I am not a communist. I think everyone here knows that. However, I've been spending a lot of time looking at numbers, both here and in Europe. What I am seeing is a LARGER concentration of wealth - and a larger wealth gap - than existed in the early part of the last century.
The propaganda put forth on the Fear Box in everyone's living room has until recently fooled a great number of people into believing that the nation's financial woes are caused by people recieving welfare, food stamps, etc...However, the reality of the situation is actually beginning to sink in; that this was done TO us, on purpose, by a pack of bankers and "job creators" (I love that term).
Now, it is one thing to say "I baked my bread, I shall eat it". It is another thing to say, "You baked that bread, I shall give it to Goldman Sachs". When this is coupled to the idea of the "1%", a rather scary image begins to unfold. One percent of 312 Mn people (3.12 Mn people) have taken damn near ALL the bread, and 99% of the people (308.08 Mn people) are left to poverty.
You have 308,000,000 people either working for peanuts, or being raped on salary (at 80 hours + per week), or not working at all, while 1 person for every 10 of them lives like some kind of potentate. The jackass who owns Papa John's Pizza, for example, whined about having to extend benefits to his employees, from his house, with attached 22 car garage.
That sort of shit would make JP Morgan blush...And where do you think that's going to end?
If I were Papa John (or hell, Mitt Romney), I'd be investing in very large numbers of armed guards. Soon, before the demon I had created turned to rend me.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:18:47 PM
If I were Papa John (or hell, Mitt Romney), I'd be investing in very large numbers of armed guards. Soon, before the demon I had created turned to rend me.
That's assuming that Americans are actually willing to get off their asses and DO something.
I'm not saying protest or post meaningless fucking images on Facebook, I mean, FUCKING DO SOMETHING. Get up, raise the militia just like the 2nd Amendment everyone seems to love so much says you can, and take that step toward violent revolution.
You and I both know that the majority sit at home, staring at computer screens, and go, "Well, this sucks." While signing online petitions to the White House that are going ignored. Change, unfortunately, does not happen peacefully.
He who dies with the most toys still has the most toys.
I sometimes wonder what drives those on top to hoard like some sort of dragon on a mountain. Sure there's nothing wrong with trying to get more, but there comes a point where you have to weigh that against being a selfish prick because it's depriving others of their chance to get more.
And the hypocrisy is stunning. Using this John fellow again as an example, he gave away 1 million free pizzas last year, probably at a cost larger than would take to extend health benefits to his employees.
More and more, it seems that the job creators don't create jobs by actually creating new jobs. They create them by allowing the people currently occupying them to die off, laying them off in order to hire someone cheaper, or otherwise hoping that they'll eventually just move along to the next fiefdom.
Quote from: Suu on December 04, 2012, 06:25:03 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:18:47 PM
If I were Papa John (or hell, Mitt Romney), I'd be investing in very large numbers of armed guards. Soon, before the demon I had created turned to rend me.
That's assuming that Americans are actually willing to get off their asses and DO something.
Occupy was a failed attempt, for many reasons. I doubt the next go-round will be quite as civil.
You know what would happen, Reverend, if you uttered such blasphemy around here?
"You jus don' understan polyticks. There's a SYSTEM for a REASON. GOD is watchin out fer us. You bein' not from aroun here are jus to bitter an negative an IGNORANT to see it."
Ask me how I know.
ETA, actually, it's not just Georgia. I got the same response in Iowa, when I was there.
Quote from: Cardinal Pizza Deliverance. on December 04, 2012, 06:36:46 PM
You know what would happen, Reverend, if you uttered such blasphemy around here?
"You jus don' understan polyticks. There's a SYSTEM for a REASON. GOD is watchin out fer us. You bein' not from aroun here are jus to bitter an negative an IGNORANT to see it."
Ask me how I know.
I think I have a good idea, but go ahead.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:37:31 PM
Quote from: Cardinal Pizza Deliverance. on December 04, 2012, 06:36:46 PM
You know what would happen, Reverend, if you uttered such blasphemy around here?
"You jus don' understan polyticks. There's a SYSTEM for a REASON. GOD is watchin out fer us. You bein' not from aroun here are jus to bitter an negative an IGNORANT to see it."
Ask me how I know.
I think I have a good idea, but go ahead.
First off, if you're a chick, they just blow you off because your pretty little head is too small to contain political thoughts AND those pretty fluttering birds that make up most of your other thoughts.
Second, since idiots travel in packs, there's usually five or six to agree with each other about how right they are, and there's only you so clearly you are wrong because you don't have a posse at your back.
Third, since you're working a job that pays less than their EBT or what their daddy or cousin or brother makes, then your opinions are invalid because you're just a shmuck and they're close to people or are people who are REALLY DOING SOMETHING.
And they're happy to tell you about this. And then sneer politely at you. Tell you how wrong you are, how tragic it is that you can be so deluded, despite the fact you can back up your arguments and they only have "Well that's just plain wrong, God / Daddy / Mitt Romney says so."
Then they turn in a sort of superior huffy way, spit their chawing tabaccy or their Jim Pye weed onto your clean floor and swan off to spread the GOSPEL and use your ignorance as an example of how far astray people can be led from the flock.
Welcome to the South.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:34:38 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 04, 2012, 06:25:03 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:18:47 PM
If I were Papa John (or hell, Mitt Romney), I'd be investing in very large numbers of armed guards. Soon, before the demon I had created turned to rend me.
That's assuming that Americans are actually willing to get off their asses and DO something.
Occupy was a failed attempt, for many reasons. I doubt the next go-round will be quite as civil.
When enough of them have to sit there and watch their kids starve because they made a little too much during the LAST quarter to qualify for food stamps (even though they're in THIS quarter and it's realllllll slooooooow) and they can't ask the food pantry for expired pastries and canned green beans because it's only been a week since they went there last and you can only go once a month, I like to think at least a FEW of them will decide to rock out.
First off, you might be pleased to see this:
(http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/moneybox/2012/12/03/restaurant_brands_suffering_after_anti_obamacare_rants/1354571540845.jpg.CROP.rectangle3-large.jpg)
For those with a nannywall, it shows that since making those stupid anti-obama pronouncements, Applebees, Dennys, and Papa Johns all lost money through sales.
Secondly, what do you think will happen if, by some miracle, the supposed turnaround actuall begins to be felt? All economic indicators show movement out of the pit. Will we settle back into our couches of complacency if things get better?
Quote from: Cardinal Pizza Deliverance. on December 04, 2012, 06:45:46 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:37:31 PM
Quote from: Cardinal Pizza Deliverance. on December 04, 2012, 06:36:46 PM
You know what would happen, Reverend, if you uttered such blasphemy around here?
"You jus don' understan polyticks. There's a SYSTEM for a REASON. GOD is watchin out fer us. You bein' not from aroun here are jus to bitter an negative an IGNORANT to see it."
Ask me how I know.
I think I have a good idea, but go ahead.
First off, if you're a chick, they just blow you off because your pretty little head is too small to contain political thoughts AND those pretty fluttering birds that make up most of your other thoughts.
Second, since idiots travel in packs, there's usually five or six to agree with each other about how right they are, and there's only you so clearly you are wrong because you don't have a posse at your back.
Third, since you're working a job that pays less than their EBT or what their daddy or cousin or brother makes, then your opinions are invalid because you're just a shmuck and they're close to people or are people who are REALLY DOING SOMETHING.
And they're happy to tell you about this. And then sneer politely at you. Tell you how wrong you are, how tragic it is that you can be so deluded, despite the fact you can back up your arguments and they only have "Well that's just plain wrong, God / Daddy / Mitt Romney says so."
Then they turn in a sort of superior huffy way, spit their chawing tabaccy or their Jim Pye weed onto your clean floor and swan off to spread the GOSPEL and use your ignorance as an example of how far astray people can be led from the flock.
Welcome to the South.
Yep. About what I figured. Give it 8 weeks.
Also, the real trouble is going to be Northeast, the entire West coast, Chicago, and the motor states.
Quote from: TEXAS FAIRIES FOR ALL YOU SPAGS on December 04, 2012, 06:48:29 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:34:38 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 04, 2012, 06:25:03 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:18:47 PM
If I were Papa John (or hell, Mitt Romney), I'd be investing in very large numbers of armed guards. Soon, before the demon I had created turned to rend me.
That's assuming that Americans are actually willing to get off their asses and DO something.
Occupy was a failed attempt, for many reasons. I doubt the next go-round will be quite as civil.
When enough of them have to sit there and watch their kids starve because they made a little too much during the LAST quarter to qualify for food stamps (even though they're in THIS quarter and it's realllllll slooooooow) and they can't ask the food pantry for expired pastries and canned green beans because it's only been a week since they went there last and you can only go once a month, I like to think at least a FEW of them will decide to rock out.
The entire concept, after the first week, was crap.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on December 04, 2012, 06:52:56 PM
First off, you might be pleased to see this:
(http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/moneybox/2012/12/03/restaurant_brands_suffering_after_anti_obamacare_rants/1354571540845.jpg.CROP.rectangle3-large.jpg)
For those with a nannywall, it shows that since making those stupid anti-obama pronouncements, Applebees, Dennys, and Papa Johns all lost money through sales.
Secondly, what do you think will happen if, by some miracle, the supposed turnaround actuall begins to be felt? All economic indicators show movement out of the pit. Will we settle back into our couches of complacency if things get better?
1. Awesome.
2. Yes. But they won't. 8 weeks.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:54:10 PM
Quote from: TEXAS FAIRIES FOR ALL YOU SPAGS on December 04, 2012, 06:48:29 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:34:38 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 04, 2012, 06:25:03 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:18:47 PM
If I were Papa John (or hell, Mitt Romney), I'd be investing in very large numbers of armed guards. Soon, before the demon I had created turned to rend me.
That's assuming that Americans are actually willing to get off their asses and DO something.
Occupy was a failed attempt, for many reasons. I doubt the next go-round will be quite as civil.
When enough of them have to sit there and watch their kids starve because they made a little too much during the LAST quarter to qualify for food stamps (even though they're in THIS quarter and it's realllllll slooooooow) and they can't ask the food pantry for expired pastries and canned green beans because it's only been a week since they went there last and you can only go once a month, I like to think at least a FEW of them will decide to rock out.
The entire concept, after the first week, was crap.
Occupy? Yeah. Gathering the hipster and "freethinker" tribes.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:53:23 PM
Quote from: Cardinal Pizza Deliverance. on December 04, 2012, 06:45:46 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:37:31 PM
Quote from: Cardinal Pizza Deliverance. on December 04, 2012, 06:36:46 PM
You know what would happen, Reverend, if you uttered such blasphemy around here?
"You jus don' understan polyticks. There's a SYSTEM for a REASON. GOD is watchin out fer us. You bein' not from aroun here are jus to bitter an negative an IGNORANT to see it."
Ask me how I know.
I think I have a good idea, but go ahead.
First off, if you're a chick, they just blow you off because your pretty little head is too small to contain political thoughts AND those pretty fluttering birds that make up most of your other thoughts.
Second, since idiots travel in packs, there's usually five or six to agree with each other about how right they are, and there's only you so clearly you are wrong because you don't have a posse at your back.
Third, since you're working a job that pays less than their EBT or what their daddy or cousin or brother makes, then your opinions are invalid because you're just a shmuck and they're close to people or are people who are REALLY DOING SOMETHING.
And they're happy to tell you about this. And then sneer politely at you. Tell you how wrong you are, how tragic it is that you can be so deluded, despite the fact you can back up your arguments and they only have "Well that's just plain wrong, God / Daddy / Mitt Romney says so."
Then they turn in a sort of superior huffy way, spit their chawing tabaccy or their Jim Pye weed onto your clean floor and swan off to spread the GOSPEL and use your ignorance as an example of how far astray people can be led from the flock.
Welcome to the South.
Yep. About what I figured. Give it 8 weeks.
Also, the real trouble is going to be Northeast, the entire West coast, Chicago, and the motor states.
Well hopefully the hubbub dies down by the time we're ready to move to Oregon. :P
Quote from: TEXAS FAIRIES FOR ALL YOU SPAGS on December 04, 2012, 06:56:23 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:54:10 PM
Quote from: TEXAS FAIRIES FOR ALL YOU SPAGS on December 04, 2012, 06:48:29 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:34:38 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 04, 2012, 06:25:03 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:18:47 PM
If I were Papa John (or hell, Mitt Romney), I'd be investing in very large numbers of armed guards. Soon, before the demon I had created turned to rend me.
That's assuming that Americans are actually willing to get off their asses and DO something.
Occupy was a failed attempt, for many reasons. I doubt the next go-round will be quite as civil.
When enough of them have to sit there and watch their kids starve because they made a little too much during the LAST quarter to qualify for food stamps (even though they're in THIS quarter and it's realllllll slooooooow) and they can't ask the food pantry for expired pastries and canned green beans because it's only been a week since they went there last and you can only go once a month, I like to think at least a FEW of them will decide to rock out.
The entire concept, after the first week, was crap.
Occupy? Yeah. Gathering the hipster and "freethinker" tribes.
The original concept of flash-mobbing congested business areas was GENIUS. The first time they spent the night, it was all over but the crying.
Quote from: TEXAS FAIRIES FOR ALL YOU SPAGS on December 04, 2012, 06:56:23 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:54:10 PM
Quote from: TEXAS FAIRIES FOR ALL YOU SPAGS on December 04, 2012, 06:48:29 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:34:38 PM
Quote from: Suu on December 04, 2012, 06:25:03 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 06:18:47 PM
If I were Papa John (or hell, Mitt Romney), I'd be investing in very large numbers of armed guards. Soon, before the demon I had created turned to rend me.
That's assuming that Americans are actually willing to get off their asses and DO something.
Occupy was a failed attempt, for many reasons. I doubt the next go-round will be quite as civil.
When enough of them have to sit there and watch their kids starve because they made a little too much during the LAST quarter to qualify for food stamps (even though they're in THIS quarter and it's realllllll slooooooow) and they can't ask the food pantry for expired pastries and canned green beans because it's only been a week since they went there last and you can only go once a month, I like to think at least a FEW of them will decide to rock out.
The entire concept, after the first week, was crap.
Occupy? Yeah. Gathering the hipster and "freethinker" tribes.
One of the really glaring things was how people presented themselves. With that sort of protest you want to make sure that you don't look like a bunch of smelly hippies, but rather, respectable members of society. Things like that matter. And as soon as people started acting like smelly hippies and looking like smelly hippies, the GOP meme machine went to work with those photos.
Roger, you're sound fairly certain about thing falling apart when we miss the deadline. how do you see it going down?
personally, it sounded stupid to me when they created the 'sequester' thing because they can't really create an internal threat that they cannot uncreate, which is exactly what i expect.
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 07:01:50 PM
Roger, you're sound fairly certain about thing falling apart when we miss the deadline. how do you see it going down?
personally, it sounded stupid to me when they created the 'sequester' thing because they can't really create an internal threat that they cannot uncreate, which is exactly what i expect.
I'm not talking about the fiscal cliff. I'm talking about all of Europe shitting on the same day.
what'd i miss?
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 07:09:37 PM
what'd i miss?
France going belly up in about 2 months. The entire Southern end of Europe, plus the Med, go with it.
Germany will be fine, I am told, as they are fat and sassy on the proceeds of raping Southern Europe.
Huh. hadn't really heard about it. did a google news search for 'france bankrupt' and didn't see anything immediately....
got some keywords to search?
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 07:11:30 PM
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 07:09:37 PM
what'd i miss?
France going belly up in about 2 months. The entire Southern end of Europe, plus the Med, go with it.
Germany will be fine, I am told, as they are fat and sassy on the proceeds of raping Southern Europe.
I can only imagine the excitement and anticipation that is going to start causing around here.
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 07:18:25 PM
Huh. hadn't really heard about it. did a google news search for 'france bankrupt' and didn't see anything immediately....
got some keywords to search?
Try "France Financial Crisis".
Italy and Greece are already dead in the water.
Somehow, this will be blamed on Obama by someone.
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 07:18:25 PM
Huh. hadn't really heard about it. did a google news search for 'france bankrupt' and didn't see anything immediately....
got some keywords to search?
Naw, but I could find some. I learned of this a week ago at our annual strategy overview, conducted by our CEO and his hatchet man. The information IS probably out there. I just got it in one neat package presented with no real agenda (other than the hatchet man getting to do a little "Muhaha!" Jeremy Irons evil dance).
So, your company has information that France is going to crap out and i suppose you guys have some buyers over there that you anticipate won't be buying as much...
interesting.
is the industrial chem sector in general looking bleak, or is it just certain product lines which you guys happen to produce? (from what you've gleaned)
(i know the defense industry is currently on bated breath with the sequester thing looming, which although i currently work in it, doesn't bother me a lick)
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 07:48:51 PM
So, your company has information that France is going to crap out and i suppose you guys have some buyers over there that you anticipate won't be buying as much...
Nope. But a couple of our competitors on the chemical side are gonna capsize and then get eaten by us and our other competitors. Sort of like what happens when one shark gets injured in a mass attack.
AVAST, YE SCURVY CORPORATIONS! PREPARE TO BE BOARDED!
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 07:48:51 PM
is the industrial chem sector in general looking bleak, or is it just certain product lines which you guys happen to produce? (from what you've gleaned)
You're not hearing me. "Belly up". Not restricted to our company's prospects at all. I mean in general. Our money geeks are already calling November of 2008 "the precursor".
i was speaking more specifically to your business wrt france...
but yeah... if you listen intently you can hear the chattering laughter of the gnomes of zurich as they place the final charges on the support beams of the caverns they have dug beneath all of us. they've been laughing a good while, but it's reaching a crescendo.
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 08:12:46 PM
i was speaking more specifically to your business wrt france...
Think of us as one vulture in the flight.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9689457/France-stripped-of-prized-AAA-credit-rating-by-Moodys.html
QuoteThe rating agency said France's long-term economic growth had been hit by its inflexible labour market and low levels of innovation eroding its competitiveness and industrial base.
Moody's also flagged up the country's exposure to the continuing eurozone crisis.
It warned the "predictability" of France's resilence of further shocks in the eurozone was diminishing while the country's exposure to the highly indebted countries such as Spain and Greece was disproportionately high.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9610717/French-business-erupts-in-fury-against-disastrous-Francois-Hollande.html
Quote"The situation is very serious. Some business leaders are in a state of quasi-panic," said Laurence Parisot, head of employers' group MEDEF.
"The pace of bankruptcies has accelerated over the summer. We are seeing a general loss of confidence by investors. Large foreign investors are shunning France altogether. It's becoming really dramatic."
Here's a fun site for stuff all over the world :
http://www.euronews.com/tag/economic-crisis/
Told ya.
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02400/economist-france_c_2400636b.jpg)
Europe's problem is that the EU has passed a rule that no nation can have above a 3% deficit, so all spending has to be paid for by budget cuts in other areas.
This works out great for Germany, an export-orientated nation sitting on buckets of capital (and unstable loans to new EU states in the east), but fucks absolutely everyone else in the arse, since they had just finished bailing out their banking sectors...at German and American and British insistence.
Incidentally, the UK decided not to enter that pact...a surprisingly astute move from David Cameron. Or else just a move which suggests the UK approach to the European crisis is "do as we say, not as we do".
Incidentally, bank on civil unrest in the UK in 12 months. Housing benefits cuts will have fully kicked in by then, meaning a homeless Christmas for many families, and many others having been split up and made to live in other parts of the country. Since these will overwhelmingly be people from London's impoverished and inner-city areas (ie; Newham), shit will hit the fucking fan.
Quote from: Cain on December 04, 2012, 08:35:13 PM
Incidentally, bank on civil unrest in the UK in 12 months.
Think it will take that long?
I had heard about the credit rating downgrade, but those are really popular these days.
all the cool kids are getting them.
thanks for that euronews link Cardinal!
Cain. when you say SHTF, do you mean protests? riots?
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 08:39:06 PM
I had heard about the credit rating downgrade, but those are really popular these days.
all the cool kids are getting them.
Heard about all this a week ago. The cut took place today. There's more to this avalanche of shit...What you see now is just the first few ice pebbles rattling down the hill.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 08:38:47 PM
Quote from: Cain on December 04, 2012, 08:35:13 PM
Incidentally, bank on civil unrest in the UK in 12 months.
Think it will take that long?
Well, I'm basing my estimates on those given by a former rental industry professional, who is saying much the same thing. The cuts take effect in February, but the way they are being staggered, the full impact doesn't hit until late November or so.
Quote from: Elder Iptuous on December 04, 2012, 08:39:06 PM
Cain. when you say SHTF, do you mean protests? riots?
All of the above. This is essentially ethnic cleansing of London, to make it safe for nice middle class white people who work in the City or Silicon Roundabout and don't want dirty Tottenham types scaring them into working from their private compounds.
Quote from: Cain on December 04, 2012, 08:43:16 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 08:38:47 PM
Quote from: Cain on December 04, 2012, 08:35:13 PM
Incidentally, bank on civil unrest in the UK in 12 months.
Think it will take that long?
Well, I'm basing my estimates on those given by a former rental industry professional, who is saying much the same thing. The cuts take effect in February, but the way they are being staggered, the full impact doesn't hit until late November or so.
Yeah, but won't landlords be trying to turf people out early to avoid the specter of poor, bitter people KNOWING when they'll be leaving forever?
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 08:44:25 PM
Quote from: Cain on December 04, 2012, 08:43:16 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 04, 2012, 08:38:47 PM
Quote from: Cain on December 04, 2012, 08:35:13 PM
Incidentally, bank on civil unrest in the UK in 12 months.
Think it will take that long?
Well, I'm basing my estimates on those given by a former rental industry professional, who is saying much the same thing. The cuts take effect in February, but the way they are being staggered, the full impact doesn't hit until late November or so.
Yeah, but won't landlords be trying to turf people out early to avoid the specter of poor, bitter people KNOWING when they'll be leaving forever?
Well, it's a little more complex than that.
Because this includes social housing, which is covered by a whole host of regulations regarding people leaving. It'll still happen, it just takes longer.
There's also other things going on, like the benefits claim caps, the Universal Credit scheme and payment method, councils strongarming landlords into taking social housing tenants, the DWP Crisis Loans being rescinded and a bunch of other things.
As such, it's hard to tell when any individual tenant is going to be unable to pay, but overall, its looking like October to November will be the crunch point.
Fasten your seatbelts, everyone!
I'm just hoping shit doesn't go so wobbly here that I'll be forced out of school.
:lulz: I should be able to graduate okay, but then there's the problem of finding a grown-up job. Oh man.
I hope the oil will keep Norway afloat for a while. But that's probably too much to hope for, since 70% of our exports go to the EU and 80% of our imports come from there.
Quote from: Cain on December 04, 2012, 08:35:13 PM
Europe's problem is that the EU has passed a rule that no nation can have above a 3% deficit, so all spending has to be paid for by budget cuts in other areas.
This works out great for Germany, an export-orientated nation sitting on buckets of capital (and unstable loans to new EU states in the east), but fucks absolutely everyone else in the arse, since they had just finished bailing out their banking sectors...at German and American and British insistence.
Incidentally, the UK decided not to enter that pact...a surprisingly astute move from David Cameron. Or else just a move which suggests the UK approach to the European crisis is "do as we say, not as we do".
Incidentally, bank on civil unrest in the UK in 12 months. Housing benefits cuts will have fully kicked in by then, meaning a homeless Christmas for many families, and many others having been split up and made to live in other parts of the country. Since these will overwhelmingly be people from London's impoverished and inner-city areas (ie; Newham), shit will hit the fucking fan.
I'd also expect a rise in suicides and mental health issues (it's already began), a rise in domestic violence (its gone up 17% since the beginning of the recession) and as cuts to women's services have been quite large, a rise in homicide by partner or ex-partner. Hell the cuts AS IS are fast sending me towards a shrink... Rioting is pretty much guaranteed, IMHO.