Expats in Asia > Ring of Fire
China has lost its luster
Mark:
Hello all,
Isn’t it amazing how things change? China has lost its luster.
Other than going back to China by myself for 12 days in 2014 (without my girlfriend as she refuses to go back) it has been about 10 years since I spent any significant amount of time there. Watching this https://youtu.be/ed4ryYokLzU and other Youtube vlogging threads from (ADVChina) and (SerpentZA) https://youtu.be/9akrILf279g I understand her reasoning and has definitely changed the retirement plans. Once, Haiyan and I talked about nothing else but spending 6 months in China and 6 months in the USA and or Canada but no longer. She has slowly eliminated China from our plans.
New plans without vlogging, just living, hurry up 62. Retiring to become full timers and spending days like this https://youtu.be/SAVPhFpMR6o is what we look forward to now. This dudes pace is exhausting if you watch him and we certainly wont match it but he and others like him have the right idea. Live free and enjoy life.
Sorry China and good luck with that.
Some other interesting reveals from those guys.
https://youtu.be/HrzJcnK_c-4. Exodus
https://youtu.be/MKazQ1AnNiU 10 years changed
https://youtu.be/9J35AxY1pLE is Chinas golden age over
Mark
JohnB:
I imagine my take on China is influenced by my wife, my passport, my money... not any social media.
But, being a free thinking American, I venture my observation on America, since I am American.
It is that America, as in the U.S. that has lost it's luster.
20 yrs ago, Bill Clinton was the president. No wars (Kosovo the exception), employment under 4%, a
thriving stock market, and most importantly, the deficit was paid down and was to be totally retired
by 2012. The period from 1930's.. the Great Depression, WW2, Korea War, Johnson's Great Society,
VietNam, the Reagan deficits, Bush1's Iraq war, all the borrowing.. the resulting deficits, all this
was to be retired in a matter of just a few years.
Our Golden Years.. the Cold War won, the Soviets vanquished, a flourishing American middle class.
Global peace and most importantly, American prosperity.
And, the republicans impeached him for lying under oath! about a woman!
Then shit happened. Thanks to a Rehnquist Supreme Court decison preempting Florida voting rights,
Bush2 (the "incompetent") became president.
9/11.. our friends the fuc*ing Saudis'. Iraq War.. wrong country. Afganistan war.. We swapped places with
Russia (stupid), chasing one fuc*ing Saudi.
The banking scandle (as in, congressional republicans complicity).
in 8 short Bush2 years,, America was entering the worst recession since the Great Depression. WTF!
Now we have one D.Trump (the "unhinged").... the biggest mouth since Newt Gingrich.
Fuc*ing clueless as a president.
My take is, most important to the republican party is survival.. even at the expense of the health of
our country.
Screw 'em.
Mark:
Ahhh, CNN, now I understand why you are minus some facts related to your statements. I don’t mean this as an attack on you John, coz yes, our founding fathers knew the importance of free speech. So important it is, they penned it as the no. 1 amendment to the Constitution. They did not want to regress.
Some rebuttal,
You say, “a thriving stock market”. Perhaps you are unaware of the dot com bust that happened under Clinton's wandering eye that adversely affected everyone.
You say “And, the republicans impeached him for lying under oath! about a woman!” You make the same mistake that most people make when referring to it as “lying”. Perjury means a violation of oath which is considered a serious crime. Maybe you didn’t see the video of Bill staring into the camera at the American people and stating that he “did not have sexual relations with that woman” oh and that obstruction charge? He was acquitted, finished his 2nd term, no big deal?
You say, “the deficit was paid down and was to be totally retired by 2012” I agree that times were good for a couple years, Bill did a pretty good job for the most part but extrapolating didn’t work there.
-Combining- “all the borrowing. the resulting deficits, all this was to be retired in a matter of just a few years.” Since you direct your ire towards Republicans for all the woes of this great country, perhaps the Clinton News Network neglected to inform that Obama nearly doubled the national debt by adding a little over $9 trillion to it. Hmmm?
You say, “Great Depression” It was tragic to be sure. However, a key contributing factor ironically was that the economic growth outpaced the population at that time. Things were booming and the Fed which was in its infancy did not understand and respond quickly or effectively.
You say, “Thanks to a Rehnquist Supreme Court decision preempting Florida voting rights” Now I’m with you on this to a degree because Florida continually has problems getting its votes tallied even to this day, especially Broward county. Could it have simply been a ploy to allow more time to dig up votes? Get it? Dig up.
You mention those wars and everyone should agree that meaningless loss of life is appalling. Certainly, you can’t champion the notion that men such as Hitler, Stalin, Saddam, Kim Il Sung, Hirohito, Pol Pot(different) etc., should go unchecked? Pop quiz, who killed more people, Hitler, Stalin or Mao?
You say, “Global peace and most importantly American Prosperity”
The Middle East has been warring for centuries with intermittent periods of calm. Find an unredacted history book, if one still exists, and see what the root cause of their current unrest is. Should take you back roughly 300 years to discover why it persists today. However, I agree with you 100%, we didn’t cause it, shouldn’t cost US troop’s lives or US tax dollars.
You are living in a time of prosperity; can’t you feel it? You seem to be doing fairly well. Speaking for myself, this year and last have been extremely good, my take home is much higher due to the lower tax liability and generous raises from a company that is now comfortably back in black. My 401k is up 17%. Savings are way up. Interest rates remain phenomenally low. Hmmmm?
Will be eligible for retirement during next Presidential term. Given the Dems philosophy of tax and spend. With the Dems past history of job killing regulations and other. With all of the ludicrous socialist proposals being spewed, let’s not even go into the flaws of Obamacare (a.k.a Affordable Care Act, ha), so bad the Dems don’t even mention it anymore. I do worry that at some point after 2024 that sooner or later my 401k will be destroyed and I will be taxed back into the workforce to spend my Golden Years.
To be clear, I don’t believe that Trump is a saint, I don’t believe anyone is especially those throwing all the stones right now. It’s possible that at some point they will finally uncover something that will stick and all this for (another acquittal. So what?) Today, Congress with majority and what’s her name, Hillary can’t get over that the rural American people chose him but thanks to the method of this government, they can’t overrule the people on their own, keyword = people. We have elections every 4 years, dissatisfied people have the opportunity to make a change, keyword = people. You have to give Trump credit, he knew he couldn’t win the popular vote due to large populated liberal cities so he worked the electoral college. He embraced the legitimacy of the electoral college, another brilliant gift from those forward thinkers. Wouldn’t it have been great to be a member of that treasonous bunch?
I kinda miss the days of Mark from Nanshan and Jim from Vegas and wonder what they’d have to say today. They had a way of really riling things up. (Robert, you should consider allowing them back, it is quiet compared to the heyday. I remember them and knew Jim personally so it is understandable why not.) Last I heard, Jim and Li Zhong were still successfully and lovingly married, well done.
Back to the point of my original post. Today China has really lost its luster (some reasons why provided as links) for both Haiyan and me, mainly her, so to us, America looks pretty darn good right now. Her daughter is extremely intelligent, hardworking and was recently accepted to many prestigious US Universities. It was quite satisfying watching her elimination process to finally decide on one. I just hope everyday that she is strong enough and alert enough to see when she is being manipulated by their liberal bias.
Mark ;)
Willy The Londoner:
I should not get involved in this but will say if voting made a difference they would not let you do it. ;D ;D ;D
The USA has a peculiar system. In most countries it is first past the post that wins which would have put another Clinton in the White House. But Colleges???
Willy
JohnB:
--- Quote from: Mark on October 18, 2019, 05:56:39 pm ---Ahhh, CNN, now I understand why you are minus some facts related to your
statements. I don’t mean this as an attack on you John, coz yes, our founding
fathers.. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah
Mark ;)
--- End quote ---
I read & reread that funny nonsensical post of yours until my eyes started going
cross sided.. something not seen since my early adolescence.
I didn't think what I wrote was subject to a rebuttal.. it is as I said, a casual
observation based on my view of our recent country's history. It was just my take
on "shit did happen- U.S.". It is factually correct.
In world affairs I usually take a holistic view. Some countries do better or
worst when compared to the U.S., or "People who live in glass houses
shouldn't throw stones". So, I as in myself, why would I make idle or stupid
statements about something/ person/ country, that I have a limited knowledge
of, or based on a unreliable social media take. I look at my country first before
I express my opinions known about other countries.
I am in China for almost two months now. I have been to China a number of
times since 2009 as my wife is Chinese. I do use different world news services
and some social media, including YouTube which I really like alot.
You miss the days of the literary dead.. "Mark from Nanshan and Jim from Vegas"?
Has it not occured to you that there are a few active posters here that have both feet
"here & there"? One member, Gerry Pineau, happens to have had/ & still, a most
beautiful story since his post "End of the Road" origin October 15, 2010. It is a great
read! Of course his take on China should be well received.
Oh, by the way, where do you see CNN in my unedited post? Wishfull thinking or is it
cross sidedness?
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