KnobbyNC

@shapethings: MAGA is the 3rd party y'all. Or at least the best chance we got. Why do you think the establishment vilifies it so much. Although the takeover is not complete and there is still some old guard inside playing containment. The actual left tried the same with Bernie but was defeated by the incredibly corrupt Clinton Machine and DNC.

@26forlyfe: Dude, it's a message board and we are on day 2, I'm not dodging anything I'm just trying not to write a novel here. I'm glad you're interested though so I'll answer them all. You are familiar with Davos but don't know what a globalist is? The first 3 guys I responded to were 2 Canadians and a Brit (foreigners). The 2 Canadians were deeply offended that the US was interested in restructuring the status quo and being more America first. So I refered to them later as globalist foreigners. I think I've made it clear that the US is not economically independent and I would like us to be more so, especially from China/Asia. Unlike a lot of countries we actually do have the resources to be very independent. I've never argued here that countries don't need to trade, I'm just not freaked out over a few weeks of disruption during a long overdue restructuring. I've thoroughly explained my thoughts on why that's needed but nobody seems interested in digging into that. Yes, I very much think that Trump/Musk operate differently from Davos. In fact, we are having this conversation right now because they are acting very anti Davos. I'm under no illusion that our country will not be run by elites, it always has been, and always will be. And yes, elites get some benefits, that's why they are in government. That's what the giant network of NGOs is for. The good news is, we can choose our elites, and I'm choosing the ones that are more aligned with me. I'm not sure why my PM comments are getting so much attention. It was a crack on the guy pearl clutching over Canada's sovereignty. He's not my PM, but his residence would be much less of a issue than his position. As head of the bank of England he used that authority to push ESG scores and everything the Eurocrats want. He's a globalist. Musk isn't the PM, he's a sidekick that's helping to clean up waste, i.e. dismantling the Democrat's patronage network. Musk is a tool that is giving me what I want, so right now I'm cool with him. For a leader, if given the choice I would have a preference for someone more aligned with me culturally. No, I wouldn't view Trump differently if he worked overseas. So long as the nature of that work didn't indicate that he was not on my team. I thought I was clear that I don't follow Trump. I voted for him because he promised to do things that I wanted and he has been delivering. I'd happily swap him for someone else that was better.

@26forlyfe: Well thanks I guess but I'm really just fooling around with some globalist foreigners. I'll accept the MAGA label but I would like to refute the mainstream narrative that Trump supporters are cult like followers. I've generally been to the right of Trump although he is catching up now. I don't think I have vilified any historical allies. I just pointed out to some obnoxious Canadians that they had some tough talk for a country that basically exist at the pleasure of it's neighbor. We can be friends and partners but I don't have a problem with Trump putting them in their place a little. Same for the PM. Just a shot at a guy clutching his pearls over his sovereign country while demanding we spend our money how he wants. And sure you can trust him to manage the economy in the way that the people in Brussels and Davos want. Print money, "loan" it to Black Rock at less than consumer rates. The govt., I mean Black Rock, acquires huge stakes in multinational companies. The govt., I mean Black Rock, makes sure said companies follow climate, ESG, DEI policy, etc. or the money goes elsewhere. This system has been great for white collar workers with a brokerage account but is has sucked for everyone else. The platform of the democrat party has become lets keep exploiting 3rd world serfs in dangerous non climate friendly factories so we can keep buying cheap stuff. Also, those people whose jobs we sold out, they're to needy and don't always vote the way we want. Let's replace them with a permanent underclass of central and South Americans to clean our houses and cut our grass. This system is failing. If you don't believe me, look at the birth rates. The west is not replacing itself. This is not sustainable.

@GravityCandy: Again, the sovereign country question was a jab at a Canadian that wanted to tell us how to spend our money. You have a nice country, but you are in a weak position strategically. I don't believe we have arrived at the end of history. A country can still cease to be if circumstances change. I don't think our relationships with our partners has been fractured. I think you are picking up too much hysteria from the news. We can spar a little and still be friends. Sure, it seems like it would be better for everyone if China keeps supplying the west but what if they don't agree? They have built a strong network with Russia, India, and are expanding in the middle East and Africa. Maybe they would want to weaken us to expand their influence. I'm not buying this why can't we all just get along philosophy. It all works perfectly as long as America doesn't elect Trump right? Well guess what, we did, twice. What are you going to do about it? Same goes for China. How about Russia, are they playing nice? We have been running this globalization project for a few decades and the American people aren't happy with the results. You have conceded that the entire western economy hinges on the American consumer market but our country is 34 trillion in debt and many of those consumers are also in debt up to their eyeballs.

@GravityCandy: You admitted your country shares a monarch with another country, have whined about how your economy would be devastated if you don't have free trade with the US, and said your national defense strategy is people generally like you. You're lecturing us on how to run our economy on an internet message board, I think it's fair for me to point out that your country is not as independent as you think it is. Agreed that uncertainty is not good for business. I think liberation day had the desired effect of putting everyone on notice that the US is serious about restructuring. Allies will negotiate and I hope it calms down. We can still send you oranges and you can send us lumber. I think y'all are getting too worked up over this. Trump likes to hash things out in a competitive way and then you shake hands, say good game and carry on. Like you said, we have the biggest consumer market in the world. We have also been paying for Europe's defense for 80 years and keeping the shipping lanes open. We are also 34 trillion in debt. We want a better deal. The main target here in China. You've made it clear the entire western economy hinges on America. But we barely make anything here. What if China pulls the plug on semi-conductors or electric motor components. We and by extension, you, are screwed. We have a sham economy here of fake zoom jobs and a magic money printer feeding the stock market. We need to get our house in order and your country who is so dependent on us, better hope we are successful.

@thenotoriousmic: Well I think we are in agreement that US and NATO policy helped provoke that war. Sorry I was not a member of the American foreign policy establishment for the last 30 years to help prevent that. Agreed again on China. We are way to dependent on them for parts for all of our critical military and tech equipment and even pharmaceuticals. Fingers crossed we are addressing that while bringing good jobs back for my people that are dying of obesity and drug addiction. Good luck with your Navy reopening the Suez Canal so your dirty sweat shop goods can keep flowing.

@GravityCandy: The sovereignty comments were a dig at the OP and your subsequent comments confirm that it is fair to joke about whether or not Canada is actually a sovereign nation. Great answer on why Canada exist, I agree. The Canadian govt exist to protect and promote the rights, values, and interest of the Canadian people. Guess what, the American govt exist to do the same for the American people. We desperately need to become less reliant on Asian parts and we don't care if some Canadians are crying about it. You need us a hell of a lot more than we need you. I don't think a 10% tariff on Maple syrup is going to cause a global recession, and a 10% drop in the S&P500 doesn't mark the start of one. If we raised corporate taxes would that cause a global recession?What if the EU raised their VATs? I'd be much more concerned about us printing trillions of dollars to prop up a fake stock market that people play like a ponzi scheme to keep up with inflation. And yes, to answer your last question I do think it's stupid to have a system where if one country stops cooperating the whole world is plugged into global recession.

@commental: Cool, sounds like we are in agreement. What was the down vote for? You can continue to flood your tiny island with hostile migrants and you can finance the war in Ukraine. We will do our thing over here and enjoy our big beautiful ocean.

@commental: Good answer. Do you enjoy living in an American vassal state?

@GravityCandy: Appreciate the response. The PM is a globalist that literally ran the Bank of England for 7+ years and had multiple citizenships. I think it's a fair to question just how sovereign your country is. I never said Canada shouldn't exist, I actually think it should. You gave a nice explanation for how Canada came to be, but it's very concerning that you can't answer why it should continue to exist. If tariffs are paid by the citizens of the country enacting them then why would you care about Americans paying a little more for imports? Do you really think American prices going up a little will trigger a global recession hurting billions of people? If so, that doesn't sound like a great system, maybe we need a little more decoupling.