Big Brother is watching YOU.

Trump's Department of Homeland Security has eliminated policies preventing the investigation of individuals or groups based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

DHS Scraps Ban on Surveillance Based on Sexual Orientation

 

"wHy cAnT wE aGrEe To DiSaGrEe???"

 

Because a Fascist society is based entirely upon regimented conformity; everyone must look, act, and think exactly alike, or risk being labeled a deviant and an enemy of the State.
Niemöller was right.

 

The US was that way in 50s and early 60s, then LSD WOKE US UP!!!

 

Time to spike the Geritol (or whatever else the uptight far-right assholes are eating or drinking). They need to LIGHTEN UP!

 

You need to identify who need to be hugged and who needs to be hated.

 

Why is all this such a problem in the US, while it is not in the UK and other parts of western Europe.
We do not have specific laws protecting sexual orientation groups, because we do not see them as different in the first place. Minority groups are broadly covered under race relations laws and guidelines.

I was brought up to see US democracy as world leading, why is it coming apart at the seams.

On a related issue.
We have thousands of US tourists in London every year, seeing the sights and visiting our theatres. The two most common comments I hear, is praise for our police and not having to constantly worry about people running around with guns.
Another comment is about the lack of security needed for our royal family. Premiers and state occasions have a security presence, but you could visit the theatre and the person sitting in front of you could be our king. Both our late queen and her mother were in this situation about once a month.

My favourite incident, was the time when a brash American woman approached someone in the foyer and announced. "OMG, has anyone ever told you that you are the spitting image of the queen". The inevitable smile and reply, "A few people have mentioned it".

 

Your 'sample' of Americans isn't representative of all. Only about 5% of them have a passport. For some, the rest if the world is irrelevant.
And have you noticed fewer American tourists this year? Apparently numbers into the UK are down about 30%.

 

When we think back to WW2 and the number of brave young men who came over to defend western democracy and died thousands or miles from home, you have no idea how much you current situation saddens the older generation in the UK.
We had to watch a slow decline in the US since around 1960, so while we are blaming Trump at the moment, the decline started much earlier.
In my opinion, which I agree has been influenced by the media, the only recent president who had sincere feelings about the degenerating situation was Obama.
It is sometimes easier to see what is happening thousands of miles away, than what is happening on you own doorstep.

If you look back to the situation in Germany between 1919 and 1939 following the treaty of Versailles, we should see stark similarity between the current US situation and the rise of Adolf Hitler.
When a country is in trouble, bad decisions are all too common.

I can see the problems, but sadly I see no simple answers. Things will almost certainly get worse for the next decade. Hopefully someone will come to power who is honest and people will see some light at the end of a very long tunnel.
This may sound ridiculous, but I would trust Mark Carney to devise a long term solution.

I see the entire problem as 4 decades of unregulated and unbalanced trade between the large US corporations and CHINA.
Sadly, on matters such as this, Trump is clueless.

 

There's more to it than that but, sad to say, as far as that goes it's pretty spot on, from where I'm sitting.

 

My spontaneous thoughts were not along those lines.

I was thinking that in the current situation, he could stand as an independent candidate. With the current US situation, he could well win.
He could even end up with the Nobel peace prize for his troubles.

Did you broadly agree with the rest of my comment, particularly the involvement of China.
Over the last few decades, China have almost wrecked the UK economy. The irony is that it was Trump's first manifesto that led to us seeing the light.
70% of our former imports have been given to India, under the 1600 balance of trade agreement.
Back as early as 1903, UK economists highlighted the dangers of trading with China. Sadly they were ignored.

 

Sad, but so true.

 

I expect they were slightly biased. The issue isn't about the rights or wrongs of trading with China. It's about a smaller cheaper economy providing what the UK companies want, at a price they can afford.

Back then, 1903, compared to many countries, the UK had all to lose and the others had all to gain. China has grown its economy because they do stuff cheaper and reliably and because Western companies choose to buy from them. (Not saying all the products are reliable but then, Britain's weren't either).

Just like USA, pay-rises have made employing people locally, less affordable. If they're paid too little, they'll do a crap job. If they're not willing to work for a lesser amount, (like in other countries), there'll be few jobs here of any type.

If we pay those locally what they want, the finished product will not sell because itll be too expensive. That point is why China, Taiwan and others grew so quickly in the first place.

Basically the west has outpriced itself and a rebalance is underway. Bringing jobs back, to USA or UK won't work without downward pay adjustments which means our economies will shrink. They're shrinking relatively anyway so it's over to the workers. Will they do their bit to get/keep jobs here or to bring them back to here by accepting less pay so they have an income or, will they not, and have no job or income.

That would be a hard sell by any govt, to tell its people to lower their standard of living. So I expect things to carry on until the public realise what needs to be done. I've wondered about potential for devaluing the gbp but that would be even worse.

Still; how, or in what way, can it be China's fault?