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angrychair

(11,942 posts)
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 01:25 PM 14 hrs ago

Potentially hard times ahead

The news media is not openly talking about the financial and social storm approaching. It's not just bad it's a Category 5 hurricane.

Just a couple of highlights:

Currently Canada and Mexico are openly discussing leaving USMCA trade agreement and Mango Mussolini has also said he doesn't care about the trade agreement.
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-us-review-trade-talks-canada/

The EU has suspended its approval of the US trade agreement and are likely to walk away completely
https://abcnews.com/Business/european-officials-suspend-us-trade-agreement-amid-tariff/story?id=129422031

China has ordered its banks to curb its holdings of US treasuries to avoid exposure to its flagging market strength.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-urges-banks-curb-us-treasuries-exposure-bloomberg-news-reports-2026-02-09/

Moderna walks away from phase III research and development on infectious diseases in the US after the FDA moved the goalposts on its mRNA flu vaccine
https://www.biospace.com/business/moderna-wont-run-phase-iii-vaccine-trials-as-skepticism-grows-in-us-bloomberg

We only added180,000 jobs in all of 2025 and 2026 has already seen record layoffs for a single month https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/january-jobs-revisions-trump-rcna258398

I could go on and on. We are, slowly but surely, reaching a tipping point and once that happens it's unlikely we will have a way back.

This guy has absolutely and likely permanently destroyed any and all goodwill and trust in the world.

Everything from permanent closer of bases around the world to completely dropping the dollar as the international currency of trade, are on the table.

China sees this and is already in motion to take advantage of it around the world.

China is a massive economic engine that, given the opportunity, will easily crush the dominance of the US.

Many in the world are already changing their perspective on the US, viewing us as a nation in decline, a violent, racist and xenophobic hellscape.

In many ways that is a very accurate assessment.

38 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Potentially hard times ahead (Original Post) angrychair 14 hrs ago OP
Dollar erosion is a major concern bucolic_frolic 14 hrs ago #1
Not positive angrychair 14 hrs ago #2
prepare for interest rates to zoom. mopinko 13 hrs ago #3
MAGA don't care about educated professional people losing their jobs. They have jobs chasin MexuRicans. ChicagoTeamster 13 hrs ago #4
May Take Awhile modrepub 13 hrs ago #5
So maybe we need a Mark Carney type person for President? mwooldri 13 hrs ago #6
Can I ask in this very important thread how does one prepare? ALBliberal 12 hrs ago #7
I agree that the US is on a trajectory of economic disaster but I take one exception Bev54 12 hrs ago #8
Then add the upcoming climate disasters... ananda 11 hrs ago #22
It is convenient to popsdenver 12 hrs ago #9
Yes angrychair 12 hrs ago #10
But when he is gone popsdenver 12 hrs ago #12
Fair point angrychair 12 hrs ago #14
Hey AC popsdenver 11 hrs ago #17
I've been saying this forever. People still don't get how much language matters. live love laugh 12 hrs ago #16
Hey popsdenver 11 hrs ago #18
That's what makes me throw things at the TV and 90% of online/Youtube postings! BComplex 11 hrs ago #20
You are more than welcome BC popsdenver 11 hrs ago #23
Except China and Russias' economies are also in the tank. mwmisses4289 12 hrs ago #11
Very different reasons angrychair 12 hrs ago #13
China is in the "shadows" popsdenver 11 hrs ago #24
Exactly right angrychair 10 hrs ago #26
American Jinga live love laugh 12 hrs ago #15
Elections have far greater consequences than what side gets owned on social media. Initech 11 hrs ago #19
No, Initech: This is the world that THE REPUBLICAN PARTY built. BComplex 11 hrs ago #21
I repeat popsdenver 11 hrs ago #25
True, but they are the face of the GOP. Initech 9 hrs ago #28
If you look at the evidence in the Trump fraud case brought by Letitia James Jarqui 10 hrs ago #27
77 million morons voted for him. Turbineguy 9 hrs ago #29
over 70 million voted for him timms139 4 hrs ago #38
China won the economic war. Roc2020 9 hrs ago #30
It will be all Biden's fault. milestogo 9 hrs ago #31
We've all watched this unfold in real time FoggyLake 8 hrs ago #32
I must disagree with your title. Strike the words Potentially and ahead. Hard times are here and getting worse. flashman13 8 hrs ago #33
Don't forget AI coming for entry level white collar jobs trumpisapdf 8 hrs ago #34
love ur screen name here is a welcome heart gopiscrap 5 hrs ago #37
I'm not concerned. OldBaldy1701E 7 hrs ago #35
Elections have consequences gulliver 7 hrs ago #36

bucolic_frolic

(54,562 posts)
1. Dollar erosion is a major concern
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 01:33 PM
14 hrs ago

Do they plan to retreat to the gold standard, or some gold-crypto combo?

Are banks safe? They can devalue anything they want, or potentially seize anything they want.

angrychair

(11,942 posts)
2. Not positive
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 01:43 PM
14 hrs ago

But cryptocurrency, even the stable coin concept, is all but dead. The rapid fall of Bitcoin and other coins is not an anomaly or a market correction but a complete lose of confidence in the market.

As far as a gold standard. There is a move in multiple markets to do just that. BRICS, the Chinese economic block, has been moving in that direction and actively accumulating large amounts of gold to move away from the dollar as a international trade currency
https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/personal-finance/explained-why-brics-growing-gold-pile-is-raising-questions-about-dollar-dominance-article-153359859

mopinko

(73,456 posts)
3. prepare for interest rates to zoom.
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 02:03 PM
13 hrs ago

it’s gonna get harder and harder to sell our bonds. most interest rates r tied to t-bills.
so expect to pay more for money, and likely sooner than u think.

ChicagoTeamster

(638 posts)
4. MAGA don't care about educated professional people losing their jobs. They have jobs chasin MexuRicans.
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 02:47 PM
13 hrs ago

My MAGA family and friends, before I disassociated from them, used to talk as though

"the UraPeeins needed us a more than we a needed them and Trump was gonna make them pay more and us Muricans would all be rich."


I hope they like working in the low paying agricultural, meat processing, and tire and muffler jobs they're deporting people from. There will be a shortage in welding and construction. It pays more but a lot of red states just passed laws that allow children to take on more dangerous jobs even working late on school nights all for much lower pay.

They probably think African Americans, who MAGA think are all on welfare, will be forced to take those jobs when the Trumpenfuhrer ends their welfare.

modrepub

(4,023 posts)
5. May Take Awhile
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 02:51 PM
13 hrs ago

AI capital expenditure layouts are massive infusions into the economy. Companies and some individuals are getting large tax refunds/cuts over the first quarter of 2026 that will be spent. In other words, there are still a lot of winds in our economic sails.

Not that I disagree, I’ve just given up trying to guess when the wheels finally fall off. Will take this respite to draw some money out of stocks and park it somewhere safe for future needs or opportunities.

mwooldri

(10,801 posts)
6. So maybe we need a Mark Carney type person for President?
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 02:56 PM
13 hrs ago

Janet Yellen for president? To rebuild the US from this Trumped up cluster fuck?

ALBliberal

(3,292 posts)
7. Can I ask in this very important thread how does one prepare?
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 03:06 PM
12 hrs ago

Do we leave money in banks or do we take out cash? Seems logical that we stock up food and supplies and get as fully vaccinated as possible.

I really feel at a loss for preparing for what is coming. Sure we knew it would come. But it’s still gonna be horrible.

Thanks to any and all that reply. And thanks for insight on how you are preparing.

Bev54

(13,351 posts)
8. I agree that the US is on a trajectory of economic disaster but I take one exception
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 03:08 PM
12 hrs ago

with your analysis, It is not slowly but surely, it is one of the fastest downfalls and unfortunately the country seems not to understand how big and how fast this decline is going to hit.

ananda

(34,622 posts)
22. Then add the upcoming climate disasters...
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 04:17 PM
11 hrs ago

and we have a hellscape worse than anything the
modern world has ever seen.

popsdenver

(1,930 posts)
9. It is convenient to
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 03:22 PM
12 hrs ago

blame it all on "Trump"........but we need to start phrasing it as "Republican's".........since it is them that are all behind this calamity.
"Trump" would not have made it one week into his first term.....if the REPUBLICAN Senate, REPUBLICAN House, and the REPUBLICAN U.S. Supreme Court hadn't encouraged and enabled him every single day along with all the REPUBLICAN State Governors.

When "Trump" is long gone, they will all still be in power with the 2025 Cabal............and quite possibly someone even worse than Trump.

We need to get out the vote for 2026, Scream from the roof tops about any and all the corruption they have planned for the election.
The HUNDREDS of U.S. Representatives and Senators that we never hear from, need to get with the program. And we need a leader for the Dems to keep them focused on the priorities........

angrychair

(11,942 posts)
10. Yes
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 03:44 PM
12 hrs ago
Trump"........but we need to start phrasing it as "Republican's".........since it is them that are all behind this calamity.


I do agree with your statement but would make the assertion that he is the Republican party. More to the point the party has so subjugated themselves to him that it is impossible to distinguish one from the other.

popsdenver

(1,930 posts)
12. But when he is gone
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 03:50 PM
12 hrs ago

unless we say "Republicans", they will all will walk away, squeaky clean, and blame everything on Trump......

If we can make the "Republicans" just as culpable, then the fence sitters, independents, and MAGAot voters won't automatically continue voting Republican, given the havoc the ENTIRE Republican Party/Politicians have rained down on them.....

popsdenver

(1,930 posts)
17. Hey AC
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 04:02 PM
11 hrs ago

Help me remind everyone to say "Republicans" on this website, every chance we get. The Dem leadership???? should be screaming this same thing from the roof tops!!!!!!!

Instead, there are HUNDREDS of Democrats in Washington DC that we never hear word one from......It's always a selected handful that we do hear from.....AOC, etc.

I never hear anything from Colorado's two Dem Senators, and the Denver Dem U.S. House Rep......all just "going with the flow" and just cruising along...........(Actually, we have been hearing from U.S. Colorado Senator Bennett, but only because he is campaigning for Colorado Governor.......... to which I say: WTF?????????)

BComplex

(9,817 posts)
20. That's what makes me throw things at the TV and 90% of online/Youtube postings!
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 04:09 PM
11 hrs ago
Trump could NEVER have done this by himself! This is the whole damn rotten republican party, supreme court and Heritage Foundation ( aka nazi party). They protect billionaires and pedophiles, and take insurance and benefits away from the people who actually pay taxes.

Thank you popsdenver!!!

popsdenver

(1,930 posts)
23. You are more than welcome BC
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 04:22 PM
11 hrs ago

Don't forget all the Corporations that provide the money, directly or indirectly.......
At the rate things are going, I would venture a guess that:
The Republicans will abandon the United States of America, and start saying: United Corporations of America.....

mwmisses4289

(3,670 posts)
11. Except China and Russias' economies are also in the tank.
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 03:44 PM
12 hrs ago

I suspect the economic driver and currency will end up being the out of the European union.

angrychair

(11,942 posts)
13. Very different reasons
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 03:52 PM
12 hrs ago

Russia's issues are directly related to their illegal invasion of Ukraine.

China has been working overtime to dramatically improve its infrastructure and partnerships with other countries in order take the greatest advantage of the spaces abandoned by the US. Over the last decade or so.

angrychair

(11,942 posts)
26. Exactly right
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 05:02 PM
10 hrs ago

You didn't have a culture that last thousands of years by being aggressive and violent.
You last that long by playing the long game.

Interestingly, China has never been shy about sharing that strategy. They have, for a very, very, very, long time said exactly this openly and without hesitation.

Initech

(108,103 posts)
19. Elections have far greater consequences than what side gets owned on social media.
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 04:07 PM
11 hrs ago

This is the world that Donald Trump and Elon Musk built, and it's a really shitty one.

BComplex

(9,817 posts)
21. No, Initech: This is the world that THE REPUBLICAN PARTY built.
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 04:13 PM
11 hrs ago

Trump and Musk are two people. Two people could NOT have done this.

Just sayin'.

popsdenver

(1,930 posts)
25. I repeat
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 04:27 PM
11 hrs ago

Trump wouldn't have lasted one day into his first term, if hadn't been for the Republicans in the U.S. Senate, the Republicans in the U.S. House, the Republicans in the US Supreme Court, the Republican Governors, and the 95+% of American Media which is owned/operated by wealthy Republicans, and Republican owned and operated Corporations.......
We all need to start saying: The REPUBLICAN PARTY, and not just Trump........

Jarqui

(10,871 posts)
27. If you look at the evidence in the Trump fraud case brought by Letitia James
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 05:25 PM
10 hrs ago

You will see decades of overwhelming evidence of fraud.
Summary judgement -> Trump's lawyers could not make any credible case to rebut it to get it to trial.
The only thing left to argue about was "how much?"
In fact the ~$450 mil damages were limited by the statute of limitations.
All the signs were Trump had been pulling stuff like this his whole business life - or long before the statute of limitations kicked in.

Now, that fraudster is in charge of the US Administration and he lied or misled more than 30,000 times in his first term, how much faith can we have that we're getting true and accurate numbers?
On a scale of 1 to 10, my faith is 0.
That is very likely to be part of the post mortem of the economic collapse likely to come.
A bunch of folks will not see it coming because Trump doesn't want them to see his real data - like he hasn't his whole business life.

timms139

(517 posts)
38. over 70 million voted for him
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 11:40 PM
4 hrs ago

but part of the blame can be put at the feet of the 90 million who stayed away from the voting booth .

Roc2020

(1,761 posts)
30. China won the economic war.
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 06:49 PM
9 hrs ago

I visited Asia in 2024. The infrastructure, construction, cars...basically all the big money industries are run by the Chinese. Europe is making all kind of trade deals with them. They have left the US behind. And frankly a lot of Asia and now even most of Europe has left the US behind.

FoggyLake

(311 posts)
32. We've all watched this unfold in real time
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 07:32 PM
8 hrs ago

Why is our constitution so toothless that there was nothing that could be done about it before it reached this point?????

flashman13

(2,229 posts)
33. I must disagree with your title. Strike the words Potentially and ahead. Hard times are here and getting worse.
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 07:33 PM
8 hrs ago

For starters don't believe the 2-1/2% inflation rate. That's utter nonsense.

trumpisapdf

(1 post)
34. Don't forget AI coming for entry level white collar jobs
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 07:43 PM
8 hrs ago

Customer Service, Law, Finance, Software, basically anything that can be done sitting in front of a computer.

OldBaldy1701E

(10,734 posts)
35. I'm not concerned.
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 08:15 PM
7 hrs ago

I am already rationing drugs and if that changes then I will just follow through with 'Operation Visible Results'.

Because I won't last one moment longer if things get worse.

And, they are going to.

So...

gulliver

(13,822 posts)
36. Elections have consequences
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 08:29 PM
7 hrs ago

Thank you for bringing up these core issues. We need to focus on them. All these "rage bait and paranoia" shiny objects that are floating around need to be set aside. The adults need to be back in the room, and the kids need to be Charlie, not Veruca.

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