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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
DirectorCannon Since: Nov, 2011
#103802: Oct 23rd 2015 at 6:54:48 AM

Let's go easy on Chafee guys, this was his first Presidential campaign and he saw Webb drop out and he didn't want to rock the boat so he followed suit.

Also his dad just died 20 years ago.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#103803: Oct 23rd 2015 at 7:06:39 AM

I like Chafee. He has that Saul Goodman vibe to him, seems amazingly harmless and cuddly...

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#103804: Oct 23rd 2015 at 7:11:59 AM

Well, he's welcome to try for the nomination again after he's started wearing long pants and is old enough to drink.

edited 23rd Oct '15 7:12:06 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#103805: Oct 23rd 2015 at 7:27:43 AM

Considering that the Chinese, even if they are building a train here, can't supplant us the way they're doing in Africa to the citizens there, I don't see how it's humiliating at all. The train is being built here. It's highly unlikely to have any long term employees except Americans. Americans are the ones that are going to be using it. And it's a JOINT venture, so it's not just the Chinese that are investing in the damn thing. So long run, it's Americans that are going to benefit from having this thing finally being built.

Frankly I hope this is going to prove the usefulness of high speed rail and encourages both private and federal funding for more high speed rail. (We're just on the verge of maybe having a private venture build a high speed rail between Dallas and Houston here, no Chinese investment as far as I know right now. They've put down the initial cost and started the necessary research for it.)

And quite frankly... this doesn't actually feel humiliating. I very much doubt that embarrassing us is on anyone's mind. What would even be the point in doing that to us, when doing so could lose China a potential business partner in the long run?

JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#103806: Oct 23rd 2015 at 7:33:39 AM

[up] Embarrassing us is indeed not what the Chinese want. Still, the more influence they gain inside our economy the more we will have to appease them. How long before we are rounding up dissidents and shipping them back to Beijing in the name of this "friendship." It sounds laughable now, but an economically powerful China seemed laughable only a few days ago.

Back to US politics, Bernie Sanders is planing on giving a speech defining what Democratic Socialism is, and contrasting it with the "American prospective." He will also focus on his time as a mayor.

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#103807: Oct 23rd 2015 at 7:36:48 AM

Jack you need to chill. We can crash China overnight if need be.

They're infinitely more dependent on us than we are on them. Moves like this is China coming to us on hands and knees begging us to outsource to them so they can stay in the game.

We can make these trains ourself, we're just lazy. China on the other hand needs to make stuff for us. Without our outsourcing they don't have an economy at all. Quite simply their whole nation is built around serving the West.

Really sad actually.

edited 23rd Oct '15 7:38:58 AM by LeGarcon

Oh really when?
FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#103809: Oct 23rd 2015 at 7:38:30 AM

Jack, put down the Kool-Aid regarding China. Seriously.

edited 23rd Oct '15 11:09:53 AM by TheWanderer

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#103810: Oct 23rd 2015 at 8:05:23 AM

Again, the train, if it indeed gets built, will be inside America and benefit Americans. China is not going to gain a foothold in our economy through this that we can't just get rid of. What with the thing being in America and the US being able to... I unno, buy out any foreign companies?

In any case, foreign partnerships don't actually legally obligate us to appease them on anything whatsoever. Particularly if something egregious that involves the US directly happens. International relations and politics are more complicated than "hey I've invested in private businesses in your country so you need to give us this thing over here." Doesn't work that way. You've admitted to getting a little wound up before, and you're doing it again.

edited 23rd Oct '15 8:12:27 AM by AceofSpades

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#103811: Oct 23rd 2015 at 8:39:57 AM

When thinking about economic apocalypse theories, ask five "how" questions.

"How does China deal damage?" "They stop building trains we've become reliant on." "How do they stop building the trains?" "They just tell their train builders to stop." "How do they deal with the damage dealt to their own economy from that?"

Etc. Make sure you have the whole process mapped out. USUALLY you'll eventually come to a point where you can't answer one of those how questions.

Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#103812: Oct 23rd 2015 at 8:43:06 AM

This train thing...

Let me get this straight. It is basically the fearmongerers and Red Scare kinda people in the U.S being afraid China will do the exact same thing the U.S did to Panama?

Despite it being impossible?

edited 23rd Oct '15 8:44:37 AM by Aszur

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#103814: Oct 23rd 2015 at 8:46:11 AM

Well, he's welcome to try for the nomination again after he's started wearing long pants and is old enough to drink.

Well, there's something to be said about a candidate with a truly spotless record.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#103815: Oct 23rd 2015 at 9:30:25 AM

Chafee could well get an ambassadorship for his trouble. Webb being all spiteful on his way out will get a "good day sir."

RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#103816: Oct 23rd 2015 at 9:44:58 AM

If anything, China owning the railway gives America leverage over them. China will presumably want to keep owning the railway so they can make a profit off it, which they can't do if they piss the U.S. government off so much that it declares eminent domain over the whole thing.

FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#103817: Oct 23rd 2015 at 9:52:13 AM

@Ogodei - I dunno, I could see Webb getting an ambassadorship if it ends up being Sanders. Agreed if it's Clinton though.

probablyinsane Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#103818: Oct 23rd 2015 at 10:03:26 AM

More mass transit is good. I wouldn't be too fussed about it. It beats foreigners selling cars to us.

Traffic just keeps on getting worse and worse and worse over here.

Plants are aliens, and fungi are nanomachines.
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#103819: Oct 23rd 2015 at 10:04:43 AM

[up][up]I doubt it. Ambassador is the very last place that Webb should be put, the man's tendency to go on at the mouth and temper would make him uniquely ill suited to the job. And why Sanders would use a former Reagan figure who talked about being a fan of Margaret Thatcher as a representative for his government to other countries is beyond me. Maybe a position in the military, which is where Webb is probably most at home, but who even knows if that would be a good mix considering Webb's past disdain toward women in the military and the push that every branch (except the Marines) are making towards fully integrating women and officially making them front line troops.

This train thing...

Let me get this straight. It is basically the fearmongerers and Red Scare kinda people in the U.S being afraid China will do the exact same thing the U.S did to Panama?

Despite it being impossible?

Yeah, basically. And for those of us old enough to remember the days when everyone was freaking out about how the Japanese were about to own the entire country and take over the world, it's a pretty tired and nonsensical retread of the past. A silly obsession that someone, somewhere, somehow, might however slightly be about to get the better of you and leverage it into destroying everything good about God's #1 Country! (Insert proud salute to the flag while a single tear falls here)

edited 23rd Oct '15 10:08:37 AM by TheWanderer

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#103820: Oct 23rd 2015 at 10:58:03 AM

[up]Perhaps not an Ambassadorship then. But he does seem to get along with Sanders himself well enough that I don't see him being completely shut out of a future Sanders administration, which is the point I was trying to make.

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#103822: Oct 23rd 2015 at 12:19:55 PM

There is something seriously wrong with the grammar of that statement, making it impossible to parse.

Edit: I get it now. Good on him, totally unsurprising that such a group exists.

edited 23rd Oct '15 12:21:15 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#103825: Oct 23rd 2015 at 2:09:04 PM

[up][up]I question why Mitt "Flip-Flop" Romney is relevant.


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