Sanctions on Russia

Noah Diaz said: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.

What kind of "strategic advantage" is Russia going to have after years of sanctions? Their demographics are headed for a freefall, and I don't see anyone rushing to move to Russia anytime soon.

Noah Diaz said: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.

So we’re left with two realities: on one side, a civilized world where Russia is a dwarf, a nation that has explicitly stated it will do whatever it takes to support Ukraine—and is doing it. On the other side, we have people on forums pretending to be deeply concerned about American retirees, using that as an excuse not to sanction the aggressor.

In a few days, it will be exactly one year since this "special military operation" began. It revealed everything it did. Yet, some people here still try to convince us that what we see, hear, and read isn't happening. They want us to keep believing in the imaginary scale of a terrifying Russia and its army.

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...

Gas prices are actually lower now than they were before the invasion.
Prices skyrocketed last winter, not after the invasion started.
Why does everyone keep forgetting that and sweeping it under the rug?

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 forgot to mention that Russia has nuclear power, which would probably be the perfect way to explain how people manage to keep their pets fed.

gentlestag15 said:Gas prices are actually lower now than they were before the invasion.
Prices skyrocketed last winter, not after the invasion started.
Why does everyone keep forgetting that and sweeping it under the rug?

They messed up this winter with all those warnings about us freezing, so they just shifted the goalposts to the next season. It’s the same pattern as the war: we went from "the Kyiv regime will fall in ten days" to "time is on Russia's side." The narrative shifts whenever it suits them.

crimsoncyclist71 said:They messed up this winter with all those warnings about us freezing, so they just shifted the goalposts to the next season. It’s the same pattern as the war: we went from "the Kyiv regime will fall in ten days" to "time is on Russia's side." The narrative shifts whenever it suits them.

Oh, please. It’s the same old tired narrative being pushed over and over again—that exhausting loop about how we should be "concerned" for our struggling American seniors while simultaneously painting Ukrainian refugees as villains just because they might show up in decent cars. Give me a break. It really makes you wonder: if this winter rolls around and natural gas prices actually drop below where they were before the aggression started, what will those moralizing hypocrites say then? Will they suddenly find a way to blame us for that, too? Will they claim that pensioners could have been paying even less if we hadn't wasted resources supporting a Nazi-aligned Ukraine? It’s a rigged argument, and honestly, it’s infuriating.
Lp

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-...box=1676957132

So, South Korea basically just pulled the plug on their space program cooperation with Russia. Up until 2022, the Russians were pretty much the heavy hitters handling most of the Korean Space Agency's needs, but now they're pivoting hard toward NASA and various European Union projects, along with ramping up their own domestic programs.

Looks like Russia is still picking up some economic wins here and there.

gentlestag15 said:Gas prices are actually lower now than they were before the invasion.
Prices skyrocketed last winter, not after the invasion started.
Why does everyone keep forgetting that and sweeping it under the rug?

Gas prices have dropped, sure, but the fact that we’re burning hundreds of billions of dollars just to keep the public from rioting isn't being swept under the rug—it's being buried deep underground.

The bubble is already inflating. When it finally pops, things are going to get ugly.

Our neighbors to the East have an old saying that applies perfectly here:
'If you don't pay at the bridge, you'll pay at the crossing.'

Noah Diaz said: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.

HAHAHA, you're down there talking about some balloon that barely popped, yet here you are quoting your own line about how "money can just be printed." I guess Russia can just print their way out of everything and solve all their economic issues while the decaying West is just one step away from freezing solid. Your script is pretty broken.

Russia and Ukraine are currently at war, so it isn’t exactly shocking that their economies aren't their top priority right now.

The European Union isn't at war, so tell me: why on earth would anyone sabotage their own economy? I get the feeling there is a concerted effort to tear down the EU's financial stability and trigger a crisis reminiscent of what happened nearly a century ago.

War economies matter—and right now, Putin’s got the upper hand there.

I agree, but the Russians haven't fully transitioned to a wartime economy yet.

Noah Diaz said:Russia and Ukraine are currently at war, so it isn’t exactly shocking that their economies aren't their top priority right now.

The European Union isn't at war, so tell me: why on earth would anyone sabotage their own economy? I get the feeling there is a concerted effort to tear down the EU's financial stability and trigger a crisis reminiscent of what happened nearly a century ago.

Who in the US actually benefits from losing such a massive trading partner? Which shadowy group profits if an inevitable European crisis spills over into the States?

Noah Diaz said:I agree, but the Russians haven't fully transitioned to a wartime economy yet.

Personally, I’d argue they’ve been running a wartime economy since 1941 and just never stopped...

Sean Reed3 said:Personally, I’d argue they’ve been running a wartime economy since 1941 and just never stopped...

What a pathetic excuse for an army, essentially being propped up by the Russian economy.
Lp

Noah Diaz said:I agree, but the Russians haven't fully transitioned to a wartime economy yet.

Why would they bother? Russia hasn't been attacked.

William Cooper11 said:Why would they bother? Russia hasn't been attacked.

I suppose we're operating under the assumption that only nations actually under fire should pivot toward a wartime economy?

Sean Reed3 said:Personally, I’d argue they’ve been running a wartime economy since 1941 and just never stopped...

If that's the case, what do we call Americans? They spend more on their military budget than every other nation on Earth combined. 😁 And they’ve been doing it for decades. 🤣

Morgan Wright5 said:I suppose we're operating under the assumption that only nations actually under fire should pivot toward a wartime economy?

Alright, then give me one single example of that happening. Thanks!

William Cooper11 said:Alright, then give me one single example of that happening. Thanks!

Mexico.