Political Posts

[Sweet]

2 hours ago, 73 Reds said:

Its also a talent pool.  To your point, Israel is the size of the State of New Jersey and while China has a population of 1.5 billion people, Israel's entire population is comparable to that of New York City.

There are many reasons why he supports Israel.  But economics alone isn’t compelling to me in light of the much deeper relationship the US has with other countries which don’t garner nearly as much support.

 

1 hour ago, Marco Van Basten said:

You need to do better research.  He has one daughter married to a Jew and another married to an Arab.  

Good grief.  My point is that he ties to Israel but none to Ukraine.  This has nothing to do with Israel - Palestine.

[Spooky]

I voted for Carney. If he didn't become the liberal party leader I probably would not have voted. With the US becoming more isolationist and anti-trade I was hopeful that Canada could go the opposite direction, embrace free trade and try and diversify its export markets. The conservative party just started copying the US - leaning into "Canada first, for a change" which doesn't make sense. Trade is beneficial for both parties and Canada is a small exporting nation. I also liked the idea of bringing down inter-provincial trade barriers and investing in infrastructure to allow us to get our goods to other international markets.

 

The above is going to take a long time to materialize but it also feels like we are losing momentum and falling back into our old habits / political squabbles. As Canadians we are in a fight for survival in this new world of mercantilism and might makes right. We need to put aside our differences and start working together for the nation to reach its full potential. Its good that Carney is traveling abroad to build relationships but we also need to be laser focused on domestic issues - bringing down the cost of living / doing business so we can be competitive, making investments to spur innovation and grow productivity, reducing taxes and the size of the state to allow the private sector to allocate more resources, etc.

 

 

 

[SharperDingaan]

4 hours ago, Spooky said:

I voted for Carney. If he didn't become the liberal party leader I probably would not have voted. With the US becoming more isolationist and anti-trade I was hopeful that Canada could go the opposite direction, embrace free trade and try and diversify its export markets. The conservative party just started copying the US - leaning into "Canada first, for a change" which doesn't make sense. Trade is beneficial for both parties and Canada is a small exporting nation. I also liked the idea of bringing down inter-provincial trade barriers and investing in infrastructure to allow us to get our goods to other international markets.

 

The above is going to take a long time to materialize but it also feels like we are losing momentum and falling back into our old habits / political squabbles. As Canadians we are in a fight for survival in this new world of mercantilism and might makes right. We need to put aside our differences and start working together for the nation to reach its full potential. Its good that Carney is traveling abroad to build relationships but we also need to be laser focused on domestic issues - bringing down the cost of living / doing business so we can be competitive, making investments to spur innovation and grow productivity, reducing taxes and the size of the state to allow the private sector to allocate more resources, etc.

 

The old habits/squabbles only work where there is little/slow change; they very quickly become obsolete, when the gales blow and the focus changes to getting it done, versus political gotcha. There hasn't been such a recent matter-of-fact minority government budget dare/non-confidence vote ... in a very long time. The chattering class, and political newshounds, are still coming to terms with it.

 

The reality is that if Canada becomes the 51st state, or Alberta chooses a referendum, BC looses badly; the discussion is how, not whether XYZ is to occur. Similarly if Quebec wishes to retain the French language, it is very unlikely if Canada is a 51st state. We all do a lot better if we fight our provinces, work together to grow the pie, and work to grow our markets everywhere but the US. Rough hockey, and common sense, that raises the game of everyone; disputes resolved the old fashioned way, behind the barn.

 

The Trudeau era was all about distribution, and arguably the pendulum swung too far; the reality is that you cant distribute what you don't have. The new era is all about growing the pie and distributing once its done; the pendulum swinging back. Now it's just who has the better managers, and the 'Dollar a Year' men/women to make it happen; tribal politics are largely irrelevant.

 

For those who have spent their working lives in politics, it's a scary world 

 

SD

 

 

 

 

 

   

Edited November 24, 2025 by SharperDingaan

[Spooky]

4 minutes ago, SharperDingaan said:

We all do a lot better if we fight our provinces, work together to grow the pie, and work to grow our markets everywhere but the US. Rough hockey, and common sense, that raises the game of everyone; disputes resolved the old fashioned way, behind the barn.

Agreed! Let’s go 

[Jay Rent]

4 hours ago, Gregmal said:

It’s surprising how naive everyone is with respect to the relationship. Ukraine was never a real ally. It’s was a “thing” that the Bush/Obama/Biden style politicians played with. It’s main purpose was to antagonize Russia indirectly, with a call option embedded in the expansion of their little NATO/EU club. 

Why can't it become an ally, with Europe and the US, as that is better than the alternative.     The fact Europe and the USA f'ed Ukraine in the past is irrelevant to the current.   

 

Go to Europe, you will see the grassroots effort to support Ukraine is there and Ukrainians (specifically the ones closer to Europe) are more aligned with Western values. 

 

Clearly they know how to fight!

 

Yes, corruption has always been an issue.

 

Again they were holding their own until Jan 20th. 

 

[Gregmal]

8 minutes ago, Jay Rent said:

Again they were holding their own until Jan 20th. 

This isnt a serious statement, is it? 

[John Hjorth]

10 minutes ago, Jay Rent said:

Why can't it become an ally, with Europe and the US, as that is better than the alternative.     The fact Europe and the USA f'ed Ukraine in the past is irrelevant to the current.   

 

Go to Europe, you will see the grassroots effort to support Ukraine is there and Ukrainians (specifically the ones closer to Europe) are more aligned with Western values. 

 

Clearly they know how to fight!

 

Yes, corruption has always been an issue.

 

Again they were holding their own until Jan 20th.

 

Yes, @Jay Rent,

 

Excactly the existing corruption still going on in Ukraine is the mere reason why Ukraine has been held out in a streched arm with regard to membership of NATO and EU. I speculate it's a rotten embedded cultural part of Ukrainian mentality, which is pretty hard to get rid of, and to sweep for, to eradicate. It's a major issue in all this mess here on Ukraine.

 

Gradually, it has become clear Ukrainian innovation and entrepreneurship  regards drone technology has made Ukraine a leader in that field today. That's actually pretty awesome, all things taken into consideration.

[Parsad]

7 hours ago, 73 Reds said:

What about the fact that we (America) have large business interests in Israel.  We also share common values and Israel has provided the only sense of stability in an otherwise rogue region.  I could go on but why bother?  

 

73Reds, how much is the U.S. currently spending now defending Ukraine?  Cheers!

[Parsad]

5 hours ago, cubsfan said:

Israel did the world, especially Europe, a huge favor by wiping out Iran's terrorist regime/proxies.  They all know it, but won't say it publicly. Radical Islam has destroyed the Middle East, and has changed Europe forever.

 

Europe can do the world a favor and take care of the Russians or maybe you want the Israelis to do your dirty work.

 

 

 

Cubs, how much is the U.S. funding Ukraine now?  Cheers!

[73 Reds]

6 minutes ago, Parsad said:

 

73Reds, how much is the U.S. currently spending now defending Ukraine?  Cheers!

My guess is the US has spent $100 billion+ on the Ukraine war.  How much it will spend in the future is unknowable.  How is this relevant?

[Parsad]

10 minutes ago, 73 Reds said:

My guess is the US has spent $100 billion+ on the Ukraine war.  How much it will spend in the future is unknowable.  How is this relevant?

 

The U.S. is not spending any money on Ukraine presently...just selling weapons to Europe which gives it to Ukraine.

 

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10308/

 

But Europe and Ukraine can't tell the U.S. Peace Plan committee to fuck off because they would cut off the weapons sales that are keeping Ukraine in the fight.

 

The beloved Nobel Peace Prize wannabee is just another grifter...he's going to take a chunk out of Ukraine's economy and resources, while letting his buddy Putin get what he wants so that the U.S. faces no resistance on those economic gains.

 

And a few new Trump hotels and universities will suddenly pop up in Kyiv!  Cheers!

[73 Reds]

1 hour ago, Parsad said:

 

The U.S. is not spending any money on Ukraine presently...just selling weapons to Europe which gives it to Ukraine.

 

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10308/

 

But Europe and Ukraine can't tell the U.S. Peace Plan committee to fuck off because they would cut off the weapons sales that are keeping Ukraine in the fight.

 

The beloved Nobel Peace Prize wannabee is just another grifter...he's going to take a chunk out of Ukraine's economy and resources, while letting his buddy Putin get what he wants so that the U.S. faces no resistance on those economic gains.

 

And a few new Trump hotels and universities will suddenly pop up in Kyiv!  Cheers!

You just can't resist.  I'll ask again - why do you even bother?  Does it somehow make you feel better?  I'm genuinely interested in what makes people's minds tick in this way.

[bizaro86]

5 hours ago, Spooky said:

I voted for Carney. If he didn't become the liberal party leader I probably would not have voted. With the US becoming more isolationist and anti-trade I was hopeful that Canada could go the opposite direction, embrace free trade and try and diversify its export markets. The conservative party just started copying the US - leaning into "Canada first, for a change" which doesn't make sense. Trade is beneficial for both parties and Canada is a small exporting nation. I also liked the idea of bringing down inter-provincial trade barriers and investing in infrastructure to allow us to get our goods to other international markets.

 

The above is going to take a long time to materialize but it also feels like we are losing momentum and falling back into our old habits / political squabbles. As Canadians we are in a fight for survival in this new world of mercantilism and might makes right. We need to put aside our differences and start working together for the nation to reach its full potential. Its good that Carney is traveling abroad to build relationships but we also need to be laser focused on domestic issues - bringing down the cost of living / doing business so we can be competitive, making investments to spur innovation and grow productivity, reducing taxes and the size of the state to allow the private sector to allocate more resources, etc.

 

Everybody wants to have reduced inter-provincial trade barriers and the extra trade/efficiency without giving up the feather-bedded jobs that they create.

 

Newfoundland was in favour of free trade in liquor on a hypothetical basis, but when it came down to it they also wanted to make sure the brewery there didn't get closed down and the production moved to a larger/more efficient plant elsewhere (which is of course what would happen immediately). And so then nothing happens.

[Jay Rent]

2 hours ago, Gregmal said:

This isnt a serious statement, is it? 

 

Yes very serious, but thanks for a  thoughtful Trump can do no wrong response.   

 

Russia had made no meaning operational breakthru since 2022 -   pretty impressive by the Ukrainian people.  Check out Kupiansk.

 

Since January 20th:

1.  Bombing attacks by Russia have significantly increased as the US stopped helping with defense

2. Trump has put a real estate developer in charge overriding anything from the current Secretary of State  (let alone the prior Secretary of State).

3. Trump met with Putin in Alaska and achieved nothing beneficial for Ukraine.

4. Russia leaked the current peace proposal - knowing it would weaken Ukraine.

5. Anybody that is an investor on CoBF , understands the concept of economies of scale and a United DC, Brussels and NATO is better than a fractured alliance.

 

 

 

 

[Gregmal]

10 minutes ago, Jay Rent said:

 

Yes very serious, but thanks for a  thoughtful Trump can do no wrong response.   

 

Russia had made no meaning operational breakthru since 2022 -   pretty impressive by the Ukrainian people.  Check out Kupiansk.

 

Since January 20th:

1.  Bombing attacks by Russia have significantly increased as the US stopped helping with defense

2. Trump has put a real estate developer in charge overriding anything from the current Secretary of State  (let alone the prior Secretary of State).

3. Trump met with Putin in Alaska and achieved nothing beneficial for Ukraine.

4. Russia leaked the current peace proposal - knowing it would weaken Ukraine.

5. Anybody that is an investor on CoBF , understands the concept of economies of scale and a United DC, Brussels and NATO is better than a fractured alliance.

 

 

 

 

Oooff. So another “the calendar changed from January 19 to January 20th and the economy went to hell, rates rose, inflation picked up, and oh yea…Ukraine went from tied in its years long war to losing in a landslide”…lmfao you guys are too much. Frankly the powers that you assign to Trump in the real world are crazy, and only outmatched by the power you give him over your own emotional states. 

 

But yea, anyway, this non NATO, EU bordering problem child…lets make this Trump and the US taxpayers war lol….lets completely ignore as if they don’t even exist all these windbags in Europe. Heck, forget about those European nations directly funding Russia via energy purchases. Foam at the mouth MOAR about Trump lmfao…good riddance. 

Edited November 24, 2025 by Gregmal

[Parsad]

1 hour ago, 73 Reds said:

You just can't resist.  I'll ask again - why do you even bother?  Does it somehow make you feel better?  I'm genuinely interested in what makes people's minds tick in this way.

 

What bothers me is that Trump is turning back the clock on 80 years of foreign policy, pushing for democracy and capitalism, supporting its allies, fighting for freedom.

 

Instead he's choosing isolationism, nationalism, restricting global markets and pushing away allies, while enriching himself, his family and his cronies!

 

As long as the MAGA agenda is pushed, the broad policy and fundamentals that made America what it is, are now being relegated to history!  Cheers!

[cubsfan]

1 hour ago, Jay Rent said:

 

Yes very serious, but thanks for a  thoughtful Trump can do no wrong response.   

 

Russia had made no meaning operational breakthru since 2022 -   pretty impressive by the Ukrainian people.  Check out Kupiansk.

 

Since January 20th:

1.  Bombing attacks by Russia have significantly increased as the US stopped helping with defense

2. Trump has put a real estate developer in charge overriding anything from the current Secretary of State  (let alone the prior Secretary of State).

3. Trump met with Putin in Alaska and achieved nothing beneficial for Ukraine.

4. Russia leaked the current peace proposal - knowing it would weaken Ukraine.

5. Anybody that is an investor on CoBF , understands the concept of economies of scale and a United DC, Brussels and NATO is better than a fractured alliance.

 

Russia has been winning this war for years. They have 6-8x the population of Ukraine.   Alaska achieved nothing for peace since both Ukraine and Europe threw up on the proposal that came out. Now Ukraine is even worse position than the Alaska meeting - so the deal gets worse for Ukraine. You think Putin is stupid?

He knows he is winning and dealing from a position of strength.  Zelensky's position is incredibly weak after the poor showing of Europe not backing him.

 

[Gregmal]

Yea I’m not sure what media people are putting their faith in, but remember the “fuck you Russia” Ukrainian soldiers who refused to surrender and instead fearlessly cursed out the approaching Russians before being blown up? Only to then later be found safe, in Russian custody, and later returned alive? Or “the ghost of Kyiv” stories being pumped out only for it later to be revealed as a hoax? Too many lies and dishonest narrative driven media stories to count….Lmfao

 

Unlike many, my stance on the war has been the same since day one. I do find it incredible though how many, especially Europeans, literally eat, sleep, and breathe Trump, and have so much to say about something that….really doesn’t have anything to do with Trump lol. It’s like ok cool…why don’t yall go help the cause and buy some Russian gas? 

[Spekulatius]

2 hours ago, Gregmal said:

Oooff. So another “the calendar changed from January 19 to January 20th and the economy went to hell, rates rose, inflation picked up, and oh yea…Ukraine went from tied in its years long war to losing in a landslide”…lmfao you guys are too much. Frankly the powers that you assign to Trump in the real world are crazy, and only outmatched by the power you give him over your own emotional states. 

 

But yea, anyway, this non NATO, EU bordering problem child…lets make this Trump and the US taxpayers war lol….lets completely ignore as if they don’t even exist all these windbags in Europe. Heck, forget about those European nations directly funding Russia via energy purchases. Foam at the mouth MOAR about Trump lmfao…good riddance. 

Actually the countries in Europe funding  Russia with oil purchases are mostly Trump right wing buddies from Hungary and Slowakia. The rest stopped buying Russian oil.

 

Russia is losing about 1000 soldiers due to casualties every day.

[cubsfan]

5 minutes ago, Spekulatius said:

Russia is losing about 1000 soldiers due to casualties every day.

 

Yeah, true - but Putin doesn't care.  The Europeans understand that, and that's why they won't fight.

[Spekulatius]

9 hours ago, cubsfan said:

 

Yeah, true - but Putin doesn't care.  The Europeans understand that, and that's why they won't fight.

Well Putin may not care but at some point he will run out of men, material and money. He probably can outlast Ukraine,  but there won’t be much left once he is done in 5 years or so to attack anybody else. The war of attrition isn’t good for him and neither for Ukraine. If western weapon supply can make the war more costly for the Russians in terms of losses, it’s a win for Europe. 

[73 Reds]

13 hours ago, Parsad said:

 

What bothers me is that Trump is turning back the clock on 80 years of foreign policy, pushing for democracy and capitalism, supporting its allies, fighting for freedom.

 

Instead he's choosing isolationism, nationalism, restricting global markets and pushing away allies, while enriching himself, his family and his cronies!

 

As long as the MAGA agenda is pushed, the broad policy and fundamentals that made America what it is, are now being relegated to history!  Cheers!

Don't you see that this type of thought process completely undermines the system of checks and balances on which the United States has been built?  Allowing current events to nullify an entire history and extrapolating current events into infinity is simply letting emotion dictate.  You wouldn't let this happen when it comes to investing so why let it affect you this way when it comes to politics?  This forum is better than daily venting about everything and anything Trump. 

[thepupil]

21 minutes ago, 73 Reds said:

Don't you see that this type of thought process completely undermines the system of checks and balances on which the United States has been built?  Allowing current events to nullify an entire history and extrapolating current events into infinity is simply letting emotion dictate.  You wouldn't let this happen when it comes to investing so why let it affect you this way when it comes to politics?  This forum is better than daily venting about everything and anything Trump. 

I'm confused by this. Is he not lamenting the (real or perceived) loss of checks and balances? 

[73 Reds]

12 minutes ago, thepupil said:

I'm confused by this. Is he not lamenting the (real or perceived) loss of checks and balances? 

The notion that Trump's current positions with regard to anything will have permanent, lasting effect on the US and its standing in the World lacks historical perspective.

[John Hjorth]

24 minutes ago, 73 Reds said:

The notion that Trump's current positions with regard to anything will have permanent, lasting effect on the US and its standing in the World lacks historical perspective.

 

This is, to me personally, true and correct, also forward looking. I think it's possible to download an app from somewhere to your screen on your device there providing a count down box to always remind you about how long incumbent POTUS still will be POTUS, showing you years, days, hours and seconds to when his by then elected successor will enter the POTUS position.

 

This is about being aware of the timewise proportions of the phenomen.

 

Furthermore incumbent POTUS is not exactly a spring bunny, 79 years old, turning the sharp corner of 80 next year on 14^th June. The last comment isen't  a token for that I wish him over the rainbow, up or down, it's a just a fact for all of us, that the complimentary to life is death, and the order of these two is not optional, we can't opt for chosing to start dying [ ].

Edited November 25, 2025 by John Hjorth