It’s called diplomacy, a skill European’s seemed to have misplaced. Look how well all the silly war-mongering and war-profiteering has worked out until now.

Jesus. No wonder the country is broke.

US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
- $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision"
- $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills"
- $2.3M for "strengthening independent voices in Cambodia"
- $32M to the Prague Civil Society Centre
- $40M for "gender equality and women empowerment hub"
- $14M for "improving public procurement" in Serbia
- $486M to the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,” including $22M for "inclusive and participatory political process" in Moldova and $21M for voter turnout in India
- $29M to "strenghening political landscape in Bangladesh"
- $20M for "fiscal federalism" in Nepal
- $19M for "biodiversity conversation" in Nepal
- $1.5M for "voter confidence" in Liberia
- $14M for "social cohesion" in Mali
- $2.5M for "inclusive democracies in Southern Africa"
- $47M for "improving learning outcomes in Asia"
- $2M to develop "sustainable recycling models" to "increase socio-economic cohesion among marginalized communities of Kosovo Roma, Ashkali, and Egypt"

It’s called diplomacy, — NOS4A2

:rofl:

Nothing close to diplomacy. In diplomacy you engage the sides, not leave them out and decide on yourself. And the attempts on war-profiteering are made by Trump. This is Trump's at what he does best: makes lousy deals.

So Trump will meet his dear cherished friend Vlad and they will make then a suggestion, which Trump will then try to force Zelenskyi to accept or face punishment.

Sure, hopefully there is enough spine in Europe not to leave the Ukrainians alone. At least there's support here. I know some that have fought in Ukraine. I salute them, they are real heroes.

Jesus. No wonder the country is broke. — NOS4A2

Your country isn't broke from 22 million dollars. Not even the 40 billion. It's the mandatory part plus the interest on the debt. Not the discretionary side.

Oh sorry, I mean the United States of America. You are living in Canada, right, so it's not your country.

Sides have been engaged, which is a far cry from what Europe and NATO has done. It’s a shame because it appears the Euros just sat around, having expensive summits, and let the war continue. It must be difficult to sit around and watch neighbors die. But hey, at least they have the comforting rhetoric and sabre-rattling to help them sleep at night.

Oh sorry, I mean the United States of America. You are living in Canada, right, so it's not your country.

It’s my country wherever I go, pal. I can still vote if I wanted to. Canada might even be the 51st state.

You moved to Canada?

Jesus. No wonder the country is broke. — NOS4A2

This is couch cushion stuff. Politicians who ignore entitlement reform are not serious about debts and deficits. Wouldn't you agree?

This is couch cushion stuff. Politicians who ignore entitlement reform are not serious about debts and deficits. Wouldn't you agree?

This is stuff spent in other countries on boondoggle projects that have nothing to do with the American tax-payer. Entitlements, on the other hand, are designed to benefit the tax-payer. The former needs to be addressed before the latter.

It’s called diplomacy, a skill European’s seemed to have misplaced. Look how well all the silly war-mongering and war-profiteering has worked out until now. — NOS4A2

The war will work out great for Putin and Trump if they manage to divvy Ukraine's assets and leave the locals with nothing. That, is a lack of diplomacy.

The former needs to be addressed before the latter. — NOS4A2

The latter isn't going to be addressed AT ALL by Trump. He's already said entitlements are off the table. So the couch cushions are pulled, DOGE rearranges some deck chairs more efficiently, and the Titanic steams on.

The war will work out great for Putin and Trump if they manage to divvy Ukraine's assets and leave the locals with nothing. That, is a lack of diplomacy.

How else will they pay back their loans?

The latter isn't going to be addressed AT ALL by Trump. He's already said entitlements are off the table. So the couch cushions are pulled, DOGE rearranges some deck chairs more efficiently, and the Titanic steams on.

At any rate, the state will be slimmer and tax-payer dollars should be redirected to cover the cost of those areas.

How else will they pay back their loans? — NOS4A2

Step into the twentieth century NOS, there's no need to payback loans. Just do what we all do, and pay interest on it forever.

Look:

2024 spending was $6.9 Trillion; revenues: $4.9 Trillion (deficit: $2 Trillion)

Spending breakdown:

24% Health Insurance (Medicare,Medicaid, CHIP, ACA)
21% Social Security
13% Defense
13% Interest on national debt
... — Relativist

In diplomacy you engage the sides, not leave them out and decide on yourself. And the attempts on war-profiteering are made by Trump. — ssu

Sides have been engaged, which is a far cry from what Europe and NATO has done. — NOS4A2

Trump starts Ukraine peace talks as he and Putin plan Saudi meet
^{— Francesca Chambers · USA TODAY · Feb 12, 2025}

Ukraine wasn't invited.

Ukraine balks at signing Trump deal to hand over its mineral wealth
^{— Veronika Melkozerova, Joe Gould, Jamie Dettmer · POLITICO · Feb 15, 2025}

Should we expect the Putin excuse-makers and apologists soon?

Hmm... Arrest Putin while he's in the Middle East, get him on a Tulip fertilizer transport to The Hague, trial. No big deal; he'll get a slap on the wrist. I don't think there's anything out on P01135809 at this time (except at home).

In principle, it would be fine to compromise. But Trump's starting position is exactly everything Putin wants.

Lindsay Graham actually had a good suggestion: that if Russia violates the newer Ukraine borders, this would trigger automatic entry into NATO. Are you good with that?

Your list adds up to about $729M. The single biggest item (over half) was $486M toward The "Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening".

It's mission: is to work together with local, regional, and global partners to build resilient, inclusive and accountable democracies. "

No doubt, you think this is a waste of money, but many of us feel it is a worthwhile cause. I would have no problem scrutinizing it with a cost/benefit analysis, but that's not the DOGE way. And that's the problem.

Should we expect the Putin excuse-makers and apologists soon? — jorndoe

As Trump is doing the bidding for Putin, they don't have to.

Trump is likely impatient to get the "peace agreement" on Ukraine as he promised, which totally plays for Putin. Ukraine has to do concessions, Putin, his dear friend, doesn't. Simply put it, Putin can simply continue the war. Bully Trump won't put Putin any limits, but he has the ability to threaten Ukraine.

Hopefully European leaders get their act up as they are now meeting in Paris. They have to understand (and likely do understand, but won't say it) that the Superpower status of the US just ended and Russia is achieving it's greatest victory. The US is run now by a president whose power has gone to his head and hapless weak dicks that will ruin American leadership and status in this World.

Hm. Weird. Canada and Greenland need protection by P01135809 from P01135809's friend.

Something did look familiar...

Trump’s Schedule F plan, explained
^{— Alex Tausanovitch, Michael Angeloni, Erica Newland, William Ford · Protect Democracy · Jun 11, 2024}

RFK Jr in, Presidential Executive Order signed:

(a) study the scope of the childhood chronic disease crisis and any potential contributing causes, including the American diet, absorption of toxic material, medical treatments, lifestyle, environmental factors, Government policies, food production techniques, electromagnetic radiation, and corporate influence or cronyism; — ESTABLISHING THE PRESIDENT’S MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN COMMISSION · The White House · Feb 13, 2025

There are already all kinds of studies (+ ongoing). Some of these areas are heavily studied. Are they fishing for different results in medical treatments (vaccines), food production techniques (GMO), electromagnetic radiation (5G), ...?

Jesus. No wonder the country is broke. — NOS4A2

That list is peanuts. You also know that, please do not presume other people are silly

- $486M to the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,” including

This actually makes a lot of sense. Some political processes and election procedures are in dire need of strengthening.

Hopefully European leaders get their act up as they are now meeting in Paris. They have to understand (and likely do understand, but won't say it) that the Superpower status of the US just ended and Russia is achieving it's greatest victory. The US is run now by a president whose power has gone to his head and hapless weak dicks that will ruin American leadership and status in this World. — ssu

Well, the problem seems to me that the EU is basically a rather fledgling state and has indeed resided under Pax Americana for way too long. The paradox is that the EU is only capable of cooperation in times of crisis. It should drastically reorient its policies, realistically wield its economic power and turn very quickly towards building up a credible defense policy. It has to sacrifice parts of its standards of living and that will not be popular with voters.

The NATO alliance was beneficial to both sides. By keeping the EU as US vassals militarily, also benefitted the US greatly. The EU's economic power basically supported US hegemony. If the US does not support the EU militarily, the EU will also withhold its support and its resentment towards the US will have dire consequences for both blocks. The EU should also have accepted Turkey by the way. The problem is, the EU is the Roman empire at the beginning of the Middle Ages.

The NATO alliance was beneficial to both sides. By keeping the EU as US vassals militarily, also benefitted the US greatly. — Tobias

EU countries were terrible vassals. They never paid any tribute. :grin:

the EU will also withhold its support and its resentment towards the US will have dire consequences for both blocks. — Tobias

How so?

They had a hearing the other day, the “Eliminating Waste by the Foreign Aid Bureaucracy”. Journalist Michael Shellenberger testified before the senate that CEPPS is a part of the global censorship complex, basically a deep-state foreign election-meddler.

https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Testimony-Shellenberger-2025-02-13.pdf

A bipartisan bill was introduced last fall to end the funding of international censorship, using your worthy cause as an example of its worst excesses, when it discussed censorship strategies with the government of Brazil as it went about dissenting voices on Rumble and X.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr9850/text

Nice and friendly ancronym s and copy from a website just isn’t enough for me, nor anyone else who can see beyond their own skull.

Here's the notorious disinformstion primer that Shellenberger complained about:

https://cnxus.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/usaid-disinformation-primer.pdf

Take a look at at and identify a few things that we should all be outraged about. Personally, it looks to me like solid advice. Here's an example:

Step-By-Step Guide to Combatting Disinformation
I. Do a Visual Assessment
Assess the overall design. Fake news sites often look amat have lots of annoying ads, and use altered or stolen images Overall, does the news article and website seem hi quality?
2. Identify the News Outlet
The Wall Street Journal and CNN are examples of news you haven't heard of the news outlet, search online for more information. Is the news outlet well known, well respected, and trustworthy?
3. Check the Web Domain
Many fake news URLs look odd or end with ".com.co" or (e.g., abcnews.com.co) to mimic legitimate news sites. Does the URL seem legitimate?
4. Check the "About Us" Section Trustworthy news outlets usually include detailed backgro information, policy statements, and email contacts in the "About/About Us" section.
Does the site provide detailed background informa and contacts?
5. ldentify the Author
Fake news articles often don't include author names. If inc search the author's name online to see if he or she is well and respected.
Does the article have a trusted author?
6. ldentify the Central Message
Read the article carefully. Fake news articles often push or viewpoint, have an angry tone, or make outrageous claims Does the article seem fair, balanced, and reasonab
7. Assess Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation If the article has misspelled words, words in ALL CAPS, poor grammar, or lots of "!!!," it's probably unreliable.
Does the article have proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation?
8. Analyze Sources and Quotes
Consider the article's sources and who is quoted. Fake news articles often cite anonymous sources, unreliable sources, or sources at all.
Does the article include and identify reliable sources?
9. Find Other Articles
Search the internet for more articles on the same topic. If you can't find any, chances are the story is fake.
Are there multiple articles by other news outlets on topic?
10.Turn to Fact Checkers
FactCheck.org, Snopes.com, PolitiFact.com are widely trusted checking websites.
Do the fact checkers say the news story is true?

What is bad about this advice?

Well said, Tobias. :clap:

EU countries were terrible vassals. They never paid any tribute. :grin: — frank

You guys are always obsessed with the same thing. :roll: What do you really expect? To just cut spending on social welfare to feed your paranoia of not trusting the rest of the world?

If your president even has the guts to threaten Denmark, one of NATO's founding states, what advantage is it to keep paying the tributes?

What is bad about this advice?

The whole premise is bad. Misinformation and “false beliefs” is not a threat, never has been, and their constant wolf-crying only empowers the most powerful governments, institutions, and corporations to seize control of what is true or false. So not only is it a waste of money, their works puts a chilling effect on press and speech freedom all around the world.

EU countries were terrible vassals. They never paid any tribute. :grin: — frank

Of course they did. They supported the dollar as world currency, they supported the US arms industry with billions in orders, their greatest scientists went to US universities and they rhetorically backed US interventions.

Misinformation and “false beliefs” is not a threat, never has been — NOS4A2

History tells a different story.

Yes, it was totally rational to exterminate Jews, gays, Roma and the disabled because that they were all rats wasn't misinformation or false belief. Or witch hunts and the Inquisition in general. And that's just Europe's most well known examples.

The fascist gnomes' beliefs in dissidents, as if most people are not basically decent human beings, are never a threat of course because fascists cover each other's asses.

The NATO alliance was beneficial to both sides. — Tobias

Perhaps the past tense is apt here.

But seems that many Americans really aren't seeing what is happening here.

Of course they did. They supported the dollar as world currency, they supported the US arms industry with billions in orders, their greatest scientists went to US universities and they rhetorically backed US interventions. — Tobias

Americans don't seem to understand how much of their prosperity did come from role that the US dollar was given and how much their role in the global arena was based on allies and soft power. They just assume that because of the awesomeness of the US the dollar is used as globally reserve currency. First and foremost, one doesn't need a reserve currency. One can have a basket of currencies and the foreign exchange market is to handle. Not having a reserve currency has been the standard for nearly all of history. It's an exception that has benefited the US for a long time.

And with those alliances the US the military-industrial complex has prospered hugely. Now if that alliance is called into question, Europe will not buy arms from an entity, that it cannot be sure will be there to give possible needed supplies. US has become instantly a very questionably source. Yes, Europe will increase it's defense spending, already defense spending is put to be not included in budgetary and debt limits. But this is because the US cannot be trusted and those euros will go into building up the European defense industry.

I think there's no example in history where a leader of a prominent country voluntary gives his power away to his enemies breaks up the alliance system which earlier it has worked so much for.

Americans don't seem to understand how much of their prosperity did come from role that the US dollar was given — ssu

How do Americans benefit from the dollar being used in global trade? It's just something the world did because of perceived American stability.

How do Americans benefit from the dollar being used in global trade? It's just something the world did because of perceived American stability. — frank

Which region and currency could be considered more stable going forward? Canadian dollar? The Euro? It could very well be that the Canadian dollar takes over if the world look for stability. The Euro is entangled in so much internal problems in the EU and with the threat from Russia it's going up and down all the time; however, the Euro might also be stable because it is entangled in so many nations, making it a true international currency rather than tied to a single nation. If crypto doesn't end up being a world currency, the Euro might if the US dollar keeps getting hammered by the ideocracy that is the US.