It does make me laugh…

Thank you for stating the obvious. I am not being sarcastic. There is really a need nowadays to state the obvious.

“ Why would a Wookiee, an 8-foot-tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor, with a bunch of 2-foot-tall Ewoks? That does not make sense!

But more important, you have to ask yourself: What does this have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense! Look at me. I’m a lawyer defending a major record company, and I’m talkin’ about Chewbacca! Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense!

None of this makes sense! And so you have to remember, when you’re in that jury room deliberatin’ and conjugatin’ the Emancipation Proclamation, does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense! If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit!

The defense rests.”

Sorry, but the real threat to what exactly?

Edited: aside from Taiwan, Hong Kong, several other nations in the east. My question was more in the context of China as a threat to anything in the western hemisphere. They are the eastern version of the US, no doubt about it.

You misspelled Latin America…

Nowadays, I’d settle for less corrupt, and even that is becoming harder by the minute…

Well, I do hope you are right, but after our “right wing” scare, Lula came back, as bad and corrupt as he was. So I really wouldn’t be surprised if they “make a comeback”. Hate those populists.

I know I am preaching to the choir, but this guy will only make things worse in my opinion, and yet I do think Argentinians need to see what a “disruptive” president will do to the country, in order to maybe think about moderation again, just like Brazil did.

Don’t get me wrong, I am Brazilian, and as such I am very aware of polarization and populism (PSDB and PT anyone?). God knows we have had our share of it over the past 30 years. But the two “disruptive” presidents we had (Collor and Bolsonaro) were both corrupt imbeciles, who managed to make things a lot worse, a lot faster than the others. But sometimes people need to learn the hard way.

The question is: will Argentina, and specially the Kirchners, be able to control themselves when they inevitably return to power, after yet another failed attempt to tie Argentina’s economy to the dollar? Just remember that this is, I think, the third time in about 30 years Argentina has tried that, and it always fails.

Dude, same boat here, I am from South America, and I absolutely agree that we are basically screwed with every populist regime that comes and goes, regardless if they call themselves left wing or right wing. In the end, they are all just corrupt imbeciles making a buck off of other’s misery and hunger.

The problem with Chinese money is that it will end the same way US money ended in the 80s/90s: indebted countries with massive inflation.

Mercosur is negotiating a deal with the EU, which should improve things a little, though, even though I was raised in Europe, I can tell you that it will be same shit, different continent.

I gave up trying to find the less bad player here. And don’t forget that some of the world biggest predators, including Nestle, Santander, Lloyds and Danone are European.

What South America needs is to get rid of populism, but I reckon an alien invasion is more likely. The way Argentinian elections are shaping up to happen, with Massa and the Kirchners not wanting to give up power; Brazil electing populist imbeciles like Lula and Bolsonaro; Chile stuck on drafting a new constitution; Peru dealing with protests and a regime that wants to amass more power; Colombia trying to survive the FARCs with peace agreements; Bolivia trying to stabilize itself after some really turbulent times; and Uruguay, well, swinging from left to right, I reckon we are ways from solving any issues.

So might as well embrace the Chinese, since there is not much left to lose. Just without any illusions that what they are doing will be any good to anyone in the long run, like US money from the 50s was.

And don’t worry, discussing Latam politics as a whole makes anyone sound sassy.

How does de cool aid taste?

(Not saying the US is good, but China has no interest in improving anything other than their bottom line and geopolitical influence, don’t kid yourself).

Star Trek: The Super Mario Genration. “Let’s a engage!”

Well, it is feasible. You just need to give people replicators and free living space, and they will eventually learn to use their skills to enrich the world we live in. And boldly go where no one has gone before.