Politics

[sgt_zim]

Biden really does make me scratch my head. Is he a smart guy who's REALLY good at playing stupid, or is he really just stupid?

The only thing that inclines me to the former is that he has so successfully been a grifter for 50 years and never had to really answer for it. That suggests some level of malevolent genius. But then I listen to him talk, and I'm like...????

If it's the former, that's some Special Officer Doofy level shit.

 

[Doubleplay]

^^^^! absolutely correct

and now India and Turkey are buying their energy needs from Russia resupplying their funds.

Thank goodness, Biden is more worried about global warming, stifling our natural gas and oil production that we could be adding into the market so countries wouldn’t be driven to China and Russia for energy supplies. Instead of Brandon, his nickname should be 180.

He does the complete opposite of what needs to be done. On pretty much every subject.

I don't care about Biden or Trump for that matter and I believe both of them are terrible choices for our country.
However you are wrong on oil and gas production on so many fronts.
One, we are at highest historical levels as far as oil and gas production goes.
Two, oil and gas companies are private and they can export as much as they can and government has no say in it and it's called capitalism and selling to the highest bidder.
Three, All of Europe and Turkey getting their natural gas from Russia because it's the fastest and most economical way to do and Russia decides to cut it, it's a major problem for them.
Four, Russia, India, China, Iran and South Africa are trade partners in BRICS and we can't do anything about.

 

[sgt_zim]

I don't care about Biden or Trump for that matter and I believe both of them are terrible choices for our country.
However you are wrong on oil and gas production on so many fronts.
One, we are at highest historical levels as far as oil and gas production goes.
Two, oil and gas companies are private and they can export as much as they can and government has no say in it and it's called capitalism and selling to the highest bidder.
Three, All of Europe and Turkey getting their natural gas from Russia because it's the fastest and most economical way to do and Russia decides to cut it, it's a major problem for them.
Four, Russia, India, China, Iran and South Africa are trade partners in BRICS and we can't do anything about.

According to eia.gov, the needle hasn't really moved much in the last 4 years

(measured in 1k barrels/day)

We are only just now back to where we were at peak production in 2020 before all of the 'rona shutdowns starting in May of 2020.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Doubleplay, your correct Biden is now a carbon hawk
He is now pro oil and gas and is dumping EV’s because the unions and auto MFGs are on him. And Bidens polling in Michigan is sliding as a result. So he is relaxing the EV requirements before November.

But when is the last Refinery the liberals have approved to be built. The fuel in the pump from crude needs to be refined.

Oil companies still find it easier to import certain grades of crude oil from Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. The U.S. still imports about 40 percent of the oil it consumes, even though exports of crude and petroleum products continue to outstrip those shipments.

 

[Tanks]

Doubleplay, your correct Biden is now a carbon hawk
He is now pro oil and gas and is dumping EV’s because the unions and auto MFGs are on him. And Bidens polling in Michigan is sliding as a result. So he is relaxing the EV requirements before November.
...

He is also polling low in MI due to his Israel policy, as MI has a big contingent of anti-Israel Arabs.
Hence, the UN proposal by USA to force a ceasefire today. His handlers can read the room.

 

[Doubleplay]

Doubleplay, your correct Biden is now a carbon hawk
He is now pro oil and gas and is dumping EV’s because the unions and auto MFGs are on him. And Bidens polling in Michigan is sliding as a result. So he is relaxing the EV requirements before November.

But when is the last Refinery the liberals have approved to be built. The fuel in the pump from crude needs to be refined.

Oil companies still find it easier to import certain grades of crude oil from Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. The U.S. still imports about 40 percent of the oil it consumes, even though exports of crude and petroleum products continue to outstrip those shipments.

Yes.. If we can somehow stop companies to export oil we don't need to import any.
We are oil independent with current production.
However no President can ban private companies to export oil out of US in a capitalist environment.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

The irony of handlers who can read the room for a man who doesn't know which room he's in.

 

[WAB]

I don't care about Biden or Trump for that matter and I believe both of them are terrible choices for our country.
However you are wrong on oil and gas production on so many fronts.
One, we are at highest historical levels as far as oil and gas production goes.
Two, oil and gas companies are private and they can export as much as they can and government has no say in it and it's called capitalism and selling to the highest bidder.
Three, All of Europe and Turkey getting their natural gas from Russia because it's the fastest and most economical way to do and Russia decides to cut it, it's a major problem for them.
Four, Russia, India, China, Iran and South Africa are trade partners in BRICS and we can't do anything about.

The right play is for Canada and the US to construct major LNG export facilities and ramp up production to support them. We need Europe off their Russian diet. However, our inept administration will not permit the facilities.

Russia is a dying country and will almost certainly become a vassal state to China. You can’t fight population implosion, particularly when you feed an entire generation of young men into a meat grinder. We need to prepare for an inevitable future, and yet neither presidential candidate appears to have the ability to do so.

 

[Randy Bo]

Randy you bring up a valid point in spite of the calculated sarcasm with which you posed it. Democracies are run through civilian authority. That means at the end of the day, whether dealing with a strategic, operational, or even a tactical military issue, the will of civilian authority will prevail. That clearly has not always worked to the benefit of our soldiers in harms way, but it is necessary if civilian control is to be maintained.

With respect to the Afghanistan withdrawal, military leaders and planners were forced to operate within those constraints. When civilian authority (Biden and Jake Sullivan in this case) troop level demands over time during the withdrawal could not be met by maintaining operational control of Bagram, military planers were forced to alternative courses of action. The one chosen by and approved by the administration was the withdrawal through Kabul airport. No one wearing a unifirm was happy with that COA.

I suppose the military leadership and planners could have chosen to resign rather than attempt to implement that plan, but then again their constitutional duty is to support the decisions of the civilian leadership. Resignation essentially violates that oath.

Given the restrictions in conduct of that military operation, I am frankly stunned it went as well as it did with respect to US military personnel. To give a little credit where credit is due, the ground force commander, Major General Chris Donahue, a former Delta Force operator and CG 82d Airborne was the last uniformed soldier off the tarmac at Kabul.

Of course, if you have a better solution for how the military should behave and interact in the midst of democratic civilian institutions, I am sure we would all benefit from your insight.

And yes, the military personnel I have observed across civilian institutions exactly reflected my comments above.

Thank You, for a detailed and thoughtful response.

And, if my question sounded sarcastic, that was truly not my intention.

I have the greatest respect for our military. My Father served in Vietnam (1st Calvary Division) and, my brother was a F-15E crew chief who deployed shortly after 9/11.

I have no grand military insight because I have no military experience.

And to be clear I will never question the conviction of our young soldiers or the convictions of people like Mr. Donahue. The convictions I do question are of men who set in an office on the other side of the world and put our young men and women in harms way with no accountability.

The Generals and civilians responsible for the pull-out plan should have been present at Kabul and they should have been standing guard at Abbey Gate. This act would have shown me 100% conviction.

 

[Doubleplay]

The right play is for Canada and the US to construct major LNG export facilities and ramp up production to support them. We need Europe off their Russian diet. However, our inept administration will not permit the facilities.

Russia is a dying country and will almost certainly become a vassal state to China. You can’t fight population implosion, particularly when you feed an entire generation of young men into a meat grinder. We need to prepare for an inevitable future, and yet neither presidential candidate appears to have the ability to do so.

Agreed.
Unfortunately if you look at the projections we also are a dying country as far as population growth along with most Western countries.

 

[Doubleplay]

Thank You, for a detailed and thoughtful response.

And, if my question sounded sarcastic, that was truly not my intention.

I have the greatest respect for our military. My Father served in Vietnam (1st Calvary Division) and, my brother was a F-15E crew chief who deployed shortly after 9/11.

I have no grand military insight because I have no military experience.

And to be clear I will never question the conviction of our young soldiers or the convictions of people like Mr. Donahue. The convictions I do question are of men who set in an office on the other side of the world and put our young men and women in harms way with no accountability.

The Generals and civilians responsible for the pull-out plan should have been present at Kabul and they should have been standing guard at Abbey Gate. This act would have shown me 100% conviction.

Thanks for your father's and brother's service.
I have a son who's currently serving as a 4th generation Marine from our family.
Having said that anyone who volunteered for service should be well aware of they can be in the harms way in a moments notice and accept it as an individual and a family.
Otherwise there are plenty of other professions to pick from.
What happened at Abbey Gate maybe might have been prevented but not everything goes according to plan in a war zone.

 

[Newboomer]

Thanks for your father's and brother's service.
I have a son who's currently serving as a 4th generation Marine from our family.
Having said that anyone who volunteered for service should be well aware of they can be in the harms way in a moments notice and accept it as an individual and a family.
Otherwise there are plenty of other professions to pick from.
What happened at Abbey Gate maybe might have been prevented but not everything goes according to plan in a war zone.

A plan is fine until the first shot is fired.

 

[fourfive8]

Agreed.
Unfortunately if you look at the projections we also are a dying country as far as population growth along with most Western countries.

What a BS Democrat talking point that justifies and promotes the current status of invasion and illegal immigration!

 

[wesheltonj]

. . . However no President can ban private companies to export oil out of US in a capitalist environment.

You might want to read The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 and Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act as amended. Port facilities must be approved by the Corp of Engineers. And cross border pipelines are approved by the State department. And DOE has the exclusive authority over LNG plants.

 

[Doubleplay]

You might want to read The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 and Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act as amended. Port facilities must be approved by the Corp of Engineers. And cross border pipelines are approved by the State department. And DOE has the exclusive authority over LNG plants.

That does not mean they can ban exports of oil unless it's marshall law and war time.

 

[Doubleplay]

What a BS Democrat talking point that justifies and promotes the current status of invasion and illegal immigration!

I'm totally against illegal immigration and current situation but I think you are detached from reality.
What you call BS is a projection without any illegal immigration.
Census is saying it not me,

https://www.cato.org/blog/census-finds-us-population-will-decline-without-immigration

 

[mdwest]

That does not mean they can ban exports of oil unless it's marshall law and war time.

it means they dont have to...

the govt controls all of the means by which oil and natural gas has the ability to leave and/or enter the country..

they dont have to ban the export of oil..

they just dont allow the product to enter the pipeline or to enter the port that would allow them to be able to export it..

ultimately if a private corporation were on the side of rightiousness, I am sure they could sue the US govt (happens somewhat frequently these days) and ultimately win if the govt was trying to "ban" an export without actually "banning" it..

but youre talking millions in sunk legal costs and potentially years of distraction and wait time for the case to get to a point of verdict or settlement..

all the while nothing is flowing..

 

[mdwest]

I'm totally against illegal immigration and current situation but I think you are detached from reality.
What you call BS is a projection without any illegal immigration.
Census is saying it not me,

https://www.cato.org/blog/census-finds-us-population-will-decline-without-immigration

a couple of things to note..

the Cato Institute is a well established liberal think tank that has historically advocated very hard for liberal immigration policies... they are extremely biased..

and.. while it is absolutely a fact that the US population is aging out... the question is how much immigration balances that out?

I think most (to include those that lean left) would acknowledge that the volume of immigrants coming into the country at the moment FAR exceeds the rate by which the baby boomers (and others) are dying off.. and that while SOME unskilled/semi skilled immigrant labor coming into the country is likely very good for the economy.. that what were currently seeing is an overwhelming majority of immigrants that bring little to no job skills to the country... so.. we're not getting the things we actually need (qualified technicians and tradesmen)..

 

[Doubleplay]

a couple of things to note..

the Cato Institute is a well established liberal think tank that has historically advocated very hard for liberal immigration policies... they are extremely biased..

and.. while it is absolutely a fact that the US population is aging out... the question is how much immigration balances that out?

I think most (to include those that lean left) would acknowledge that the volume of immigrants coming into the country at the moment FAR exceeds the rate by which the baby boomers (and others) are dying off.. and that while SOME unskilled/semi skilled immigrant labor coming into the country is likely very good for the economy.. that what were currently seeing is an overwhelming majority of immigrants that bring little to no job skills to the country... so.. we're not getting the things we actually need (qualified technicians and tradesmen)..

Agreed, however these are not Cato institute numbers.
These number are taken from US Census and showing a clear trajectory.
We need an immigration reform and change of amnesty laws and maybe amendment of constitution to stop the illegal immigration which is a crisis right now.
But it's a fact we need immigration in a controlled and legal way unlike some alt right thinkers..
I wonder what would happen If with a magic wand we take all the illegal immigrants out of this country....

 

[Doubleplay]

it means they dont have to...

the govt controls all of the means by which oil and natural gas has the ability to leave and/or enter the country..

they dont have to ban the export of oil..

they just dont allow the product to enter the pipeline or to enter the port that would allow them to be able to export it..

ultimately if a private corporation were on the side of rightiousness, I am sure they could sue the US govt (happens somewhat frequently these days) and ultimately win if the govt was trying to "ban" an export without actually "banning" it..

but youre talking millions in sunk legal costs and potentially years of distraction and wait time for the case to get to a point of verdict or settlement..

all the while nothing is flowing..

They don't need to sue the US Government because they already own it by the way of politicians.