Economy Flagging

[Kishkumen]

You win the round.

Since all Ceeboo did was laugh and call me a lunatic, then if you also consider me to be a lunatic, his material wouldn't be his own original thinking as you claim. Since it apparently isn't common for you folks to think I'm a lunatic, then it is arguably an original and fresh insight from Ceeboo that I'm a lunatic.

You are one of the sanest people here. I hope you take these criticisms from Whiskey and Ceeboo as great compliments. Whatever else we may say about our friends Binger and Ceeboo, their judgment regarding these matters is not to be relied upon.

[Gadianton]

Thank you Gad, I appreciate the suggestion. I apologize for the confusion of my post, but I still have my job, for now. I weathered the last storm, and I am still hopeful I will weather this one. I just hate watching people lose their livelihoods and suffering when it's all so needless.

I actually did catch that, but you're in that fear for yourself, sadness for your peers mode like I was in April. Not totally out of the woods yet for me but it's far better than it was. In your case it's because Whiskey's president decided to make the USA a less safe country for foreigners to visit than China and possibly Russia. For no benefit to the country in any other way. In my case we were working on the next round of layoffs, markets were crashing, and I thought I was done for. Our stock was to the breaking point. On top of all kinds of other issues, we were getting crushed because of a specific line item of corruption by this administration. Now, there are policy changes and there is blatant corruption. Tariffs might be bad policy, and they could be corrupt, but they aren't necessarily corrupt. A government contract going from company A to B isn't necessarily corrupt. However, specific deals made for "best friend" billionaire companies with other countries so that the other countries can avoid tariffs is supreme corruption. If your company is a competitor to the "besties" brand, what can you do? Well, for some really odd reasons, that line item of corruption suddenly fell through. That changed market perception and a rally began the next day.

Trump literally had to do absolutely nothing, and just ride the coattails of the IRA and IIJA (which, he is already consistently doing and claiming credit for), for things to be better. But no, instead we get another trade war (which will have the exact same outcomes), and further alienate ourselves, and further erode America's economic privileged status. All with the added icing of more insane deficit spending, that some future generation is going to have to carry the weight of.

Absolutely correct. He could have found some way to play Apprentice without actually causing harm.

My son is in 8th grade, and is looking at possibly going to a magnet school that has trade programs, and right now even the trades aren't necessarily safe choices. Even medicine seems like it might not be the ultimate safe-haven it once was, as hospitals are closing due to the funding cuts.

I don't know the answer. IT could still be a good option if he works hard.

Maybe he can figure out a way to build private yachts, and jets for the ultra-wealthy. Seems that is being protected, and in demand.

These sectors absolutely will thrive. I've began keeping tabs on other countries. It's not something I'd ever really thought about, but I find myself increasingly watching the content of what I'd call "financial libertarians" -- they tend to be ultra paranoid, but to their credit, a case could be made that many other countries out there are on the rise while the West is in decline.