Business/Markets/Stocks/Economics Random, Random

[ashkor87]

Right, but people vote for economic reasons at most 50% of the time. Cultural reasons are far more important.

Yes, which is why Trump's tariffs will not hurt him- he is using them, not for economic reasons, but as a weapon against fentanyl and migration. How can any price rise be traced back to tariffs anyway? There is such a cloud of obfuscation around any supply chain...

[Suliso]

I doubt fentanyl is all that important either. What is important is cultural change via immigration both legal and illegal. Decline of religion perhaps as well. Percieved feminisation another factor. Lack of stable jobs of course too.

[dryrunguy]

Certainly the supply side of the fentanyl problem is important. But people do not smuggle or ship such substances to places where there is no demand for them. A flip side of the overarching strategy (which no longer seems to exist) is reducing demand. There are a number of ways to try to do this--expanding affordable, non-judgmental treatment options; court-driven jail diversion to treatment approaches; etc.

But if you're part of the camp that believes (arguably) that the key drivers of fentanyl and other substance use are economic despair, hopelessness, the profound need to escape such realities, and yes, the biology of addiction, you'll be hard-pressed to make significant progress in reducing demand. Even if people successfully complete a 30-, 60-, or 90-day treatment program, the realities they go back to upon completion will still be there, even if you refer them to a vocational training program or set them up with a minimum wage job. You can't live on a minimum wage job.

And whammy... Back to square one.

[Suliso]

I'm also in the camp which believes that 70-80% of drug use is symptom of other society problems. In the past men just drunk, now there are other options too.

[ponchi101]

Expecting a GOP government to understand those lines of rationale is delusional.
I was in Bolivia, ages ago. The DEA/CIA had a plan in the region I was, trying to get farmers to stop growing coca. They wanted them to grow pineapples and potatoes.
Then, they would need to go to Cochabamba, lose half the crop due to the bad roads, deliver to the market, and get paid in 30 days, meaning a second trip to Cochabamba which, for poor farmer in the Chapare region, was not cheap.

In the meantime, the drug traders came to Cochabamba and paid the coca growers with $100 bills, on the spot.
Gee, what do you think happened?

Totally different scenarios and issues, but just to see how demented the drug policies of the USA are.

[ashkor87]

no doubt about it, the only way is to curb the demand, but that means putting pressure on regular people, consumers, voters - makes you very unpopular.. always better to blame the bad guys across the border..

[ponchi101]

The GOP has never had any problems putting pressure on junkies and stoners. Remember, they see it as a character flaw.
Remember Reagan's "Just day no" campaign. A total disaster, but they thought it was excellent.
And then you will always get the "get tough on crime" politicians, who will talk tough, until they are found (or a close relative is found) in a cheap motel maxing our their credit card with Jive Miguel, who just flew in from Bogota.

[Owendonovan]

I personally enjoy marijuana and the occasional mushroom trip. It's always been a nice break from the weight of existence. I've experimented with many, synthetics and snortables add a weird layer of stress that kept me from going beyond experimentation.

[ponchi101]

Exactly. That is another myth, that all users of pot are stoners that are losers.
I have friends in Colorado that are regular users, and live a perfectly comfy life.
Is it healthy? I don't think so. Is it a certain path to self destruction? For some people, but others can handle them.

[ti-amie]

It's actually the same with alcohol. It's just that you can walk or drive to a nearby liquor store that usually has your poison of choice instead of having to work to find someone who will sell you the real thing and not some concoction that will kill you.

[ti-amie]

Some interesting replies

CheeseburgerLocker
•
8h ago
Ontario
I think I remember hearing that more than half of Americans get their "news" ie (expletive) memes and sensationalist headlines, from Facebook. They really have no (expletive) clue what's going on. It's astounding.

MachineOfSpareParts
•
7h ago
There are people around the world - probably the significant majority - who can't afford to travel, and haven't seen an ocean, or a desert, or whatever doesn't exist in their near locale. But they aren't ignorant. You can talk local, national, regional or global politics all day with a street vendor in Kampala who has never even been outside the district.

There are also many Americans who travel and manage to never grasp that they aren't still in the US. Many Canadians' first summer job is in tourism, fielding queries from Americans about why our prices are in foreign currency, where all the polar bears are, and whether our flag comes in any other colours.

What so many Americans lack isn't travel, but curiosity. They all have internet, and the internet is replete with information about this fascinating, beautiful, diverse world. All you have to do is wonder, then follow through with the search engine of your choice. Even the Americans who come over here apologizing say, "We don't really get international news delivered to us in the US." Well duh. No one gets it delivered. We seek it out, because we know the rest of the world affects us, and because we know that, we can afford much less to let our curiosity die.

b1arn
•
4h ago
Propaganda is right. I am American (sigh), and so many people genuinely think they are the only country in the world with “freedom.” Meanwhile, our healthcare system sucks, teachers have to train kids on active shooter drills, and Amazon employees are living out of their cars because they can’t afford rent.

Now protesters who are here legally are getting deported because they speak out against the president. It’s kind of scary here if you aren’t on board with the psycho nationalism that’s spreading.

I’m encouraged by our neighbors to the North. Keep the pressure on! The only thing a lot of the people care about is the impact on the bank accounts

TheBigSho
•
5h ago
Why learn about the world around you when all the answers are already in the Bible?

[Suliso]

We could afford to vacation in US this year or the next. Unlikely to be bothered by the immigration on the border either, but still in the current climate I don't feel at all like going there...

[ponchi101]

On the opposite side of that equation. I was thinking of going back to Colorado after my end of job here (in three days) but with the current climate, I just don't think that landing at Houston Intercontinental will feel fine with my Venezuelan passport.
I'll wait a while to see what will happen before I go back to the USA.

[skatingfan]

On the opposite side of that equation. I was thinking of going back to Colorado after my end of job here (in three days) but with the current climate, I just don't think that landing at Houston Intercontinental will feel fine with my Venezuelan passport.
I'll wait a while to see what will happen before I go back to the USA.

Based on the stories coming out if you have tattoos they might consider you a gang member - not that the TAT 2.0 gang's criminal enterprises should be underestimated.

[ti-amie]

On the opposite side of that equation. I was thinking of going back to Colorado after my end of job here (in three days) but with the current climate, I just don't think that landing at Houston Intercontinental will feel fine with my Venezuelan passport.
I'll wait a while to see what will happen before I go back to the USA.

Based on the stories coming out if you have tattoos they might consider you a gang member - not that the TAT 2.0 gang's criminal enterprises should be underestimated.