My Guess as to What Venezuelan Oil Means to the USA

[Charles West]

By having a president and plan for it - our debt was already high when Biden took office and DT in his first term added a whopping 7 trillion to it.

I agree, it was already too high, so why go down that road again? The President has very limited powers to address this, beyond trying to claw back some of it; the legislation is what it is. As far as I know, the only way out is a long period of sustained private-sector growth, coupled with a complete revamp of the federal reach and scope, which is probably something you would be vehemently opposed to.

 

[glenn walker]

Sovereign Debt isn't like personal debt unless your a small Nation.

The key is to have the largest Nuclear Military that nobody can come after you to collect.

The creditors can be eliminated two ways. Just simply quit paying them back or blow them up and take their assets.

Anything else is just like spitting
in the wind because we are never paying it off using income taxes or manipulating interest rates.

 

[TerryRohrer]

Sovereign Debt isn't like personal debt unless your a small Nation.

The key is to have the largest Nuclear Military that nobody can come after you to collect.

The creditors can be eliminated two ways. Just simply quit paying them back or blow them up and take their assets.

Anything else is just like spitting
in the wind because we are never paying it off using income taxes or manipulating interest rates.

The problem is that 80% of that debt is held by Americans. I don't doubt the outcome is that they will get screwed, too, and their assets taken. That is what is happening now, but it is by the death by a thousand cuts approach.

 

[J Grant]

I'll say it before and I; ll say it again - if we the people are not willing to personally sacrifice, - paying more taxes AND giving up some services, and demanding our leaders address the debt with every spare dollar that comes in , and collecting from tax cheats, this will not be resolved and the future generations will pay heavily.

Blaming past presidents is not going to solve it. We can all look in the mirror, though, and take some blame ourselves. We expect a president to do the impossible - have low interest rates, stimulate the economy, reduce taxes, while greenlighting big $ military and domestic budgets -that combo does not pay the debt down. Increasing revenue from innovation, development, and collecting taxes -it is all more $ in and less $ out.

Paying so much of our budget just to cover our debt interest starves other investments as well as services for citizens.
Paying the debt down is not an overnight flashy victory, and it is not entertaining, and it is not sexy. It would mean enduring a decade or more of mutual sacrifice (which is tame compared to what other generations have endured. It would require a long-term strategic policy.

Let AI figure out some solutions if humans of both parties are too compromised to do it. I like Mitt Romney's idea of correcting the tax code. Clearly, whatever we are doing now and in the past is not working.

 

[glenn walker]

I'll say it before and I; ll say it again - if we the people are not willing to personally sacrifice, - paying more taxes AND giving up some services, and demanding our leaders address the debt with every spare dollar that comes in , and collecting from tax cheats, this will not be resolved and the future generations will pay heavily.

Blaming past presidents is not going to solve it. We can all look in the mirror, though, and take some blame ourselves. We expect a president to do the impossible - have low interest rates, stimulate the economy, reduce taxes, while greenlighting big $ military and domestic budgets -that combo does not pay the debt down. Increasing revenue from innovation, development, and collecting taxes -it is all more $ in and less $ out.

Paying so much of our budget just to cover our debt interest starves other investments as well as services for citizens.
Paying the debt down is not an overnight flashy victory, and it is not entertaining, and it is not sexy. It would mean enduring a decade or more of mutual sacrifice (which is tame compared to what other generations have endured. It would require a long-term strategic policy.

Let AI figure out some solutions if humans of both parties are too compromised to do it. I like Mitt Romney's idea of correcting the tax code. Clearly, whatever we are doing now and in the past is not working.

We the Citizens are not paying off the National Debt. The broken two party systems allowed the debt and it's simply no problem. Just more gas lighting the old baby boomers.

The younger folk's aren't obsessed or panicking over the National Debt because they know it's all more bull****.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Blaming past presidents is not going to solve it.

blaming the present one isn't going to solve it either. But one thing is clear. Fraud and over-spending has been a huge factor. A billion here and a billion there and we're talking real money (Sen. Everett Dircksen) Wealth taxes don't work. Norway tried it and lost billions as the wealty fled to other countries. States need to have balanced budgets by law. CA as an example is billions behind on pension payments. And further, unsaid is the tax base is shrinking as the population is falling, and we are subsidizing NGOs that are lies and illegal aliens. And AI promises to take even more jobs. That means AI will have to be taxed as if they were live people and not just a computer algorithm. Otherwise there won't be enough money for SS and Medicare for the millions put out of work by AI.

 

[George Hatch]

Going back to the OP

Venezuela has never been politically stable and as I understand it their political spectrum runs from definitely-left to authoritarian-left. There is no "USA American" in their heads struggling to get out. (Hat tip to the Colonel in Full Metal Jacket)


When they nationalized the oil companies' holdings - among others - that was a seizure of other people's property. Even if the U.S. could put the populace under control (we can') and bring political stability to bear (we can't), it's just a matter of time before the authoritarian left comes back into power via their democratic process and repeats their past seizures in the name of compassion and equity the left uses to rationalize their authoritarian tendencies.

As for the oil companies, they'd have to be insane to take that risk again knowing the politics which are in play at street level.

We were better off doing business with them and letting them abuse their own people into starvation. They're not going to get a better deal from China than from us. Maybe blast some of their drug boats out of the water just to lighten the load a little. IMO Venezuela is just another insurrection of unlimited duration waiting to happen. If China thinks they can step in and control Venezuela then they're delusional, too.

 

[J Grant]

Did Trump wake up one day, look at a map, and throw darts at which countries to bomb, attack, and meddle with?
From peace on day one to an international war monger.
Venezuela, then Iran, then Somalia, then take Greenland, and if things get dull, send the National Guard into an American city and hope for the inevitable conflict.

The weird part about Trump and MAGA is that they were not just sore losers back in 2020 when they had a four-year tantrum about election results.

They are sore winners. They won and have as close to absolute power as any admin in America can get. They dismantled woke. They're deporting at warp speed. Fired large swatches of govt workes. Yet it is not enough. They have to keep riling up anger and want to incite endless hate and division. And now it is playing out in attacking sovereign nations and risking retaliation.

Where will it lead? I do not see it benefiting our nation.

 

[George Hatch]

Some of Trump's critics on the right are mad at him for his inadequate follow through. They not only voted for this, they voted for more of this.

More govt layoffs, more deportation, more dismantling of "equity instead of equal". More boots on the backs of criminals. More "No" when responding to lefty demands.

If the socialists are not weeping bitter tears of impotent rage then the normies aren't pushing hard enough.

 

[J Grant]

Some of Trump's critics on the right are mad at him for his inadequate follow through. They not only voted for this, they voted for more of this.

More govt layoffs, more deportation, more dismantling of "equity instead of equal". More boots on the backs of criminals. More "No" when responding to lefty demands.

If the socialists are not weeping bitter tears of impotent rage then the normies aren't pushing hard enough.

Well, that's bathtt crazy simplistic.

Or maybe it reflects the unfortunate reality - instead of looking at DT and this admin's performance, is it benefiting America, all they care about is revenge and getting over on the libs/lefties.

Too bad it is not actually making America great again.