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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Proposed allocation for the $40 billion boondoggle:

80% - Military Industrial Complex.

10% - The big guy and his crime family.

9% - Zelensky's retirement fund.

1% - Ukrainian people for their pain and suffering.

Hey, the Neocon's gotta eat, right :-)

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AFriend's avatar

Sounds like 20 years 0f Afghanistan until Biden got us out.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Yeah, and he did a masterful job of it didn't he? In a couple years, the next idiot-in-change will need to get us out of the Ukraine. That's assuming the current idiot-in-charge doesn't bring on a nuclear holocaust.

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AFriend's avatar

Biden had the spine to pull the trigger. All other presidents have kicked the can down the road.

The fastest and largest airlift from a conflict zone in history. Sure some lives were lost but that is the cost. Now we are saving $300 million per day.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Your cost benefit analysis is missing the Ukrainian quagmire. Meet the new Boss same as the old Boss :-)

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Dennis T.'s avatar

Zelensky is one SOB, raking the common Ukrainian over the coals of famine and war. This when he'd probably one of the wealthiest men in Ukraine. I guess I can't blame him for wanting to hold on to his gravy train, even if does end with WW3 and a nuclear winter.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Yeah, he best leave the country and hire himself a top shelf security team. His Nazis are gonna want a pound of flesh once Russia finishes their mop up detail.

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Brien's avatar

Elections have consequences. Stolen elections have disastrous consequences

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AFriend's avatar

2016 ?

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StarboardEdge's avatar

You're tiresome and banal.

Like most progtardes are prone to be when they aren't bitching or crying...

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Joel, the video of the current administration's Birthing Person Diversity Hire is priceless. As they say, "you can't make this shit up." :-)

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Doug Hornig's avatar

Please learn the difference between 'rein' and 'reign'. That's embarrassing....

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Ewan Lindsay's avatar

Bill, I have followed you faithfully over many years since your Daily Reckoning days and really appreciate your erudite wit and incomparable word skills.

Over the last few months I am afraid your writings have become progressively darker and have been steadily losing the light hearted humour and detached perspective of world affairs.

Admittedly our world is on course for the most horrendous depression with economic collapse, widespread famine and death and vast unemployment.

Unfortunately years of Central Banks' mismanagement and destruction of Western Nations economies needs to be corrected by a fundamental reset, reintroducing sound money, realistic interest rates and a national savings mentality.

Unfortunately in desperation governments will be introducing CBDCs worldwide to try to alleviate matters however despite strict cost controls, this won't solve the inflation problem as they will still be printing money regardless and hopefully will eventually result in sound money emerging as the only realistic solution. This is going to take many years.

To get back to the introduction, this in effect an appeal to you to lighten up on your diary entries. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to change our dilemma so please try to revert to your your optimistic humourous and enlightening writings.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Why are you here if you want to be blissfully ignorant? We've known this system isn't sustainable for a long time. We're at the end of the line, there's no going back to normal. Most people have no idea what's happening yet you're here. You know what's in store. Isn't it a little masochistic to make nice nice with your aggressors while you're systematically being raped and pillaged. I for one think Bill's being way too easy on these miscreants.

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Jonathan's avatar

I highly value BPR's scholarly historical perspective, current documentation, and financial acumen. I certainly share their earnest indignation. However, I feel that venting spleen here is counterproductive to all of our Maximum Safety Mode.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Worried about the Minister of Truth; Mary Poppins?

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

"NATO pledged open-ended military support for Ukraine" i.e. The financial laundromat is open 24/7, including holidays.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Bill, I absolutely love the Wrong Think. One must never forget that in this era of Peak Stupidity; Wrong Think is Right Think. Oh, and this message is not sanctioned by the Minister of Truth; Mary Poppins.

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Paul McGinn's avatar

Want to know the real J Powell. Read about Rexnord in “lords of easy money” by Christopher Leonard.

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The Wallfran Family Trust's avatar

Bill, its very likely the bulk of the $40 Billion will be directed to USA suppliers. Hence the funds are assessable income in the USA for which these large Companies will pay tax and their employees jobs are more secure. If taxes catch part of the spend then this outlay is gross and not nett. As for the response provided by the young lady in the clip, I think she's on the money as its common in all countries the rich don't pay their full share of tax. Many openly admit this, even your Mr Buffett. A tax system which enables such outcomes is deeply flawed and screwed totally to benefit of the super rich. Such situations can be rectified only if there is an inclination to introduce tax measures that nip this irregularity in the bud. Offshore tax havens are one measure Governments should be addressing and taxing unrealized gains in some form or other is the key tax question which needs to be addressed. Its far cheaper, as the USA discovered to supply munitions to others than engage in war. This was the experience of the USA in its early role in both the first and second world wars. What is the value of a human life when in the second world war some 60 million died. If you do the numbers its not valued highly. Prolonged injustice leads to unexpected outcomes and if you trace the history of Government persuasion/choice - China, Russia,France,Germany etc the answer is anything but fair other than at least the populace has a job, enough to eat/survive and not die from starvation and the like. Be careful what you wish for because ultimately bastions of whatever are destroyed in the process

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Jonathan's avatar

Gentlemen, I highly value your scholarly historical perspective, current documentation, and financial acumen. I certainly share your earnest indignation. However, I suspect that venting spleen here is counterproductive to all of our Maximum Safety Mode.

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Lyndon Bradish's avatar

And about those crying hearts about war crimes ... have we forgotten My lai and so many other villages? Napalm? Agent Orange? Carpet bombing in Laos and Cambodia, cluster bombs? Landmines?

Rape? Well, there were only 15 cases of rape according to the VWCWG, so I guess that makes it all better.

I too am horrified by the crimes committed by the Russian troops...but have we all forgotten about war crimes in VN?

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian troops have no mud on their wings or halos, right? Get real and educate yourself before you post inanities.

Wake up, turn off your idiot box and quit slurping up the narrative with a straw...

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Lyndon Bradish's avatar

I agree the other side plays dirty as well. However, you missed my point completely.

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Lyndon Bradish's avatar

America takes advantage of the war between Ukraine and Russia...test new weapons that we do not know about and a boost to GDP through defence spending.

The Russians benefit from the learning experience, if they choose to learn.

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Richard Smith's avatar

Bill, how do you stop a runaway train.Blow-up the tracks in front of it.And they are doing just that.

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Steve Kusaba's avatar

This article is so perfect, it puts the universe in order. It's missing older morons in its list of incompetents and evil MF'ers. Trafficant, Bill Bennett etc. But there are so many you can never mention them all. Soon Tom Cotton and AOC can take over making America hell on earth. Why not?

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Kevin Leader's avatar

Bill has mentioned old morons of the past, in older letters. It is well worth subscribing too, you get more than your money back.

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May 17, 2022Edited
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Steve Kusaba's avatar

You must watch a lot of corporate media.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Just saying :-)

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May 17, 2022
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Craig Whitfield's avatar

My point was in relation to the Federal Reserve and Central Planning. We all know that its never worked, but its not because we had the wrong apparatchik. Mises did a brilliant job of completely dismantling the entire edifice of Central Planning. Yet, here we are in 2022 still debating a concept that's been obliterated decades ago. I understand that the Austrian School of Economics is not taught in U.S. business schools. I'm a big proponent of lifelong learning. Mises and Rothbard completely changed the way I view the world. Bill's obviously read these giants as well. So now you know how I came to embrace wrong think :-)

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May 17, 2022
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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Bingo! That's the problem. Early in my career, I learned that the Austrian School was the secret sauce for many very successful traders. Now, as a gray beard I'm so thankful I ditched the Keynesian nonsense.

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May 17, 2022Edited
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