US has no good options in Ukraine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

How so?

[Anonymous]

At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

How so?

Well, rich Russians are hurting, no doubt. Russians that worked for Western companies and have bank accounts that are frozen or they got fired are hurting. But, an average Russian that lived on some farm, or in villages or smaller towns will live the same as ever. They are not living modern lives, not really. They will render their own lard, cook their own pig, etc. Work in the small Soviet-style shops that are open.
But, Russia and Ukraine are among the top 5 biggest exporters of wheat in the world. Look at this chart from 2020:


And oil and gas production? Europe will be freezing if this carries on. Our gas prices are, once again, through the roof, and this sanction can put the dollar as the global currency at risk, just look at SWIFT actions, that is terrible for the U.S. And moreover, it is terrible for U.S. citizens/taxpayers who will pay for this, higher interest rates are here and will go nuts.
And that does not address my first point, the world will go hungry because of the wheat shortage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This. Yes, we're getting very close to being drawn into this, but not because we want to. As I've said on here before, Putin is spoiling for a fight and keeps upping the ante to draw NATO in. The question is not whetehr we enter, but when and in response to which trigger.

I don't know about that. WHy is he not taking Kiev yet? He could, why is he so slow on the ground? He could have bombed Kiev to the ground by now, but he didn't. Seems to me NATO wants a fight.

Yes of course. That makes complete sense. Russia hasn't taken Kyiv yet because NATO wants war. Are you the same derp from the other thread? Russia's been trying to take Kyiv but they've failed. It turns out that their vast amy sucks. No fuel, no food, no maintenance, no air superiority, no morale,

And yet, he has bombs that can destroy it which would guarantee he takes it. He has not destroyed it? Why?

Russia cannot take Kyiv without bombing it to rubble like it did in Grozny and Aleppo. If he does this, and he may well, he will cause tens of thousands of civilian deaths. In addition, he will lose many, many soldiers and tanks. And still, even if he managed to take Kyiv, it would continue to be an ungovernable pile of rubble with an insurgency that would never let him properly govern Ukraine as a Russian state. I don’t pretend to believe that Putin has any qualms about killing civilians, but the level of death and destruction required to take Kyiv may well undermine his other goal - to rule it as part of Russia.

He may still hope to find a quisling to install as the head of a puppet government, but that is unlikely to be accepted inside or outside of Ukraine.

In addition, it seems doubtful that Putin actually can begin to move on Ukraine. Russian supply lines are stretched and collapsing. Belarus isn’t providing the troops Putin thought would be part of the invasion due to widespread Belarussian civilian and military resistance, despite Putin trying to provoke Belarus into war with Ukraine by bombing Belarus with a Russian plane from the Ukraine side and claiming it was a Ukrainian plane. Furthermore, the Ukrainians are doing a crackerjack job of defending Kyiv, having attack the long tank column N of the city as well as defeating an airborne assault of a Kyiv airport in the opening days of war.

I fail to understand how it is NATO’s fault that Putin has done such a crap job invading Ukraine?

Thank you for the analysis. I think this reluctance to expend too much on Kyiv's destruction is one reason why Russia has continued talks with Ukraine.

Yesterday, Ukraine said they were coming closer to a shared view of the situation. Perhaps that means the Russian-held east will go to Russia (or be "independent"), and Ukraine promises never to belong to NATO (which NATO would be delighted to accept since it wasn't happy to let in all these eastern European nations in the first place). And perhaps Russia keeps that Black Sea land corridor to Crimea, which it wanted for years (sorry, Mariupol). And Ukraine is welcome to belong to the EU, which will have to pay for Ukraine's reconstruction anyway.

And all the sanctions magically vanish overnight?

Those sanctions should stay in place for a very very very long time. Sell the yachts and the apartments to help rebuild Ukraine. The cultural stuff will just die by market forces. Who is going to pay money to watch a putin lover sing opera or play hockey?

I have a little problem with taking away private property: first Russian oligarchs, and then the government realizes that it's a great way to get some extra money, and what after that? They will decide to take your and my houses? The Communists did that, and it didn't end well for ordinary people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

I just can't. It is like talking to dumb and dumber here. For all the boasting in other threads that you are all so high IQ and so smart, you are all so short-sighted, it is hard to imagine how people who claim to be so smart on dcum, are in actuality beyond stupid.
Yay, you Master Card works, that is all that matters in your world!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

I just can't. It is like talking to dumb and dumber here. For all the boasting in other threads that you are all so high IQ and so smart, you are all so short-sighted, it is hard to imagine how people who claim to be so smart on dcum, are in actuality beyond stupid.
Yay, you Master Card works, that is all that matters in your world!

Huh? The poster did not say that was all that mattered. Just pointed out the financial system is working.

[Anonymous]

The U.S. and Western Europe will do what is right, and they did, sanctioned Russia to hell. The evil Putin will be shown his penance.
If the U.S. is causing world hunger to do the right thing and punish Russians, well that is not our problem, is it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

I just can't. It is like talking to dumb and dumber here. For all the boasting in other threads that you are all so high IQ and so smart, you are all so short-sighted, it is hard to imagine how people who claim to be so smart on dcum, are in actuality beyond stupid.
Yay, you Master Card works, that is all that matters in your world!

Huh? The poster did not say that was all that mattered. Just pointed out the financial system is working.

No, she didn't. She flippantly answered as a rich entitled something who only cares about her own well-being and her own Master card. She has no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but her own. An infliction common on dcum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

I just can't. It is like talking to dumb and dumber here. For all the boasting in other threads that you are all so high IQ and so smart, you are all so short-sighted, it is hard to imagine how people who claim to be so smart on dcum, are in actuality beyond stupid.
Yay, you Master Card works, that is all that matters in your world!

Huh? The poster did not say that was all that mattered. Just pointed out the financial system is working.

No, she didn't. She flippantly answered as a rich entitled something who only cares about her own well-being and her own Master card. She has no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but her own. An infliction common on dcum.

Try re reading it along with the post to which it was in response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

Average Russian doesn't have a Master Card. He can't be hurting bcs he of something he never missed in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.

Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

Average Russian doesn't have a Master Card. He can't be hurting bcs he of something he never missed in the first place.

?? Most Russians have bank accounts. Many of them cannot access those accounts right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

Average Russian doesn't have a Master Card. He can't be hurting bcs he of something he never missed in the first place.

Well, you could be right, but many MC and UMC Russians are now leaving the country. Maybe you saw the article in the WaPo about this. They are getting on trains to Helsinki (and they are going to add more trains because the demand is so great). This is the creative class. This is the class that creates $$ that pays for a military. I also read an article in the NYT about scientists there. Apparently 8,000 of them signed a letter calling it an "invasion". Uh oh. But guess what? They have not been arrested. The government took their letter off the internet and let them be (so far). Imagine if that sector of the economy leaves as well. Russians will really be living off that lard and butter out in the hinterlands and so how will they feel about occupying a territory that they are forced to rebuild? Maybe they'd rather have internet and an I phone and more than some lard. ?? Maybe they would rather improve their own area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.


Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

I just can't. It is like talking to dumb and dumber here. For all the boasting in other threads that you are all so high IQ and so smart, you are all so short-sighted, it is hard to imagine how people who claim to be so smart on dcum, are in actuality beyond stupid.
Yay, you Master Card works, that is all that matters in your world!


Huh? The poster did not say that was all that mattered. Just pointed out the financial system is working.

No, she didn't. She flippantly answered as a rich entitled something who only cares about her own well-being and her own Master card. She has no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but her own. An infliction common on dcum.
[Report Post]

[Post New]03/13/2022 15:34 Subject: Re:US has no good options in Ukraine [Up]
Anonymous



Anonymous wrote:

No, she didn't. She flippantly answered as a rich entitled something who only cares about her own well-being and her own Master card. She has no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but her own. An infliction common on dcum.


Try re reading it along with the post to which it was in response.

I'm am the PP who is being called "rich entitled something". News flash: you don't have to be rich to get a Master card. I'm a teacher. I have never made even 90K a year and I'm over 60 years old. But I "have no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but my own". I'll bet the person who called me this makes and has more money than I do and uses a Master card.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.


Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

I just can't. It is like talking to dumb and dumber here. For all the boasting in other threads that you are all so high IQ and so smart, you are all so short-sighted, it is hard to imagine how people who claim to be so smart on dcum, are in actuality beyond stupid.
Yay, you Master Card works, that is all that matters in your world!


Huh? The poster did not say that was all that mattered. Just pointed out the financial system is working.

No, she didn't. She flippantly answered as a rich entitled something who only cares about her own well-being and her own Master card. She has no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but her own. An infliction common on dcum.
[Report Post]

[Post New]03/13/2022 15:34 Subject: Re:US has no good options in Ukraine [Up]
Anonymous



Anonymous wrote:

No, she didn't. She flippantly answered as a rich entitled something who only cares about her own well-being and her own Master card. She has no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but her own. An infliction common on dcum.


Try re reading it along with the post to which it was in response.

I'm am the PP who is being called "rich entitled something". News flash: you don't have to be rich to get a Master card. I'm a teacher. I have never made even 90K a year and I'm over 60 years old. But I "have no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but my own". I'll bet the person who called me this makes and has more money than I do and uses a Master card.

I do not earn or have more than you and never have. I do have an MC now but didn't for years. I simply do not use it ever now, bcs I do not have money to pay it off if I do use it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
At this point, sanctions are hurting us more, than the average Russian.


Last I checked my MC and VISA cards still worked and I could get cash at the ATM. All the stores are still open and I'm not worried that one of my "conscripted" relatives in another country and might be dead. I have plenty of food in the house and can protest downtown in DC anytime I want with no prison time. So I'd say the average Russian is hurting a lot more. I am an average American and COVID hurt me a lot worse than this.

I just can't. It is like talking to dumb and dumber here. For all the boasting in other threads that you are all so high IQ and so smart, you are all so short-sighted, it is hard to imagine how people who claim to be so smart on dcum, are in actuality beyond stupid.
Yay, you Master Card works, that is all that matters in your world!


Huh? The poster did not say that was all that mattered. Just pointed out the financial system is working.

No, she didn't. She flippantly answered as a rich entitled something who only cares about her own well-being and her own Master card. She has no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but her own. An infliction common on dcum.
[Report Post]

[Post New]03/13/2022 15:34 Subject: Re:US has no good options in Ukraine [Up]
Anonymous



Anonymous wrote:

No, she didn't. She flippantly answered as a rich entitled something who only cares about her own well-being and her own Master card. She has no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but her own. An infliction common on dcum.


Try re reading it along with the post to which it was in response.

I'm am the PP who is being called "rich entitled something". News flash: you don't have to be rich to get a Master card. I'm a teacher. I have never made even 90K a year and I'm over 60 years old. But I "have no capacity to think about anyone else's welfare but my own". I'll bet the person who called me this makes and has more money than I do and uses a Master card.

I doubt it. An entry level FSB salary is not $90k. Especially when it's paid in rubles!