TZUTC: -0800
MSGID: 154396.politics@1:103/705 2dc48d33
PID: Synchronet 3.21b-Win32 master/5ccae58ca Jan 05 2026 MSC 1944
TID: SBBSecho 3.34-Linux master/20122f0d3 Jan 05 2026 GCC 12.2.0
COLS: 136
BBSID: VERT
CHRS: ASCII 1
FORMAT: flowed
NOTE: FSEditor.js v1.105

It might be a strange title, but we need to look at the Netherlands in the
Golden Age.

The Netherlands was the most powerful state, had the most powerful navy, held
the world currency, and Amsterdam was the center of the world. The Netherlands
was where new technological developments took place.

Everyone with talent came to the Netherlands.

But 50 years later, the situation was completely different. That's where the
US is now.

Manufacturing goods became too expensive in the Netherlands. Workers were paid
well, and that made products expensive. The navy was large and powerful, but
expensive. There was plenty of money, but all that money was looking for a
return. There was profit to be made in England, just as the US saw that there
was profit to be made in China. The Netherlands financed its future enemy with
capital that couldn't generate sufficient returns in the Netherlands. Capital
knows no flag or nationality. We see that in the US. Apple spent a lot of
money educating the Chinese population. Meanwhile, in the US, virtually no
money goes to schools anymore.

The Netherlands invested in the British version of our Dutch East India
Company (VOC). After all, it generated higher returns because costs were lower
there.

Even Warren Buffett invested in BYD, which is now bigger than Tesla.

Ultimately, the guilder was no longer the global currency. England had a
large, modern navy, and it defeated the now outdated and obsolete Dutch navy.
The Dutch generation that came after the working-class generation became
lawyers or asset managers. Innovation in the Netherlands was lost because the
next generation was well-off and wanted to provide services, not produce.

The shipyards went bankrupt in the Netherlands, while those in England
flourished.

Look at the US. The shipyards are bankrupt, the car industry has moved to
Canada and Mexico or is facing stiff competition from China. The global
currency is under severe attack, and the American military leadership is
practically unable to attract enough talented people. There's plenty of money
in the US, but it's looking for returns elsewhere in the world.

The US is a declining global power. On the verge of losing its glory. It could
still defeat Venezuela militarily, but that's about as far as it goes. It
lacks the industrial strength to commit to a long war. It's on the verge of
extinction.

Capital is either leaving or being invested in hard assets. US entrepreneurs
are no longer investing domestically. Foreign investors are supposed to fill
that void, but they're also pulling out because the US is fighting with
everyone just to maintain its role as world leader. The beginning of the end
has begun.


 .
--- SBBSecho 3.34-Linux
 * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
SEEN-BY: 10/0 1 102/401 103/1 705 105/81 106/201 124/5016 128/187
SEEN-BY: 129/14 305 153/7715 154/110 214/22 218/0 1 215 601 700 810
SEEN-BY: 218/840 860 880 226/30 227/114 229/110 112 134 206 275 300
SEEN-BY: 229/307 317 400 426 428 470 700 705 266/512 280/464 291/111
SEEN-BY: 292/854 301/1 320/219 322/757 342/200 396/45 460/58 633/280
SEEN-BY: 712/848 902/26 5075/35
PATH: 103/705 218/700 229/426