This isn't my area and I'm not going to try to pretend otherwise, but from what I know country economies run on debt, what really matters are the interest rates.

From reading your posts Tux I pretty much accept your criticisms of the system.....what I've yet to find out is how better it could be run

But I agree, the system as it is does survive as a complete and utter con based and propped up on confidence and greed for an elite class......both the far left and far right are spot on about it...and are the only political groups saying it.

Trump is a child of this system and what's good about him is that I don't see a recession while he's at the helm.....purely because investors trust him to always put them first.

The Democrats taking over would result in a tanking pretty much straight away....unless how they ran the economy was totally at odds with their current rhetoric.

All while China sits there waiting for the US to implode this matters......If we didn't have that threat perhaps some sort of system 'correction' would be preferable over the false con job we all endure....but which pays the pensions and mortgages.

Edited by Stirlingsays (08 Feb 2020 10.37am)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

That's entirely speculative and depends on what is meant by "worse"!

It would have been more honest, more inclusive and more outward looking. It would not have taken revenge on people for daring to speak the truth to power. It would not have ignored the welfare of future generations in order to boost the chances of a sitting President being re-elected. It would not have been so selfish.

The western world would have have been in a much better position. The US would have remained signed up to the Paris climate accord and the Iran deal. They would have been leading the world rather than abrigating that role, leaving a vacuum to be filled by those who wish to harm us.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

My bias has been built by experience. That democracy demands that those who seek power need to present the positive is little different to anything we see in a market economy. All salesmen sell, but only con men tell outright lies.

Thinking that all politicians are the same, so why condemn Trump, is a vacuous concept. If you are unable to accept that he has taken lying to a whole new level then I cannot help you. It seems completely obvious to me and, I suspect, to most other objective observers.

It's because I care about democracy that I express my opinions and take part in the process. What I observe is that democracy, with all it's outdoubted flaws, is being corrupted by populist ideology. As one of only 2 Republican challengers to Trump being nominated for a second term, Joe Walsh, said yesterday when he pulled out "the modern Republican party has become a cult. I want to stop Trump. I believe he's a threat to this country. He can't be stopped within the Republican Party. Nobody can beat him."

Joe Walsh is right. Listen to his warning.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

Exactly my point.

Perhaps he was lying?

Increasing the level of debt after the worst recession in living memory has actually paid dividends. The current boom started as a consequence of that and not because of anything Trump has done.

If you stop and think about it that is pretty much what the current Tory government are now proposing to do. Borrow whilst interest rates are low to invest in the infrastructure so as to create a brighter future. Much as I dislike their approach to Brexit I don't argue with that strategy. Judging the size of the national debt when balanced about the need and the predicted return is beyond my pay grade but I can see why it is done.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.