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Maybe, but they control more power in the US than GenX has ever had

I think the silent generation is getting an undeserved pass on this. They are the ones born just before and during WWII, you know the generation of the current President and the one before him. Those MF are still kicking - most of America’s top leadership comes form that generation.

Not to take away from your post, it just got me thinking about something.

This type of selfishness probably comes from the decades upon decades of both obvious and subtle messaging around scarcity of pretty much everything. Just the advertising phrase “ACT NOW! before it’s gone.” was and is used all the time. We have been conditioned to believe that everything is limited and at the same time we need to have everything. So when your entire life you’ve been inundated with messages of not-enough I can see why there is a fear of losing it all.

The thing is the West and China are not really using AI in the same way so saying we are in a race with them is incorrect and using old Cold War tactics to scare the West into spending more money on this technology.

Example of the differences:

The US and China are taking very different paths in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. In the US, innovation has largely focused on large language models (LLMs) and the virtual world, resulting in chatbots, image generators, and digital assistants like ChatGPT and Copilot. These tools have captured the imagination of both consumers and investors, but questions are now emerging about their real economic value. A recent MIT study, The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025, found that while more than 80% of organizations are experimenting with generative AI, only about 5% of pilots are delivering measurable value. Most remain stuck in early phases, hindered by fragile workflows, poor integration, and a lack of systemic readiness. Meanwhile, informal ‘shadow AI’ usage, that is employees using tools outside official channels, has exploded, thereby creating a mismatch between official adoption and actual productivity gains.

By contrast, China’s approach to AI is more grounded in real-world applications. As Chinese economist Andy Xie recently explained on Tegenlicht, AI development in China is focused on practical domains such as mining, electric vehicles, and industrial efficiency. Unlike the high-cost, high-hype American model, China’s AI strategy emphasizes low-cost, scalable technology that delivers tangible utility. This makes it particularly attractive to the Global South, where cost and accessibility often outweigh cutting-edge innovation. A striking example is DeepSeek, a Chinese open-source chatbot that was developed with limited funding and no ties to elite academic institutions. Despite this, it is 10× more energy-efficient than OpenAI’s models and is already being integrated into consumer products like cars.

https://freedomlab.com/posts/the-ai-narrative-divide-between-the-us-and-china

It’s almost like governments of all sizes have been captured by companies and now protect them against the evil consumer which is completely backwards to what governmental organizations were originally created for.

Some observers have persuasively argued that the Glass-Steagall act, which Clinton famously repealed, was already moot by the time he repealed it, that the banking business had figured out legal workarounds for all the activities it was intended to prevent.

So you don’t repeal it you update it to fix the holes.

Obama’s bailout probably saved his home

Well… maybe but it sure did enrich the motherfuckers who created the crash in the first place.

It’s well known that conservatives empathy is socially shallow (has to affect me or my family) and because of that trait I never really thought there would be a big shift in their thinking. But goddamn it if trump’s fuck ups haven’t done a speed run on changing views. When the man who is supposed to be looking out for the American people says “I don’t think about how much the American people are hurting” and then acts accordingly you’re going to get more MAGA people hitting that socially shallow empathy level.

Yes. the way Obama and his administration dealt with that crash was poorly thought out (to be charitable), but I really don’t think from what I read, this guy was that nuanced in his thinking. Probably more along the lines of “Democrats are bad therefore this is their fault.”

“You’ll eventually give in” Tells you everything you need to know about the power of large tech companies in the US .

We have the money and the power to force this technology in to the mainstream. Tech companies know that Congress is way too old, way too corrupt, and way too slow to really do anything about regulating stuff like this in a reasonable time frame. They have no real barriers and the heads of these companies don’t give a shit about the user as long as they pay their monthly subscription.

I mentioned this in a different comment - My feeling is that the RNC sees the writing on the wall with trump - his age, health, cognitive decline, etc and are previewing the potential next president and vice president (Rubio). They are letting Vance get some air time to build him up in voters minds before he gets thrown in the deep end when trump isn’t president.

This isn’t the presidents job at all whomever it is. This is the job of the Congress.

Well yes. In this case it looks like this is a roll out of the new administration. What this signals to me is that trump is closer to the end of his term - either by health or 25th amendment (or both) and we are previewing the next president and vice president.

The modern American lifestyle is built from very sophisticated and aggressive marketing especially with vehicles. The lessons we have learned have never been around moderation (Thanks Reagan) but around consumption. Look at the backlash when the Prius first came on the market to see how people were shamed for buying something small and efficient. The brainwashing is real and deeply set. I agree with your assessment I hope that more people start looking at fuel efficient cars, but in America its a big economic and mental hill to climb.

So with a large percentage of people in America living close to paycheck - to - paycheck the price of gas and food increasing while income stays relatively stagnate. More and more are using credit to get by just for day to day stuff. With the current administration killing (killed) off any incentives for EVs along with a lack of charging infrastructure for them - the biggest being in apartments which is where many live due to the cost of buying a house is outrageous. How and what are they supposed to use for buying these more efficient vehicles ?

I’m not trying to be a dick with this its just not as easy as getting a more efficient car - and with gas prices continuing to go up more efficient cars will become more expensive and sought after as well.

I think if it was going to be more realistic the game should only allow you to do such things if it’s a poor minority neighborhood, and you can’t add or change zoning on wealthy areas due to rich NIMBY-ites .

A question to add on to yours is: If inflation is defined (simplistically) as too much money in the system chasing too few products, then wouldn’t taking money out of the system via taxes have a rate limiting effect on inflation?

Being that if minimum wage increases would an increase on taxes for wealthy citizens slightly offset this increase?

He must have a great plan to win the mid-terms…wonder what that could be???

Then it will be yet another tight race against Vance - Gavin I believe would win in this match up BUT I also think he will be a mediocre president on the level with Obama. Good, not great. Still try to appease a political ideology that will never vote for him all the while ignoring a true progressive platform. In the 4 maybe 8 years he’s in office not much will change - mostly because cleaning up the mess made by this administration will take all that time. The public will be pissed that the massive changes that were promised weren’t all completed perfectly in his term(s) so they will vote in a republican.

AND I can see him not wanting to rock the boat and letting all of these criminals off the hook “for the good of the country”

I’ve become very cynical over the past few years and I hope I’m wrong.