'The dollar will remain in demand, thanks to its success in making the Eurozone dependent on it. The British pound has little means of support, and little reason for foreigners to invest in it. The euro is a junior satellite currency to the dollar.
12/17/2022
How much more can Singaporeans be milked?
Vehicle registration fee to rise by 59%; some car dealers doubtful hike will affect sales
Photo credit to NPR
The vehicle registration fee will go up from S$220 to S$350 from Dec 19. CNA
This increase is in addition to COE prices shooting through the roof with big cars COE about $100,000 and small cars about $90,000, just for a piece of paper. If 3,000 COEs are issued every 2 weeks, that would be $300m every fortnight or $600m a month, or $7.2b a year, just selling a piece of paper. No production cost except printing cost, ink and paper.
And this is not enough, must increase registration fee some more.
Must also increase GST!
If these are not signs of money not enough, then what is? If money is enough, with so much money in the reserves, make so much money in investment, why the need to keep on increasing taxes on every scheme available? Gantry charges also up.
What else is not up? Postages next.
Money enough or not enough? Or, what is wrong with collecting more money?
How much more is left of Singaporeans to be milked dry? Many Singaporeans are retirees, jobless, under employed for many years and have nothing left, only skin and bones. All their savings already kosong. Tolong, tolong, no more increases.
US dollar hegemonic curse
The USA can do what it is doing today because of the US$ hegemony. Even its military power rides on its ability to print fiat money at will. Take that away, and the whole setup will collapse like a house of cards. Funding almost a thousand military bases all over the world, and keeping afloat all the military logistics of aircraft carriers and supporting warships and submarines would be impossible without the free printing of US$. How many countries can still be around accumulating the kind of debt the USA is holding? And the USA is intent on keeping it going without accountability.
In reality those military bases existed primarily just to prevent any country from upsetting the status quo, and is not about protecting other countries from threats per se, which is just a convenient side cover. Hence generating threats becomes part and parcel of the whole narrative to ensure those bases continue to exists as they are. That is why the USA is fighting tooth and nail to prevent the collapse of the US$ hegemony. With Russia and China spearheading the de-dollarisation move, the USA is facing not minions like Iraq or Libya, but is facing a bigger battle on its hands.
There is, in reality, nothing much the USA can do about the oncoming US$ trainwreck, short of starting a nuclear war to end it all. With more and more countries getting wiser and growing tired of letting the USA have a free ride on the hard work of others, through the printing of fiat money, countries are coming together to find an alternative to the US$ for global trade settlement, bypassing the US$. The global community must hope it will suceed, in order to to free themselves from the US$ hegemony curse.
Anonymous
12/16/2022
When China leads and Americans follow
For the decades following WW2, America was the main super power. And they set the agenda and wrote the narratives without anyone questioning or dare to question. The American's open agenda is all about security, threats, and creating scarecrows as threats to the world, using scapegoats like China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, war on terror, etc etc to divide the world into hostile camps. The unspoken agenda is the American Empire, American hegemony. Another agenda is using war as a big business to support and finance its huge military forces all over the world with military bases and warships to prop up the Empire and oppress and suppress any resistance along the way or in the way.
In reality, the biggest threat to world peace is the American Empire. All the wars and instability around the world were started by the Americans, fought by the Americans. But with their dominant position in military might and control of the western media, their fake and fabricated narratives ruled the days. Every country, friend or foe, just had to accept this American lie. When the Americans branded a country as a threat, every country sheepishly has to accept it grudingly. When the Americans sanctioned a country, every country has to follow suit. Regime change, terrorism, anti Muslim propaganda, human rights, democracy were the catchphrases of the American Empire. All the western media just repeat and repeat such phrases as a daily routine.
China on the other hand quietly go about it what it does best, helping countries to build their infrastructures for trade and economic development. In all the far corners of the world, China is there, building and trading and even giving aids when necessary, no wars, no political interference. The Chinese agenda is peaceful economic development with no meddling in the domestic affairs of other countries. Trade is trade minus politics against the Americans meddling and poking its fingers into every country to smear and to presurrise them. China has been doing infrastucture development for as long as the Americans were conducting wars and regime change and imposing sanctions on countries they branded as threats, anti democracy, authoritarian, violating human rights, etc etc.
What the Chinese were doing did not get much attention or notice without the western media trumpeting them. The western media only trumpet smears against everything China is doing, even against the BRI and all the infrastructures China helped to build for the rest of the world. The western media only trumpet the American hostile propaganda of security threats and wars of aggression disguised as wars of liberation, that China is aggressive, expansive and wanting to conquer and rule the world.
The American lies and hostility to start wars cannot go on forever. The world is getting tired of wars, fabricated threats and false flag events. The world needs a new and peaceful world order, not a world of hostility and unending wars. China's formula for peaceful economic development is getting notice and gaining traction. The rise of China as a super economic power, in rebuilding a poor agricultural country to a modern industrial state, becomes the role model for the rest of the developing world. Every country wants to develop, progress and build a better life for its people. They see hope in China and in working with China. Every leader is heading to Beijing to seek cooperation and assistance in economic and infrastructure development, the basics they need for progress and prosperity in their countries.
China is now the new pipe piper, and the rest of the world are following the lead by China. No one is listening to the hostile and warmongering agenda of the evil Americans. The Americans can continue to beat their war drums and trumpet their propaganda about democracy, human rights, about a hostile and aggressive China discriminating against its minorities. No one is believing in the Americans anymore. No one is following the Americans and their lies. Every country is seeking what is best in their national interest and would not want to be dragged into any war against China or Russia.
All of a sudden the Americans found themselves alone shouting to a world that is looking elsewhere. Only the Anglo Saxon tribes are with the Americans. The Europeans were coerced to be in the same boat but found the boat sinking and are jumping overboard to save themselves.
The only formula that is welcomed by the rest of world is the Chinese formula of economic growth and peaceful growth. What can the Americans do when no one is listening to them? Join the crowd, follow the Chinese formula. China has the BRI, Biden announced that the Americans would also have a similar BRI with a US$600 billion fund. Where is the money, what projects are they going to build? Nevermind, just shout first. Unfortunately after a few days it fizzled out. No more is to be heard of this delusion. It is fakery, but worth a try.
China is making many new friends in all corners of the world. What can the Americans do, after forgetting that there are many countries in the world out there, after spending all the their time and resources in fabricating lies and fighting wars? Follow the leader, follow where the Chinese have gone. China has built very good relations with Asean, so invite all the Asean leaders to Washington. China is working closely with the Pacific Islanders, so invite the leaders of the Pacific Islands to Washington. China is every where in Africa and Latin America, so quickly invite all the leaders of Latin America and Africa to Washington.
But where is the beef? China has spent decades building economic and friendly relations with these countries, pouring billions into these countries in joint developments. What can the 3 day meetings in Washington do? Hyping more security threats against China and wanting them to take sides, to buy more weapons of mass destruction? Want to bluff the Africans that China is their enemy, not the white men that enslaved them and looted their countries?
China just ended a summit with the Arab World, the countries that suffered the most from American aggression, invasion, discrimination and war against Muslim 'terrorists'. The countries that had seen the most refugees and death caused by the American wars of aggression. China has signed more than 30 trade and economic cooperation agreements with the Arab World. So, when are the Americans going to invite the leaders of the Arab World to Washington? A few days of wasteful talks would be just that, wasteful talks, unless there are concrete projects with substance for the good of these countries.
China is now writing a new narrative, and the Americans have no choice but to follow. China has seized the initiative from the Americans without the aid of the western media trumpeting in its favour. China just do it, and the rest of the world are embracing the Chinese initiative gladly as they can see the goodness in them. Economic development and no interference in the domestic affairs of other countries, no coercion to take sides, no politics.
The old American unproductive and destructive narrative of security threats and wars is history. No one believes in it. No one wants it. No one wants war. No one wants to be victims of wars. No country wants another big power to meddle in their domestic politics and national affairs.
Take note America. China is doing the right things that every country wants. Follow what the Chinese are doing or you will be left isolated and alone in the wilderness. Learn well, be good, be peaceful and stop being a trouble maker and inciting wars and instability everywhere, or be a goner.
China is leading the rest of the world in a peaceful march for growth, economic development and common prosperity for the people of the world. Heard of the Chinese win win formula?
China has a new space station and is going to the moon. The Americans are also trying to go to the moon.
China is leading in AI and 5G and 6G, driverless cars, the Americans are trying to catch up.
China is top in hi speed trains. The Americans still sleeping.
China's EV cars and batteries are tops. America's closest rival, Tesla, is manufacturing in Shanghai, China. BYD has over taken Tesla in sales in Nov 22.
Chinese drones are the best. When is America going to catch up?
Chinese aircraft carrier is more modern and sophisticated than the Americans.
Chinese stealth fighters are better than the F22s and F35s. F15s and F16s are obsolete.
China is going into digital currency, cashless transactions, when is America going to catch up?
China is leading in many fields of frontier science and technology. Where are you America, stealing Chinese technology?
How long can the Ukraine mess last??
'Based on past neocon misbehavior; the neocons wrecked Iraq, Libya, and Syria. They break stuff but don’t put it back together. They spend trillions and kill millions. They prolong unnecessary wars, and after tactical military defeat, move on to the next disaster.
Plug Ukraine into the neocon equation and the probable conclusion is that this winds up a long drawn out cluster f*ck. Worse, it could expedite the collapse of Western civilization.
A neocon think tank might spew out a policy paper that says the circus needs to move to Taiwan ASAP. Jealous of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the neocons could swell up AFRICOM and start targeting China’s African projects.
Vietnam 2.0 across Africa—sounds intense. Or they could take the party to the Balkans (it looks like they’re already starting to go after Serbia) and possibly hit the Archduke Ferdinand replay button.
If the neocons succeed in instigating simultaneous direct or proxy wars against Russia, China, and Iran in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, then I’d say we’ve officially entered WW3. We might already be there.
The economic collapse of the US could prevent that scenario. Not a pleasant prospect for those who reside there, but it might save the human race from extinction.
When the Ponzi money press shuts down, the Ukraine War ends. They’ll also have to close the 1000 or so US military bases and bring home the troops. The neocons will need them to keep the inmates from burning down the American insane asylum.
Link to article:
https://www.unz.com/article/how-long-can-the-ukraine-war-last/
Anonymous
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