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the fact that this is credible should scare every entrepreneur. If you cant compete on an even playing field because some people have direct government involvem

the fact that this is credible should scare every entrepreneur. If you cant compete on an even playing field because some people have direct government involvement in tipping the scales we are neither a free market economy nor a democracy.

renegade-otter 10mo ago
Americans do not like when someone uses the words "fascism" and "oligarchy". It's jarring to think that is even possible in the United States but a) we are here and b) the two have traditionally gone hand-in-hand.
- BLKNSLVR 10mo ago
  The Americans that react most extremely to those words are generally those that don't realize it's actually what they want. They just know the words as derogatory, without realizing that they represent the world as they think they'd like it to be.
  - actionfromafar 10mo ago
    That, is very Russian. They are "fighting the fascists" though they are.
    - renegade-otter 10mo ago
      Not surprising that the same people have special affection for Russia and their dictator. It's a role model.
trymas 10mo ago
Since the beginning of the year - USA is just a shell of market economy. Small government indeed… Also some say it’s “flawed democracy”, IMHO - for last ~3 decades (or even more) it’s just a charade of democracy. Probably soon you won’t even have that. First-past-the-post two party system, bizarre primary elections, electoral college, land votes instead of people (how many senators are from california and how many from wyoming, they also say it’s “to balance the tyranny of majority”), abhorrent and disgusting gerrymandering (so states could also force tyranny of the minority in congress too :) ), voter suppression (voting on Tuesdays, employers can control if you can go vote that day, voting booth count is getting smaller, voter registration shenanigans in marginalised communities), etc.
- kakacik 10mo ago
  The fact that in US you can win the most powerful seat in the world while not even voted for by majority of its own population is properly ridiculous. Yes we all heard about historical this and that but that doesn't matter, thats not a democracy at its core and at the lowest, most important layer of building a resilient democratic society. Then on that questionable base you build a shaky empire that is supposed to work if people behave nicely. It works till somebody comes around who doesn't care about that and it all falls down. Lets not forget current government was voted by +-half of US population, for second time. Nobody should be shocked by direction its taking again, maybe surprised by intensity of it but thats it. I am a minority in the fact that I openly welcome the visible consistent hostility of USG towards whole Europe and Ukraine conflict when russia attacks whole western world including US and our philosophy of existence, as much as it can (luckily for us not that much). We are waking up from our deep comfy slumber, not in ideal fashion but we already have a bigger combined military than US has in many, for us the most important aspects (since we don't want to drag ourselves to remote wars unlike you guys so ie aircraft carriers are rather unimportant). Green deal will be soon gone (good idea in vacuum but not in world where literally nobody else cares about it and we just destroy our economy and future trying to make our 10% part count), social services will get cuts to bring them to more sustainable levels based on unavoidable demographics and more focus on more practical and military manufacturing, like it or not.
  - _heimdall 10mo ago
    I also take issue with the electoral college system, but to claim that a representative democracy is not a democracy based on the intermediary representation seems like a fairly hollow concern. My bigger issue with regards to how democratic we are would be more related to campaign finance laws, corruption, and the immense power wielded by those in charge that can be pointed at political challengers if the politician is so inclined.
    - 2OEH8eoCRo0 10mo ago
      We also pick all our other leaders directly.
OhioMan2943 10mo ago
this is the end of socially acceptable political norms as we know them
- classified 10mo ago
  Worse, a redefinition of what "socially acceptable" even means.
netsharc 10mo ago
There are hundreds of examples of crony capitalism in the world, current and past. Now you can study them and see what'll happen in the US in the next few years. "It can't happen here", said the arrogant American...
- actionfromafar 10mo ago
  "Hold my beer", said an even more arrogant American.
rfwhyte 10mo ago
The US has never really been either. At its core, the US has always been an oligarchy with the veneer of democracy to keep the pleebs in check. Any country that has only ever really been able to choose one of two political parties who both represent the interests of wealthy elites above all else can't really call itself a "Democracy."

renegade-otter 10mo ago

Americans do not like when someone uses the words "fascism" and "oligarchy". It's jarring to think that is even possible in the United States but a) we are here and b) the two have traditionally gone hand-in-hand.

BLKNSLVR 10mo ago
The Americans that react most extremely to those words are generally those that don't realize it's actually what they want. They just know the words as derogatory, without realizing that they represent the world as they think they'd like it to be.
- actionfromafar 10mo ago
  That, is very Russian. They are "fighting the fascists" though they are.
  - renegade-otter 10mo ago
    Not surprising that the same people have special affection for Russia and their dictator. It's a role model.

trymas 10mo ago

Since the beginning of the year - USA is just a shell of market economy. Small government indeed… Also some say it’s “flawed democracy”, IMHO - for last ~3 decades (or even more) it’s just a charade of democracy. Probably soon you won’t even have that. First-past-the-post two party system, bizarre primary elections, electoral college, land votes instead of people (how many senators are from california and how many from wyoming, they also say it’s “to balance the tyranny of majority”), abhorrent and disgusting gerrymandering (so states could also force tyranny of the minority in congress too :) ), voter suppression (voting on Tuesdays, employers can control if you can go vote that day, voting booth count is getting smaller, voter registration shenanigans in marginalised communities), etc.

kakacik 10mo ago
The fact that in US you can win the most powerful seat in the world while not even voted for by majority of its own population is properly ridiculous. Yes we all heard about historical this and that but that doesn't matter, thats not a democracy at its core and at the lowest, most important layer of building a resilient democratic society. Then on that questionable base you build a shaky empire that is supposed to work if people behave nicely. It works till somebody comes around who doesn't care about that and it all falls down. Lets not forget current government was voted by +-half of US population, for second time. Nobody should be shocked by direction its taking again, maybe surprised by intensity of it but thats it. I am a minority in the fact that I openly welcome the visible consistent hostility of USG towards whole Europe and Ukraine conflict when russia attacks whole western world including US and our philosophy of existence, as much as it can (luckily for us not that much). We are waking up from our deep comfy slumber, not in ideal fashion but we already have a bigger combined military than US has in many, for us the most important aspects (since we don't want to drag ourselves to remote wars unlike you guys so ie aircraft carriers are rather unimportant). Green deal will be soon gone (good idea in vacuum but not in world where literally nobody else cares about it and we just destroy our economy and future trying to make our 10% part count), social services will get cuts to bring them to more sustainable levels based on unavoidable demographics and more focus on more practical and military manufacturing, like it or not.
- _heimdall 10mo ago
  I also take issue with the electoral college system, but to claim that a representative democracy is not a democracy based on the intermediary representation seems like a fairly hollow concern. My bigger issue with regards to how democratic we are would be more related to campaign finance laws, corruption, and the immense power wielded by those in charge that can be pointed at political challengers if the politician is so inclined.
  - 2OEH8eoCRo0 10mo ago
    We also pick all our other leaders directly.

OhioMan2943 10mo ago

this is the end of socially acceptable political norms as we know them

classified 10mo ago
Worse, a redefinition of what "socially acceptable" even means.

netsharc 10mo ago

There are hundreds of examples of crony capitalism in the world, current and past. Now you can study them and see what'll happen in the US in the next few years. "It can't happen here", said the arrogant American...

actionfromafar 10mo ago
"Hold my beer", said an even more arrogant American.

rfwhyte 10mo ago

The US has never really been either. At its core, the US has always been an oligarchy with the veneer of democracy to keep the pleebs in check. Any country that has only ever really been able to choose one of two political parties who both represent the interests of wealthy elites above all else can't really call itself a "Democracy."