Iznogoud

I believe if you bothered to read my OP that I stated that other nations have some of these problems as well. But the thread is not about Canada or any other nation, it is about the nation that believes itself to be the model of civilization while other nations have long passed it by, and while its closest rival is gaining on it with astonishing speed. This has happened before. The UK sat on its laurels while both the US and Germany passed it by at the turn of the 20th Century. BTW feel free to begin a "What is Wrong With Canada?" thread. You'd probably find that I would agree with you on a number of points.

You appear to be incredibly easily amused. Why don't you play back November 6, 2018 as well? It was a fun night.

That creates a bit of a conundrum for Trump fans doesn't it? Do they believe the subversive left wing Mueller in this instance while still accusing him of a witch hunt?

The idiot factor is entirely on your end. You appear completely unaware of the promises made by the "leave" side, none of which appear to be manifesting themselves. And I note you have made no effort other than simple denial of the ugly tones of racism the leave side pushed forward. As someone born in England I am a bit of an Anglophile and am proud of the accomplishments of my birthland, but I have experienced first hand English intolerance toward foreigners. I would also have little trouble listing dozens of examples of British xenophobia. The irony is that Britain needs immigrants, so even a complete break from Europe will not free it from an influx of foreigners. I also note you have made no effort to reply to the other problems created by Brexit, such as the decline in GDP. Is that because you have chosen not to or because you can't?

Official or not, many other nations continue to use Imperial units in commerce and daily interactions, like Canada, famously mocked in this MLW thread and YouTube video from two Canadian women: Yes, that is one of the unfortunate side-effects of being next to the US. Many Canadians are equally conservative, but at least the imperial system is no longer taught in schools. In fact almost every Canadian I have quizzed on the Imperial System knows only the most basic of measurements, such as weight and distance. They know nothing of the complex and awkward measurements I was forced to learn. Rods or chains anyone? Why is this unfortunate ? Do other nationals want the United States to lead in such areas forever, fearing the Chinese or Japanese ? The thread is not about China or Japan. It is unfortunate because it means that the US will continue to lag behind many other nations in basic infrastructure; even being outpaced by nations it once led so it is unfortunate for Americans, not anyone else.

And now we have Buzzfeed reporting that Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress. BuzzFeed! If that bunch of lightweights can get hold of a story who knows what other damning revelations are yet to come?

I don't have to address the question. My OP was on the failure of Brexit, not on the rules and regulations of the EU. You may create your own thread on that if you wish. Perhaps before declaring a known fact idiotic you might want to do a bit of research. The Brits have always been a racist bunch of twits; you only have to look at their colonial history to see that. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/08/vote-leave-racism-brexit-uncivil-war-channel-4 You don't seem to understand how trade agreements work. Both the US and Canada had to subject themselves to numerous rules and regulations in the original FTA and later in NAFTA. And no, traveling to the US during winter is a far cry from the many Brits who have set up permanent residence in the EU. BTW you might want to avoid insults in your replies. I can be quite nasty if I choose to be.

Toxic waste? Here's toxic waste. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/14/canadas-shameful-environmental-secret-tar-sands-tailings-ponds BTW you are also breathing it thanks to internal combustion engines.

I can explain metaphors to you if you wish. And you are right - he will always be remembered as the 45th and most dysfunctional president of the US. Today he hurt himself a little more by refusing to give a congressional delegation access to a military flight; something no other president has ever done. Not only that he placed all of the lives of such a delegation in danger by revealing its itinerary. This is childish spite at best. As I have pointed out previously in this thread, Trump is his own worst enemy. And Trump's support from his base appears to be weakening. It will probably continue to do so as the Trump shutdown continues, especially as many of those affected probably voted for him. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/17/trump-loses-support-among-core-voters-as-the-shutdown-drags-on-polls.html

It hasn't failed yet. Only Because Britain has not actually left, however, the economy has already been given a kick and i\s expected to get worse even with a so-called "soft" Brexit. Would you agree to a trade agreement with the US where the US had had a veto over our laws and could decide who could and could not enter Canada? Every international agreement is a limit on sovereignty. Britain has hundreds of treaties as does Canada. Every one is a limit on sovereignty to a certain extent. Foolishly, however, Britain decided to cut itself off from its major trading partners. People all over the world dislike immigrants, but far more in African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries than in the UK or EU. Most people can tolerate a certain number, but when the numbers get too high the resentment builds. All over the EU people are angry about immigrants/migrants, and governments which ignore that anger are falling. If the French were given a vote they'd vote to ban all new immigrants and migrants tomorrow. So would the Germans or the Dutch or the Swedes. We can address the non-Brits later if you like, but so far as Britain is concerned the immigrants that were seemed to bother it the most were not from any of the usual areas immigrants used to come from, which was the old colonial areas of the British Empire. This immigration was an issue long before Britain joined the EU. So-called visible minorities from places like Africa, India, Hong Kong, and the West Indies have been resented by a certain part of the British population ever since any of them came to Britain. Many people in this category began to come to Britain as far back as World War I, when many of them were brought in to help the war effort. The problem was then and is now that many of these visible minorities were simply not accepted by a certain segment of the population. The new anti-immigration stand was directed against people who actually look like most Brits, namely people from Eastern Europe, including countries like Poland and Rumania. Apparently to some Brits if you are not exactly like them then you are undesirable. In other words it was racism, pure and simple. And as for trying to wreck Brexit, the EU didn't have to try very hard. It was a poorly conceived idea in the first place. Did Britain actually think that it could break away from the EU, but continue to trade with it as if nothing had happened? Any trade would still be subject to EU rules and regulations, the only difference being that Britain would no longer have any say in those rules and regulations. And what do you do about the two million or so Brits who have decided to live in various parts of the EU or the millions more who regularly travel there for business or pleasure? By leaving Britain has lost all of its EU subsidies. Considering that those subsidies made up a very large part of the income of British farmers it will be interesting to see how that missing revenue is made up.

It is independent voters that matter, as Trump found out in the midterms when many of them voted Democrat. The fanatical 40% will probably cling to him to the end. Here is an article which I think takes a even-handed look at Trump's current popularity. BTW I never said Trump was going to be out next week. "Slow painful death" means exactly that. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-shutdown-is-hurting-trumps-approval-rating-but-will-it-hurt-him-in-2020/

First of all let’s start off with a few reasons for going green that have nothing to do with climate change. 1. Green tech is cheaper. It used to be that various forms of green tech had to be subsidized by government; in fact a few of them like hydrogen fusion and tidal power still do. However, current solar and wind installations are now cheaper than coal. Simple economics dictates that the more efficient system will eventually win out. Currently electric vehicles are still more expensive than conventional gas and diesel powered cars, but that is changing rapidly as more and more electric cars are produced and the world’s auto-makers gear up to produce them. Eventually they will cost no more to buy than their hydrocarbon-fueled rivals. 2. Green tech is cleaner. There should be no argument here. If you are in favour of air that is free of the poisons given off by fossil fuels green tech is the only choice. 3. Green tech is not as environmentally destructive. Open-pit mines and the problems caused by fracking either do not exist or are greatly reduced when it comes to acquiring the materials required to develop green infrastructure or power electric vehicles. 4. Geo-political considerations. For decades the world has been plagued by the uncertainty associated with global oil production. Prices have fluctuated wildly in the last 50 odd years creating a rather unstable situation in regard to economic planning. Not only that, but the world’s largest oil reserves are found in nations that are not particularly friendly toward the West and who have not hesitated to use their oil production as a form of blackmail. 5. Green tech is infinitely renewable. The world is hardly likely to experience a shortage of wind or sunlight. 6. Green tech is flexible. For the most part hydroelectric power, nuclear and coal-fired power plants are costly large-scale projects that require years to build and cost billions of dollars. In addition, cost overruns are common in such projects. By comparison solar and wind installations can be built to any scale. Solar panels on rooftops are already commonplace and farms, small towns, and larger industries are perfect for wind power. Isolated communities in areas of northern Canada, for example, could be served without the necessity of hooking up to the electrical grid. 7. Green tech is evolving. In recent years the efficiency of wind and solar has increased many times over and both technologies, especially solar are expected to improve even more in the next decade or so. This, coupled with improved electrical storage systems in the form of increased battery efficiency gives green tech an edge that cannot be matched by other energy sources; all of which appeared to have peaked. 8. If you want raw power, no modern engine matches an electric motor. Railroad locomotive designers realized this years ago when they created the diesel-electric engine as did railroad builders in Japan and Europe who designed their all-electric high speed rail networks. The Tesla Model 3, designed as a family sedan will pretty much blow away gas-powered vehicles that are similar in design. 9. Everyone has access to it. Solar and/or wind are available everywhere. No nation has to depend on imports from unreliable and often expensive sources. As noted in the introduction, none of these reasons has anything to do with climate change. In that regard conversion to green energy is simply icing on the cake. Whether or not man-made global warming is real or not is irrelevant in terms of the switch to green tech, but if it is real, then that is simply one more reason to go green. Now, before anyone starts pissing all over this post, I realize the following: 1. That the changes mentioned are not going to happen overnight. It took decades for the internal combustion engine to supplant animal power and it will take decades for green tech to supplant existing technology. I also realized that China and other nations are still building coal-fired power plants. However, I also realize that China is also committed to eliminating fossil fuels. Apparently the Chinese do not like breathing poison any more than anyone else does. 2. That green tech is not entirely green. All technology uses raw materials and these have to be extracted, and the extraction process is rarely friendly to the environment. That said, the changes mentioned will probably happen faster than expected. As an example the first iPhone came out in 2007, now there are literally billions of smartphones. Similarly I replaced all of my incandescent house lighting in 1996. Two years ago I got rid of all my fluorescents and switched to LEDs. I find the speed of change in the 21st Century to be quite amazing and expect that the speed at which the world will change to green tech will be surprising to many. However, it is going to happened whether anyone likes it or not.

As I pointed out in my OP Trump's own actions are working to bring him down. There is nothing very complex about this. Almost all governments are brought down by an accumulation of their own actions. Trump simply seems to be working harder than most on his own demise. Public opinion matters and Trump seems to be doing everything he can to turn independent voters against him.

Actually I believe the correct term is anthropogenic climate change. And you are right, politics is involved, but not because of liberal policies; rather it is the supporters of continued use of fossil fuels who have hired climate change deniers to confuse the situation. Among climate scientists there appears to be little doubt that current global temperature increases are strongly influenced by human activity. It is also unlikely that a shift in the Earth's magnetic field would have any effect on global temperatures. In any case it may be irrelevant. The world is going green for reasons other than climate change. Interestingly I just finished writing a thread listing those reasons. You will see it soon.

Oh the end is definitely in sight. Try not actually sleeping through the news. And try posting something constructive instead of your usual troll.

What is wrong with the United States Part 3 This post is a bit more general and focuses on several problems with American society. The first is that in spite of being the most technologically advanced society on the planet, may Americans are highly conservative. It is something of a paradox that while most Americans rush to accept new technology and have a very high level of freedoms they resist changes that most of the world has already adopted. The most obvious is the resistance to the International System of measurement (SI). Currently the USA is one of only three nations that has not made this system its official system of measurement. This results in most Americans using their version of the awkward and difficult to learn Imperial System, a system of measurement that was created in pre-industrial times. I have yet to meet anyone who uses the Imperial System that is fully conversant with all of its complicated measurements. Not only is the system awkward to use, but it forces many Americans to learn a second system of measurement if they want to go into the sciences. The second is military spending. 60 odd years ago Eisenhower warned of the dangers of the military industrial complex. He was ignored. As a result the US spends vast amounts on its military, far outspending any of its supposed rivals. This is money that essentially does not help the economy to grow; creates jobs only in a limited area; and pulls necessary funding away from areas that would be of much greater benefit to the majority of the population. The third is a lack of infrastructure spending. It is notable that part of Trump's campaign platform was the improvement of the US's failing infrastructure. Currently the US requires massive spending to upgrade and repair its road system; repair the tens of thousands of dams; repair numerous bridges; and fix huge numbers of other problems including electrical infrastructure. Fourth, the US lags in modern transport systems. Japan developed high speed rail six decades ago, and Europe has followed suit with high speed rail lines connecting much of Western Europe. Currently China is jumping into the high speed rail game with thousands of kilometers of track visualized. However, in the US the best that can be manged is a passenger rail system that can only be described as mediocre at best. In short, the US seems to be conceding world leadership in many areas that it once led. This is unfortunate as the US has the potential to solve all of the above problems, but seems to lack the will.

Yawn....

Why Brexit failed. 1. It was a stupid idea in the first place. Leaving the largest free trade area in the world was bound to have negative repercussions. 2. Voters were lied to about Brexit's supposedly positive effects. It is a now estimated that leaving the Eu will reduce the UK's GDP by anywhere from three to nine percent. 3. Many of the leave votes were racially motivated. From all reports it appears that many of those who voted to leave did so simply because they hated immigrants. This is not a sound reason for cutting ties with a body as powerful as the EU. 4. The EU played hardball. The UK bargained for a better deal but the EU was not inclined to make it easy for the EU to leave. As a result the UK was pretty much forced to accept what the EU was willing to give.

Once again a non-reply.

Trolling appears to be your specialty. The OP was how much the shutdown and Trump's other idiotic actions serve to weaken his presidency. Nothing you have posted in any way refutes that. Kindly reply when you can manage to stay on topic.

Mission failed. Most Americans think the shutdown was unnecessary. And since Trump blundered by taking responsibility for the shutdown it is having exactly the effect I stated; that of pushing him closer to the complete failure of his presidency.

You must live in this forum. I only check it when I'm bored. However, I have found a lot more and you are missing the point of my OP; that the shutdown is hurting Trump and the GOP more than it hurts the Democrats. As I said, a couple more nails in the Trump coffin. Here is some of the more. I wonder how long it will take the GOP to crack. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/11/shutdown-cou-mean-2-billion-less-consumer-spending-a-week-hitting-these-retailers-the-most.html

You have a problem if you think 60 harming 60 million Americans saves some money. Want a few examples? Farmers already hurt by Trump’s trade war prepare for more pain — from the government shutdown https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/14/government-shutdown-could-cause-more-pain-for-us-farmers.html How Donald Trump’s shutdown also hurts the millions of Americans who work in the private sector https://www.salon.com/2019/01/08/heres-how-trumps-shutdown-hurts-millions-of-americans-who-work-in-the-private-sector_partner/ The Trump shutdown is the equivalent of tossing a stone into a pond. Its ripples spread out affecting more and more people. Three weeks ago it only affected 800,000 people, now it is 60 million and it is not going to stop there.

18% of Americans amounts to almost 60 million people even though only 800,000 federal workers are not being paid. That is bordering on a serious issue even if no one else is affected, which is unlikely. And since the shutdown began Trump has been constantly attempting to shift the blame.

I generally find that people who ask that sort of question don't really want an answer, but here goes. First, the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth each day is constant. Snow in Greece does not mean that the entire earth is getting colder, just as above zero temperatures today in Edmonton are not absolute proof of global warming. It is the overall averages that matter. In other words, have global temperatures gotten warmer in the last few decades? The answer is yes. As for solar activity causing global warming; that theory has been pretty much disproved. In fact the link you supplied clearly states that solar output is almost constant over the 11 year solar cycles and if you read the article carefully, it does not state in any way that solar activity is responsible for the increase in global temperatures over the last three decades. Here is a link to another article discussing the same issue. https://www.skepticalscience.com/solar-activity-sunspots-global-warming.htm