cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/44453258
And I thought the US was a $200B damage hurricane away from debt collapse
this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
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Nah, as long as the dollar is the world's reserve currency and the government is a net positive for the bank accounts of the world's billionaires and multinational corporations, it'll be held up as per the "too big to fail" policy no matter the amount of debt.
The moment that either or both of those things stop being true (which used to be beyond impossible, but now could be just a year or two away), it could make 1930 seem like a boom year in comparison.
This is a really huge amount of money, FYI. Itemization of it isn't yet available until it gets to congress, but some estimates of $30B-$50B are for "regional/global needs" that are essentially repairs/reconstruction of previous capabilities now lost. If your loving congresscritters don't pay, then China will take over GCC. ROC/Japan allotments are unlikely to be prioritized, but then likely to leave US orbit. China has seriousfaced offered Taiwan peaceful reunification in exchange for some sweet LNG.
See, the issue is that war is the business with the biggest margin.
That, and the added benefit of putting all the world in a state of survival which is seldom conductive of thoughtful reflection but rather throws most people Intl mindless consumption nowadays.
As long as they have streaming services most people will shrug off the sad and dangerous state of affairs, simply because its easier and confortable.
Are those figures to end those things for good or just a year?
I agree with the sentiment just curious about the figures.
I had to look up the bridge dollar amount because I thought that was way too low. Turns out that it's very accurate.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi/sd2024.cfm
We really do suck on what gets prioritized.
Can't wait for the "bridge collapses are just a way of life we can't change it" narrative to be pushed
The country is too big! /s
Thoughts and prayers
Poor and POC have been yelling about this for over 100 years. We were told to get some bootstraps and to stop looking for handouts. The Pentagon can't account for 60% of its already spent money and they want another $200 billion to kill poor brown people overseas? At least if they bombed us we'd be getting to see our tax dollars in person, if even for a milliseconds. Bets slowly dying in the world's best and wealthiest nation.
Just imagine if we had health coverage that wasn't tied to our jobs. If you had enough money to live on you could -- gasp -- quit your job and couch it up or find a different one. Can't have that though, because that's too much like actual freedom.
What's all the more ridiculous is, the US government already spends like $2-3T per year on medical spending (Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, etc). And that's not enough somehow.
After you remove all the C-suite salaries they only have 14 dollars left. Don't you know that execs need their yachts?
Getting old in this country sucks, you get to watch people, year after year, voting against their own and the countries best interest and instead for a group of rich assholes that promise the world every time and never deliver on anything but tax cuts and exploding the defecit which they suddenly don't care about anymore, except next time a Democrat wins. It's a fucking joke and I don't know how anyone else doesn't see it or how to stop it. Literal clown country.
You whiners are losing sight of the big-picture, important stuff, like the unmitigated scandal where Hunter Biden once received a drink on the house.
And Obama wore a tan suit once!!
Lamestream media refuses to keep America first demonism of democrat interference in Dijon mustard scandal. The midterms will still hopefully focus on the important undeniable America first accomplishment: The glorious White House ballroom, where patriots will vote their conscience on supporting the party that keeps Trump alive for ~~2~~ 6 more years.
It's people who are to blame.
Instead of voting for people who profit from war, they should vote for people who profit from the universal healthcare, childcare, absence of poverty.
To be fair to the people, it's not as if the big elections are a buffet of selection. Having to choose between light and dark meat doesn't help me if I want a salad.
What if one of the meats is doing a sig heil and stealing from kids cancer funds?
I mean yes, it should be cut and dry given the current dynamic. Picking between two options when one is crawling with maggots is a pretty easy choice but that wasn't really my point.
Unfortunately my point matters less than I wish it did. Loads of people don't bother voting anyway, many that do vote are ill informed to some extent, and enough show up thinking they'll get big and strong by eating maggots.
enough show up thinking they'll get big and strong by eating maggots.
RFK has entered the chat.
At this point we need just average ppl to run for office. The entire government needs to be changed out like dialysis. I'm already researching my options to run.
It's far more complex and nuanced than, "Fuck the public." This feels like you're unironically parroting the sentiment shared by George Carlin-- in a comedy stand-up special.
The public needs to make better, more informed voting choices, but the system is corrupt, full of dirty money, and frankly kind of rigged. Our current way of electing representatives is outdated at best and undemocratic at worst.
We need to switch to ranked choice voting and get money out of politics.
The system is rigged that the only way to run in politics is to get multiple MILLIONS in donorship
And that's just not possible except for if you do dodgy deals or are already a millionaire.
This ends up making the choices;
- someone who's in the back pocket of oligarchy and corporate
Or
- someone who's in the back pocket of oligarchy and corporate
- and also a millionaire
Liberals upvoting you and agreeing furiously because they voted for "most lethal military" Kamala cop city Harris will downvote this comment without reflecting on the irony.
Meanwhile, MAGA voters are agreeing as well because they voted for "definitely won't do a war, trust me" Donald cranky old fart Trump will upvote, though, also without reflecting on the irony.
I'm surprised it was upvoted TBH. Basically it was an irony highlighting the fact that the general population's well-being is not profitable and therefore is not possible within the current system. As Grigory Yudin put it, Democracy is not elections.
But think of the children!
They can bomb more than enough with just $5B.
But that won't be enough for the double-tap 😤
Don't forget that they also always want tax cuts - especially for the rich. Trump's platform both elections have promised significant tax reductiona for personal and business taxes - and delivered (one of the few campaign promises he's kept to).
Only personal taxes for the wealthy. The rest of us got an increase.
Permanent tax cuts for the rich, temporary tax cuts for us plebeians.
And the temporary cuts are always set to expire just after they leave office so they can blame the opposition for people's taxes going up.
Can someone please introduce a $200b bill for some of these things at the same time Pete puts out his hand?
Seriously. And then let the American public know that their representatives are voting for either murdering foreigners or for helping American people.
lmao why even pay taxes when they are just wasting it
