We Should Have Been Paying More Attention to Ukraine

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304367204579268152932428202

But we could not because our President was too busy shutting down our governrment to prevent something that he, himself, would have to do less than 3 months later. KILL the totally f%ked up "healthcare" plan he was willing to shut down eveything for.

While he was doing that, Putin reassembled the Soviet Union.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I think that's just you Gary. Plenty of people keep themselves informed about world events without obsessing over one issue to the total exclusion of all else ;-)

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I think that's just you Gary. Plenty of people keep themselves informed about world events without obsessing over one issue to the total exclusion of all else ;-)

President Obama should try it. Maybe now he can.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Obviously he needs to hire someone as incisive as you.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Obviously he needs to hire someone as incisive as you.

Probably yes. Then he would not have to say "I didn't know about that" at press conferences. He should have at least one person on his staff married to an FSU woman.

Can you imagine the CEO of Amazon.com stating he didn't know his website was a piece of trash?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I thought the article was about Ukraine, not healthcare laws.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Nobody cares about The Ukraine.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I thought the article was about Ukraine, not healthcare laws.

The article is about how the USA is neglecting other items of business as we struggle to keep afloat a piece of trash that was finally killed Thursday by Obama.

Remember that Obama shut down our own government to prevent what he just did on Thursday.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

No it isn't. The article doesn't mention the healthcare law at all. That's pure invention on your part. Read what you post!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

No it isn't. The article doesn't mention the healthcare law at all. That's pure invention on your part. Read what you post!

Gary reading what he posts?

[Karee 4,190]

I might regret this, but what happened Thursday?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I might regret this, but what happened Thursday?

Obama's HHS department eliminated the individual mandate and penalties for not signing up. You will NOT be required to sign up for Obamacare...indefinitely. Anyone who had policies cancelled will be eligible for government assistance in getting new insurance and those that were funneled into Medicaid will still be covered. In other words, he did exactly what the Republicans wanted to do in September. He has de-funded Obamacare by not requiring people to sign up

The plan will be "reviewed and revised" In other words...it is suspended until Democrats who now know how unpopular it is can reinstitute it. In an election year. Don't hold your breath

Put an pin in that.

which is not entirely disconnected from what happens here...

The aritcle discusses why "we" The Untied States should have been paying attention to what was happening in Ukraine...but we didn't. Guess why we didn't? What have we (the USA) been doing since before this began? What have we been doing since Obama took office? The Congess during Obama's watch has passed less legislation than ANY other congress...but it DID pass Obamacare, well, sort of.

Obama promised Yanukovich support if Putin spanked him for signing with the EU and the USA..A deal that had been in the works since before Yanukovich was elected in 2010. .then Obama backed down from Putin on Syria...remember? Yanukovich got cold feet when he saw how Obama "supports" his friends. Obama embarrassed us further when he cannot even get a website to work. Hmmm...Democratic Spittle Lickers and Rump Swabs may be satisfied with Obama's constant response of "I didn't know..." but the rest of the world thinks..."THIS guy is gonna support ME?" The nail in the coffin was when Obama made the agreement with Iran which threw Isreal under the bus.

Two days later, Yanukovich signed the deal with Putin. Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and now, Ukraine have joined Russia in an economic union. Last week Putin nationalised the news media in Russia. Russia announced the introduction of new long range ballistic nuclear misslles and paraded them in Red Square last week. Russia has claimed the North Pole and arctic region in the last two weeks, just after Canada made the same claim. Russia reinforced their claim with mobilized military in the region...the first since 1992. Canada cannot get a "Tim Horton's" up there. so they will lose...and Obama will do nothing.

These things don't happen in a vacuum. When the President of a world power takes us off "the Medal stand" so to speak, someone like Putin will immediately seize it and run with it.

Ukraine is absolutely essential to Putin reassembling the Soviet Union. at least the parts he wants. Who really wants Tajikistan? Ukraine has ice free commerical ports (the only ones in the FSU) and a huge infrastructure of roads, rails and pipelines to carry goods around East Europe.(including hi-speed rail to major cities...something WE don't have...but we have had Obamacare) Not to mention huge resources of coal (Russians still like to burn the stuff but it doesn't cause Global Warming because it is in the Easteern Hemisphere, it's OK) and steel. Alla's city of Donetsk (and Yanukovich's home city) is THE center for coal and steel in Ukraine. Flying into it looks like you are landing in Dante's inferno

Ukraine is also known as "the Breadbasket of Europe" for good reason. It is the alrgest country in Europe (except for Russia) and is well watered with three major, navigable, river systems PLUS access to fishing in the Black Sea and Russians love that stinky fish! Imagine an area the size of Alaska with the geography of Nebraska on the Gulf of Mexico. Who would care, right?

They DON'T have good control of their natural gas supplies, though they DO have the pipelines. People who pay attention will remember thousands of people in Eastrn Europe (most not in Ukraine) dying from cold in the winter of 2009-2010 (oh maybe they won't because they don't care) when Russia cut off gas supplies into Ukraine's pipelines. Most of the deaths occured in Hungary and Romania. No one cares about them either.

Last week Putin tried to assuage Ukrainians by permanently dropping the price of natural gas sold to Ukraine and signing huge contracts with Ukrainian companies for goods. Our friend in Kharkov, who we will visit next week, is the supply manager for a company which makes coats and hats for the military and police. Russia just gifted them a huge order last week. They had been laid off due to low orders and were not expecting to go back to work until March. Now they will go back to work after the holidays. They need to make millions of Russian military coats and hats. Warm wool coats and sheepskin Ushankas...the classic "Russian hat". Wonder what they need so many warm coats and hats for? Arctic duty maybe?

Anatov, the aircraft manufacturer in Kiev, got a new order for refueling tankers from Russia. the arsenal in Odessa (the one featured in the opening scenes of the film "Lord of War") got an order for 40,000 updated AK74 rifles. (the rifle that replaced the AK47 in 1974, looks kinda the same but gun ignorant people do not know the difference, they don't care) Don't you read Ukrainian news?

Putin, on Thursday, just eroded the support of the anti-Russian Revolutionaries in Ukraine.

Obama eroded the support of health care for the USA on the same day.

Don't worry. No one cares about Ukraine

Now you are probably sorry you asked. Too bad I am no good at one line responses.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Gary and Alla

[MyLittlePony 340]

Obummercare a kool aid dream.

[Pooky 3,807]

Anatov, the aircraft manufacturer in Kiev ...

For someone who claims to care so much about the Ukraine, it seems a bit strange that you cannot refer to the Antonov Company correctly.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I might regret this, but what happened Thursday?

You were right, you are now regretting this. Enjoy the wall of text full of nonsense that was offered in response to your question.

And next time consider more carefully what to ask.