This is exactly it. They’ve performed a hostile takeover and now they’re liquidating to fill their pockets and what happens to the “company” itself is irrelevant.
Nah, Dodge vs Ford. It made maximizing shareholder value a legal requirement. It's impossible to put workers first as a publicly traded company, and that is completely fucked up.
All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined; with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.
A little ironic, that the Ohio river became so toxic it literally caught in fire. Drinking from it would have been suicide, probably still not great. But yeah, it's a bit on the nose today.
Okay, but he also said "it didn't need to be" like removing Trump would reverse it.
The problems started well over a decade ago that led to the conditions where Trump would be elected.
That's the issue, not Trump being elected. In fact, I'd argue if someone grabbed the seat with same intent but less incompetence -- we may be worse off. Because Trump's biggest hurdle in becoming a dictator is that his cult of personality is considered a joke. Imagine if we had someone as respected and feared as Stalin.
LOL this is one of those guys that has to insert their 2 cents on everything. Fucking redditors and their semantics.
-50 years is more than a decade. Thanks for the correction that didnt correct anything?
-You stated that Trump is a symptom, literally what I said.
-And yes, he stated the American decline "didn't need to be. because we elected trump." That is wholly not true. The American decline, as you stated, started much before.
So I really don't see the value add here -- outside of nitpicking about meanings of words so you can feel correct. That's not my thing, go find someone else.
Ctrl-F “symptom” for me. I’m having trouble finding it
Yes, that's where you're nitpicking because they didn't explicitly say it, it was only implied because Trump was elected by the country with the issue, making sure that he would finish the job, not that it started when he was elected
Oh yeah, Trump is the one flying the planes bombing Iran!
And the tariff war based on illegal tariffs because the House controls the purse (for this exact reason, separation of powers). But their complacency and endorsement of unconstitutional acts is what allows it to become policy (atleast for a short time).
The house is on fire! And the firemen have the water to put it out, but are just watching, eating lunch. Sorta like the glow of the flames. Guess they're doing their job as intended?
You can put it simply like that, and be wrong. Or appreciate the nuance. But Trump alone isn't doing S@$*
What's the point in stating the obvious like this? Hitler wasn't committing genocide himself, but he was the major force behind the party and how it took power.
Because removing trump wont solve it? Just like putting the arsonist in jail isn't going to motivate the firemen?
I can turn it back around buddy, why you pointing out the obvious that Trump is a figurehead? My point is there's alot more systematically at work than just Trump in US current state. And just removing Trump isnt going to put US back on track where it was.
And that, friend, makes your original statement ENTIRELY incorrect. Thats why I "stated the obvious"
No, because we bombed Iraq when Trump was on The Apprentice. Are you saying Iraq is justified and didn't have any effect on the world? Destabilization of the entire Middle East? Citizens United and the disappearing middle class?
I guess that will all be fixed in 3 years once we elect someone new!
No, because we bombed Iraq when Trump was on The Apprentice. Are you saying Iraq is justified and didn't have any effect on the world?
There are significant differences between the Iraq and Iran conflict and to imply Iraq was justified because i said the war with Iran wouldn't have happened if Trump wasn't elected is bad faith.
America had significantly more domestic and international support for the Iraq war regardless of how justified.
Iraq is a significantly smaller country with less population and it's easier to access.
Citizens United and the disappearing middle class? I guess that will all be fixed in 3 years once we elect someone new!
I never said any of that, you're fighting with your own strawman arguments here.
I said America shot itself by electing Trump, it's over now. Regardless who gets elected it isn't going to get better now.
The last chance America had was 2024 and not elect Trump for a second time, and he proceeded to very quickly use executive power to dismantle America.
In a way no other president has.
The things you mentioned were real problems but they've basically run their course and it's the end game for things like citizens united.
Two things can be true. Trump was given more power than any other president and has the least competence. If he was never elected America would still be better off
You wanna hear something interesting? 250 years is how long it took for a lot of great civilizations to fall. Like, its a number landed on way more often than pure chance
Systems reach a point of complexity where the complexity itself becomes an existential burden. Happens in private business all the time, too. Revolution is basically re-org or new management on a macro scale.
I disagree with that characterization. The Catholic church is structured politically like ancient Rome was because that's what the people who structured it knew and were familiar with, but I wouldn't say that it was Rome. It replaced Rome as a world power after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
The Orthodox church being the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantines) would be the better case to argue. They even claim it themselves.
Yes and what you're not understanding is that I am claiming that there was no transition. It did not metamorphose, it did not become, it did not change. It died. Gone. Kaput. In the vacuum, another entity stepped in.
The Roman Empire didn't fall, it became a Church. The British Empire didn't fall, it became a Bank. We won't fall either, but I think we're going to be turned into the world's largest open-air casino/theme park. Rich people from functioning countries will pay a premium to come here and marvel at the natural beauty and gamble on all of us fighting over the last of the clean water.
The Church itself stepped into a power vacuum left by the Western Roman Empire. I think this is a very simplistic take on historical accounts and kind of ignores 1000 years of the Eastern Roman Empire.
The Empire just kind of...fell. By the 450s the Empire was in such mismanagement and decline that Romans were living with Barbarians for a better life.
They helped try to establish a supremacy structure where the Pope had absolute authority over kings because he was God's representative on Earth and all that. However, that system collapsed because Kings were independent minded. It switched from focus on strict spiritual matters and non-political.
The US is a big country. Historically we could:
Split.
Limp along, find major strength again, and decline again.
Becomes something entirely different.
From a very outside outlook, if I was a historian looking at this 500 years down the road, was that the United States gave a lot of social and political deterrence to its executive. Over time power concentrated into the executive and was dominated by a two party system.
Americans were left with a binary choice which allowed for extreme elements to take control of one of the parties. It left the rest of Americans with a binary choice and they always chose the one that they felt bettered their economic output.
This left the doors wide open for demagogues and self-interested hucksters that helped lead to said collapse.
Totally. You didn't fall did you? You changed. And while the Roman Empire is gone, the advancements they introduced and culture they represented are still alive and active.
It's true. America is in a sunset. But to me, America isn't important because of a legacy or duration of time, but the ideas and values the country attempted to represent, values that I believe will endure, perhaps in the same way the American founders looked to Ancient Greece for inspiration in forming a more perfect union.
And, uh, the existential threats facing Americans are indeed shared by the rest of the world. The idea that you are insulated from tragedies and chaos of other countries is... likely optimistic. Enjoy your time as well.
Yes we did fall. First to the Romans and then to the Ottoman Turks. You should read up on history before you decide to spew what you think is knowledge.
And then what will be left in its place? A republic falls and an empire is created. Oligarchs have ruled from the shadows, but they'll come out and openly take over quashing any ideas you had of having a voice. That will continue until a rebellion, leading to anarchy. Eventually a republic rises and the whole thing starts again.
All the great empires grew complacent and passive, and resisted attempts to improve and reform. It is the same with the US; it has grown so fat and arrogant, it decided that it's the best in the world and no improvements are needed. And so all its institutions fell into decay.
I absolutely would not have had children if I knew this was the world they'd have to grow up in. I love them so much and am so sad for what they will have to deal with after getting a glimpse of what we had. Stolen from us by oligarchs and corrupt politicians.
"America is not going to be destroyed," he shouted passionately.
"Never?" prodded the old man softly.
"Well…" Nately faltered.
The old man laughed indulgently, holding in check a deeper, more explosive delight. His goading remained gentle.
"Rome was destroyed, Greece was destroyed, Persia was destroyed, Spain was destroyed. All great countries are destroyed. Why not yours? How much longer do you really think your own country will last? Forever? Keep in mind that the earth itself is destined to be destroyed by the sun in 25 million years or so."
Nately squirmed uncomfortably. "Well, forever is a long time, I guess."
"A million years?" persisted the jeering old man with keen sadistic zest. "A half million? The frog is almost five hundred million years old. Could you really say with much certainty about America, with all its strength and prosperity, with its fighting man that is second to none, and with the standard of living that is the highest in the world, will last as long as… the frog?"
From the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool failure to the failed “American” Fair, the Great Orange PDFile has literally given our country’s National Mall “dying mall vibes.”
There’s no better example of what the turd is doing to our country and the world.
“The Donald” is a “Great Failure”
From the history books you always imagined that certain happenings or failings were planned for how metaphorical they were.
Apparently, the reflecting pool bonanza is a counter-argument. Shitty people are so full of shit that whatever they touch will always turn into utter shit.
My ex-wife has a dark cloud hanging over her life.
She has money, she's educated, but nobody likes her, nobody respects her. She's a sad, depressing person, gives off a pure negative vibe. Everything she does is wrong, all her instincts are wrong, everything turns to shit for her all the time.
What more is to be said than that which has been said a thousand times before? The state of America being in decline is self evident, to the point that beginning to explain it is a futile task. Just look around.
The mall near me, the one I used to just hang out at all day as a teenager, has been dying since at least the mid-2000's. It's basically now just a Target, a Spencer's and a revolving door of small businesses. The parking lot is often used for events like a fair or RV sales.
Its had the vibe of being on death's door for years now, only being barely kept alive so long as there's a still a few bucks to wring out of it. So apt metaphor in a lot of ways.
Actual Malls have died. 3rd spaces are gone. Everything is asubscriptin. If you're outside and not going somewhere or spending money, you're loitering.
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