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[–] 112 points 4 months ago (8 children)

I'll never understand until the day I die how any American can watch their tax dollars used to bomb the shit out of a country, and then their tax dollars used to rebuild that same country.....and see that as a win.

Oil down, markets up, keep believing the illusion and everything will surely be ok.....

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  • [–] 29 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    You aren't seeing the opinions of the average American. The average American has no idea what is going on until they ask their coworker why the gas prices are so high. The average American has a coworker that is happy to inform them of the mainstream media narrative, basically telling them that all they can do is "vote". Occasionally getting a MAGA perspective depending on where they live.

    But, they won't get pushed into organizing and, quite frankly, they don't have the time or money to even start.

    The average American then thinks "hmmm, that doesn't sound right but I don't have time or energy to investigate that".

    They move on with their day so long as they can stay above water by leveraging credit card debt and whatever amount of gig work they can fit in. On the rare days they have off work they will recover by either scrolling videos or going out with friends that are just as unknowledgeable about the world as they are. Maybe some of them get a short explanation of the gas prices from a video they watched.

    The average American needs their working class conditions improved to give them time to educate themselves. "Wow, they pay for child care in New York City? Thats what socialism is?". This is our one last hope at educating the masses. I don't think electing 100 Mamdani's will change our system from within. But, it is however, the best way to educate and show the population what political power that favors the working class can do.

    Either that or, the entire countries material conditions need to decline so drastically that the population is forced into action because they literally can't afford bread to eat. And that will result in higher degrees of fascism as the capitalist state defends itself; and "century of humiliation" levels of conditions will result in America after our empire lashes out to the rest of the world.

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  • [–] 9 points 4 months ago

    The average American has no idea what is going on until they ask their coworker why the gas prices are so high

    At which point the average American tilts their head in confusion, seemingly unaware that the US is at war, then complains that everything is political nowadays

    Or they get a spoonful of MAGA propaganda, as you mentioned

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    Yeah it's the last thing unfortunately. It's already started on the margins of society (disabled, socioeconomically isolated). We just had a disabled person kill themselves in Canada in protest. It starts there and slowly works its way up the status ladder until it's serfs and lords again.

    Not sure there is a solution, more like it's just a cycle built into a greed based system.

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  • [–] 50 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Many people don't think. They feel.

    When their in-group is going along with something, they go along with it, too. Feels good to them. It's a high.

    That's it. That's the problem. It's a big part of why republicans vote against their real-life interests. They're more concerned with chasing the high of being part of the in-group. So, sure, Trump might lose a lot of money and influence and everything, but he's our tribe-mate!

    It's stupid. Worse then children. Worse than dogs.

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  • [–] 28 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

    "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."


    LBJ

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  • [–] 8 points 4 months ago*

    Now that I think of it, it makes perfect sense that they're always screaming "indoctrination" when left wing ideas like environmentalism or basic kindness are taught to children.... they don't think it's based on reality, just the opposing "feeling" side of their own version of reality. No facts, just feelings. And those feelings go against what their tribe says.

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  • [–] 70 points 4 months ago (4 children)

    "$300 billion dollars is less than $1000 per citizen. It's not an amount that would help anyone."

    • out of touch "economists"
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  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago*

    They dont count the backdoor costs of literally everything you buy in America going up 50% in price because of the war. And it wont go back down again when it ends. Same as always. Not their problem.

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  • [–] 56 points 4 months ago (6 children)

    Don't forget the part where Trump backed out of the horrible deal Obama made with Iran that involved 1.6 billion dollars going to Iran.

    Now it's 300 billion, extra taxes on fuel that benefit the Iranian regime, thousands of people murdered, and America's international standing even further eroded.

    Art of the Deal!

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  • [–] 15 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

    Plus the purely immediate financial cost of the war itself which I've seen estimated at around 25 billion.

    And I don't know how to estimate the human cost.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago* (2 children)

    Human cost shouldn't be too tricky to guesstimate.

    An average US person produces about $142k/year (85k in gdp, divided by 60 % of working age), killed with about 40 years of productive life left is about $5,6 million. Add to that the lowered productivity of the close relations due to grieving and change of circumstance, as well as societal loss of morale, and you're probably looking at a loss of production of just under $6 million/life. And fractions of that depending on disability for non dead casualties (e.g. PTSD or loss of limb might be 50% depending)

    The Iranian equivalent is about $400k/life, or less as civilian casualties tend to be older than prime age soldiers.

    Now calculating the US cost of loss of Iranian civilian lives would be more challenging (loss of standing, loss of morale, loss of legitimacy, and follow-on actions of instability and discontent).

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    I'm not sure you can really put a price on the loss of 175 school kids, plus all the other civilian deaths trumps bruised ego caused.

    And that's not even counting the global losses incurred due to increased oil prices, reduced production, etc etc.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago

    I mean, you evidently can, actuaries and the OBE do it all the time, and I even offered an example above.

    Does it account for all of their existence - no, Is it useful to - only in a very narrow situation, is it possible - absolutely.

    I'd argue the more horrible part is that some people do put a value to others' lives with even less thought than my example, which is why they're wont to bomb civilians for dubious gain.

    It's easy to put a price, it's much harder to appreciate the value.

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  • [–] 23 points 4 months ago (6 children)
  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago (5 children)

    What the fuck is mission tacomplished even?

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  • [–] 11 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    How else was he going to distract from raping children?

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  • [–] 35 points 4 months ago (7 children)

    It's hard to keep repeating that $300bn isn't a gift but a repayment for belligerent bombing and murder. The US won't give Iran the money for fun, but will pay to repair the damage and compensate for losses.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago

    Yes, and we spent probably even more than that in the first place to cause the damage we are now agreeing to pay for.

    No matter how you look at it, the Trump administration blew hundreds of billions in taxpayer money of their own volition, to ultimately get Iran in a comparatively stronger position (note the agreement says the Straight will operate on Iran's terms, so... probably they get to levy a toll now). They don't agree to anything on any military draw down and only agreed to the same thing they agreed to with Obama...

    All Trump had to do was to just do nothing after the deal under Obama and US objectives would have been closer to being met for free.

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  • [–] 7 points 4 months ago

    So, if you believe Elmo’s number, we gave them two DOGEs worth of money (if you believe the internal audits we gave them 50 to 300 DOGEs)

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago

    We're probably gonna have to rescind that "most powerful man" title

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  • [–] 5 points 4 months ago

    You owe them a lot more than that without the war at all!

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  • [–] 5 points 4 months ago

    He bent over before as it wasn't America's war

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  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago

    Most powerful ? Did you mean: Most arrogant

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  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago* (1 child)

    It's simply because the ruling billionaire class believes there are too many people in the world and they simply want most of us dead. They fully understand how little money it would cost. However, providing health care other things that people need are counter productive to their goals.

    They will not give it to you. They will manipulate you by teasing it as a possibility.

    No cdc, usaid, hhs, etc. Nothing that keeps you alive. They want you dead, they want pandemics to thin the herd. Wars are great, they make rich richer and kill poor people, really efficient.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago

    Not yet. Have to perfect the robot worker first. They push too hard and people will push back, and they know this. Fortunately people are also good at infighting among themselves and losing focus, which is what they fuel a lot.

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  • [–] 10 points 4 months ago (7 children)

    “Most powerful man in the world”. Nationalistic egocentrism never fails to get a laugh out of me.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago* (6 children)

    That sleepy pedophile is ostensibly in control of the most powerful military on the planet by an order of magnitude, so it's not inaccurate, just unfortunate.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

    by an order of magnitude

    I think it's time to question: Which magnitude?

    We know they spend a lot of billions on the army. Big numbers in comparison to any other country.

    However Trump also just paid $14.2 million to have a pool guy throw buckets of paint into a pond. With no effect.

    If this is the same way that money is spend elsewhere in the government, throughout different presidents sure, but if this is any kind of measurement of how the US makes investments, then I don't have to question why the military airplanes are falling down by themselves on a daily basis.

    Also look at the January 6th. happening. Whether or not you're for or against what happened, you have to admit that it's pathetic that a bunch of hooligans could simply walk straight in from the street and literally shit on the table of the "most powerful" administration. It could as well have been someone with a dirty bomb.

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  • [–] 11 points 4 months ago

    A war nobody wanted

    Correction, the people a narrow majority of USians elected to the highest offices did want that war. Some of them for decades. Because they’re in the pocket of Israel, that also wanted this war for decades.

    Then those people soundly lost that war, and this is the fine you’re paying for that. Not just those people of course, but everyone.

    If you wanna thank someone for it, punch the closest MAGA asshole and politely say ‘thank you’

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago

    Good news for the dems. They can run someone even more abysmal and still expect to win. They'll be putting forth Satan himself in the general election at this rate. And between Satan and trump, satan will probably win.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago* (6 children)

    The elites miscalculated. Thiel, Musk and the others that hold Trump's leash thought that it would be a quick victory. But the Iranian people turned out to be stronger than they anticipated.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    No miscalculation. The military industrial complex loves war. It doesn't matter who wins so long as their products are used.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago (1 child)

    The Iranian people were getting gunned down in the streets by the Iranian government just a few months before Trump attacked.

    It’s the Iranian government and military that managed to hold on. Trumps attack only made them stronger.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    Because they won the war. The American government isn't going to give 300 billion to its citizens unless they too fight for it.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    In donOLD's defense, pretty sure he likes it in the ass...

    Always complimenting men, checking out men, checking out dicks, only wants to be around men, some pedo stuff involving a boy...

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    Absolutely you can, when your leadership doesn't feel accountable to you in any way.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    I know. Crazy, right?

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (5 children)

    My understanding is that the 300 billion to Iran came from private funding and not taxpayers.

    Makes you wonder who's pulling the strings now, doesn't it?

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    That private funding will be called "Totally Not Taxpayer Money Co."

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    If you have enough money to have anything you want, why not chose to be open about your evil. You will still win anyway and theres nothing you cant have. Go ahead and add an "lol" to the end of the company name or put "pedophile" in there someplace. It'll be more expensive but who cares, at a certain point of wealth.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago

    Or name a completely invented government agency designed to gut social programs for Americans and increase wealth and remove any lawsuits for a certain trillionaire and name it after a fucking meme

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

    2/3 of the country either voted in favor of this war or were too apathetic/stubborn to vote against it. That vote was held in 2024.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago

    Correct now give more money

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago

    Spend a trillion bombing to destroy 300 billion worth of stuff, which you end up paying back anyways - the art of the deal.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago

    Fracking wise-ass African-American kids these days 😤

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