Last one to post wins

[Dmanwuzhere]

In my country, the price of gasoline remain at 0.25usd/L (Citizens only which subsidized by government). It stay at that price for almost 2 years now. We able to survive this global crisis becoz we produced our own oil n we also the exporters. It's good business I guess in the mid of this crisis. If the price of gasoline in ur country spark at uncontrollable rate then u are not doing fine. Should have all that drill site operate first before start the war. It took time to start up new site. Everydays count as the rise of oil will impact a lot of things. Transportation will be expensive resulting to increase price of goods. Same apply for power supply. Millions people in country will face the impact. From my perspective, this is not only Weponize War but also the Economic Warfare. Well not that I care as we just chill outside watching the theatre.

Are you Nigerian?
That's where gas is the cheapest, although higher than you stated.
I rather like our USA problems vs Nigerian issues.

Nigeria is currently facing multiple challenges, including widespread violence from militant groups like Boko Haram, economic hardship with high inflation rates, and issues related to governance and security. Additionally, there are significant humanitarian crises, including food insecurity and displacement due to ongoing conflicts.
Nigeria is grappling with a range of significant issues that impact its stability and development. The following outlines the primary problems the country is facing today.
Economic Hardship
High Inflation: Nigeria is experiencing soaring inflation rates, which reached 34.19% by mid-2024. Food inflation has surpassed 40%, severely affecting the cost of living.
Poverty: The economic situation has pushed many Nigerians deeper into poverty, exacerbating existing inequalities.
Militant Violence: Groups like Boko Haram continue to perpetrate violence, particularly in the Northeast. This includes kidnappings and attacks that have resulted in numerous casualties.
Banditry: In the Northwest, armed gangs are responsible for mass abductions and violent raids, contributing to a climate of fear and insecurity.
Ethnic and Religious Conflicts: Ongoing violence between predominantly Muslim herders and Christian farming communities has led to significant loss of life and displacement.
Displacement: Millions of Nigerians have been displaced due to conflict, leading to urgent humanitarian needs. The number of people requiring assistance has surged, particularly in the Northeast.
Food Insecurity: The combination of conflict and economic challenges has resulted in widespread food insecurity, affecting millions of people.
Governance and Accountability
Bad Governance: Protests, such as the #EndBadGovernance movement, highlight public dissatisfaction with government performance and accountability.
Repression of Expression: Authorities have responded to criticism with repression, including the arrest of journalists and activists, threatening freedom of expression.
These challenges are interconnected and require comprehensive strategies to address the underlying causes and improve the overall situation in Nigeria. Making the slight increase in US gas prices a wonderful thing in comparison to the problems that come with cheap gas.

I could break down the top 10 places where gas is cheapest and find myself grateful for my location and my gas prices comparatively.

[Lachlan]

Yes that is why I am saying threatening other countries does not really help your cause or interests in the long run and when you do that it is basically a lose-lose scenario.
Some European countries did not become lax, mostly the ones close to Russia like Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, if we are including Sweden and Finland then them as well and France I believe as well because France produces a lot of it's equipment domestically. But as a whole yes Europe got lax.
As far as I am aware apart from rare earth metals you guys cannot produce enough oil to meet your domestic demand either. Same with gas I believe to a much smaller extent. You guys do not produce enough computer chips either to meet demand. All essentials for a healthy economy and military

We have a Strategic Reserve-and you're also not counting the fact that, we likely won't be cut off from ALL trade worldwide. Hell, if we end up going against Europe, we could probably cut a deal with Russia for their oil and gas-again, alliances change-what might be an ally today could be an enemy tomorrow-and vice versa. We started off as literal Rebels against England-we were enemies-and in time we became allies-we fought Japan in WW2-we're allies now-we could decide being allied with many European countries is no longer worth it-and cut them off and forge new ones-Hell we used to be allied with Russia. To just assume because we are allies now that means we must always remain such and keep doing what is in the best interest of our allies, even at our own detriment is foolish. I firmly believe that for quite a while Europe has benefited far more from this alliance then we have-enjoying lopsided benefits often at our expense-we have a literal trade deficit with most countries-most countries have tariffs on our exports-yet they complain when we tariff them back? All while so many mock the US openly. It get's old real quick.

Yes I am aware that allies can change over time lol. I really don't think countries mock the US and all that. It is not America as a whole countries have issues with at the moment. It is Trump they have an issue with. Countries criticizing one another is a pretty normal thing.
I do not see how a trade deficit by default is a bad thing. If you cannot produce certain things domestically then you import or try and raise your own domestic production of whatever goods you need as best as you can. It is not raising of tariffs that I think is most countries primary issue. It is that when a country says something that Trump does not like, he then threatens to raise tariffs on them. It is also the inconsistency as well. One minute a country might be slapped with sky high tariffs, then suddenly it is reduced again and then it goes up again. Yes tariffs have increased the amount of money the US government is making but in terms of employment and jobs I don't think much has changed and I am sure that some industries have been negatively affected by the tariffs. It does not look like prices are going down either. So it looks to me like the government is getting more money but businesses and people are at best seeing mixed results with some positives and some negatives. In essence the government is receiving some benefits and everyone else is not really seeing any benefits.

[Meliva]

You don't see how trade deficit is a bad thing? Really? You are honestly telling me that you cannot see how having a trade deficit while having a huge national debt is a default bad thing? You know what a trade deficit is correct? You know that trade deficits are a big cause of trade wars right? And in some cases, literal bloody wars. Hell, the whole reason the Opium wars started, was because Britain had a huge trade deficit with China, and were bleeding silver and going bankrupt-so they got them hooked on that drug, and when China tried to stop them from selling it, it erupted into a literal war.

Now I will admit, a slight trade deficit here and there-no big deal-especially if you've no national debt-and you got a trade surplus with other countries. What the US has, is so far beyond that-and we are swimming in debt-so how you can't see why a trade deficit is generally a bad thing is beyond me.

[Lachlan]

You don't see how trade deficit is a bad thing? Really? You are honestly telling me that you cannot see how having a trade deficit while having a huge national debt is a default bad thing? You know what a trade deficit is correct? You know that trade deficits are a big cause of trade wars right? And in some cases, literal bloody wars. Hell, the whole reason the Opium wars started, was because Britain had a huge trade deficit with China, and were bleeding silver and going bankrupt-so they got them hooked on that drug, and when China tried to stop them from selling it, it erupted into a literal war.

Now I will admit, a slight trade deficit here and there-no big deal-especially if you've no national debt-and you got a trade surplus with other countries. What the US has, is so far beyond that-and we are swimming in debt-so how you can't see why a trade deficit is generally a bad thing is beyond me.

As far as I am aware most countries have at least some debt. Your high national debt is in part due to overspending (to greatly oversimplify), poorer interest rates and an aging population meaning more money spent on social services. If you wanted to reduce your trade deficit you would need to export to other countries more which sometimes is not possible because some countries may not want what you are selling or they think what you are selling is of inferior quality. To an extent a lot of western developed countries are facing similar slowdowns in their economies.

[Meliva]

Or, we can start importing LESS and do more domestically-the US is a large country, with vast resources and a large population-I would LOVE to see us severely limit a lot of trade and do more domestic production-this would keep our money in our country-and not have it flowing into other nations. So many countries export so much to the US-while importing very little in return-this means money is flowing to them and out of the US-which makes the US poorer, and them richer. America should put itself first-the rest of the world can figure it's shit out on it's own in my opinion. We deeply need to establish new ground rules and trade with the rest of the world-and stop letting us get ripped off.

[Lachlan]

Or, we can start importing LESS and do more domestically-the US is a large country, with vast resources and a large population-I would LOVE to see us severely limit a lot of trade and do more domestic production-this would keep our money in our country-and not have it flowing into other nations. So many countries export so much to the US-while importing very little in return-this means money is flowing to them and out of the US-which makes the US poorer, and them richer. America should put itself first-the rest of the world can figure it's shit out on it's own in my opinion. We deeply need to establish new ground rules and trade with the rest of the world-and stop letting us get ripped off.

Sure you can certainly try but I highly doubt most Americans will want to work in say a clothing factory. To reduce some of your imports you would need a larger manufacturing base for certain things and I don't think most Americans want to work in factories anymore meaning you might have to get immigrants to fill that role but I think most immigrants don't see America as a good place to go to even if they go in legally because they will probably get arrested and deported to some random country they were never a citizen of, or have not lived in that country for decades.

[Meliva]

Ok-at this point I am fully convinced you're either completely delusional, very deeply misinformed, or just outright lying. I am going to presume the 2nd-that you're just ignorant of the statistics-So let me tell you- The US is the LITERAL NUMBER ONE DESTINATION of immigration it has HELD that record for FIFTY YEARS you can check this with a SIMPLE google search-what on EARTH makes you think people don't WANT to immigrate here when REALITY CLEARLY SHOWS THE EXACT OPPOSITE? The line of people WANTING to get in is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE-why do you THINK so many people come in Illegally? Hell most US citizens want LESS immigrants coming-not MORE-and you seriously think that most immigrants don't want to come to America? I'm done with this discussion. Again, I don't know if you're just living in some fantasy land, or if you're just ignorant, or if you're just saying whatever nonsense you think will help you make your point with no regards to how factual it is or how much sense it makes, but if you TRULY are telling me, that you SERISOULY THINK most immigrants don't see America as a good place, then you are either debating in bad faith, or you're severely misinformed or ignorant-either way, I no longer see any real purpose in continuing this discussion with you. I mean you've had some takes that made me face palm, but this one REALLY takes the cake.

[Lachlan]

Ok-at this point I am fully convinced you're either completely delusional, very deeply misinformed, or just outright lying. I am going to presume the 2nd-that you're just ignorant of the statistics-So let me tell you- The US is the LITERAL NUMBER ONE DESTINATION of immigration it has HELD that record for FIFTY YEARS you can check this with a SIMPLE google search-what on EARTH makes you think people don't WANT to immigrate here when REALITY CLEARLY SHOWS THE EXACT OPPOSITE? The line of people WANTING to get in is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE-why do you THINK so many people come in Illegally? Hell most US citizens want LESS immigrants coming-not MORE-and you seriously think that most immigrants don't want to come to America? I'm done with this discussion. Again, I don't know if you're just living in some fantasy land, or if you're just ignorant, or if you're just saying whatever nonsense you think will help you make your point with no regards to how factual it is or how much sense it makes, but if you TRULY are telling me, that you SERISOULY THINK most immigrants don't see America as a good place, then you are either debating in bad faith, or you're severely misinformed or ignorant-either way, I no longer see any real purpose in continuing this discussion with you. I mean you've had some takes that made me face palm, but this one REALLY takes the cake.

The majority of the figures I can find from various sources are from 2024 or older. Current figures are harder to come by. As a raw number, yes America has a substantial part of the population that are immigrants. Around 50 million I can see out of 338 million. A a percentage figure of the population that is much lower than say Australia which has a population made up of about 30% immigrants. It is hard for me to obtain more recent numbers from government sources but it seems like there has been a slight decrease in the percentage of immigrants making up the work force as well as the percentage/number of immigrants who make up the American population. When more recent figures from reliable sources come out I am sure that the amount of immigrants will have decreased in the 2025 to 2026 period.

I see my comment has pissed you off and I apologize for that. It was overly cynical and somewhat inaccurate. What I was trying to get across is this. From what media and news that has been getting out the past year or so is that ICE is detaining sometimes violently even when people are not resisting both illegal immigrants (which they should be doing) and also immigrants who are in the US legally or even citizens as well. I have seen videos where people accused of being illegal immigrants offer to grab their documents showing they are there legally but are instead dragged against their will into a car and then sent to a detention centre illegally.

I see all of this and I think if I were an immigrant looking at the discrimination and danger I might potentially face I would see if other countries with similar living standards are more accepting of people like me.

In summary yes you are right in that immigration is still relatively high but I am sure once more recent figures come out it will show a decrease in the amount of immigrants wanting to get into America. I think if you were to go around and ask recent immigrants if they feel safe or scared about what is happening right now, more of them will feel unsafe as of recently compared to a few years ago.

I could say the same thing about how I think you are delusional or stupid with multiple things you have said but I have refrained from doing so. I could have said your opinion that other countries look down on America is false, that complaining about European defense spending is low when it now isn't any longer is like whinging about a problem that has already been fixed, that dropping trade and defense ties with other countries reduces your own power, that America being able to produce absolutely everything it needs all by itself with less or no trade with other countries it a pipe dream at best, that reducing your trade deficit in the short term with most countries is not possible or detrimental to your economy but I have refrained from saying these things or tried to phrase them in a more polite manner as to try not to insult you or your country.

It confuses me why you think having no allies like Russia or China is good for your country or that you think threatening allies is a good thing for your country and it's leader to do. Still despite all those things that confuse me I try to remain respectful of you and your opinion and I know I have never called you delusional or ignorant.

If you want to not talk anymore that is of course your choice.

[Meliva]

You want to know why I know what you said about immigrants is complete crap? I live in America-and I know a bunch of them-they ain't scared AT ALL. Because the ones I know are legal and law abiding-My literal boss is from Pakistan. I know about half a dozen people from various African countries-I often share a ride with a lady from Tanzania. The HR lady I know is from the Philippines. The guy who does house repairs for me is Mexican. The guy who does yard work in my neighborhood is too-ICE was in our city too. Guess what? Not a damn thing happened to ANY of them. You want to know why? They are here legally, they break NO laws, and are not STUPID enough to resist-let's say ICE did want to take them in for questioning-just go along with it, and once its' over with and they know you're legal go home-it's inconvenient sure, but you know fighting back is just going to make it worse right? That and my city isn't so damn stupid as to fight and riot against LITERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. Not a DAMN one of the people I know gave a crap when ICE started deporting people. In all honestly most of them supported it even. Legal immigrants normally HATE Illegal ones. You know, since it's hard to get here legally, and Illegal folks just, cut the line and make them ALL look bad?

Also, you are clearly not bloody listening(or reading in this case) my damn arguments properly or intentionally bending what I am saying. Where the hell did, I say America should have no allies? Where did I say we should do NO trade? I said we should do LESS trade and change how much we trade not do away with it altogether. Doing more domestically does not mean do EVERYTHING domestically-and I said perhaps its' time to form NEW alliances and drop OLD ones that are no longer beneficial. Or apply pressure to our current allies to step up. Didn't say we should become some Hermit Kingdom and go totally isolationist.

I also did not insult you-I stated I could only think of 3 reasons why you would possibly think people do not want to immigrate to the US-Delusional, lying or ignorant. I presumed the third. Now being called ignorant can be an insult-but that is not the way I used it-being ignorant of a fact or knowledge is not an insult-everyone is ignorant about various things. I don't know crap about your country's current leader-I am ignorant about who he or she is. If you asked me a question about them, I'd just say I don't know jack about them-I don't even know if it's a man or woman president you got-Hell I don't even know if that's what you call your leader-you might use Prime minister-I can't remember the leader of Australia's title even-that is how ignorant I am of your politics. So if some Aussie called me ignorant on Australian politics-I'd just say yeah-yeah I am-not an insult it's just a statement.

Also, you JUST bloody proved one of my points-you literally said America is NOT a good place to go too-what is that if not looking down on it? You even said in your latest post that you are trying to be polite to avoid insulting me or my country-which tells me that was likely the 'polite' version of your view on America. That it's not a good place to go too. What do you call that if not looking down on it? If I said your home is not a good place to visit, you'd probably say I'm looking down on your abode, would you not?

[Dmanwuzhere]

The UK is nothing and will soon be the middle east

I figure one maybe two generations and you will see it as clearly as I do

https://www.statista.com/statistics/886 ... g-britain/

your citizens seem to think you have issues where you point the finger at the usa