[Hiram]

As you probably know, the in the 80's the EU was 40% of global trade, now it is 20%.

Mainly because the rest of the world (i.e. the BRICS countries and the MINT countries) have grown their economies; the pie is bigger, so the EU's piece of the pie is slightly smaller, even as its absolute volume remains the same or even bigger.

But as a percentage the EU is not growing - and without growth in a fractional reserve system like we have in the west you're stuffed. You need to grow with fractional reserve service the debt. Or you need inflation - but the EU has neither.

[andrat2000]

You are poorly informed. Oh dear, very bad informed. Deutsche Bank had no bail out and VW neither. VW pays it's bills themselves for cheating. And last quarter was one of the most successful again.

I said would, not did.  By all means look this up yourself.  Deutsche Bank is definitely in trouble. I thought this was common knowledge, ah well, not to you obviously.

Really only old metal bashing?

OK, that was a bit harsh.

That's why I support what french president Macron just said (beside reforming France) about reforming the EU.

But he is planing to sack 120,000 public sector workers - he is after a former Rothschild banker. As for EU reform, I have my doubts that all 27 will agree, especially looking at how different these counties are.

On the other hand if Google and Microsoft wants to have his European headquater in Ireland why should I be angry it is not in Germany? No need to be angry about this.

Its because corporation tax in Ireland is lower than in Germany. Same with Luxenbourg, firms go where the tax is lower.  There are lots that do this, eBay, Google, McDonalds, the list goes on.  I do agree mind - it should be stopped.

Anyway, I think this thread has gone about as far as it can for me, so I'll make this my last.

PS VW - still oh dear!

Not all companies go where tax is lower. Some do. And in the past for Ireland the low taxes was something accepted by the European partners to have Ireland develop. But there is a time this tax dumping has to end, especially when a country has to be bailed out like Ireland in the bank crisis nearly a decade ago. In first instance they have to try get the money from their corporates, their people and in last instance from the European partners helping them.

I know Deutsche Bank is since 4 years in bigger trouble and I hope there won't be any bailout. I wouldn't support it. They did very bad business decisions the last years. They didn't change fast enough. They didn't took actions as required. The stock owners should pay for it. If they can't the bank is gone ... that's my opinion.

And 20.2% of VW is owned by the state of Niedersachsen. If this owner thinks they need to safe their investment, they might do it, but I wouldn't agree that Germany does it. Germany isn't the owner.

So all what I said is in consistency with how this discussion started with you. The owners have first to take care of their company. It doesn't matter if stock owners or personally responsible owner.

[TheZookie007]

BREAKING NEWS: "Trump abruptly axes FBI's Comey in midst of Russia probe"

Remember Richard Nixon's "Saturday Night Massacre"? This move is beyond Nixonian, and it will not end well for the perpetrators.

This is not normal.

[gonZo]

Employees fired by Trump:
      Sally Yates
      Preet Bharara
      James Comey

Employees investigating Trump:
      Sally Yates
      Preet Bharara
      James Comey

[TheZookie007]

Employees fired by Trump:
      Sally Yates
      Preet Bharara
      James Comey

Employees investigating Trump:
      Sally Yates
      Preet Bharara
      James Comey

But there's no "there there", according to Sarah Huckabee Sanders! And you know that the current occupant of the White House doesn't have any connection or dealings with the Russians at all! Never been to Russia! Never tried to build a hotel there! Never met Putin! Never even hosted the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow! Like, ever! How do I know? Because he said so! Just ask his son, he'll back him up, right? Right?

"Eric Trump Admits Trump Gets Tons of Money from Russia"

-- TheZookie "Oops!" 007

[andrat2000]

FIFA (the world soccer organization) just fired the chief investigators for the latest corruption case(s). Does this sound somehow familiar?

Btw. everbody knows the FIFA administration is totally corrupted and is blocking the investigations now for years. Does this also sound familiar?

[TheZookie007]

FIFA (the world soccer organization) just fired the chief investigators for the latest corruption case(s). Does this sound somehow familiar?

Btw. everbody knows the FIFA administration is totally corrupted and is blocking the investigations now for years. Does this also sound familiar?

Yes, sadly it does. To make matters worse, at least all FIFA has to worry about is football...meanwhile, we have a mentally-ill person in charge of the nuclear football.

[andrat2000]

This all sums up to:

Crooked Trumpel

[andrat2000]

Also interesting. After Comey got fired several people don't want to talk anymore to senate investigations. They are now scared. And this was probably the main thing. Give people that know more so much fear, that they silence themselves. This is like Mafia methods. Wow.

[rtpoe]

January: Attorney General Sally Yates tells the White House that Michael Flynn lied about his contacts with Russia, and is subject to blackmail. A few days later, Yates is fired, nominally for refusing to enforce Trump's executive order on blocking immigration.

March 10: U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered all 46 remaining United States Attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration to submit letters of resignation. Preet Bharara, the New York US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (who would be involved in any investigations about goings-on at Trump Tower, including Trump's allegations that Obama had wiretapped him), declines to resign, and is fired the next day.

Last October, Trump said "it took guts" for Comey to renew the Clinton email investigation. On January 22, a smiling Trump hugged Comey during a White House meeting and said with a chuckle, "He's become more famous than me." (What could be higher praise from Trump?) On April 12, Trump said he had confidence in Comey. On May 3, White House press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated that Comey had Trump's support.

Last week, Comey asked the Justice Dept. for more resources to use in the Russian collusion probe....

See a pattern here?

[andrat2000]

January: Attorney General Sally Yates tells the White House that Michael Flynn lied about his contacts with Russia, and is subject to blackmail. A few days later, Yates is fired, nominally for refusing to enforce Trump's executive order on blocking immigration.

March 10: U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered all 46 remaining United States Attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration to submit letters of resignation. Preet Bharara, the New York US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (who would be involved in any investigations about goings-on at Trump Tower, including Trump's allegations that Obama had wiretapped him), declines to resign, and is fired the next day.

Last October, Trump said "it took guts" for Comey to renew the Clinton email investigation. On January 22, a smiling Trump hugged Comey during a White House meeting and said with a chuckle, "He's become more famous than me." (What could be higher praise from Trump?) On April 12, Trump said he had confidence in Comey. On May 3, White House press secretary Sean Spicer reiterated that Comey had Trump's support.

Last week, Comey asked the Justice Dept. for more resources to use in the Russian collusion probe....

See a pattern here?

Yes

As said: crooked Trumpel.

And this is misuse of power to the extreme as only totalitarian dictatorships do, too.

[TheZookie007]

Yes

As said: crooked Trumpel.

And this is misuse of power to the extreme as only totalitarian dictatorships do, too.

That's not the worst of it. The worst of it is that 40% of Americans still approve of him.

The only conclusion to draw here is that four out of 10 of our countrymen are mad. Whether power-mad mad, or "insane in the membrane" mad, you can decide for yourselves. This is how fascism comes to the US, not via tanks and missiles, but by countrymen sitting by and thinking that this is a football match and "our team" is winning, so it doesn't matter that our Constitution is being trampled upon and the very fabric of our liberal constitutional democracy is being piece by piece dismantled...but since "our guy" is there, it doesn't matter.

Please, let no American ever cast aspersions on so-called "third world countries" ever again. Especially if Republicans continue to put party (or being in power) over the good of their country (and of their constituents who put them in power to serve them in the first place).


The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: "The Shady Firing of James Comey"

[andrat2000]

Hear. Hear!

But I wouldn't go so far to say 40% are plain mad to not realize this now. I think they are just slow.

Yes

As said: crooked Trumpel.

And this is misuse of power to the extreme as only totalitarian dictatorships do, too.

That's not the worst of it. The worst of it is that 40% of Americans still approve of him.

The only conclusion to draw here is that four out of 10 of our countrymen are mad. Whether power-mad mad, or "insane in the membrane" mad, you can decide for yourselves. This is how fascism comes to the US, not via tanks and missiles, but by countrymen sitting by and thinking that this is a football match and "our team" is winning, so it doesn't matter that our Constitution is being trampled upon and the very fabric of our liberal constitutional democracy is being piece by piece dismantled...but since "our guy" is there, it doesn't matter.

Please, let no American ever cast aspersions on so-called "third world countries" ever again. Especially if Republicans continue to put party (or being in power) over the good of their country (and of their constituents who put them in power to serve them in the first place).


The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: "The Shady Firing of James Comey"

[TheZookie007]

Hear. Hear!

But I wouldn't go so far to say 40% are plain mad to not realize this now. I think they are just slow.

Just heard that the latest poll is that his "approval" rating is now 36%. So 4% of them recovered from their insanity.

And it is insane when the day after "he" fired the man who was investigating him, he meets in the White House with one of the men who caused his first National Security Advisor to resign (because he'd met with him and didn't disclose that fact) and caused his Attorney-General to recuse himself from the investigation (because also he'd met with him and lied about that fact)...and he forbids American media from taking pictures of the meeting but allowed TASS to take photos of the meeting...and then complains when the official Russian press agency publishes the photos.

This is not normal.

[Cutter]

They worked hard detailing the reason Comey was fired,  and Trump couldn't stick to the script.

Comey also, as I understand it, would NOT swear loyalty to Trump; another reason Trump didn't like him and wanted him gone.