God help America

[nomadpete]

A rational analysis. Sadly, one could easily replace the word 'Canada' with 'Australia', and it would be even more true. If only I wasn't such an agnostic I'd start a thread "God help Australia"

 

Quote:-

 

"In the current circumstances, deeper integration with the United States is profoundly contrary to Canada’s long-term interests. Our interests would best be served by reducing our reliance on the American economy and ending our deference to the United States government. We can do this both by pursuing an independent and non-aligned foreign policy, enhancing our trade relations with other stable, functioning democracies and, most importantly, by investing massively in our capacity to produce domestically the goods and services upon which the well-being of Canadians depends.....

 

By hitching Canada’s boat to the American Titanic, they are jeopardizing our future."

[old man emu]

8 hours ago, onetrack said:

https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2022/01/07/insurrection-has-led-to-dereliction-of-duty/

These leaders might rationalize their fecklessness by arguing that discharging large numbers of troops would weaken the military and it would be difficult to replace them in an all-volunteer force. 

 

How difficult would it be? Second Amendment: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

 

Now will we see those who demand their Second Amendment "rights"  fulfilling their Second Amendment responsibilities?

[nomadpete]

Maybe the US should conscript all owners of military style weapons, using the Second Amendment. Think about how that might play out.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Words fail me.. I have spent a lot of time in the US.. and have many American friends - mostly ex. military.. As usual, the people and the government are two very different entities.

 

But, the recent events in the US  show a decline in unity.. I would never have thought some of my friends would have supported Trump.. and their reasons were flimsy. I still love them.. but it shows politics is not about the people anymore - in the US, UK, Aus, etc.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Jerry_Atrick

[nomadpete]

Jerry. Although I haven't spent much time at all on US soil, I conclude that their nation's biggest problems are similar to our own.

 

There is a massive disconnect between the actual folk (and their values, thoughts) and the country's direction.

 

The folk just want to have a government that looks after their big picture needs (such as infrastructure, etc), and lets us plebs get on with our lives.

 

The distrust that erodes democracy, comes from governments that are not transparent AND honest.

 

The lack of consistent honest communication leads people to desperately search elsewhere for answers. Often in the wrong place. But they do so because dishonest governments have created so much distrust that public now believe that governments and MSM are corrupt compulsive liars. So, a anonymous comment on a facebook page now has more credibility than anything the governments ever say (even if they are momentarily telling the truth).

 

The conspiracy theorists can spin a stories that, although false, have more continuity of thought and snippits of fact, than all of a PM's disjointed sound bites. Is it any wonder what results?

 

The rot starts at the top.

[Yenn]

It is not only the USA where the people have different views from the government. It is the same all over the world.

Just look at those countries we have declared to be evil. Are their citizens all wanting to kill us as our government would have us believe. Look at Indonesia which Australia is scared of, lovely people. Look at all the countries where at this very moment the governments are at war with their citizens.

Without governments this world would be a much saner and safer place

[facthunter]

And HOW would it work without rules and some form of enforcement to protect the vulnerable. Government is not the problem. Corrupted Government is.. Was , Is and always will be. Nev

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

would it work without rules and some form of enforcement to protect the vulnerable

I think that our Public Servants are better equipped to keep the place ticking over than self-centred politicians. 

 

Sir Humphrey conveyed the idea of the Public Service being the steady hand on the tiller of the Ship of State as it navigated troubled waters:

 

Sir Humphrey: Bernard, I have served eleven governments in the past thirty years. If I had believed in all their policies, I would have been passionately committed to keeping out of the Common Market, and passionately committed to going into it. I would have been utterly convinced of the rightness of nationalising steel. And of denationalising it and renationalising it. On capital punishment, I'd have been a fervent retentionist and an ardent abolitionist. I would've been a Keynesian and a Friedmanite, a grammar school preserver and destroyer, a nationalisation freak and a privatisation maniac; but above all, I would have been a stark, staring, raving schizophrenic.

[facthunter]

A politically Neutral Public service  can serve the people well but like all such institutions, will "Empire Build". if left to it's own devices.

   Voter power at election time should reward or Punish the government as appropriate. The system relies on a professional  non monopoly media to probe in dark places and make the system work. Failure of the Media to do it's job is where the problem lies fairly and squarely..Media should play no direct part in forming any government. Here the media tells the gov't what the policies are to be and punishes it when it fails to comply. Media is not elected neither is any business. . US Coorporates have more power than most of the worlds governments Trade deals compel governments not to impede profit by the corporations.  Nev

[Marty_d]

Jeez you lot are a cheery bunch today!

[nomadpete]

Well it's too foggy and drizzly to go outside and do anything productive, so we settled for staying indoors and whinging

[red750]

An American Bedside Table.

 

 

Admire the workmanship in this piece of furniture.

 

What's that you said?

 

[facthunter]

Make you a bit slow on the drawer.  Nev

[onetrack]

Only in America could you spend so much time and effort in hiding guns that that you'd never even get to use, if you were ambushed by a killer with a firearm. Because someone invading a property carrying a firearm is out to kill the owner, because they know they have guns, too. 

[old man emu]

But what a great design for hiding your stash.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I actually like it... Not for the purpose that it is being shown for.. but as the presenter/builder said, "I don't know why people would shoot at bumps in the night..." So, I think there was a bit of a p155 take.. but that it a clever bit of furniture.... I would hide my mobile phone and earphones in there.. they are always being commandeered by others.

[onetrack]

My life experience is that thieves get straight into anything that looks like it might hide something. It's amazing how thieves can find hidden stashes.

A thief left to it for 5 mins, would rip that table apart with a large screwdriver or jemmy bar, and find all those firearms in 30 seconds flat. As they say, locks and security only keep honest people out.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Here is an interesting case around "at-will" employees. When I worked in the US for a dot bomb company, I was in charge of a team who were all at-will. It was an eye opener. No protections, just simply walk them out the door, or they just didn't turn up to work. And this wasn't unskilled workers. Many professionals (in my case, software developers) were and still are at-will employees. In this vid, it looks like medical professionals, too.

 

Crazy case. and I cannot understand why the judge ordered an injunction. For once, this free labour market worked to the advantage of the employees.. Looks like it isn't as free a labour market as it is purported to be. It's half an hour, but after about 5 minutes, you will get the idea.

 

BTW, standard annual leave is 2 weeks a year, and only max one week at a time. They have 2 weeks sick as well. The company that brought me to the UK used to allow their staff to take thir 4 weeks as they liked.. and this was a huge attraction for quality staff. Most of the London office when I joined were Americans, and they gulped at the minimum 4 weeks/year holidays. And were they riled, when after my first year of working, I took all 4 weeks off in one go to holiday in Aus.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

[edit] go to about 26:30 of the video... Interesting admissions...

 

And this is the outcome:

https://eu.postcrescent.com/story/news/2022/01/21/what-we-know-ascension-thedacare-court-battle-over-employees/6607417001/

 

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Jerry_Atrick

[onetrack]

This is American business/employment stupidity at its best. If the hospital wants to keep its workers, why doesn't it draw up an employment contract with them?

Oh no, that would mean the hospital is tying itself too closely to its employees! That's not the American Way, you have to treat your employees like s***, while you rely on them 100%, to keep your company running!  

[facthunter]

Slaves were good but paying workers nothing is even better. You don't have to Buy, Feed or House them.   IF their accumulated benefits become burdensome fake bankruptcy and rehire under another name for 1/2 their previous rate.  This a raw US Capitalism and IF your competitors do it you have to do it too. WHAT an example of a way to do things for the rest of the world. to FOLLOW?  Nev

[onetrack]

The American health system was poor before the COVID pandemic, now it's even poorer. Health workers are leaving the industry in droves, suffering burnout, depression, PTSD and a loss of love for their work. In addition, angry patients are abusing them regularly, making their job doubly difficult. If you can't keep the people of your nation healthy, you're on the road to national ruin.

 

Strangely enough, despite the hatred and bile from Americans against Cuba, the Cubans place the health of their people foremost in their system of governing the nation, and Cuba is a leader in healthcare, cheap drug production, and overall healthy people.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/15/health/covid-traumatized-health-professionals/index.html

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by onetrack

[onetrack]

What is even more telling, is that America, with its overwhelmingly Christian approach to everything, with God mentioned in every facet of their Govt and society daily, doesn't even follow Biblical instructions for employees. Jeremiah 22:13 is clear Biblical instruction.

 

But the Americans really only pay lip service to the God of the Bible - their true God is the Almighty Dollar, and ruthless Capitalism trumps Biblical instruction, every time.

[facthunter]

Dog wants you to be greedy and by the way HE needs 15 million by Tuesday. The USA is GODZONE Chaos. Pre occupied with Local issues, Their knowledge of Geography is based on their past and present war zones.  and where THEIR OIL comes from.. DON'T ELECT a Socialist Government OR you will get a visit from US and we won't be smiling.  Nev

[willedoo]

19 minutes ago, onetrack said:

Strangely enough, despite the hatred and bile from Americans against Cuba, the Cubans place the health of their people foremost in their system of governing the nation, and Cuba is a leader in healthcare, cheap drug production, and overall healthy people.

Cuba is not all bad. It's not all good either, but the U.S. will always portray those who don't fall into step with them in the worst possible light. Propaganda and demonise are two words that come to mind. If your foreign policy and system doesn't mirror that of the U.S. and you don't pay homage to them, the U.S. policy is to never acknowledge any positive aspect of your country. When it comes to socialism, Cuba has a better track record than their mentor, the Soviet Union. The U.S.S.R. usually assisted other countries with some geo-strategic goal in mind to benefit themselves. Cuba on the other hand, would often offer assistance and even troops lives for no gain to themselves, mainly just to help out fellow socialists without attached strings. Only my opinion, but I think they were a more genuine example of socialism than the Soviet Union.