A pessimistic view of the state of the world

[kenny38]

A 98 year old man grabbed my hand recently and told me that "all world wars are initially about trade or lack of it......and the present circumstances indicate a depression followed by a war". Mind you the WW2 lifted everyone out of depression.
He is gone now....quite unexpectantly. Makes you wonder. No goverment will requsition our Jensens though. The shadows deepen. kenny38

[Steve Payne]

There is only a lack of trade because 50% of the worlds population has been told to sit at home.

I think once a vaccine has been developed and we are aloud to carry on things should start to pick up fairy quickly.

The thing that worries me is how are governments of the world who have borrowed huge amounts of money hope to pay it back? Higher taxes for all of us and less handouts I fear.

Steve

[AH1951]

US National Debt is over $25 trillion.
Does it really matter?

https://www.worldometers.info/us-debt-clock/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AH1951]

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[ChrisP]

if all the worlds economies have borrowed money to get through this.
who did they borrow it off.if the USA borrowed off Europe and Europe borrowed off China
and China borrowed off Russia and Russia borrowed off the USA. Do we not all end up in the same place.
Except savings in the bank that would once buy a car now will buy a packet of fags.
And the first thing the big economies cut when they are in trouble is Foreign aid, so if all the world economies are in trouble
Africa is in the s**t.
So expect more migrants.

[AH1951]

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[Roh]

if all the worlds economies have borrowed money to get through this.
who did they borrow it off.if the USA borrowed off Europe and Europe borrowed off China
and China borrowed off Russia and Russia borrowed off the USA. Do we not all end up in the same place.
Except savings in the bank that would once buy a car now will buy a packet of fags.
And the first thing the big economies cut when they are in trouble is Foreign aid, so if all the world economies are in trouble
Africa is in the s**t.
So expect more migrants.

It’s a slow day in some little town……..
The sun is hot….the streets are deserted.
Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

On this particular day a rich tourist from back west is driving thru town.
He stops at the motel and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.
As soon as the man walks upstairs, the owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at the feed store.

The guy at the Farmer’s Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her services on credit.
She, in a flash rushes to the motel and pays off her room bill with the motel owner.
The motel proprietor now places the $100 back on the counter so the rich traveler will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, picks up the $100 bill, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money & leaves.

[RogerBrotton]

There's no such thing as a National debt, because no country ever pays it back.
Just keep printing money....it's easy. They've all been doing it for the last hundred years. Keep it simple !

[AH1951]

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[kenny38]

I really like the"palace"(?) description of "work required....None" This sounds like a 25K-30K Jensen advert. When the old man said trade causes war, he was alluding, I think that during the 30's many countries closed their trade borders including USA impoverishing everyone. Also the banks panicked and closed off credit. Result depression until USA NEW DEAL.....and the WW2. China would have to ramp up it's war games/brinkmanship to deal with a restive and strange huge unemployment, likewise Russia. Israel with 40% of it's GDP being spent on fortress Israel would find it hard to keep pace with a resurgent Iran. (off a very low base and oil sales resuming) Hug your children/grandchildren tonight. Oh! I forgot....... I shall have to go back on he old pills. kenny38

[ajc9415]

I like the chateaux but I’m guessing it comes unfurnished so you’ll probably need the same again to fit it out! About the same price as a semi detached house in central London!

[AH1951]

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[felixkk]

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[AH1951]

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[Keith]

Please leave Switzerland out of this debate, we are A. neutral

What does "neutral" mean in this context?