/biz/ - Business & Finance

It's the only military superpower since the collapse of U.S.S.R.

>>480006
how does that make you rich?

keynes

>>479995
It was the only industrialized country in 1946. Europe and Russia had ground each other to a pulp, Japan was a smoldering ruin, and China was a raped-like-Nanking backwater.

Russia and China spent the next 40 years spinning their wheels, and the US spent the next 40 years selling Europe and Japan the tech they needed to bootstrap themselves.

Russia stuck to its ideology a little too long and imploded. China, seeing what happened to Russia and Hong Kong, kept the totalitarianism but adopted the notion that to be rich was glorious.

China's catching up and has probably surpassed the US. But the US had a 50-year head start.

>>480055
Australia was still in tip top shape, we just never capitalized on it.

Why doesn't the Military Industrial Complex just start lobbying politicians to start building shit within America? I mean Halliburton profits from war by rebuilding shit but why don't they just lobby to build shit inside America?

>>479995

Free market capitalism + large land mass + large population + lots of natural resources.

>>479995
It's a country created by Europeans, when Europeans went into two straight world wars and destroyed Europe and their economy the US managed to pass them.

>>479995
>Not knowing that USA's optimizes all of it's spending government for the military

>Not knowing that Companies make good money out of the USA miltary.
http://www.businessinsider.com/top-25-us-defense-companies-2012-2?op=1

>>480056

I shit you not, why fucking bother.

You can get the shit sued out of you for 1k different reasons, you actually have to deal with harsh environmental laws, and you have to deal with a population that does not know the meaning of a hard day's work. Your salary has to compete against just being on welfare.

There is a host of reasons why the economy is in the shitter in spite of dollars raining from helicopters.

>>480063
all that - debt
>they're not

>>480569
U.S. debt:GDP ratio is relatively low.

>capitalism

how does that not make you rich..

>>480070
>you have to deal with a population that does not know the meaning of a hard day's work.
mfw

>>479995
China has been spending a lot of money for military for over 20 years. They just dont show the true number anyway.

>>480070
>you have to deal with a population that does not know the meaning of a hard day's work.

In Australia? That's bullshit.

I spend a lot of time talking to tech support. From all the English-speaking countries, including India. The low-level Australian techs are always the most competent, helpful etc. I remember when Julian Assange used to write programs. Andrew Morton is one of the top lieutenants in Linux.

Technology is my field and Australians are no slouches. From the top people down to the grunt level tech support. They go out and have a good time on a Friday but they know their shit and do their job. I have worked with Australians as well.

That you are Australian and are disgusted by some Australians without a good work ethic is a sign of Australia's work ethic.

I think you're overestimating how hard people work in other countries.

>>481126

So smart guy, why then do we import illegal Mexicans to pick crops (really all over the US), and still pay welfare?

Hard work means more than just developing a callus on your ass from desk jockeying.

>>481160
This is correct, Australia is probably the only white country left where it's socially acceptable to drop out of high school and learn a trade

>>480024
Because you can control trade

>>480055
>Russia and China spent the next 40 years spinning their wheels

Russia pretty much reconstructed itself and all the soviet states in the union, while single handedly facing the US (and posing a fair match for almost 50 years), surpassing the US technologically in almost every field and warrying not only all the fucking wars in the cold war, but also some other extra ones, just because.

>yfw they also scared the shit out of the US in a couple ocassions, while the opposite didn't happen. Dat cuban missiles dere.

Sorry man, but Russia's case is admirable, they did anything but spinning their wheels. The US had it much easier since they didn't had to reconstruct a whole continent-country after a nazi invasion, and even with that advantage most of the space race and the arms race wins went to Russia.

Not trying to dismiss the merits of the USA (protecting a devastated Europe from the fangs of the Soviet Union by playing hide and seek through the world just to make time until Europe reconstructs itself and its able to fend for themselves while slowly exhausting Russia and basically outsmarting them economically on the long run, all while keeping the pace on the space race), but really, Russia did a good job (despite all the miseries), even if the Soviet Union collapsed.

Recognize it, both were worthy opponents. And Russia did not spin any wheels.

They aren't rich, they print all the money to pay for wars, they wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. This in turn devalues the dollar and destroys the value of everyones savings that are held in dollars.

>>479995
Bitcoins

>>481305
>money printing
That's not how the U.S. finances things though. It's much more sophisticated than that.

>>482599
>Understanding complexity > Post on the Internet. Chose one.

>>482599
ya through zero interest rate bonds

eventually the party will come to an end

>>480055

That only explains why other countries were poor for a time. The US was economically well off before WW2, Great Depression aside (which was a global event.)

>>481287
The US was well off before the collapse of the USSR.

>>481290
>The US had it much easier since they didn't had to reconstruct a whole continent-country after a nazi invasion,

But the US did reconstruct a whole continent. Under the Marshal Plan the US gave Europe $160 billion in 2014 dollars, and billions more to rebuild Middle Eastern and Asian countries that weren't included under the Marshal Plan.

>and even with that advantage most of the space race and the arms race wins went to Russia.

There have been books written about this. The USSR had no major technological advancements of its own. Almost everything it had was acquired through imitating western products, espionage, or sale of western technology. The USSR did have some theoretical advancements, but it fell short on application without western help. Even the AK-47 was just a combination of designs found in the M1 Garand, Remington Model 8, and Sturmgewehr 44.

>>480063

You could remove any one of those four conditions, except the first one, and still wind up with a wealthy per capita nation.

>>480070
>does not know the meaning of a hard days work

I hope you're joking. Australia has one of the most overworked workforces in the western world.

Fuck in Europe most countries don't even work overtime, they leave dead on time. In Australia you're obliged to work more of you're a 'bludger'.

Don't confuse the rest of the county with abos and white trash that sit on welfare. Good news is they won't be able to soon anyway with the new laws.

>>481160
He was actually referring to America when he made that comment. What I will say is that this is always relative. Amongst western countries, Australia does indeed have good work ethic, our economy is small and we have that pioneer culture which reflects the fact that we haven't really bent the local environment to our will. However, I have worked with korean and chinese bosses in brisbane and melbourne, and trust me when I tell you that those asian guys leave the australian work ethic for dead. I had never worked a 60 hour work week in my life before that boss, and they all thought it was normal.