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The US has never been richer, adjusted for inflation, both in aggregate and per person. [0] The idea that there have been decades of reckless spending and the

The US has never been richer, adjusted for inflation, both in aggregate and per person. [0] The idea that there have been decades of reckless spending and the US is going broke I think is not at all a nuanced take. Anecdotes about the inflation of prices of eggs (which is 0.05% of US economy) don't change the overall facts that are material. I will grant you that debt servicing needs immediate attention. Blowing up 100 years of foreign policy has nothing to do with that, however. The number of NATO members spending 2% or more on defense went from 3 to 23 in the past 10 years. Their spending almost doubled in the past 10 years, while the US only grew 15% (actually shrunk in PPP terms). [1] The US has been successfully pressuring NATO allies to pick up the bill, without having to call Ukraine a dictator and cede Ukraine to Russia without US security guarantees, and promote politics of appeasement that will lead to China taking Taiwan which is the only material place that produces the future's most important geopolitical asset: chips. The US looking to reduce debt also isn't compatible with raising tariffs on everyone including allies, reducing taxes and warding off cheap immigrant labour, it's the opposite. Trump seems to have 25% good ideas, 75% bad ideas, and 90% poor execution that causes a lot of collateral damage. Penny wise pound foolish comes to mind a lot when I look at his policy choices. [0] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD?locations=US https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD?locat... [1] https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2024/6/pdf/240617-def-exp-2024-en.pdf https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2024/6/pd...

johnnyanmac 2y ago
Averages hide extremes. In this case it hides how much poorer the poor got and richer the rich got. America is not "rich" in a way that benefits the middle class.
- DiogenesKynikos 2y ago
  And to address that gap between the rich and poor, Trump is ... firing middle-class government employees, cutting taxes (which primarily favors the rich), and toying with cutting social programs?
- NoLinkToMe 2y ago
  Median personal income shows the same trend. It's not an inequality issue. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA646N https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA646N
FrustratedMonky 2y ago
"The number of NATO members spending 2% or more on defense went from 3 to 23 in the past 10 years" Which is the reason that maybe Trump is not working for Putin? By scaring Europe into re-militarizing, that is bad for Russia. Not just 2%, but what if this spurs Germany into "hey, lets ramp this Military up and take on Russia again". That isn't good for Russia. And this Trump attack on Ukraine, will unite the Ukraine people. The things Trump does backfires? Or is that the plan. He's getting a militarized Europe and a United Ukraine. If he wants the opposite, then this is really bad way of going about it. EDIT: Just trying to find a silver lining. Maybe a wakeup call by a global all powerful tyrant will move the world toward some unity?
- mdhb 2y ago
  There is absolutely zero real life evidence that anyone can possibly point to that supports the Trump is secretly a genius and is playing 4D chess theory.
  - FrustratedMonky 2y ago
    I didn't really mean he is doing it on-purpose, 4-D Chess style. Just a thought, he could be achieving the opposite of his desires, and by accident helping Europe?
    - Tempat 2y ago
      If Trump does accidentally manage to unite Europe, have them end the Ukraine war, and all without US involvement and spending… he will of course immediately claim full credit.
  - kcplate 2y ago
    I think it’s pretty likely that he is smart enough to try and use “madman theory” to gain his advantage. Whether that plays out to be a good strategy in the long term remains to be seen. However, in the past it has worked to a degree when leaders have utilized it.
- rainsford 2y ago
booleandilemma 2y ago
Honest question: do you feel rich?
- NoLinkToMe 2y ago
  Yes, although I'm not in the US.

johnnyanmac 2y ago

Averages hide extremes. In this case it hides how much poorer the poor got and richer the rich got. America is not "rich" in a way that benefits the middle class.

DiogenesKynikos 2y ago
And to address that gap between the rich and poor, Trump is ... firing middle-class government employees, cutting taxes (which primarily favors the rich), and toying with cutting social programs?
NoLinkToMe 2y ago
Median personal income shows the same trend. It's not an inequality issue. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA646N https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA646N

FrustratedMonky 2y ago

"The number of NATO members spending 2% or more on defense went from 3 to 23 in the past 10 years" Which is the reason that maybe Trump is not working for Putin? By scaring Europe into re-militarizing, that is bad for Russia. Not just 2%, but what if this spurs Germany into "hey, lets ramp this Military up and take on Russia again". That isn't good for Russia. And this Trump attack on Ukraine, will unite the Ukraine people. The things Trump does backfires? Or is that the plan. He's getting a militarized Europe and a United Ukraine. If he wants the opposite, then this is really bad way of going about it. EDIT: Just trying to find a silver lining. Maybe a wakeup call by a global all powerful tyrant will move the world toward some unity?

mdhb 2y ago
There is absolutely zero real life evidence that anyone can possibly point to that supports the Trump is secretly a genius and is playing 4D chess theory.
- FrustratedMonky 2y ago
  I didn't really mean he is doing it on-purpose, 4-D Chess style. Just a thought, he could be achieving the opposite of his desires, and by accident helping Europe?
  - Tempat 2y ago
    If Trump does accidentally manage to unite Europe, have them end the Ukraine war, and all without US involvement and spending… he will of course immediately claim full credit.
- kcplate 2y ago
  I think it’s pretty likely that he is smart enough to try and use “madman theory” to gain his advantage. Whether that plays out to be a good strategy in the long term remains to be seen. However, in the past it has worked to a degree when leaders have utilized it.
rainsford 2y ago

booleandilemma 2y ago

Honest question: do you feel rich?

NoLinkToMe 2y ago
Yes, although I'm not in the US.