Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
Support MFO
Donate through PayPal
Should U.S. buy, seize, conquer, occupy or annex Greenland, Panama, Canada, Mexico or other nation?
You don’t have to be crazy to think this way, but it helps.
No joke. At every turn, more and more absurdity faces us. Will we ever get back to normal? The majority of voters are ...... dolts.
I do not think the voters are responsible. Either you have a bad product, bad sales and marketing, or both.
Lay the blame at the feet of the "Out of Touch" party. The knock against them is the voters' perception of them as a secretive, big government, paternalistic party (may be those three things mean the same thing!). Voters hate that stuff because I think at their core Americans are compassionate libertarians but there is no party with those principles. Hillary was seen as representing the "secretive, big government, paternalistic" party and it knocked her out. The last four years Dems did little to change that negative brand perception. Joe's debate (cognitive skills) performance, Hunter's legal troubles (Nepo baby), and picking a Minnesota Gov further reinforced the negative brand perception.
With the economy doing great, with such a low unemployment rate, and great wage gains for the working class, the "Out of Touch" party lost the working class and trade union members to the "Thoughts and Prayers" party. Of course, you have to give to the strategy and marketing skills to pull together a "Coalition of Single Issue Voters."
At the end of the day, do not f. . k with people who think they do not have a lot to lose. They will gamble (your future). And they did.
Voters do not have a positive view of the "Thoughts and Prayers" party but many see that party projecting authenticity (full of imperfect humans like the rest of us, sort of relatable!.) The Dems even ignored Jamie Dimon's advice to project relatability. You have to be somewhat relatable to at least some on the other side.
Our thoughts and prayers are not enough for the "Out of Touch" party to regain the Presidency in four years unless they rebrand themselves. The circumstances for them to regain without changing their brand have to be so bad, I am not sure you want to see us in those circumstances.
@BaluBalu I stole that initial italicized phrase from @hank, above my own short post, there. Maybe it's always been true that the majority can't think beyond their own noses. Not just every FOUR years, but with regard to the House, there is often a big change brought to it by the voters, every TWO years. Most are never-endingly simply impatient, as if big changes can be done with a wave of someone's Magic Wand.
"Out of touch?" Who's out of touch? The Party which nominated and elected a felon? I can't support "Woke" either. So, I am bereft, but for different reasons than you elucidated. I'd like to see a split between the Progressive economics of "The Squad" and their Woke agenda, on the other hand. Then I might be more supportive.
The "Thoughts & Prayers" Party, as you tag them, long ago sold their soul to the "devil." Ethical expectations are not even on the radar screen anymore. Been that way for decades. And yes, Dems. are not shining examples of pure virtue, either. But there is certainly zero case to be made for any sort of equivalency between them.
Which is why so many are aghast at the Pres. election results of 2024. If Orange voters are not simply ignorant, then the other explanation has to be that they put no value on proper, ethical behavior. Their candidate fails the moral smell-test with every breath.
They are out of touch because they are out of touch with the reality of their brand perception. Calling them "Out of Touch" is just a kinder way of saying what @rono has already said. Do not blame the customer when the issue is with the product, or with the marketing of the product, or both.
As to morals and ethics, I tell all my nieces and nephews to not pay attention to morals and ethics but strictly follow the laws of the land (wherever they are) and be kind to yourself and to other human beings (just like the Oxygen mask protocol). Getting wrapped up in morals and ethics is a good way to get owned by other human beings. (Of course, these kids' parents hate me because the parents lose psychological control over their kids.)
I am happy to revise my assessment of the "Out of Touch" party brand in four years if they win without changing their brand (if the last election results by County and State are not a big enough sample size).
That brings us to Greenland. There are fewer than 57K Greenlanders. You give them $57B of US Treasury bonds - deposit proportionally in each Greenlander's bank account. May be they will join in. If I were a Greenlander, I would be nervous, though it may be good money.
They are out of touch because they are out of touch with the reality of their brand perception. Calling them "Out of Touch" is just a kinder way of saying what @rono has already said. Do not blame the customer when the issue is with the product, or with the marketing of the product, or both.
As to morals and ethics, I tell all my nieces and nephews to not pay attention to morals and ethics but strictly follow the laws of the land (wherever they are) and be kind to yourself and to other human beings (just like the Oxygen mask protocol). Getting wrapped up in morals and ethics is a good way to get owned by other human beings. (Of course, these kids' parents hate me because the parents lose psychological control over their kids.)
I am happy to revise my assessment of the "Out of Touch" party brand in four years if they win without changing their brand (if the last election results by County and State are not a big enough sample size).
Yet there is a gigantic difference between what is legal and what is ethical, more often than not. (Though let us still acknowledge that there is supposed to be a connection between the two.) Your response sounds like an amoral life is just OK with you. To hear anyone make such an assertion is shattering to me, deep down. If right and wrong do not matter, then nothing matters. Every breath, every moment, is pointless. "Be kind to yourself and others" is certainly a piece of what lives under the Ethics umbrella, yes. But nothing that matters is ever that simple. Or do you simply not count the "Golden Rule" as being connected to Ethics? That is quite a contradiction, there. Or are you just allergic to the purpose of virtue, ethics, morals? Is that an underlying assumption of yours because it's not cut and dried and scientifically observable and measurable, with its dimensions clearly delineated? ************** Do not blame the customer when the issue is with the product... Talking right past me, there. Whether or not the Democrats are "out of touch," there certainly is something dreadfully wrong/unethical when a felon gets elected to the Top Job. And it took a great many VOTES to put him there. The more fundamental, prior problem is with an electorate that must be either dumb or amoral. So, as ever, I just don't fit in.
"[F]ollow the laws of the land . . . and be kind to yourself and to other human beings (just like the Oxygen mask protocol)." [underline added.]
Everything is covered.
What I personally do, does not include "human" in the above. I add "human" for others because just "Beings" can be too strict for someone starting out.
"[F]ollow the laws of the land . . . and be kind to yourself and to other human beings (just like the Oxygen mask protocol)." [underline added.]
Everything is covered.
Not by a long shot. Although we are very far afield from the original thread. Being kind is good and ethical. But you sound determined to ignore the Big Picture: what about systems and institutions which are flawed and serve to thwart, rather than promote the Common Good? Such instances scream for reform (or revolution) in the name of Ethics, and a well-ordered society.
There are a whole lot of voters who don't feel that either major party is representing them. And that alienation is increasing by the month.
I've felt this way for some time even before Trump came on the scene. Trump does exacerbate the situation tremendously. If only we had a viable third party as a potential alternative...
Many articles have been written by scholars from leading Universities about the ways the two political parties keep the pie to themselves. Offering you a choice between the frying pan and the fire.
Comments
Lay the blame at the feet of the "Out of Touch" party. The knock against them is the voters' perception of them as a secretive, big government, paternalistic party (may be those three things mean the same thing!). Voters hate that stuff because I think at their core Americans are compassionate libertarians but there is no party with those principles. Hillary was seen as representing the "secretive, big government, paternalistic" party and it knocked her out. The last four years Dems did little to change that negative brand perception. Joe's debate (cognitive skills) performance, Hunter's legal troubles (Nepo baby), and picking a Minnesota Gov further reinforced the negative brand perception.
With the economy doing great, with such a low unemployment rate, and great wage gains for the working class, the "Out of Touch" party lost the working class and trade union members to the "Thoughts and Prayers" party. Of course, you have to give to the strategy and marketing skills to pull together a "Coalition of Single Issue Voters."
At the end of the day, do not f. . k with people who think they do not have a lot to lose. They will gamble (your future). And they did.
Voters do not have a positive view of the "Thoughts and Prayers" party but many see that party projecting authenticity (full of imperfect humans like the rest of us, sort of relatable!.) The Dems even ignored Jamie Dimon's advice to project relatability. You have to be somewhat relatable to at least some on the other side.
Our thoughts and prayers are not enough for the "Out of Touch" party to regain the Presidency in four years unless they rebrand themselves. The circumstances for them to regain without changing their brand have to be so bad, I am not sure you want to see us in those circumstances.
Maybe it's always been true that the majority can't think beyond their own noses. Not just every FOUR years, but with regard to the House, there is often a big change brought to it by the voters, every TWO years. Most are never-endingly simply impatient, as if big changes can be done with a wave of someone's Magic Wand.
"Out of touch?" Who's out of touch? The Party which nominated and elected a felon? I can't support "Woke" either. So, I am bereft, but for different reasons than you elucidated. I'd like to see a split between the Progressive economics of "The Squad" and their Woke agenda, on the other hand. Then I might be more supportive.
The "Thoughts & Prayers" Party, as you tag them, long ago sold their soul to the "devil." Ethical expectations are not even on the radar screen anymore. Been that way for decades. And yes, Dems. are not shining examples of pure virtue, either. But there is certainly zero case to be made for any sort of equivalency between them.
Which is why so many are aghast at the Pres. election results of 2024. If Orange voters are not simply ignorant, then the other explanation has to be that they put no value on proper, ethical behavior. Their candidate fails the moral smell-test with every breath.
And that thing between Hunter and Joe? Nope. It was all a lie.
https://www.courthousenews.com/fbi-informant-who-planted-misinformation-about-joe-and-hunter-biden-gets-6-years-prison/
As to morals and ethics, I tell all my nieces and nephews to not pay attention to morals and ethics but strictly follow the laws of the land (wherever they are) and be kind to yourself and to other human beings (just like the Oxygen mask protocol). Getting wrapped up in morals and ethics is a good way to get owned by other human beings. (Of course, these kids' parents hate me because the parents lose psychological control over their kids.)
I am happy to revise my assessment of the "Out of Touch" party brand in four years if they win without changing their brand (if the last election results by County and State are not a big enough sample size).
That brings us to Greenland. There are fewer than 57K Greenlanders. You give them $57B of US Treasury bonds - deposit proportionally in each Greenlander's bank account. May be they will join in. If I were a Greenlander, I would be nervous, though it may be good money.
**************
Do not blame the customer when the issue is with the product...
Talking right past me, there. Whether or not the Democrats are "out of touch," there certainly is something dreadfully wrong/unethical when a felon gets elected to the Top Job. And it took a great many VOTES to put him there. The more fundamental, prior problem is with an electorate that must be either dumb or amoral. So, as ever, I just don't fit in.
Everything is covered.
What I personally do, does not include "human" in the above. I add "human" for others because just "Beings" can be too strict for someone starting out.
Trump does exacerbate the situation tremendously.
If only we had a viable third party as a potential alternative...
Many articles have been written by scholars from leading Universities about the ways the two political parties keep the pie to themselves. Offering you a choice between the frying pan and the fire.