Knock yourself out.The Trump Presidency | Biden Inaugurated
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
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Knock yourself out.I agree with everything you’ve written, especially about his base not believing about the Russian collusion.
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove California and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove New York and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world.
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove London and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Paris and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world.
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Shanghai and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Dubai and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Berlin and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Tokyo and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Toronto and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
I could go on...
It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove New York and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world.
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove London and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Paris and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world.
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Shanghai and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Dubai and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Berlin and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Tokyo and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove Toronto and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
I could go on...
Feel free to not bother.
I couldn't resist having read a stupid blanket statement.
Agree with most of what's recently been posted. I wish Americans would wake up to this and try and affect done change, for their sakes.
A country which is one the leaders in the world in innovation, has lower unemployment rate than most of Western Europe, is more diverse, has an unmatched entrepreneurial spirit, is the biggest economy in the world, has more world class educational institutions than anywhere else in the world & scores high in human development is somehow a second tier nation by "every metric". Please don't talk half shit.
A country where GoFundMe.com is responsible for more healthcare funding than any health insurance initiative is certainly not world leader in liveability.
My personal favourite is the educational institutions bit.
Because the Ivy League schools are obviously available to everyone and a typical example of the American education system.
Because the Ivy League schools are obviously available to everyone and a typical example of the American education system.
Some results of a quick Google on quality of life indexes:
- Numbeo: US ranks #10 (2018 mid-year)
- Economist Intelligence Unit: US ranks #17 (2013)
- US News: US ranks #17 (?)
- Expat Insider: US not in top 15 (2017)
Still, 'by every metric' is clearly a bit overstated. Neither is it in tier 1 though.
- Numbeo: US ranks #10 (2018 mid-year)
- Economist Intelligence Unit: US ranks #17 (2013)
- US News: US ranks #17 (?)
- Expat Insider: US not in top 15 (2017)
Still, 'by every metric' is clearly a bit overstated. Neither is it in tier 1 though.
Universal healthcare and education are some things that the US can work on. The affordable care act aimed to fill some of the deficiencies in the American Healthcare system. Trump despite his numerous efforts hasn't been able to dismantle it fully, and the next push from the democrats will definitely be towards improving the system when they are in power next. Contrary to popular belief, change takes time. You cannot flip to a single payer or any other populist system from the current system (Which also has it advantages in terms of people being able to decide on the quality of healthcare they desire) in a matter of a few years. Things have to be implemented gradually.
I could go on but I don't think it's necessary...
Feel free not to bother...
I am kidding. Go on, mate.
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Because rest of countries in the world have exceptional educational institutes that are available to everyone and are typical examples of their education system.
That's my favorite.
You're not doing this very well.
I am here to learn from you.
Let me read a few posts of yours and I'll also be making snide remarks without saying much like a boss.
I see you're the latest whatabouter and goalpost shifter. I'm gonna sit this round out, the inevitability of where it's going is already boring.
Single payer healthcare is not a populist system. Literally every other democratic first world country has it.
You could replace US with any third world country in your paragraph and it would still be accurate.
When did I use whatabouttery or shift goal posts? Is this your normal response to someone who doesn't participate in the circle jerk on this thread?
Still, I am sorry that I bored you.
No I don't think I need to. As I don't think you're as blinkered as you initially came across. Are you American? Because I suggest that instead of jumping to an immediate defence of all things American you take a step back and listen to what people are trying to say. Things need to change there as you've also alluded to, that's all we're taking about.Feel free not to bother...
I am kidding. Go on, mate.
Even if you thought it was close to perfect you shouldn't be adverse to improving it (although obviously everybody's idea of improvement is relative).
I never dissed the single payer system, I said that the US will get to a Universal healthcare system in time to come. Why can't it have the best of both worlds? A system in line with the Dutch system where a patient has more choices? Obamacare or the ACA was a good start in the right direction. Trump has thrown a spanner in the works, but it'll pass. 4 years may be a small time frame in the life of an individual but it is an insignificant time in the life of a nation. Healthcare is polling high in any poll you'll see and in time it'll be impossible for politicians to ignore it.
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Why then is there so much (relative) poverty there? Why are there ghettos and no go areas? Why are hundreds of people getting gunned down there every year? That's not even mentioning the fact that people get bankrupted and lose everything just by getting seriously ill there. It's a fecked up place if you ask me.
Mate, I only responded to:
"America is simply a second tier nation by every metric other than how much money it has. It's a broken country."
"It's a disgusting country in so many ways. Remove California and it's also a pretty toothless one in terms of its level of importance to the world."
Which are two ridiculous claims. First of, America is not some second tier nation. Second, every country has a few major cities which are it's lifeline.
I also do not believe that the world is coming to an end or America is on it's last legs because some moron was elected president against a historically bad candidate. Four years is nothing, it'll pass. Someone better will come and Trump will have to hand over powers like any other president in a democratic system.
That's the thing, its still in the polling stage whereas other countries have had it for decades. So the US is not some beacon of light or paragon of something advanced here. A single poor health diagnosis or accident is not effectively a terminal notice to your financial health because the state takes care of it.
Hell the best drama of this decade is a high school teacher in the US resorting to manufacturing crystal meth to pay for his cancer treatment.
Arnt Grades in England "worth more" in America? When i was thinking about applying for College in the States, i was told a Grade C is like a Grade B+ in America and same goes in reverse for Americans that their results meant it was "worth less" i'm not entirely sure that was the case mind.
You sound like @Raoul did in the early stages. I remember his 'he'll pivot any day now' etc.... I think he's moved from that position of blind optimism and wishful thinking towards realism based on what he's seen but he can speak for himself.
Optimism is good, better with some realism mixed in tho. I see nothing from the outside looking in that leads me to believe those things you suggest (healthcare reform, shift in current state of politics, etc) are a certainty. Can you tell me what you've seen that makes you think it's certain to happen?
You can down play electing a moron to the highest position in your country but I think that gives a window into how you see things tbh... It's a fecking shambles and I'd be saying the same if we elected a comparable moron over here in the UK.
He's right in the sense that this too shall pass. There will be a different President and normal business will resume. People are just a bit crazed by the drip-drip of draconian narratives they see on social media, but if I go outside everything is as normal as its always been.
I'll say this for her, she knows how to play the media game.
I've noticed she hasn't been in CNN at all. Wonder if they are boycotting her or if she is deliberately avoiding them.
Fecking hope so for your sakes (and even then it depends on what you mean by normal business as you've had problems over there for a long while not just now). We've got our own problems over here but it's night and day. I'm not as optimistic as you 2 are for your country but like I said I'm on the outside. Funnily enough tho and as an aside, sometimes you get more of an objective picture from the outside as opposed to from the inside.
But as for what you see when you go outside, that's relative isn't it? Your experience in your relatively small bubble (and I don't mean that in a bad way as we all live in our own bubbles) isn't representative of every Americans day to day experience is it?
'The best people'.
I haven't read all of Raoul posts, so do not know his views, but I don't think Trump will pivot anywhere. Why will he pivot from something that has his approval ratings better than Clinton or Reagan at this stage of their respective presidencies. Trump is a manifestation of years and years of indoctrination done by right wing media, pundits, commentators and whatnot. He has emboldened certain sections (still a minority, mind you) and now they feel empowered to play out their inherent biases because they feel they longer have to do in a hush hush manner as their leader is so brazen in his views and demeanor. I'd give you that it looks astonishing from the outside.
However, a lot of people who voted for Trump are not this "basket of deplorables", a good number are working class people whose lives have been genuinely affected by globalization. People who back in the day could earn a decent living but are now struggling to make ends meet. They didn't vote for Trump because they wanted to be a part of some cultural war. They voted for him as he came across as an outsider who they thought talked their language. He told people what they wanted to hear. The cultural bits get played out in the media but he also simplified and gave them an economic message that they understood. Soon enough they'll realize that he is just a conman who is there to enrich his family and his rich friends. There is already a large base of population that is averse to Trump. In time, the independents who voted for Trump will also defect to the other side.
What makes me think that it is certain is because I know people are already getting tired of all this bullshit. Trump's poppycock might keep the base happy but it is alienating a whole lot of folks who are normal, good people who want to work, feed their family & spend time with them. They want to get on with their lives.
Media and social media will make you believe that there are everyday racist attacks on people, there is pandemonium and anarchy on the streets of America. Which cannot be further from the truth. Life is going on as normal. If anything Trump's presidency has made people move aware and a little more involved in politics than they would like to be. Which only bodes well for the future. Democracy is not voting for you preferred candidate and the sitting on your laurels for the next four years. Democracy is about constant engagement. Democracy is about asking for accountability and responsiveness. This will definitely make people ask more for those things.
You see that's the thing that I don't get. You are basically explaining why Trump isn't an oddity, why he is a product of a seemingly representative part of American society but you still said in a previous post that it was just 4 years. It's not just four years and it's not just Trump but a societal issue that probably needs fixing, you either need to deal with the reasons that created that electorate or find a way to prevent the election of someone like Trump. And what I'm trying to say is true for every countries in the world, we can't just act like ostrich and put our heads in the sand.
Buddy, no one said that the US is some post war utopia where everything is gravy. They have had a system which worked and now due to changing conditions that system needs to be improved or changed. Most Americans do not believe that people who cannot afford decent healthcare should be left to die. That'll force politicians to come up with solutions, like they did with the ACA.
It didn't. Never did and healthcare is not gravy, its been a basic human right in every developed country.
Like you said, any society has elements which act against basic human decency. There was a time when there was slavery, then there was segregation, it's only 53 years ago that African-amercians got the right to vote. People and systems cannot be changed in a day. However, unfortunate it may seem to us and however may we get frustrated with the pace of change, things improve incrementally. In the meantime, it is in the hand of the lawmakers and us to make sure that the rule of law is upheld. What Trump does is that he challenges the rule of law on a daily basis, which signals to his base that they can do the same. Once he is gone, they'll go back to their holes too.
Just because it drives me bonkers, claiming the US has great education because it has the top Universities is like claiming you're the best driver in the world because you drive a nice car.
From the OECD, the US are ranked:
Reading- 14
Maths- 25
Science- 17
Things the US rank first in:
Prisoners per capita
Gun deaths per capita
Military spending per capita
Biggest capital markets
Basically the US is great to invest in, bad to live in relative to other major western democracies
From the OECD, the US are ranked:
Reading- 14
Maths- 25
Science- 17
Things the US rank first in:
Prisoners per capita
Gun deaths per capita
Military spending per capita
Biggest capital markets
Basically the US is great to invest in, bad to live in relative to other major western democracies
The numbers are ultimately a bit subjective as people are going to feel more comfortable in a particular culture than others. I've lived on both continents and wouldn't consider moving to any of the other countries that rank higher in Stem scores or quality of life.
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