American economic dominance

[Goatnapper'96]

I'd be a fool to argue that the US isn't in a class by itself wealth-wise.

Stop there and just go to a rural Intermountain West county fair. Watch the 4-H Auction and eat a batch of scone bites drowned in an obscene amount of cancer inducing honey butter.

That my friends is what I put my life and sacred honor on the line for!

[tooblue]

Sure OK.

the American economy dominates the world. There really is no argument. But do we really need 20 pages in this thread to argue that? Surely we can provide context to the discussion that doesn't already prove what we know.

I just returned from Utah—dropped my son off at the MTC. While there my mother died. She had been in hospice for more than a year, so it wasn’t unexpected. I was blessed to be able to extend my stay and attend to her during her last few days on earth, help organize her funeral, and dedicate her grave. God is in the details.

Over the past thirty-two years I have travelled regularly to the US, mostly to visit family, or to a BYU sporting event. There was a long stretch where my wife and her girlfriends planned yearly cross boarder weekend shopping trips. Some things were just cheaper, and it was worth waiting to travel to the US or planning a cross-border weekend trip to purchase certain goods, in particular clothing and shoes. Over the past ten years we’ve stopped. Inflation in the US is now on par with the rest of the world.

For the funeral I had to purchase a white shirt. I went to Mr. Mac. I paid more for a lessor quality shirt than I have here at home in my closet, and I was frustrated that I just did not have time to shop around. Truth is, I would not have found it cheaper at another store.

My experience is of course anecdotal, but context is hard for those who only want to hear what they want to hear. USA USA USA.

[Goatnapper'96]

I just returned from Utah—dropped my son off at the MTC. While there my mother died. She had been in hospice for more than a year, so it wasn’t unexpected. I was blessed to be able to extend my stay and attend to her during her last few days on earth, help organize her funeral, and dedicate her grave. God is in the details.

Over the past thirty-two years I have travelled regularly to the US, mostly to visit family, or to a BYU sporting event. There was a long stretch where my wife and her girlfriends planned yearly cross boarder weekend shopping trips. Some things were just cheaper, and it was worth waiting to travel to the US or planning a cross-border weekend trip to purchase certain goods, in particular clothing and shoes. Over the past ten years we’ve stopped. Inflation in the US is now on par with the rest of the world.

For the funeral I had to purchase a white shirt. I went to Mr. Mac. I paid more for a lessor quality shirt than I have here at home in my closet, and I was frustrated that I just did not have time to shop around. Truth is, I would not have found it cheaper at another store.

My experience is of course anecdotal, but context is hard for those who only want to hear what they want to hear. USA USA USA.

Did he just base his story by publicly admitting he shops at Mister Mac?

[Northwestcoug]

I just returned from Utah—dropped my son off at the MTC. While there my mother died. She had been in hospice for more than a year, so it wasn’t unexpected. I was blessed to be able to extend my stay and attend to her during her last few days on earth, help organize her funeral, and dedicate her grave. God is in the details.

Over the past thirty-two years I have travelled regularly to the US, mostly to visit family, or to a BYU sporting event. There was a long stretch where my wife and her girlfriends planned yearly cross boarder weekend shopping trips. Some things were just cheaper, and it was worth waiting to travel to the US or planning a cross-border weekend trip to purchase certain goods, in particular clothing and shoes. Over the past ten years we’ve stopped. Inflation in the US is now on par with the rest of the world.

For the funeral I had to purchase a white shirt. I went to Mr. Mac. I paid more for a lessor quality shirt than I have here at home in my closet, and I was frustrated that I just did not have time to shop around. Truth is, I would not have found it cheaper at another store.

My experience is of course anecdotal, but context is hard for those who only want to hear what they want to hear. USA USA USA.

Sorry to hear about your Mom TB.

Remember CSers, donate to your local hospice center. There are very few more deserving organizations.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Sorry about your mother tooblue. Regardless of the circumstances, that is a rough thing to process.

[tooblue]

Sorry about your mother tooblue. Regardless of the circumstances, that is a rough thing to process.

Sorry to hear about your Mom TB.

Remember CSers, donate to your local hospice center. There are very few more deserving organizations.

The hospice care workers and nurses are angels on earth—it's hard to describe how incredible they were.

[tooblue]

Did he just base his story by publicly admitting he shops at Mister Mac?

One of their stores was closest in proximity to me, and besides it's a Utah institution. Just doing my part to support the world dominating local economy!

[BigFatMeanie]

Stop there and just go to a rural Intermountain West county fair. Watch the 4-H Auction and eat a batch of scone bites drowned in an obscene amount of cancer inducing honey butter.

That my friends is what I put my life and sacred honor on the line for!

Wait, what? Honey butter causes cancer? Say it ain't so, Napper.

The cancer gods truly have no mercy and must destroy all that is virtuous and lovely and of good report and praiseworthy.

[chrisrenrut]

Sorry to hear about your Mom TB.

Remember CSers, donate to your local hospice center. There are very few more deserving organizations.

Most (75% according to Gemini) are now for-profit. If you donate to one, make sure it is a 501(c) organization.

[tooblue]

[Northwestcoug]

Most (75% according to Gemini) are now for-profit. If you donate to one, make sure it is a 501(c) organization.

I did not know this. I guess that was inevitable.

I found this NYT article that agrees with that percentage, and has a decent discussion about the issues: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/10/h...e-profits.html


I just checked my brother's hospice center; it is a non-profit. Phew!

[Goatnapper'96]

Wait, what? Honey butter causes cancer? Say it ain't so, Napper.

The cancer gods truly have no mercy and must destroy all that is virtuous and lovely and of good report and praiseworthy.

It may cause cancer, or various other health related issues, but the day I give it up is the day the terrorists have won.

[tooblue]

Concerned a little about the heat, and the fact that many stores could be closed or understaffed due to August vacation, I figured traveling in France in late August could be great. Americans would be at home. Their kids are back in school. High school football is in its second week. NFL preseason is underway. College football is about to start. Crowds could be smaller. What I did not count on was everywhere we went being wall-to-wall with people—Europeans vacationing.

Where did all these Europoor get such nice cars, vans, and RVs, not to mention the disposable income to fill every restaurant every night of the week? Paris was a madhouse—in fairness, it always is—but yowzers.

Here is a pic of us trying to leave Mont Saint-Michel through the old village at 11:00 a.m. The crowd was so thick we could barely move. It was worse than trying to navigate the concourses at Notre Dame or Michigan stadiums after a football game.

crwd-mntsntmchl.jpg

Traffic was heavy throughout the country. Hotels were full, which we sadly discovered after our Airbnb in Paris canceled our reservation two hours before check-in, the morning we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport. We eventually booked four rooms for four couples at a lovely boutique hotel not far from the Eiffel Tower, but it was touch-and-go for a while there finding enough rooms at one location.

But again, I have been hearing about the Europoor in this thread for months now. I thought that with no Americans throwing their dominant economic disposable income around, we would have many places to ourselves.

Nope.

Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur were busier than I have ever seen them. The four-hundred-year-old, and second-largest Saturday market in France, in Rennes, was brimming with thousands of people buying fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, and bread. Omaha Beach Cemetery was as busy as other tourist hotspots, and there were few other North Americans there besides us.

In addition to visiting the market, after being discouraged by the prices at the luxury Galeries Lafayette mall in Paris, the ladies in our group decided they wanted to go to a mall in Rennes. It was as busy, or busier, than any mall in North America. Families were out shopping for back-to-school clothes and shoes and eating in the food court.

Again, where did all these Europoor get all this money to travel, buy ice cream, gelato, and patisseries, and fill every restaurant—breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I mean, it’s almost as if they’re not Europoor...?

[Green Monstah]

The entire continent takes August off to travel. And where do they go? France, apparently.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I am happy for the fortunate europoors that rise above the economic hardships that come with living in a place with a shitty economy. Good for them!

I need to go to that spot. Bucket list item.