Do you think Tim Tim actually has a shot at a comeback?

Let me offer my take on this...

Objectively speaking, I don't see any real chance for a fundamental turnaround. These problems have been festering far too long and they're just too tangled—plus, the price tag for a fix is something most people simply won't stomach. For instance, our colleague Shadow suggested analyses implying we need to significantly lower labor costs. But let's be real: slashing wages is basically impossible without messing with the exchange rate. Messing with the currency leads straight to a banking collapse, wiping out savings and tossing retirees into poverty. Given our demographic shift—where seniors will soon outnumber workers and would sell their own mothers for $33 higher pensions—that’s political suicide. Not to mention, tanking wages would just accelerate the brain drain to other parts of the European Union.

I suspect we'll hit a breaking point once the timing and circumstances align—and we likely won't have to wait long. In short, way too many people benefit from the status quo, which means there's zero political will to actually change anything. People don't want to grind for fifteen years to enjoy a better life later; they want it right now, and they expect someone else to foot the bill.

Ronald Howard3 said:Let me offer my take on this...

Objectively speaking, I don't see any real chance for a fundamental turnaround. These problems have been festering far too long and they're just too tangled—plus, the price tag for a fix is something most people simply won't stomach. For instance, our colleague Shadow suggested analyses implying we need to significantly lower labor costs. But let's be real: slashing wages is basically impossible without messing with the exchange rate. Messing with the currency leads straight to a banking collapse, wiping out savings and tossing retirees into poverty. Given our demographic shift—where seniors will soon outnumber workers and would sell their own mothers for $33 higher pensions—that’s political suicide. Not to mention, tanking wages would just accelerate the brain drain to other parts of the European Union.

I suspect we'll hit a breaking point once the timing and circumstances align—and we likely won't have to wait long. In short, way too many people benefit from the status quo, which means there's zero political will to actually change anything. People don't want to grind for fifteen years to enjoy a better life later; they want it right now, and they expect someone else to foot the bill.

Regarding everything you mentioned, it's pretty worrying how nobody seems to be looking at the global economic and political landscape as a major factor affecting us—especially when it comes to things like the exchange rate, labor costs, and workforce mobility.

Without looking at the big picture in political discourse, you're seeing an almost unimaginable level of political naivety and shortsightedness. Not to mention, it's just plain foolish.

When you claim people don't want to work hard as an investment in the future, I have to ask: what kind of "hard work" are you actually talking about?
Is there even a single item in Tim Tim's platform that touches on a vision for development? Is there one solitary point specifying future revenue sources or investments in manufacturing, agriculture, tech... anything at all?

Nothing, right? It's just cuts, misery, bankers, and selling off whatever scraps are left.

It's shameful, if you ask me. Such a "genius" financial expert.
Man, even the most amateur entrepreneur knows what a business plan is.

And liquidating assets? That's a move for junkies and losers.

👎

There is simply no chance. The problems have metastasized far too much for any intervention to be viable without destroying what little healthy tissue remains left.

While claims regarding shifts in corporate culture and mindset are commendable, they remain nothing more than wishful thinking.

And Tim might find himself throwing up his hands quite suddenly once he realizes exactly what kind of sinking ship he has stepped onto.

Beyond all that, it is far too early to pass judgment—especially based on a presentation that was, by its nature, brief and purely ceremonial. It seems many were expecting Tim's PowerPoint to be some grand, cinematic reveal of magical secrets and formulas destined to fix every problematic friction point in our economy and society.

In my view, the presentation was perfectly suited to the moment: concise, direct, and focused on exactly what a chief strategist is tasked to do—define and present core objectives and primary frameworks. There was no need to get bogged down in endless spreadsheets, methodology, or tactical minutiae.
Since he quoted George S. Patton, let us at least grant him the freedom to follow the practical philosophy of an army general, who certainly doesn't lose sleep over whether one of his subordinates positions a mortar thirty meters to the left or right.

Developing the specifics and operationalizing those tasks falls to the cabinet ministers and their respective vertical structures further down the management chain, not to the Prime Minister.

The fact that we became accustomed to leaders like Ivo Sanders and Zoran Milanović micromanaging every single detail and maintaining a "ready and competent" opinion on absolutely everything is our fundamental issue; it is the legacy we inherited from dealing with egos and possessive personalities.

"Do you actually think Tim Tim has a realistic shot at pulling off a comeback?"

A question for the OP here. Why on earth do you think that? I mean, what exactly is giving you the impression—what's your actual basis for believing they even want to, or have any intention of, doing something good for this country? Wake up.

Hahahaha,

Wait, seriously?

So once again, the entire country is being run by the same political party that we already know looted the nation, led by a former prime minister who actually served prison time...

Meh, what's the point? Not even worth the effort it took to write this. 🤦

vivideagle91 said:"Do you actually think Tim Tim has a realistic shot at pulling off a comeback?"

A question for the OP here. Why on earth do you think that? I mean, what exactly is giving you the impression—what's your actual basis for believing they even want to, or have any intention of, doing something good for this country? Wake up.

Well, let's just say they *are* acting in good faith—which, by the way, isn't even a given.😁

Maybe there was a glimmer of hope about four years ago, but honestly, at this stage, I don't find myself believing in anything, even if everyone involved had the best intentions in the world...
A massive tsunami is headed our way from the outside, my friend.

9009 said:Are you seriously talking about some Jewish errand boy and his seven dwarves?

😵😠

Zdravko Mamić

Back at OKI, he was buying styrofoam, cutting it up, and selling it to fans as seats. He even had his own little crew of styrofoam salesmen over at Yankee Stadium. In an interview with Playboy Zdravko, he actually mentioned how he landed his first job after high school—you won't believe it, but Jakov Blažević was the one who found him work.

I think I've finally cracked the code for success. ☕

If Saint Tim doesn't kickstart this dormant American economy, we’re staring down a fate similar to Greece. The Leftists will be forced to cooperate, or else we'll all end up facing a seasonal reality check somewhere in the middle of Germany. Otherwise, we might just find ourselves out on the street, huddled under newspapers from big names like Telegram or Jutarnji List.

vivideagle91 said:"Do you actually think Tim Tim has a realistic shot at pulling off a comeback?"

A question for the OP here. Why on earth do you think that? I mean, what exactly is giving you the impression—what's your actual basis for believing they even want to, or have any intention of, doing something good for this country? Wake up.

Why on earth would a rational global executive opt for a paycheck that is a mere fraction of what they could earn elsewhere?

They succeed, just like everyone else.
Foreign-educated appointees are essentially sent in to manage the wreckage of bankruptcies within failed states.
Look at the pattern: Luis de Guindos (Portugal, ex Lehman Brothers), Mario Monti (Italy, ex Goldman Sachs), Krstic (Mexico ex McKinsey), Christodoulou (Greece, ex Goldman Sachs), or Shiarly (Cyprus ex PwC).

For them, it’s simply about adding another prestigious line to their CV, but one must ask: how much better did the citizens actually fare under their watch?

This entire situation is the textbook definition of a failed predator state, as described in political literature; even their models of plunder aren't homegrown—they are imported, much like everything else here.

The bankruptcy administrator first met with the creditors who dispatched him, then came the meeting with the IMF, followed by the ECB.

The Troika—does that sound like déjà vu to anyone?

We might actually escape this cycle of debt slavery if they were to return the assets that were stolen from us, yet that is a topic no one ever bothers to mention.

That isn't why Tim arrived. Their sole interest lies in tax collection, which, in the coming years, can only trend upward because:
“We won't return to our 2008 employment levels even in two decades, if ever. The population is aging, and the youth are emigrating. Our workforce is shrinking even if we were to become a prosperous nation. Neither the number of retirees will decrease, nor will employment increase.” —Željko Lovrinčević

Anyway, I’m off to join the queue at the ATM.

Are you thinking of calling him a failed state predator?

He’s definitely an opportunist. But honestly, who can really blame him for taking what's being laid out on the table? It isn't his fault we ended up in this mess to begin with. This is the result of years of systemic government mismanagement and being led by a bunch of sheep-like leaders who couldn't see straight.

I see him more as a sacrificial lamb, just doing what needs to be done—which is returning the money to the creditors. Once he finishes that job, and once things start going south again here, I suspect he'll just flutter away with some ridiculously large bonus. Meanwhile, we'll be left with the same people who dragged us into this hole in the first place, pointing fingers at Tim Tim without any backup, shouting, "It wasn't us! Not our fault!"
And nothing changes for anyone.

We finally achieved true independence for the first time since the seventh century, paid for in blood, only to essentially throw it all down the drain like this. I guess that's just something only we could manage to do.

If they actually start doing what they’re supposed to be doing, I guess they might be able to prove over the next four years that they can move in the right direction, and that’s really all there is to it. You obviously can't fix everything in just four years when you've had fifteen years of extreme, systematic destruction and theft, followed by another ten years of people just bleeding whatever was left of the remains dry.

Maybe I'm looking at this too much like an amateur, but it feels like things have already partially started moving, so I think it's possible. We could strip those fraudulent HRVI benefits from pensioners and permanently scrap those rights and privileges—even the ones they'd normally have as civilians (like various IRS payouts or incentives for hiring and agriculture, etc.). I say it's possible because on the local news sites in my county, you constantly see stories about someone who's been illegally collecting a pension for twenty years. The thing is, those stories only pop up once every month or two now, when they really should be hitting the headlines every single day.

Another solid step would be to actually take advantage of the opportunities we have. If we implement highway vignettes, we could finally get rid of all those bureaucrats sitting in toll booths whose entire purpose in life is just to have someone to boss them around. Since most of them are probably "set" with their severance packages anyway, maybe we could encourage them to actually put that money into starting a business and jumpstarting the economy instead.

A third thing would be cutting down the bureaucracy and reducing the number of municipalities. Basically, let a municipality be what it used to be; my county used to only have two, Slavonski Brod and Nova Gradiška. If we stuck to something like five (say, Okučani, Oriovac, and Donji Andrijevec), there would be way fewer cronies than before, and people might actually get things done—assuming we cut out the useless nonsense, like requiring a birth certificate to be less than six months old when the data in it never changes anyway.

As for devaluing the currency, personally, I wouldn't mind. Right now, all I have in my local currency is a deficit of 😬 Kapital, while my savings are fine.

John Thomas16 said:Why on earth would a rational global executive opt for a paycheck that is a mere fraction of what they could earn elsewhere?

They succeed, just like everyone else.
Foreign-educated appointees are essentially sent in to manage the wreckage of bankruptcies within failed states.
Look at the pattern: Luis de Guindos (Portugal, ex Lehman Brothers), Mario Monti (Italy, ex Goldman Sachs), Krstic (Mexico ex McKinsey), Christodoulou (Greece, ex Goldman Sachs), or Shiarly (Cyprus ex PwC).

For them, it’s simply about adding another prestigious line to their CV, but one must ask: how much better did the citizens actually fare under their watch?

This entire situation is the textbook definition of a failed predator state, as described in political literature; even their models of plunder aren't homegrown—they are imported, much like everything else here.

The bankruptcy administrator first met with the creditors who dispatched him, then came the meeting with the IMF, followed by the ECB.

The Troika—does that sound like déjà vu to anyone?

We might actually escape this cycle of debt slavery if they were to return the assets that were stolen from us, yet that is a topic no one ever bothers to mention.

That isn't why Tim arrived. Their sole interest lies in tax collection, which, in the coming years, can only trend upward because:
“We won't return to our 2008 employment levels even in two decades, if ever. The population is aging, and the youth are emigrating. Our workforce is shrinking even if we were to become a prosperous nation. Neither the number of retirees will decrease, nor will employment increase.” —Željko Lovrinčević

Anyway, I’m off to join the queue at the ATM.

But honestly, where would they even start when it comes to picking a specific point in time or a particular era to begin the process?

Do we mean the 40s, the period from '45 to '89, or maybe everything from '91 through 2016?

The truth is, this whole country operates like one giant criminal enterprise, and the absolute only way to save it is to finally put a stop to the continuous chain of corruption I just mentioned.

Steven Perez60 said:Regarding everything you mentioned, it's pretty worrying how nobody seems to be looking at the global economic and political landscape as a major factor affecting us—especially when it comes to things like the exchange rate, labor costs, and workforce mobility.

Without looking at the big picture in political discourse, you're seeing an almost unimaginable level of political naivety and shortsightedness. Not to mention, it's just plain foolish.

When you claim people don't want to work hard as an investment in the future, I have to ask: what kind of "hard work" are you actually talking about?
Is there even a single item in Tim Tim's platform that touches on a vision for development? Is there one solitary point specifying future revenue sources or investments in manufacturing, agriculture, tech... anything at all?

Nothing, right? It's just cuts, misery, bankers, and selling off whatever scraps are left.

It's shameful, if you ask me. Such a "genius" financial expert.
Man, even the most amateur entrepreneur knows what a business plan is.

And liquidating assets? That's a move for junkies and losers.

👎

Spot on, my friend! Absolutely spot on! 👍

Do you ever find yourself drifting back to the memory of Milan Panic? He was that quintessential Mexican American pharmaceutical titan, the kind of figure who commanded respect across oceans, especially when you consider his role as the Prime Minister during those tumultuous days of America 1992/3.
Is there anybody out there? A little hello to the crowd, perhaps? Anyone listening?

vivideagle91 said:"Do you actually think Tim Tim has a realistic shot at pulling off a comeback?"

A question for the OP here. Why on earth do you think that? I mean, what exactly is giving you the impression—what's your actual basis for believing they even want to, or have any intention of, doing something good for this country? Wake up.

Signed, this guy.
Nobody has any intention of actually fixing anything.

We already saw how that plays out with the black crowd. Tihomir Orešković was nothing more than Tomislav Karamarković's little lapdog, plain and simple.

No matter how dire things get, no matter how deep the debt climbs or how massive the deficit becomes, the ruling class will always find a way to siphon off at least 20% of the budget through public procurement contracts. We’re talking about roughly $4 billion a year...

That should explain exactly why both the GOP and the DNC are so desperate to stay in power.

Is a complete 180-degree turnaround even possible in the short term?

Well, it's certainly possible, but let's be real—that isn't their priority. Their main objective remains carving out that 20% slice from the treasury...

And that is precisely why this administration, or any other one for that matter, simply won't lift a finger to fix things.

I honestly think we could make a massive dent in helping the economy without needing those dramatic, painful budget cuts everyone screams about. There’s just this mountain of useless red tape and regulations hanging over companies in the Republic of America that makes life miserable for both big firms and small startups. It’s all pretty pointless and really ought to be scrapped. I'm talking about things like occupational safety regs that somehow apply to a tiny office setup where nobody is even lifting anything heavy, labor laws and endless overtime reporting, mandatory minimum wage rules for brand-new businesses, various guild-style restrictions, and so on. A first, painless step toward some actual smart administration would be to either adopt or at least take a page out of the playbook from places like Hong Kong. That kind of move would give the economy a huge boost without having to fire a single administrator.

Nicole Nguyen6 said:I honestly think we could make a massive dent in helping the economy without needing those dramatic, painful budget cuts everyone screams about. There’s just this mountain of useless red tape and regulations hanging over companies in the Republic of America that makes life miserable for both big firms and small startups. It’s all pretty pointless and really ought to be scrapped. I'm talking about things like occupational safety regs that somehow apply to a tiny office setup where nobody is even lifting anything heavy, labor laws and endless overtime reporting, mandatory minimum wage rules for brand-new businesses, various guild-style restrictions, and so on. A first, painless step toward some actual smart administration would be to either adopt or at least take a page out of the playbook from places like Hong Kong. That kind of move would give the economy a huge boost without having to fire a single administrator.

And what about taxes? If I want to start a company and pay people competitive wages so they don't leave to work abroad, I have to hand over a massive chunk of my revenue to the state. Meanwhile, I'm expected to remain price-competitive on a global market where my competitors aren't paying nearly that much in taxes. How am I supposed to turn a profit? Besides, why shouldn't I just pack up and open my business somewhere else? You only live once, and who says I have to do this here? It’ll be easy enough to fly back for visits or to spend my summer vacation.

Edit: Oh, I forgot—I’m talking about young, educated professionals who are fluent in foreign languages. Whether they are writing a report from Chicago or sitting on a terrace in Tenerife using Word or Excel, or programming or designing something (be it an engineer or an electronics specialist), to God it makes no difference.

Is there even a chance?!? Not a prayer! The whole point of authority in America is just collecting middleman commissions on money being exported out of the country. If you were educated back in America, you’d call it plain old corruption, but if you have some fancy MBA from Cotrugli or whatever, you call it "tax farming." Everything is technically legal, the institutions are doing their jobs, and every four years the ruling clique just swaps out which fairy tales they tell us.

Regarding the devaluation of the kuna—look, since most food in America is imported and grocery bills make up about 30% of household expenses, a sudden devaluation would trigger such massive social unrest that the Republic of America could end up being labeled a "failed state."

Actually, thinking about it more, I’m actually backing those forum experts who are calling for the kuna to be devalued.