No WMD found...

[Shannow]

The world is fucked.

Pakistan is flying F-16s (no prizes for guessing where they got them).

India is flying SU-30 (no prize for guessing where they got them from)...but have been retrofitted with western avionics.

Who says that perpetual war doesn't pay ?

 

[Mark]

And Britain is selling warplanes (sorry, 'aircraft parts') to China.

 

[Shannow]

and the U.S. (public) are worried about China holding economic and military might over the U.S.

 

[Mark]

The way both countries are going (US spiralling into a depression, and China seeing heavy investment from every large corp. around), it won't be long before that happens At least on the economic side of things.

And since the US public sold themselves down the river (again!) by re-electing Bush, there won't be any turnaround for some time. Then, once they retire and find out that Bush has sold off social security and spent all of their money, they'll be in even more shit! Huzzah.

 

[Shannow]

Mark, had an interesting thing happen over the last 6 months.

At work, I bought a heap of equipment (valves).

The gear was being manufactured in Europe, and things were going pretty well.

But the foundry (eastern europe) ended up being bought by the U.S., as their own foundries were running short of raw materials (due to china's boom).

They took the production list, inserted their own stuff at the front (leaving us High'n'Dry), and we got our gear 3 months late.

It's great for a U.S. company to be meeting their own dates, but using a foreign foundry, and foreign labour, with a net negative balance is not sustainable.

 

[Mark]

It seems poor management has become the, er, management style of choice for both US companies and US goverment now.

Shannow, do you ever visit www.dailykos.com ? I think you'd like it

 

[Southy]

The saddest thing is this country only ever see's fit to try and follow the US, so eventually we will probaly be just as fucked and just as badly managed, and hell we just got sold for another 4 year ride with the most prolific lying government we have ever had in office just like the yanks, hurrah!

 

[Winmar]

Rather depressing, isn't it?! The worst thing is that they're allowed to get away with it, because most people in both countries don't seem to mind that their leaders lie their arses off.

 

[spawn]

Southy, Howard runs the country economically about 8 BILLION times better than Bush runs his. Id hardly say Howrad was "badly managing" the country.

 

[Spiff]

I totally agree that Howard's economic management is great. It's lucky for him that so many people in Australia only care about money and their own financial situation than anything else.

 

[spawn]

That would probably have a lot to do with the fact that they have to feed and house their families.

 

[Spiff]

And what about those of us who have no families to raise? Huh? Why do we have to suffer?

 

[spawn]

Because it is our lot in life. Suffering breeds character.

 

[Goreripper]

We'll see how well they feed their families when interest rates rise.

 

[Southy]

They ain't doing real well at feeding families, they are de-constructing what was once the best healthcare system in the fucking world, and it has had a domino affect within the state health as well, fuckers, how am I gonna be able to afford to take my kids to hospital if I HAVE to pay medical insurance and shit, which until only recently that is what the Libs wanted to bring in medical care

 

[Shannow]

Don't worry guys, there's pressure in the States to make Oz another state of the U.S.

Would remove a lot of friction.

:hurl:

 

[Celestial-Todd]

So would that mean if Australia is a state, the current states become regions, regions become cities, cities become suburbs.....

Now I'm just confused!

 

[Spiff]

Don't worry guys, there's pressure in the States to make Oz another state of the U.S.

I honestly don't know if you're joking or not.

 

[Mark]

I think that'd be a good thing. It'd save any confusion about who actually runs the country, anyway

 

[KoichCPA]

*moves to sweden*