Who Would Win?

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
61

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]steven alex wrote:

Who would win a war between the USA and China?

[/quote]

Too many ifs, hows and buts. Look at Japan’s tactics in WWII. Attempt to destroy the US Navy(Pearl Harbor), invade every strategically important island in the Pacific(basically anywhere capable of having an airstrip), take the oil from the Dutch in the East Indies and attempt to overtake the US in building their Navy. Only this is not 1941 and neither China nor the US or warfare are what they were. I’d say your question is way too difficult even if you presented a plan. BTW if China takes Taiwan the US are required under their treaty obligations to take it back. Same with Japan.[/quote]

Is the US obligated if Taiwan actually turns itself over to China Rule, or is the US only obligated if they are militarily invaded?

62

who would win a war between the USA and China?

scenario 1:- China would need to go to war with some other countries. Halfway through that war, the USA would join the war, help in defeating China and declare that it, the USA won the war

scenario 2:- USA invades China for spurious reasons, spends a decade or so trying to keep the chinese down, finally gives up and goes home.

63

[quote]bluebrasil wrote:
who would win a war between the USA and China?

scenario 1:- China would need to go to war with some other countries. Halfway through that war, the USA would join the war, help in defeating China and declare that it, the USA won the war

scenario 2:- USA invades China for spurious reasons, spends a decade or so trying to keep the chinese down, finally gives up and goes home.

[/quote]

Ha! You know this country better than most people who live here. You forgot, though, in the second scenario, “while telling itself that it was actually a victory.”

64

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
At the risk of hijacking this thread into gold-and-silver bug land…[/quote]

So what’s your take on the current drop in dollar-relative prices?

Certainly a good buying opportunity, but besides that, with the Fed still doing its thing, I’m surprised the reversal has been so strong.

I was convinced I should have bought gold back when it was right around $400/oz, but I was pretty much penniless then. By the time I finally got around to it, it was right around $1200/oz.

I haven’t really been following things besides noticing the falling price. Just wondering your insight on the situation.

65

If the US tried to invade China it’d be like a grasshopper trying to invide an ant colony. And that is not in any way a jab in size difference. They have numbers beyond repair. And to try and fight in their country would be horribly stupid.

Again, there is no gain for us to attack our primary supplier and no gain for them to attack their primary buyer.

66

[quote]Quasi-Tech wrote:
If the US tried to invade China it’d be like a grasshopper trying to invide an ant colony. [/quote]

This is such a perfectly apt simile on so many levels, particularly if one is familiar with the Aesop’s fable.

67

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
At the risk of hijacking this thread into gold-and-silver bug land…[/quote]

So what’s your take on the current drop in dollar-relative prices?

Certainly a good buying opportunity, but besides that, with the Fed still doing its thing, I’m surprised the reversal has been so strong.

I was convinced I should have bought gold back when it was right around $400/oz, but I was pretty much penniless then. By the time I finally got around to it, it was right around $1200/oz.

I haven’t really been following things besides noticing the falling price. Just wondering your insight on the situation.[/quote]

My insight is, “take the long view.”

Every drop in price is a buying opportunity. The price of a valuable asset denominated in an instrument backed by nothing but debt is ultimately meaningless, as I said in a previous post. Better to buy an ounce or two at 1300, or 1400 or even 1500, than to end up having nothing but a pile of twenty dollar bills outside outside the bakery because someone stole your wheelbarrow.

68

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
At the risk of hijacking this thread into gold-and-silver bug land…[/quote]

So what’s your take on the current drop in dollar-relative prices?

Certainly a good buying opportunity, but besides that, with the Fed still doing its thing, I’m surprised the reversal has been so strong.

I was convinced I should have bought gold back when it was right around $400/oz, but I was pretty much penniless then. By the time I finally got around to it, it was right around $1200/oz.

I haven’t really been following things besides noticing the falling price. Just wondering your insight on the situation.[/quote]

My insight is, “take the long view.”

Every drop in price is a buying opportunity. The price of a valuable asset denominated in an instrument backed by nothing but debt is ultimately meaningless, as I said in a previous post. Better to buy an ounce or two at 1300, or 1400 or even 1500, than to end up having nothing but a pile of twenty dollar bills outside outside the bakery because someone stole your wheelbarrow. [/quote]

I like the “stole your wheelbarrow”.

The long view is the reason I bought gold in the first place. I was just wondering if you knew what had happened recently to cause the drop. In the near future, I’ll be buying more as-is.

Translating the units of gold and silver coinage into USD in the 1001 Nights made that a more interesting and relevant read. It’s not like prices in gold and silver have really changed that much.

69

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
At the risk of hijacking this thread into gold-and-silver bug land…[/quote]

So what’s your take on the current drop in dollar-relative prices?

Certainly a good buying opportunity, but besides that, with the Fed still doing its thing, I’m surprised the reversal has been so strong.

I was convinced I should have bought gold back when it was right around $400/oz, but I was pretty much penniless then. By the time I finally got around to it, it was right around $1200/oz.

I haven’t really been following things besides noticing the falling price. Just wondering your insight on the situation.[/quote]

My insight is, “take the long view.”

Every drop in price is a buying opportunity. The price of a valuable asset denominated in an instrument backed by nothing but debt is ultimately meaningless, as I said in a previous post. Better to buy an ounce or two at 1300, or 1400 or even 1500, than to end up having nothing but a pile of twenty dollar bills outside outside the bakery because someone stole your wheelbarrow. [/quote]

I like the “stole your wheelbarrow”.

The long view is the reason I bought gold in the first place. I was just wondering if you knew what had happened recently to cause the drop. In the near future, I’ll be buying more as-is.

Translating the units of gold and silver coinage into USD in the 1001 Nights made that a more interesting and relevant read. It’s not like prices in gold and silver have really changed that much.[/quote]

Nobody likes to imagine that their economy will go the way of the Weimar Republic, but the fact is that it can.

There is, as I’m sure you’re aware, lots of manipulation in the gold and silver markets. A lot of paper gold and paper silver is being bought and sold on margin, and precipitous drops and rises in the price are usually the result of profit-taking or dumping of some sort or another. Silver always goes up when sabers rattle, and gold always seems to rise and fall in a seesaw pattern with stocks.

I did the 1001 nights thing too! Haha! All that Sindbad had left of his squandered inheritance was 3000 dirhams. 3000 dirhams is a little over 289 ounces of silver, which is about 6300 dollars at current rates. And look what he did with his capital!

70

There is also much debate as to whether some of the greater powers/richer folks are playing the market intentionally with the buy low/sell high to attempt to re-acquire what is “missing” in the banks. Sell a ton of stock at a higher price, driving the price down and then purchasing the same exact gold at a lower price. You can probably afford to play those games when you are that rich.

For us its not worth it to play the rich man’s game. I highly doubt any of us have that kind of pocketbook. Buy when it feels right for you and fits into your life situation. I would advise considering cost-averaging (purchasing over time) as opposed to buying one big slug. This way when the market fluctuates - positive or negative - you don’t feel the ebbs and flows as much.

71

[quote]Quasi-Tech wrote:
There is also much debate as to whether some of the greater powers/richer folks are playing the market intentionally with the buy low/sell high to attempt to re-acquire what is “missing” in the banks. Sell a ton of stock at a higher price, driving the price down and then purchasing the same exact gold at a lower price. You can probably afford to play those games when you are that rich.

For us its not worth it to play the rich man’s game. I highly doubt any of us have that kind of pocketbook. Buy when it feels right for you and fits into your life situation. I would advise considering cost-averaging (purchasing over time) as opposed to buying one big slug. This way when the market fluctuates - positive or negative - you don’t feel the ebbs and flows as much. [/quote]

Absolutely. Which is why I recommended that Tanaka Kikinzoku account for you. Kitco has the same kind of thing here: it auto-debits your bank account, and before you know it, presto! You will have accumulated another kilogram of silver and an ounce of gold!

72

[quote]dmaddox wrote:

[quote]SexMachine wrote:

[quote]steven alex wrote:

Who would win a war between the USA and China?

[/quote]

Too many ifs, hows and buts. Look at Japan’s tactics in WWII. Attempt to destroy the US Navy(Pearl Harbor), invade every strategically important island in the Pacific(basically anywhere capable of having an airstrip), take the oil from the Dutch in the East Indies and attempt to overtake the US in building their Navy. Only this is not 1941 and neither China nor the US or warfare are what they were. I’d say your question is way too difficult even if you presented a plan. BTW if China takes Taiwan the US are required under their treaty obligations to take it back. Same with Japan.[/quote]

Is the US obligated if Taiwan actually turns itself over to China Rule, or is the US only obligated if they are militarily invaded?
[/quote]

Well that ain’t going to happen. But there’s a clause in the Sino-American treaty that either party can opt out with one year’s notice. That is Chine or the US can opt out of the treaty with one year’s notice. It was replaced with a similar treaty that excluded the islands of The act does not apply to Jinmen, the Matsus, the Pratas, Taiping Island, or the Senkaku islands.

73

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]Quasi-Tech wrote:
There is also much debate as to whether some of the greater powers/richer folks are playing the market intentionally with the buy low/sell high to attempt to re-acquire what is “missing” in the banks. Sell a ton of stock at a higher price, driving the price down and then purchasing the same exact gold at a lower price. You can probably afford to play those games when you are that rich.

For us its not worth it to play the rich man’s game. I highly doubt any of us have that kind of pocketbook. Buy when it feels right for you and fits into your life situation. I would advise considering cost-averaging (purchasing over time) as opposed to buying one big slug. This way when the market fluctuates - positive or negative - you don’t feel the ebbs and flows as much. [/quote]

Absolutely. Which is why I recommended that Tanaka Kikinzoku account for you. Kitco has the same kind of thing here: it auto-debits your bank account, and before you know it, presto! You will have accumulated another kilogram of silver and an ounce of gold![/quote]

I haven’t looked into Kitco’s offering. I actually didn’t know they had one. How does theirs work? (Because, you know, I can’t take 5 minutes to look it up myself.)

I’ve been using GoldMoney, but they discontinued their auto-debit program a few years ago.