Health Care Thread
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Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!
Go here and give us your nominations!Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
ZyyzYzzy
RIP USA
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Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Reporter. Stock Pals CEO. Head of AI.
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fanaskin
Well known agitator
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That picture should be for you asshole because you're wrong again, of course you'll never admit it.
Contractor deaths in Iraq nearing 800 - Houston Chronicle
Contractor deaths in Iraq nearing 800 - Houston Chronicle
Casualties of the Iraq War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
seriously you just show how you aren't here exposing anything, you're here to get rises out of people and use your wit to create some comedy enviroment for you and your snark circle.
Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Reporter. Stock Pals CEO. Head of AI.
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Vaclav
Bronze Baronet of the Realm
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I'd consider them a superpower - personally I'd say the G8 pretty much deserve to be. (or ex-G8 since it's G7 still, right?)
Should be a factor of influence not arbitrary military numbers and nonsense like that. India is probably about where I'd start debating it - the EU in general (and Germany on its own) should definitely be superpowers, China, Russia, etc.
Agraza
Registered Hutt
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Germany can't project power, that's not very super.
We are the only superpower at the moment, but our star is falling, and the possiblity of a world hegemon may be going with it.
And super/hyper power status is very dependent on its relative ability to actually control world politics. The USSR continually proved it had massive global political power, and so did we. Then they fell apart and now they haven't done shit beyond their immediate neighbors (which are many because it's a big empty country).
India, China, the EU, etc. cannot project power. UK and France are the last two europeans that still keep their knives sharp to go play on different continents. The EU has yet to act as one militarily, and several member states, including Germany, are on record as under-spending on their military as required by their agreement to the EU.
China is trying to rock the boat gently to prove that their brand of communism isn't the same as Russia's so they don't alienate the world in the process of developing their HDI to western levels. China will rule the world given time if nothing new arises, and everyone knows it. Why rush? Our last best hope to hold onto the top spot is to dominate space.
We are the only superpower at the moment, but our star is falling, and the possiblity of a world hegemon may be going with it.
And super/hyper power status is very dependent on its relative ability to actually control world politics. The USSR continually proved it had massive global political power, and so did we. Then they fell apart and now they haven't done shit beyond their immediate neighbors (which are many because it's a big empty country).
India, China, the EU, etc. cannot project power. UK and France are the last two europeans that still keep their knives sharp to go play on different continents. The EU has yet to act as one militarily, and several member states, including Germany, are on record as under-spending on their military as required by their agreement to the EU.
China is trying to rock the boat gently to prove that their brand of communism isn't the same as Russia's so they don't alienate the world in the process of developing their HDI to western levels. China will rule the world given time if nothing new arises, and everyone knows it. Why rush? Our last best hope to hold onto the top spot is to dominate space.
Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Reporter. Stock Pals CEO. Head of AI.
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I dont understand why people insist on military power projection as a key definition of a "superpower". It's meaningless these days because landing troops halfway around the world and beating the shit out of outmanned and outgunned brown people is in no one's interest other than America's.
Do you seriously think that landing in Iraq and beating up a bunch of Iraqis with their ancient equipment and shitty training makes America a super power? China doesnt even have nuclear subs or an aircraft carrier (until about a year ago when they bought the Varyag from Russia) and they are definitely a super power.
Hilarious watching Americans still stuck in these Cold War definitions of who has more carriers or missiles.
Do you seriously think that landing in Iraq and beating up a bunch of Iraqis with their ancient equipment and shitty training makes America a super power? China doesnt even have nuclear subs or an aircraft carrier (until about a year ago when they bought the Varyag from Russia) and they are definitely a super power.
Hilarious watching Americans still stuck in these Cold War definitions of who has more carriers or missiles.
Lejina
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
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USA is the only country that can effectively project power world wide, so yeah, some of them are going to slant the definition in that direction in order to puff chest and prove US of A is the only superpower.
Case in point, Germany sure as fuck couldn't project power across the globe in the 40s yet it took half the god damn world to stop them. Kind of shows that this particularly simple definition might be missing some key elements.
Case in point, Germany sure as fuck couldn't project power across the globe in the 40s yet it took half the god damn world to stop them. Kind of shows that this particularly simple definition might be missing some key elements.
khalid
Unelected Mod
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What is clear is if Russia's military wasn't a decaying hunk of shit, you would be using that as evidence of superpower. By any definition, military (Russia's military is a decaying hunk of shit), economic (their economy sucks), population (less than half of the US, nothing compared to China, India or the EU), cultural export (vodka?), science and innovation, Russia is not a superpower by any definition that doesn't end up roping in shitloads of countries. The only metric that Russia can use to put it on par with the US is nuclear weapons, which btw I hope are maintained better than the rest of their military.
Loser Araysar
Chief Russia Reporter. Stock Pals CEO. Head of AI.
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So Russia's military is a "decaying hunk of shit" but America flying 60 year old bombers, 40 year old fighter jets, driving 30 year old tanks and sailing around on 40 year old carriers is the best military in the world?
How many times will you have to tweak the "superpower" definition so that US can be included but everyone else can be excluded? You're not even being rational at this point, this is just transparent nationalism masquerading as "analysis"
Russia can beat the shit out of outmatched and outmanned countries just as well as America can!
How many times will you have to tweak the "superpower" definition so that US can be included but everyone else can be excluded? You're not even being rational at this point, this is just transparent nationalism masquerading as "analysis"
Russia can beat the shit out of outmatched and outmanned countries just as well as America can!
khalid
Unelected Mod
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All those "30 year old" piece of shit that the US has are well-maintained, with updated electronics and well-trained personnel. The russian military and its decaying hunks of shit are actually rusting away because they aren't being maintained. Clueless or troll, not sure which.
edit: Oh ffs, must be trolling, already RRPed? wtf
edit: Oh ffs, must be trolling, already RRPed? wtf
Eomer
Trakanon Raider
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Dude, you're arguing against what Russia's military was 10 years ago. It's more than capable these days, they've very rapidly modernized it in the past decade. I don't really agree that Russia is a superpower alongside the US (no other country is). Or if Russia and China are superpowers, then the US is a hyperpower. But saying that Russia's military is full of decaying hunks of shit is just factually wrong.
Who was it that was saying this was going to basically collapse the whole system? Merlin? Fanaskin? Some other retard?
Few have sought exemption from health-care mandate that they have insurance or pay fine - The Washington Post
Few have sought exemption from health-care mandate that they have insurance or pay fine - The Washington Post
Figures on people claiming the hardship in obtaining insurance