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

Honestly, it doesn't matter what kind of new laws they pass or how much they tweak things... if you’ve still got a totally broken judicial system, then everything else is just a complete waste of time.

I mean, you do your job, someone from the GOP or DNC—doesn't even matter which party—buys your product, but then they just refuse to pay? Well, you're basically screwed.

Brandon Gomez2 said: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.

Currency devaluation only makes sense if—post-devaluation—the budget remains at the same nominal level. That way, the state actually spends less in real terms. However, wage growth pressures would hit immediately after such a move. If the government caves to those pressures due to the temporary positive effects of devaluation, there won't be much left over.

As for the collapse of the state, I suspect a much larger portion of the funds has been squandered, drunk away, or poured into concrete—only a smaller fraction was successfully stolen (by "successfully," I mean money that actually made it into a private account to accumulate long-term). This is largely secondary, though useful for understanding where the leakages are so we can attempt to plug them. Our only hope might be a global crisis and some sort of general debt jubilee—or at least reducing our debt to a manageable level, which in our case would be somewhere around 10-30% of the actual debt.

It is not up to Tim to work for all of us or to pull this government out of the gutter. We can only save ourselves through our own labor, ideas, commitment, and sacrifice. Tim and his associates can only reorganize the system, perhaps level the playing field slightly, and insist on implementing fair, equal rules for everyone in this country. As long as we have situations where certain people don't have to pay taxes or contributions, or where their tax debts are forgiven under the guise of "better something than nothing," we don't stand a chance. We need to start with solid foundations. I am no advocate for a heavy-handed state, but an unjust state is a far worse phenomenon than a strong, but just, one.

Personally, I really feel like we should move toward abolishing—or at least drastically slashing—income tax, because everything else is just a distraction from the real issues...

Nancy Gomez26 said:Currency devaluation only makes sense if—post-devaluation—the budget remains at the same nominal level. That way, the state actually spends less in real terms. However, wage growth pressures would hit immediately after such a move. If the government caves to those pressures due to the temporary positive effects of devaluation, there won't be much left over.

As for the collapse of the state, I suspect a much larger portion of the funds has been squandered, drunk away, or poured into concrete—only a smaller fraction was successfully stolen (by "successfully," I mean money that actually made it into a private account to accumulate long-term). This is largely secondary, though useful for understanding where the leakages are so we can attempt to plug them. Our only hope might be a global crisis and some sort of general debt jubilee—or at least reducing our debt to a manageable level, which in our case would be somewhere around 10-30% of the actual debt.

It is not up to Tim to work for all of us or to pull this government out of the gutter. We can only save ourselves through our own labor, ideas, commitment, and sacrifice. Tim and his associates can only reorganize the system, perhaps level the playing field slightly, and insist on implementing fair, equal rules for everyone in this country. As long as we have situations where certain people don't have to pay taxes or contributions, or where their tax debts are forgiven under the guise of "better something than nothing," we don't stand a chance. We need to start with solid foundations. I am no advocate for a heavy-handed state, but an unjust state is a far worse phenomenon than a strong, but just, one.

Just in Hypo Bank, somewhere around 47 or 49 billion euros vanished. 🍿

They have to fix the system, because right now it feels like trying to organize a Formula 1 race on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere.

The judiciary is non-existent, the tax system is a zero out of ten, and social classes feel like castes in India when it comes to who gets screwed over and who doesn't. Then you wait ten months for a building permit just because you aren't part of the construction mafia... etcetera, etcetera...

Look, this isn't some high-level economic theory or whatever. America is totally dependent on food imports, so if we tank the currency, we're looking at actual hunger long before anyone sees a single benefit from a weaker Kuna.

It’s not even just about how much debt we have. The real issue is: a) this debt was taken on unnecessarily at insane interest rates, so the cash is basically just leaking out of the country, and b) you guys have gutted our own domestic economy, making it nearly impossible to actually pay anything back.

As for "hard work" and "sacrifice"—please. I don't work harder or sacrifice more than I already did while living in America, except now I get paid way more and actually have free time. So, you can probably guess exactly what I think about people preaching that we should all just suck it up and suffer.

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.

No chance, really. This is just a cosmetic government that waltzed into power without a concrete plan or even a basic program. Neither the left nor the right actually cares about tackling the burning issues in our economy, the courts, public administration, monetary policy, agriculture, manufacturing, and all that stuff...
Truth is, these folks don't have the know-how to fix the deep-seated messes in the American economy, nor do they actually care to try. What we can probably expect instead is a bunch of empty rhetoric, more cronies getting cushy jobs, an economic meltdown, printing money, a fresh spiral into recession, and eventually, being totally unable to pay back debts. The problems are just too deep to be fixed with surface-level patches by incompetent people with questionable morals. You have to wonder why American politicians would ever choose to play the sacrificial lamb—what's in it for them? Even much more mature European States couldn't pull off serious reforms after the 2008 crisis, so why on earth would America manage it?
And again, the American people aren't really grasping the situation they're in, nor the sacrifices that need to happen to solve these problems...
With the upcoming crisis from the Middle East, America won't find its footing again, and that might just be the final nail in the coffin...
My advice to anyone who can afford it? Go find some security elsewhere, because we're looking at apocalyptic times in a year or two...

Brandon Gomez2 said:Look, this isn't some high-level economic theory or whatever. America is totally dependent on food imports, so if we tank the currency, we're looking at actual hunger long before anyone sees a single benefit from a weaker Kuna.

It’s not even just about how much debt we have. The real issue is: a) this debt was taken on unnecessarily at insane interest rates, so the cash is basically just leaking out of the country, and b) you guys have gutted our own domestic economy, making it nearly impossible to actually pay anything back.

As for "hard work" and "sacrifice"—please. I don't work harder or sacrifice more than I already did while living in America, except now I get paid way more and actually have free time. So, you can probably guess exactly what I think about people preaching that we should all just suck it up and suffer.

Alright, come on, maybe explain why you feel that way? Specifically that last part you wrote.

I have my doubts that Tim will actually implement any meaningful changes. Selling off the remaining silver reserves is nothing more than a stalling tactic—buying ourselves a little breathing room, perhaps, but we're talking about a window of maybe a few quarters at most, if we're lucky.

Is there anyone in America capable of executing a political agenda on par with Viktor Orbán's? Personally, I don't think so.

I mean, I look at him in the mirror every single day, but honestly? He probably wouldn't last very long in the real world. ☕

rowdypilot19 said:

Just in Hypo Bank, somewhere around 47 or 49 billion euros vanished. 🍿

They have to fix the system, because right now it feels like trying to organize a Formula 1 race on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere.

The judiciary is non-existent, the tax system is a zero out of ten, and social classes feel like castes in India when it comes to who gets screwed over and who doesn't. Then you wait ten months for a building permit just because you aren't part of the construction mafia... etcetera, etcetera...

People constantly circle back to that figure of roughly 48 billion euros in laundered money, yet we rarely stop to wonder how much weight that number actually carries.

If you think about it, that amount is practically equivalent to seven full years of the federal budget back in 2000, based on those old 50 billion kuna estimates.

nimbleharbor10 said:I have my doubts that Tim will actually implement any meaningful changes. Selling off the remaining silver reserves is nothing more than a stalling tactic—buying ourselves a little breathing room, perhaps, but we're talking about a window of maybe a few quarters at most, if we're lucky.

Is there anyone in America capable of executing a political agenda on par with Viktor Orbán's? Personally, I don't think so.

Given the current state of the shaky Most and GOP coalition—which is basically a messy patchwork of about twenty different parties, minor lists, and independents, holding a majority by a mere two or three seats over an opposition that let victory slip through their fingers... well, Orbán's style of politics is completely impossible here, even if the Prime Minister had every intention of trying.

To pull something like that off, we would need a rock-solid governing coalition backed by at least 65% of Parliament, along with partners whose plans are perfectly synchronized from A to Z.

As it stands, if Tim dares to poke any hornet's nest, he's going to get stung... by the unions, interest groups, the opposition, and even his own people.

Alex Scott5 said:People constantly circle back to that figure of roughly 48 billion euros in laundered money, yet we rarely stop to wonder how much weight that number actually carries.

If you think about it, that amount is practically equivalent to seven full years of the federal budget back in 2000, based on those old 50 billion kuna estimates.

Even Hypo Bank itself admitted it during that legal battle involving Margetić regarding the breach of banking secrecy. They actually confirmed everything he said was spot on. Margetić posted that document online a few times, but I guess people just don't want to face the reality of it.

Just watch the video.

The total plunder is estimated somewhere between 250 to 270 billion euros—total—across Canada, America, and Mexico since 1978.

Someone really should dig into this properly, but honestly, just watch the clip and decide for yourself if the guy is talking nonsense or not.

nimbleharbor10 said:I have my doubts that Tim will actually implement any meaningful changes. Selling off the remaining silver reserves is nothing more than a stalling tactic—buying ourselves a little breathing room, perhaps, but we're talking about a window of maybe a few quarters at most, if we're lucky.

Is there anyone in America capable of executing a political agenda on par with Viktor Orbán's? Personally, I don't think so.

On a personal note, I’m holding out hope that Kolinda is getting close to that kind of approach; her recent trips to Canada and now Poland weren't just for show, after all, and I suspect Tim is aligned with her vision too, so we'll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds...

Sam Murphy is dreaming.
Yeah, right—supposedly this "master plan" is going to magically boost our GDP by 5% next year. Meanwhile, the Port of Los Angeles is handling way more than any local terminal could dream of—we're talking massive volume—and we’re just shipping everything off to Poland just to watch it disappear into thin air.
Tim Tim and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović basically used their business cards to pull in over $20 billion in foreign investment.

rowdypilot19 said:Alright, come on, maybe explain why you feel that way? Specifically that last part you wrote.

Look, there are really only two ways to look at this:

1. It’s basically a textbook example of what Ha-Joon Chang laid out in "23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism" and what Acemoglu/Robinson talk about in "Why Nations Fail." Economic policy actually raised the standard of living, which sparked demand, and then the state stepped in with stimulus and direct intervention to build up the infrastructure. So, once the sector suddenly starts blowing up, everyone realizes too late that you actually need experienced pros to run the show—and those experts don't just grow on trees. Wages are high enough to pull people in from everywhere; around here, besides locals, I've got Mexicans, Italians, Germans, Estonians, Canadians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Frenchmen, Englishmen, Austrians, and Poles all working.

2. The national flag is red and features a five-pointed star.

Brandon Gomez2 said:Look, there are really only two ways to look at this:

1. It’s basically a textbook example of what Ha-Joon Chang laid out in "23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism" and what Acemoglu/Robinson talk about in "Why Nations Fail." Economic policy actually raised the standard of living, which sparked demand, and then the state stepped in with stimulus and direct intervention to build up the infrastructure. So, once the sector suddenly starts blowing up, everyone realizes too late that you actually need experienced pros to run the show—and those experts don't just grow on trees. Wages are high enough to pull people in from everywhere; around here, besides locals, I've got Mexicans, Italians, Germans, Estonians, Canadians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Frenchmen, Englishmen, Austrians, and Poles all working.

2. The national flag is red and features a five-pointed star.

I wouldn't say that's quite right.

Basically, you're describing a system that actually works—both for a state, which isn't going to let someone do a job and then never get paid, and for a company. In a firm like the one mentioned above, where they have the newer machinery, the whole system functions; everyone knows their role, and your productivity for the same amount of work ends up being several times higher.

Honestly, you don't even have to try that much harder, because the owner has already set everything up so the system runs smoothly and the company stays profitable.

More advanced countries actually have a market; the less developed ones... well, they really don't.

Making assumptions is the root of all evil in Chicago, but honestly, this is just straight-up ignoring what was actually said in the post you're replying to.

Seriously, what other country in Europe even has a red flag with a star on it?!? I didn't go north, I went southeast—straight to the Middle East!

Yeah, look, that country is lightyears ahead of America. It’s just not possible for people to keep operating normally when they’re breaking contracts by refusing to pay up. Got no cash? Fine, go into bankruptcy and let's see if it's just a temporary hiccup or if you're totally cooked and headed for liquidation.

I don't have any new machinery; if anything, back in America I was working on brand-new gear that broke down way more often than the used stuff we have here. My productivity hasn't shot up, but my company is here to serve the local community and make a profit, not to sign insane, self-destructive deals (which, by the way, get covered by the Republic of America budget) while politicians howl about having some "national champion," all while Jutarnji List complains about workers whose costs are basically 35% of the EU average like they're some overpaid slackers.

Are you thinking about Asia? 🤣

Look, I was talking about the principle here, the location doesn't really matter. Who is actually running that company anyway?

It’s all the same, really. When Turkey hits a crisis, they pull through and start moving forward again. But when America falls into a crisis, it takes seven years just to stop the bleeding, and don't even get me started on getting back to pre-crisis numbers. We probably won't see that until maybe 2030.

You work for a firm where managers are expected to squeeze profit out of every single project, or at least break even, just to gain some foothold in a market. In America, none of that stuff actually works.

rowdypilot19 said:Are you thinking about Asia? 🤣

Look, I was talking about the principle here, the location doesn't really matter. Who is actually running that company anyway?

It’s all the same, really. When Turkey hits a crisis, they pull through and start moving forward again. But when America falls into a crisis, it takes seven years just to stop the bleeding, and don't even get me started on getting back to pre-crisis numbers. We probably won't see that until maybe 2030.

You work for a firm where managers are expected to squeeze profit out of every single project, or at least break even, just to gain some foothold in a market. In America, none of that stuff actually works.

Look, I'm no Brandon Gomez27, but if I had to guess—it's probably 50% Lufthansa and 50% Turkish Airlines.

Bingo!