Comments by "William Masselink" (@williammasselink) on "BRICS Expansion u0026 Challenge to United States Dollar? Simply No." video.

Looking forward to this BRICS episode for some time, and it did not disappoint. Extremely illuminating, clearly and authoritatively presented, and well thought out. Worthy of repeated viewings. Weren't China's and India's economies supposed to overtake the U.S. in the foreseeable future? What do you think of Putin's self-assured "new world order" and the end of "U.S. hegemony"? Or does that more or less parallel today's episode.
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@Katrina-mx2sf Glad you asked. U.S. is ranked #12 in the world, far and away the best for a large population country. India is #52, China #59, and Putin's Russia a dismal #65. U.S. GDP is $28 trillion, Russia $2 trillion or so, or about the size of our New York state. Your welcome.
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"The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!" "Everybody to get from street!" Love it. I caught that right away as soon as I read the title. Still laughing. One of my favorite movies.
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@jettrd_utilitychnl4230 I'm sure they just adore making a run to the outhouse in the dead of a harsh, Russian winter.
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@jettrd_utilitychnl4230 Fair enough. But consider this. Russia, with its vast resources, and one tenth India's population, has a lower overall standard of living than that of India! U.S. ranks #12 in the world, far and away the best for a populous country. India ranks #53, China #59 and Russia a dismal #65! Why is that? Quite simply, endemic corruption and graft: stealing from the Russian people. Robbing them blind. Putin and his 3000 cronies oligarchs are estimated to own one-third of the wealth of Russia, by far the worst disparity in the world. Elon Musk has said Putin has more money than him "by far". And more recently that Putin has "significantly" more money than him. I've seen interviews of villagers in the sticks of Russia. They say life would be good for them if their monthly pensions were a measley $300! Most get less than $200, which they say only covers rent; they have to depend on family and friends for food and basics. How can Shoigu pony up $millions in cash for a luxury property on his $120,000 annual salary? Plus his and other oligarchs luxury yachts you've heard about. How many people aspire to live in Putin's Russia versus America? I think you know the answer.
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@jettrd_utilitychnl4230 As you say, to get out of the city for a weekend to experience the outhouses.
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@Katrina-mx2sf Fair question, and yes, stats can be skewed. Like the IMF and World Bank nonsense PPP rankings (what Mark calls "dark fantasy"). Sources are United Nations Human Development Index, which uses objective data, in tandem with other sources. The rankings remain the same: U.S. at #12 with a 185.1 numerical rating, and Russia at #65 at 111.2, which is just below Morocco. Also keep in mind Russia's economy is being hamstrung by the worst sanctions in history, a collapsing currency nobody wants, 9.1% inflation rate-food higher-, crippling 19% interest rates, a severe labor shortage (4.8 million-their figures) driving up inflation, plus 6-8% of their GDP or 40% of their budget for military spending-at the expense of the regular economy, and running huge deficits to finance Putin's SMO. Plus, as Mark says, economies in free, transparent, democratic states are far stronger than centralized, autocratic states like Russia without personal freedoms. Our current interest rates, being reduced by the Fed, and inflation are far and away lower than Russia's. Not saying everything is perfect here or in your own life, but it's infinitely better than what the Russian people are going through right now.
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