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Again, what one person thinks is worthwhile might not matter a great deal to another; and, if the Russian army this conflict had revealed had gone up against US formations I suppose the character of the conflict might be a great deal different. Lessons are situational. As usual, people persist...

Wonderful. Pity he couldn't manage it with the cameras rolling in the WH. He obviously has to make that point more strongly to correct the misimpression.

People outside the US who think that are misreading the US. They don't think they're bad for providing a large chunk of the means by which Ukraine has prevented Russia from taking even more and then asking for a little respect and gratitude. They don't think a war that is barely moving, and...

The assumption that we need to battle tariffs is not a given. Yes, tariffs are harmful to the exporting businesses of the exporting country because they will tend to reduce demand. But tariffs fall hardest on the people who buy the goods. Let Americans battle the tariffs for us, while we...

"It does not serve Quebec." So much for appeals to unity. There are always people who want to respect a concensus only when it is useful to them or requires no concession or risk on their part.

And that brings us to a question "sovereign wealth fund" advocates don't bother to answer. What happened when the money was spent? What utility was achieved by government spending that year? There is nothing special about royalties. Any government could create a sovereign wealth fund out of...

Based on what criteria? Oil/gas royalties fluctuate a lot, but in Norway typically account for about 20% to 30% of total government revenue. (I find this hard to credit, but my searches turned up figures in the neighbourhood of NK 500 million for oil/gas royalties and total spending...

It's easier to set aside money in a sovereign wealth fund if you're prosperous. It's easier to be prosperous if you're paying for less government. How much detail is needed to draw the obvious conclusion from "government revenues are fungible"? A lack of funds for anything could be called a...

The point is its easier to be prosperous if you're not funding as much government overhead.

Need 0 Sen Lindsey Graham counsels Zelensky before the meeting to keep his cool. "I told him this morning, 'Don't take the bait. Don't let the media or anyone else get you into an argument with President Trump. What he's doing today is resetting the relationship,'" Graham said." (here) Life...

Norway has a population about a quarter larger than AB and is not a member of the EU, so it only has to support one level of government above the cities/counties.

Chaos and collapse aren't the point. The administration has about a year before mid-term election campaigning begins, and probably has to put up with at least either the House or Senate under Democratic control after that. They know that most of their initiatives will be challenged in courts...

Unlikely. BC, WA, OR, and CA might be socially sympatico, but patriotism runs deep in the US. Most Democrats like their country and aren't on the same page with everything the loudmouth social activist minority bleats about. That is part of why it's unwise to respond provocatively to Trump's...

Yes. We saw that with the "War on Terror". That the US can f*ck up doesn't mean Zelensky can't f*ck up just because Trump is in the picture. For all the talk about people who are or appear to be defenders of Trump (which isn't really applicable except to those who defend almost everything)...

What was said before he got to the "can I ask a question" point was not so offensive that he would have had to bootlick. Pride is a deadly sin.

Trump's a 4-D Chess kinda guy.

Zelensky is there to cut a deal Ukraine needs, not to preen. I've bitched before about politicians who subvert the interests of the people they serve by letting their egos get in the way. Zelensky is one of them.

He is Trump's peer, but not Trump's equal, and Zelensky isn't there to negotiate from a position of equal strength. The US might want stuff from Ukraine, but doesn't have urgent need the way Ukraine does. I mentioned framing in another thread. Some people advance the idea that the US owes...

I don't like Trump. Understanding his path to power requires understanding why voters chose him, and that usually means understanding why voters are disaffected and who they are disaffected against. Refusing to acknowledge let alone fix the causes of the effect is pissing into the wind. Not...

Governments sell war bonds in exchange for cash. Governments sell treasury bonds in exchange for cash. In both cases, the point of the cash is to fund government expenditures.