Tractors and (upcoming) tariffs?

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Bash the USA, then move to a foreign country and bash the USA from their new crib in their new country?
Maybe they couldn’t cut it here?

Nobody thinks the USA is perfect. In fact, I’d like to see a lot of changes, but nobody ever promised you a rose garden.

The mentality of European populace is differentiated from here. If you’ve ever lived in any of these countries, you would find that the predominant feeling is about caring for one another rather than competing against each other or for that matter, passing judgement on one another.
It explains why they have embraced socialism in the first place and have little problem with higher taxing in order to sustain benefits for all.
We ( myself included), have fought very hard for our own and our families benefit and do not take lightly of the capable, mooching off the spoils of our toil. We as a populace, seem more independent and the fight for independence is in our historical dna so to speak.
This has been embedded and imprinted into our brains from grade school. The Europeans act more as a collaborative and thus take the humanity part of us more to the forefront.
This is just my opinion from my experience with them but l understand how we appear to them as “the ugly American” and how we disdain their socialistic tendencies as an affront to the spirit of independence.

 

[Portuguese Farmer]

It explains the eastern coast as well. My state has been democrat controlled for 80 years but none of these controlled bastions are what they initially stood for.
The next question is how it got where it got and l think surprisingly, it was about college professors influence. So the media comes out with most college educated people voted democrat. Why are so many college professors leftist in belief systems?
Brown University came out against the war where we were attacked by the Japanese.

How did it get this way, the people handed their power back to the government.

 

[Portuguese Farmer]

The mentality of European populace is differentiated from here. If you’ve ever lived in any of these countries, you would find that the predominant feeling is about caring for one another rather than competing against each other or for that matter, passing judgement on one another.
It explains why they have embraced socialism in the first place and have little problem with higher taxing in order to sustain benefits for all.
We ( myself included), have fought very hard for our own and our families benefit and do not take lightly of the capable, mooching off the spoils of our toil. We as a populace, seem more independent and the fight for independence is in our historical dna so to speak.
This has been embedded and imprinted into our brains from grade school. The Europeans act more as a collaborative and thus take the humanity part of us more to the forefront.
This is just my opinion from my experience with them but l understand how we appear to them as “the ugly American” and how we disdain their socialistic tendencies as an affront to the spirit of independence.

I don't think it's an "ugly American" issue but seen as a "people don't stick together" issue.....Carnation Revolution 1974, Portugal.

 

[edgarrian]

I don't think it's an "ugly American" issue but seen as a "people don't stick together" issue.....Carnation Revolution 1974, Portugal.

I personally think we will have more divide. The MSM here and abroad keeps the fire lit. The dis-information, mis-information, and censorship machine will continue to get worst. Those three things will keep wars ongoing. Funding for wars ongoing. Keep people unhinged by who is elected. Run stories on those individuals that are false or not fully disclosing the truth. The pandemic showed everyone in basically every country who is really in control. With the exception of a few countries that didnt lock down and force mask mandates and so on. Here im the states people are continually race baited. ITs relentless with the media. George Floyd while tragic was something to learn from. The court case which very few people know about is eye opening. There were so many details left out of every MSM outlet that its no reason people are so divided. How do you change all this. Not sure bc there is billions of dollars behind the dis-information, misinformation scene. Military contractors are all in on it. IN my view it will get worst and spread abroad.

 

[ultrarunner]

The court of public opinion is where many things are decided...

By and large European countries are small and dependant... some landlocked etc.

Wars have devastated Europe several times in not so distant memory.

It is a different mindset where prostitution and drug use traditionally more tolerated...

I've hosted younger people from Europe and they all treasure their time in the States but not enough to live here when starting families, etc...

The social net is often much greater there...

 

[arrow]

How did it get this way, the people handed their power back to the government.

I swear that is the goal of our present politicians.
By giving the country away, they get to be re elected over and over again. Just make us dependent on government subsidies and control the media narrative. Their socialistic tendencies are not so much aimed for the benefit of their constituents but more for the benefit of themselves
My entire wife’s side of 10 siblings (7 sisters 3 brothers are all leftists with one exception). Myself on the other hand tends to be more right minded. That being said, misplaced sentiments or not, l think they are the kindest, sweetest, loving and most giving ppl one could meet and thus, more susceptible to politicians who use these human traits simply as a sales pitch for their own benefit.
That to me is the insidious part of politics.

 

[Hay Dude]

We already have a retirement program here (Social Security). It isn't perfect, there are some structural and upcoming financial issues, but I don't know a lot of people who refuse their SSI checks on the grounds that they are "socialist".

Events in NY indicate that people might now be more receptive to some form of "socialized medicine" instead of the patchwork of denials, exclusions, out-of-networks, deductibles and so on that we have now, which resulted in the CEO of a BIG health insurance company getting shot in broad daylight on a public street, and the great outpouring of public "sympathy" shown him.

We already have some "socialized medicine", anyone who uses the VA has it, and again, I don't see a lot of people opting out of the VA's medical care because it is "socialist". The VA may not be perfect (and in some cases it is far from perfect) but it absolutely beats the heck out of nothing - which is exactly what far too many people in the richest nation in the world have.

Public health is a good investment. If people are healthy, they can (and in many cases, want to) work, they can be productive, and they can pay taxes.

It is much less expensive to keep people healthy in the first place than to make them healthy after they get sick.

We need to cooperate more and squabble less. How well does your wagon work if one of the wheels falls off?

Best Regards,
Mike/Florida

You ARE right that it is “less expensive to keep people healthy than to make them healthy after they get sick”
Have you considered:

1. Most people get sick because they eat unhealthy diets, smoke, drink, and do drugs? I bet that accounts for the vast majority of diabetes, lung cancer, COPD and overweight-related illnesses. What do you propose we do about people who chose this lifestlye?
Smoking and weed is completely legal and in some cases, encouraged. Weed is now legal in many places. Some of our “betters” are even suggesting all drug use be legalized!! Our food supply is 75% poisoned by processing, dyes, and preservatives and sugars.

2. Some people will not work, even if they are healthy. Come down to my place sometime and we’ll jump in my truck and I will drive you through either Wilmington or parts of Philadelphia. I will show you thousands of able-bodied, even super able-bodied men, who could kick our asses, just walking around choosing NOT to work.

“Cooperation” you say? What steps forward to “cooperation” do the people who eat/drink/smoke/drug themselves into expensive illnesses take toward a solution?
What steps forward to “cooperation” do able-bodied men refusing to work take toward a sloution?

What do you have in mind for #1 & #2 other than platitudes?

Best regards
Hay Dude/Pennsylvania

 

[newbury]

We already have a retirement program here (Social Security).

Good points. And yes we do have a retirement system in the U.S. But there are a lot of people who complain about it and want to derail it.

SOCIAL SECURITY was created as a safety net for those that couldn't or wouldn't save for themselves. Sort of an alternative of "tithing" to the church, then relying on the church to take care of the poor.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Yeah, SS isn't retirement... Unless you live in a tent and eat cat food.

Can you imagine living on $2500/mo?

 

[ultrarunner]

Yeah, SS isn't retirement... Unless you live in a tent and eat cat food.

Can you imagine living on $2500/mo?

Mom was very contented with her 3,000 month from social security and small IRA.

Her home paid for, her car paid for, no credit cards, etc... she was very active at her church and always had a huge produce garden giving away the bounty to friends and neighbors and selling some to cover her water bill.

She has bee gone 18 months and me paying insurance, taxes and utilities at the rates now would be a burden with the recent run up...

 

[walhondingMF]

SOCIAL SECURITY was created as a safety net for those that couldn't or wouldn't save for themselves. Sort of an alternative of "tithing" to the church, then relying on the church to take care of the poor.

Unfortunately employer retirement system, in many cases, failed to be what they promised. There is a lot of argument against "social systems" because of the poor or lazy that take advantage of them. These cases are true. But what happens when a man spends his life working for a coal company and pays into retirement his whole working life. When its time to retire and collect, the employer finds a way to go bankrupt and destroy thousands of retirements? This happens far more often than anyone would know. Retired union coal miners in Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania have had to fight for years to get the retirement promised to them.
I am a public employee and pay into a retirement system. 10 years ago, a weasel of a state treasurer invested my retirement into a private stock fund that he benefited from when he was no longer in office. The result, is that thousands of state employees lost hundreds of dollars a month in retirement. The solution to make up this difference? Increase the retirement age and the percentage pay in from the employee.
IMO, blaming the poor or lazy, which to exist, is misplaced. I choose to blame the corporate greed, price gouging and the financial manipulation of elected officials.

 

[Portuguese Farmer]

Yeah, SS isn't retirement... Unless you live in a tent and eat cat food.

Can you imagine living on $2500/mo?

All in our monthly expenses with no debit under 900€

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Everything we have is paid off. But insurance, property maintenance, etc would eat up $2500/mo pretty quickly. The difference in our budget is that we consider costs like home/property maintenance as a monthly bill. Car repair and replacement is another monthly bill. Gifts for birthdays and holidays, another month bill. I think when most people make monthly budgets, they ignore a lot of those real costs. Even a paid for car, costs me $300/mo for repair/replacement cost. How many people are actually honest about those costs? Home maintenance... How long will HVAC and a roof last? We have a sinking fund, that we contribute to monthly, for an $8000 HVAC and $25k roof. So there is another $100+ per month for expected costs in the future.

Our nest egg "should" produce $100k/yr reliably in retirement... But when costs can double in 5-10 years, that might not seem like a lot.

I think the issue is, people aren't really honest about what they spend, or will need to in the future. They consider debt payments, utilities and groceries... Which is wholly inadequate when doing P&L for your lifestyle

 

[Portuguese Farmer]

Everything we have is paid off. But insurance, property maintenance, etc would eat up $2500/mo pretty quickly. The difference in our budget is that we consider costs like home/property maintenance as a monthly bill. Car repair and replacement is another monthly bill. Gifts for birthdays and holidays, another month bill. I think when most people make monthly budgets, they ignore a lot of those real costs. Even a paid for car, costs me $300/mo for repair/replacement cost. How many people are actually honest about those costs? Home maintenance... How long will HVAC and a roof last? We have a sinking fund, that we contribute to monthly, for an $8000 HVAC and $25k roof. So there is another $100+ per month for expected costs in the future.

Our nest egg "should" produce $100k/yr reliably in retirement... But when costs can double in 5-10 years, that might not seem like a lot.

I think the issue is, people aren't really honest about what they spend, or will need to in the future. They consider debt payments, utilities and groceries... Which is wholly inadequate when doing P&L for your lifestyle

I included everything, my number is an average from 3 years living here, all inclusive.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

All in our monthly expenses with no debit under 900€

That's fantastic. We are completely debt free, and that is 1/4 of what we need, when you consider everything from groceries, to utilities, to insurance, fuel, car repair, car replacement, home maintenance, gift giving, tithing, internet, phone etc

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I included everything, my number is an average from 3 years living here, all inclusive.

How much acreage do you maintain? I mean, groceries at Walmart and Aldi here for three are $450/mo alone. Throw in property tax and gas for a car, and I'm at your number. Congratulations on living for basically free.

 

[Portuguese Farmer]

That's fantastic. We are completely debt free, and that is 1/4 of what we need, when you consider everything from groceries, to utilities, to insurance, fuel, car repair, car replacement, home maintenance, gift giving, tithing, internet, phone etc

Insurance in the states is rediciouls.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Insurance in the states is rediciouls.

To be fair we pay about $100/mo for three cars and three motorcycles

 

[Portuguese Farmer]

How much acreage do you maintain?

12 hectacres, olive trees, no need to irragate, property tax is nothing, one lot is 3.68€ and the largest lot is right under 13€ annually, or home is 154€

 

[arrow]

We need to train ppl more about entrepreneurship than the safety of wages.
That’s how the industrialists got rich and the poor remained poor.
Does this give anyone a clue as to the purpose and intent of present day politicians ?