USA Politics (redux)

[71 dB]

No, you've been watching a bunch of superficial and simplistic Youtube amateur pundits for years so you've never gone beyond a superficial and simplistic understanding.

When I fact check these  "simplistic Youtube amateur pundits" I find out the experts AGREE WITH THEM!! That's the fucking idea! I get to know what experts say listening to these Youtubers. If I go to MSM, what experts way is twisted and smeared to serve the oligarchs.

Do your homework or shut up. If you are not interested of US healthcare then could you ignore what I say about it? I don't know why you think I only watch Youtubers. They are just easiest to link. I find TYT videos easily on Youtube while finding expert stuff is hard + all the consent crap. I am always like what the fuck why is it difficult to Google this stuff? Like if I read something 2 years ago I remember the main message/point but not the author or link etc so its hard. Sorry. FACT CHECK what I say and see yourself it is more or less correct! If I have some facts wrong I am happy to learn what the correct facts are because I am interested of the truth.

Pick up any overview of the subject published by a university press and realize just how very little you know, how massively complex the subject is and how much more you would need before you could even start to understand. At this stage you don't even have a sense of the landscape of whats out there in the scholarship and debate, or how to even begin on the path to the most introductory-level familiarity.

Details are complicated. I am talking about BIG picture. I am saying the US needs to go social democratic direction. How? That's details. There are options. I say medicare for all. How? Not saying that. Many options. UK way, France way... that's complex detail.

[71 dB]

No, it wouldn't go like that because you learned that from a professional teacher in the wider context of a mathematical education and its principles and with a sense of how much there was still left to learn, you didn't just take it on faith from some random person as a floating factoid.

I think I've said before that you're more like someone who says "I have learned that the square root of 81 is 9 which means I am now a mathematical expert who can speak with authority on any mathematical issue"

What I say is limited to certain issues so don't twist this. Other people (lefties here) post the same stuff I do. I am not making ADVANCED claims on US politics. I am making claims anybody who follows stuff can know. If you want to do this on some super-academic level the be my guest but I am not doing that. I am not a professor of US politics. I am just a dude in Finland who followed US politics a lot for years.

[greg]

I am just a dude in Finland
私はコーヒーを飲む

Living up the Finnish stereotypes!   

[71 dB]

Living up the Finnish stereotypes!   

Of course!   ☕️ 

[Herman]

I do know about the  US system, because I have been following US politics for years now. Why would I write so much about it if I knew nothing?

And many's the time you said you were putting an end to your Medicare / Bernie activism on a music group. And yet here we are again.

Personally I am really dying to know more about Finland and the Baltic states, which do not seem to have your interest.

[71 dB]

And many's the time you said you were putting an end to your Medicare / Bernie activism on a music group. And yet here we are again.

Actually I am doing that. This recent activity has been defending myself and "the Youtubers."
Last year, especially before Bernie dropped out of the race there was a reason for "activism." American had the change to chance things, but then the oligarchs managed to stop Bernie and now chance has to be waited for years while the status quo manager is in the White House.

Personally I am really dying to know more about Finland and the Baltic states, which do not seem to have your interest.

What do you want to know? Finland is number #1 in the World Happiness Report again:

1. Finland
2. Iceland
3. Denmark
4. Switzerland
5. Netherlands
6. Sweden
7. Germany
8. Norway
9. New Zealand
10. Austria

I do of course follow Finnish politics, althou it is boring compared to the US politics. Because we have so little corruption most of the time the politics is rational and it is about arguing small details. Thanks to social democratic ideology not only the richest people are served, but also regular people. Our problem is not corruption, but limited resources we have to use wisely. Unlike Norway, we can't just pump up oil and get rich selling it. We have to invest in development of high-tech solutions such as clean-tech and materials of the future for example.

We hear some stuff from Estonia (the corona situation over there has gotten sadly really bad).

[DavidW]

Hey did y'all see the exchange between Fauci and Rand Paul?

[71 dB]

Hey did y'all see the exchange between Fauci and Rand Paul?

Yes. Masks after vaccination is a nuanced issue.

[71 dB]

This is an eye-opening video for Americans who still believe they have it better than people in other countries. Less than 13 minutes long.

David Cross: Why America Sucks at Everything

https://www.youtube.com/v/aNghg1Y-WIc

[DavidW]

This is an eye-opening video for Americans who still believe they have it better than people in other countries.

You do know that he is a standup comedian right?  This is not like we're sitting down with a historian or an economist. 

[Karl Henning]

(* chortle *)

And: Warnock called the wave of at least 250 Republican voter-suppression bills being put forward in 43 states "Jim Crow in new clothes."

McConnell's GOP is imposing and defending restrictions that serve to reduce and suppress minority voting — just as the segregationists of decades past did.

[steve ridgway]

Strange as it might seem to GMG members, Finland has been again ranked the Happiest Country in the world.

Finland has been named the happiest place in the world for a fourth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored report.
The World Happiness Report saw Denmark in second place, then Switzerland, Iceland and the Netherlands.
New Zealand was again the only non-European nation in the top 10. The UK fell from 13th to 17th place.

[Karl Henning]

Strange as it might seem to GMG members, Finland has been again ranked the Happiest Country in the world.

Finland has been named the happiest place in the world for a fourth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored report.
The World Happiness Report saw Denmark in second place, then Switzerland, Iceland and the Netherlands.
New Zealand was again the only non-European nation in the top 10. The UK fell from 13th to 17th place.

Could the secret be, watching YouTube?

[Florestan]

Strange as it might seem to GMG members, Finland has been again ranked the Happiest Country in the world.

Finland has been named the happiest place in the world for a fourth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored report.
The World Happiness Report saw Denmark in second place, then Switzerland, Iceland and the Netherlands.
New Zealand was again the only non-European nation in the top 10. The UK fell from 13th to 17th place.

Top Five: Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, The Netherlands.

I don't know how they measure happiness but one thing I know for sure: the climate of all those countries (with the partial exception of Switzerland) would send me into deep depression. I relish sun, warmth and indian summers and I can't stand extended periods of rain, cloudy sky, cold and snow. I've lived in The Netherlands for two years, I know what I'm talking about --- at one moment it rained uninterruptedly for two weeks and I felt like packing my things right then and there and heading for Seville, Naples or Nice instantly. I didn't because I couldn't but honestly those were among the worst two weeks of my life, not even the Covid quarantine were that bad.

Sorry, guys, my idea of happiness is located in Italy, Spain, Southern France or Greece --- excluding Romania, of course.

[71 dB]

Strange as it might seem to GMG members, Finland has been again ranked the Happiest Country in the world.

Finland has been named the happiest place in the world for a fourth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored report.
The World Happiness Report saw Denmark in second place, then Switzerland, Iceland and the Netherlands.
New Zealand was again the only non-European nation in the top 10. The UK fell from 13th to 17th place.

The best way to understand why is to come to live in Finland to see how much good things our country has to offer so that even the cold weather, expensive alchohol and crazy difficult language are a far cry compared to all the good. 

[Florestan]

cold weather, expensive alchohol and crazy difficult language

I have a big native talent for foreign languages so that wouln't be a problem for me. Cold weather and expensive alcohol, though --- thanks but no thanks. Give me sun, warmth, beer and wine --- and I'm happy. 

[greg]

Top Five: Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, The Netherlands.

I don't know how they measure happiness but one thing I know for sure: the climate of all those countries (with the partial exception of Switzerland) would send me into deep depression. I relish sun, warmth and indian summers and I can't stand extended periods of rain, cloudy sky, cold and snow. I've lived in The Netherlands for two years, I know what I'm talking about --- at one moment it rained uninterruptedly for two weeks and I felt like packing my things right then and there and heading for Seville, Naples or Nice instantly. I didn't because I couldn't but honestly those were among the worst two weeks of my life, not even the Covid quarantine were that bad.

Sorry, guys, my idea of happiness is located in Italy, Spain, Southern France or Greece --- excluding Romania, of course.

Yeah, it's like they don't take that into factor with their calculations.
I do have some friends that love the cold weather, but they probably are exceptions, considering most of humanity lives in warmer parts of the world. So it probably should factor as a negative.

Actually, the reason why I would stay here in Texas long term if I could is just because of the warmer weather. Iowa is a nice state, but the winters are just so miserable, half the year you can't even go outside. Nice that I was only there two years. Getting outside and running around, playing sports and such is good for your mental health. Or just not having to be in pain when you are outside.

Honestly don't know how the Scandinavians keep mentally healthy with that weather. 

[Florestan]

half the year you can't even go outside.

That would kill me.

[71 dB]

Could the secret be, watching YouTube?

No. The secret is things such as:

- Almost no corruption => well functioning democracy
- Clean nature / air / water
- Well-functioning society
- Trust in the politicians and authorities
- Trust is other people
- High education level (tuition free higher education)
- Equality
- Safety
- Social democracy
- Wellfare safety nets

[Florestan]

- Almost no corruption => well functioning democracy
- Clean nature / air / water
- Well-functioning society
- Trust in the politicians and authorities
- Trust is other people
- High education level (tuition free higher education)
- Equality
- Safety
- Social democracy
- Wellfare safety nets

Well, it sounds too good to be true --- and even if it were true, if I have to pay for all that with half a year of rainy, snowy, cold and cloudy weather plus expensive beer and wine all year round, thanks but no thanks.