as seen on tv
Senator
Ukraine and Russia Sanctions - United States Department of State
Sanctions. Who DOESN'T love them? It's a way for ordinary people to wage war against our geopolitical rivals without ever having to buy a war bond or enlist. And probably – somewhere, sometime - sanctions have won a war. Just because I can't name an example doesn't mean it never happened.
That said, I am fully on board with US sanctions against Russia. Planet Earth is 18 months into a war which pentagon experts predicted Putin would win in a week. We're trying to help Ukraine any way we can, short of actually using NATO to fire a bullet. For a partial list of economic sanctions, see link above.
The cumulative effect of US sanctions? Well, no real impact on the battlefield. But Russian consumers are said to finding toothpaste in short supply, and certain food items cost more. This is really true - you've seen these reports several times since the weekend. Please understand - I am NOT in favor of Russian kids with rotting teeth or inadequate nutrition, any more than I am in favor of Russian missile attacks on Ukraine apartment buildings and kidnapping any surviving children in the chaotic aftermath.
Who knows, sanctions may even have been involved in Russia's failed moon robot landing last month. Moscow was evidently in a moon race with India, and India won. And India is buying Russian oil – which is their legal right to do. And Russia is using the oil money to purchase drones from Iran, a declared enemy of India, instead of toothpaste. You can't blame all of this on sanctions, but you can't say these are a complete disconnect, either.
How about the US economy? We can see sanction effects in the news every day.
- Homeless encampments several miles long. I'd 100% blame sanctions for this, except we all know the federal government and state of California are transfixed on other things and wouldn't have done anything to fix this anyway.
- An epidemic of Fentanyl overdoses. The antidote “Narcan” is now sold in vending machines, like Doritos and Pepsi. The Biden administration is proposing an EASING of marijuana restrictions this week. Is this an acknowledgment that pro-stoner legalization in a few states hasn't produced either the promised tax bonanza, or put a dent in smuggling? Is it an election ploy?
- Gasoline is around $4 a gallon. Higher in locations like California, NY, and Florida. This is a definitely a result of sanctions. A year before the invasion it was $2.70 a gallon. I would gladly pay $4 a gallon for the rest of my life if it would mean Russia loses. Russia would probably gladly go without toothpaste if it means they can win.
- General inflation – when fuel goes up, so does the cost of everything: Uber rides (the CEO of Uber complained recently that he was charged $50 for a 3 mile ride in Manhattan); Amazon deliveries. Diesel for home construction. Energy to harvest timber and turn it into lumber. Food prices . . . planting, harvesting, processing, transport to the supermarket . . . are highly sensitive to fuel prices.
- And just wait until the Pentagon submits its new budget, to replace all the late model war stuff we sent to Kyiv. We are going to need everything from jet fighters to missiles to basic rifle ammo. Billions and billions to restock. This is going to get huge bipartisan backing, because every US state is part of the defense department supply chain. F35 jets alone require parts manufactured in over 40 locations.
If you have any suggestions, please share them here.
I'm just sayin' . . .
