what was the price of gas before versus after the sanctions?
Just in January of this year, Russia was sitting on a deficit equal to 5% of its GDP.

Major price hikes are coming on March 1st, 2023.

Take a look at your utility bills from Duke Energy...

What happens when the Government's relief measures expire on March 31st, 2023?

Just because the European Union managed to scrape by through one mild winter doesn't mean they've fixed the systemic issue of energy demand versus supply.

Honestly, the European Union hasn't even begun to address the core problem...

I couldn't care less about the Russian deficit. I'm just worried about what life is going to look like for the average American soon...

goldenpuma84 said:Major price hikes are coming on March 1st, 2023.

Take a look at your utility bills from Duke Energy...

What happens when the Government's relief measures expire on March 31st, 2023?

Just because the European Union managed to scrape by through one mild winter doesn't mean they've fixed the systemic issue of energy demand versus supply.

Honestly, the European Union hasn't even begun to address the core problem...

I couldn't care less about the Russian deficit. I'm just worried about what life is going to look like for the average American soon...

you could try explaining that to a toddler, or maybe just to someone who's completely out of touch with reality

I mean, I’d love to hear one of those self-important pundits try to explain how the next generation of kids is supposed to thrive when they're all stuck on minimum wage after being dragged through all this absolute garbage we've been dealing with lately.

goldenpuma84 said:The guy I was citing argued that China buying up Russian energy proves they're just exploiting the situation for profit rather than being "friendly." So, I asked how American leaders treat their European allies when they sell them energy at five times the price—what kind of relationship is that? And my answer was just that it's simply "market principles."

So why isn't it considered "the market" when China and India buy oil and gas, but instead it's called exploitation?...

Sure, calling it "market-driven" when China and India scoop up oil and gas at these rates is a joke—it’s only happening because Western demand for Russian energy cratered. Once that demand tanked, Russian prices just fell off a cliff automatically. Simple math.

goldenpuma84 said:Major price hikes are coming on March 1st, 2023.

Take a look at your utility bills from Duke Energy...

What happens when the Government's relief measures expire on March 31st, 2023?

Just because the European Union managed to scrape by through one mild winter doesn't mean they've fixed the systemic issue of energy demand versus supply.

Honestly, the European Union hasn't even begun to address the core problem...

I couldn't care less about the Russian deficit. I'm just worried about what life is going to look like for the average American soon...

I’ve said it before—energy prices will stabilize in two or three years. It won't happen sooner, but energy availability shouldn't be an issue after three years max.
Until then, we just have to grit our teeth and get through it. We'll manage.
EDIT: I expected a much worse scenario for this winter. Based on all the Kremlin-worshippers' predictions, we should've been freezing solid by now.

goldenpuma84 said:Major price hikes are coming on March 1st, 2023.

Take a look at your utility bills from Duke Energy...

What happens when the Government's relief measures expire on March 31st, 2023?

Just because the European Union managed to scrape by through one mild winter doesn't mean they've fixed the systemic issue of energy demand versus supply.

Honestly, the European Union hasn't even begun to address the core problem...

I couldn't care less about the Russian deficit. I'm just worried about what life is going to look like for the average American soon...

Do you seriously think the government can just conjure up energy out of thin air via decree—energy that "simply isn't there"—and that we'll all just hit an economic wall on March 31st?

Look, "experts" predict everything under the sun. Personally, I’m hearing predictions of stabilization.

goldenpuma84 said:The guy I was citing argued that China buying up Russian energy proves they're just exploiting the situation for profit rather than being "friendly." So, I asked how American leaders treat their European allies when they sell them energy at five times the price—what kind of relationship is that? And my answer was just that it's simply "market principles."

So why isn't it considered "the market" when China and India buy oil and gas, but instead it's called exploitation?...

Source? Give me an actual number. Which price are we even talking about?

goldenpuma84 said:Major price hikes are coming on March 1st, 2023.

Take a look at your utility bills from Duke Energy...

What happens when the Government's relief measures expire on March 31st, 2023?

Just because the European Union managed to scrape by through one mild winter doesn't mean they've fixed the systemic issue of energy demand versus supply.

Honestly, the European Union hasn't even begun to address the core problem...

I couldn't care less about the Russian deficit. I'm just worried about what life is going to look like for the average American soon...

So, what exactly is your solution?
How much Ukrainian territory are you willing to hand over to Russia just to get cheaper fuel?

Nicole James said:Right, because it’s just that simple. Food is just a resource that exists—kind of like in FarmVille. You just click a button and suddenly there's food. You don't need a farmer to grow it, you don't need a factory to process it, you don't need machinery to can it, you don't need tools for the farmer to work with, you don't need people to maintain those machines, and you certainly don't need factories to manufacture all the parts for any of it... The entire concept of an economy would basically be a total myth. 🙄

Where did I say it was just "available"?🤔
I said exactly this:

You can print money whenever you feel like it, but you can't just manufacture these top-tier resources on demand.

For example, if Russia destroys the infrastructure essential for food production or the power grid, the Ukrainians can't simply retaliate in kind.

Who holds the strategic advantage then? Who actually possesses the resource? At that point, all the money or economic strength in the world won't save you.