I have: Amex Plat(50k) Barclays Arrival+(15k, never use) USAA platinum visa(15k, use wherever Amex isn’t taken)
I’m trying to revamp my wallet to only have cards that benefit my spending and hold only them from this point out.
I’m a defense contractor, zero bills, zero debt, zero liability. I have 6 figure income, 106k of it being tax free. I live in Afghanistan for 8-9months a year. There I spend very little. I travel full time outside the US the other 3-4 months a year. I tend to stay in hostels to meet people since I’m in my 20’s. I run up huge bar tabs partying. I’m looking to see what makes the most sense to revitalize my wallet, and shrink it to only what I’ll use. -I’m thinking Rakuten card for whatever shopping I do online while deployed, which is minimal. I mostly live like a hermit out there. -Continue to use my platinum for airline purchases and whatever else has multipliers(I earned 100k in points this year that way).
My dilemma comes from choosing either the green card to stop loss the differences where the platinum fails, like in normal travel categories and restaurants. Bit it also gets The Clear for airport line expedition which negates a lot of the AF, while having a potential 50k signup bonus right now. Or getting the CSR. The green makes sense, but with my extensive international travel I wonder if the CSR makes more sense for acceptance issues and the easy travel credit. Though I’ll likely never use the Lyft credits other than for the ride to/from Home after and before deployments which I get to expense to the company and get repaid for as well.
It would stop the loss in acceptance from Amex. It offers dining and travel points, and has decent credit. I’m not a churner or anything like that. I like simplicity. As I wrote this up it seemed like the CSR is the best bet. But also made me realize if the green gives you Clear membership. Is it worth having as well? Since I extensively use th platinum for lounge access and benefits that has paid for it on its own. I could spend the green where possible for 3x points. Which generally gets me above .02/MR. I generally redeem in business class, where during corona I’m getting 4-6 cent redemption value per point. For example, a trip to Ukraine I just took cost 50k points, but was $3500 cash. I know that won’t last forever though. So is it worth it to pick up the green, or CSR? I can’t decide as it seems the CSR is the obvious choice, but point wise, if I can keep getting redemptions like this while people aren’t traveling, it would take some time before UR points were as valuable.
I know there are more people who ar em uh better at this than me.

A slow descent into madness: an exhaustive recap of the tell all leak
Supposedly the leaked video (clocking in at 10+ hours) was the second day filming.
I watched the entire thing. This is a rambling list of the thoughts going through my mind while watching, and a fairly comprehensive timeline / summary of events, or at least the juiciest parts. I believe it becomes fairly obvious when my mental state started to decline - I was well into the 5th hour by then.
Part 1: David
The show begins an hour into the video.
A lot of time was spent on David. Asking David the same questions, hoping he’d get a clue. Instead he doubled down on his delusion.
David started in this endeavor by going on two trips with a friend over 20 years ago. He states he did not like it - 25 guys meeting 400 women in a big bar. He said it was horrible - he called the women aggressive and professional daters. He went on another trip with 10 guys meeting maybe 40 women in different cities. He describes receiving catalogs of women and selecting specific ones to meet on the trip. A friend he met on one of these trips introduced him to a web site in 2007.
Lana does not work for the web site or get paid. According to David, the web sites are US sites, they contract through the agency that vets the “girls”. He insists Lana derives no income from the web site or agency. It’s illegal for him to contact her directly? He pays in order to not be scammed.
He has known Lana for 7 years. She was too young at the start - he won’t “date” anyone under 25. He wasn’t talking to Lana for 2.5 years. He’s “dated” 30 girls in Ukraine when he wasn’t talking to Lana. He’s been to Ukraine 20 times. He’s been engaged twice to women over there (and twice in America.)
David says Lana is very poor. Has very few clothes and possessions. She only has five pairs of shoes and gets a new pair of sneakers every 3 years or so. She doesn’t speak English. He bought her an iPhone to talk directly but she doesn’t like the keyboard because of her long fingernails. She can’t talk directly to him on the computer because the agency owns the laptop and monitors activity.
He’s spent $250,000 to $300,000 on “dating” on these sites. He claims he’s a millionaire so the money is no object.
Friends of David appear, say their piece, then disappear.
Cesar appears. David had talked to Maria years ago. Said she was high maintenance.
Yolanda and Usman join in. Usman has poor connection. Usman leaves.
A wild Tom appears. Tom compliments Yolanda’s weight loss. Says he’s not hitting on her, just complimenting her.
Tom doesn’t watch much of the show. Says David is his “fast forward couple”.
Cesar says he visited Maria. Maria wasn’t happy he showed up. But she met him, they took photos, she asked to see his phone and he realized later she deleted the photos. They spent 10 days together, he got a couple of pecks on the cheek and lips? But no intimacy. Specified no tongue. Maria was “pissed off” that he showed up, refused to meet Cesar if the cameras were there. Wanted him to buy her a $500 pair of shoes and $300 dinner.
Tom asks if he packed the chocolate panties. Cesar said he took the beaded candy ones.
Yolanda said Cesar DMd her and left his phone number. Cesar says Yolanda is beautiful and that he “loves chocolate” with a Pervy laugh. But he says he was just reaching out as friends. Shaun asks Cesar if he DMs Tom. Tom confirms that he did, and that the alumni reach out to each other.
Shaun asks Yolanda if she would date Cesar, she replies with an emphatic no.
David went back to Ukraine and met Lana. They kissed, no other intimacy. He proposed, she accepted (they show clips.) Lana is still on the dating sites. David is still on the dating sites because Lana is. Lana is still on the site because that’s where her only friends are, David basically describes her as a shut in with no friends.
At one point later in the show he drops the bombshell “love has nothing to do with it.”
Ed appears. He’s holding Teddy (against the dog’s will) on his lap. Ed shouts into his mic. He yells repeatedly about David being scammed for the better part of 18 minutes.
David gets excitable. Yells about this being bullshit. Yells at Tom that Darcey was still talking to other guys.
The current status of the relationship? David thinks they’re not together. He hasn’t communicated with Lana in 6 days. But their engagement hasn’t been broken. So they’re engaged but no longer together?
Lana refuses to participate because she’s getting hate mail from guys who have seen the show accusing her of being a scammer.
Stephanie appears.
Stephanie says she thinks it’s disgusting that Lana is being discussed like she’s a commodity. Points out that their relationship is transactional. David and Ed are screaming at each other over her. Stephanie Commends David for not worrying about spending $100,000 while Ed freaked out about spending $2.
A clip of David proposing to Lana with a prop fake ring shows. David says the jeweler advises not buying a real diamond because he didn’t know her ring size. Says she wants to choose her own ring.
Return to Ed and David arguing.
Usman appears.
David is getting heated.
Bottom Line: David’s retiring to move to Ukraine, but started the K1 process.
Shaun wraps the segment with David still arguing at the 3-hour mark. Shaun leaves (possibly to drink heavily - I would be if I was her.) I forgot to note that at some point Tom made a remark to Ed about him not being able to see his toes. It was a joke, but went completely missed by everyone else.
David, Ed, Stephanie and Usman chit chat. Usman sings a bit.
Part 2: Yolanda
We resume at 3:30 with Yolanda.
Yolanda had the flu at the beginning of December. She was in a coma for a month and was on a ventilator for 3 weeks. Her kidneys and liver were failing. Her doctor now believes she had Covid-19.
She did not hear from Williams during that time. She heard from him just a couple of months ago. She didn’t tell him about her coma, he was talking about his aunt dying so it “didn’t come up.”
He didn’t reach out directly, he went through “sweetberry” (?) on Instagram to ask if he could contact her again.
Yolanda’s daughter and a PI the daughter hired join in. PI says the accounts have ties to Nigerian scammers.
Usman joins. He knows nothing about Nigerian scammers, doubts they’re Nigerian.
Usman leaves. Darcey joins. She’s wearing a platinum blonde wig, primping a bit, trying to center herself on the bed she’s sitting on. She’s nodding along to absolutely nothing, shaking her head and smiling periodically like she’s involved in a totally different conversation than we are seeing.
Daughter and PI leave. Shaun asks Darcey what she thinks about Yolanda and Williams. Darcey goes into a spiel about being a target and people on IG preying on her. Starts talking about Jesse and Tom. Says she spent a lot of money on Jesse, says she helped Tom financially and bought him clothes and gifts. Goes into a tangent of non-specific items, won’t provide a direct answer on how much she spent but finally claims she spent $2000 on Tom.
Erika appears.
Shaun tries to get back on the topic of Yolanda and Willams. Shaun asks Erika about her opinion on The Williams mystery IG account and the blackmail.
Darcey uses that opportunity to talk about being targeted by a “network of people” that was calculated by “people in different countries to target certain people around the world.”
“Maybe Nigeria was a part of it, Maybe England was a part of it”. After Tom, Darcey says she met someone who targeted her, says it was a couple she knew and Tom was a part of it, says IP addresses traced to Nottingham and there’s a network of people targeting women around the world.
Darcey claims her second time in Amsterdam she was robbed while shopping after Jesse told her to leave her passport if she was going out shopping. Later says pickpocketed. Implies that the robbery was a setup by Jesse.
Shaun tries to redirect the subject back to Yolanda and Williams.
Lisa appears.
Lisa jumps right in with her expertise about Yahoo Boys, G-Men and grooming people. Darcey drops off and Usman reappears.
Lisa’s gravelly voice takes on a fake Nigerian accent as they yell “baby love” at each other.
Lisa goes on about her social media expertise. Explains the three different cultures of Nigeria. She tells Yolanda to join the Facebook Group SSA: Scamming Scammers Action that Lisa is a big part of.
They convince Yolanda to try to call Williams on speakerphone. No answer.
Lisa is also an expert in African and Nigerian accents FYI.
Erika leaves. David reappears.
Lisa dominates the conversation. Keeps recounting conversations and events of hackings and stuff.
Lisa starts talking about Blood Rituals. Sacrifices. Money rituals. Voodoo dolls. Kidnappings. Killing people to bring luck in scamming people. They believe in black magic and juju. Lisa and Usman keep interrupting each other. Usman has never heard of this. Lisa insists this is real. Go to SSA on Facebook, all the proof is there.
Yolanda, David and Shaun are stunned silent.
Usman is trying to fact check Lisa’s completely far-fetched theories. Lisa purses her beak.
Finally, Shaun redirects.
Yolanda says she’s done. If she hears from Williams again she’s done.
Yolanda is getting DMs all the time offering to FaceTime her. David tells her to go get her Groove back in Jamaica. Yolanda and David both get DMs encouraging them to hook up since they’re both in Vegas.
We are 5 hours 10 minutes in. Let’s see a clip! We see Lana before she met David. She’s at the gym. She’s walking around Kiev in a silver puffer jacket and Nikes. She using her iPhone (with her short nails) to take pictures. She’s shopping for makeup. She’s sipping a latte in a cafe while typing on her laptop. She’s talking to a friend on her iPhone. She talks about America. She knows that you can get married quickly in Las Vegas. She tells her friend she has an exciting day tomorrow “I’m meeting an American.” Her friend asks if he’s wealthy.
Shaun points out the inconsistencies in Lana’s apparent poverty and David’s understanding of her circumstances. David says “that’s not real”.
We spent the next 10 minutes or so with Yolanda, Usman, Lisa and Shaun trying to talk some sense into David. It doesn’t work.
Shaun leaves for a break.
Ash appears. We spend the next while discussing quarantine. Ash hadn’t heard about Yolanda being sick, his eyes get wide when he hears her coma tale.
They’re talking about lockdowns and restrictions and being able to go where you want. David thinks they’re talking about Ash being able to visit the US on his Australian passport.
Lisa’s ex-husband just got out of prison.
David lives in a rental house that’s being sold in a month.
Yolanda asks if people read their tweets.
Lisa has a stalker with 25 accounts. Lisa now has her phone number and address. She’s going to have her arrested and “put charges against her”.
David gets death threats.
Back to Yolanda and the Covid.
David leaves.
Tom returns. He asks how many bottles of lube Lisa and Usman used raw dogging it. She said none - I’m guessing she just peed on him a la Dinyell.
More R-rated banter. Lisa tells Tom to ask about Usman refusing to join the mile high club.
Ash looks stunned into silence. Maybe a bit frightened. He’s retreated to his nothing box.
Usman tries to explain about the 70%, that it’s a B and a compliment. Tom asks why she paid twice the going rate for a goat.
Lots of goat talk. Peeing goat talk. Showering the goat. Walking in sandals through mud and goat shit.
Tom makes a crack about not being the only cast members showering with animals. Ash asks about Ed showering with Rosemarie’s father? Then his feed goes out.
Lisa starts talking about gross food. Tom are goat brain in Albania. Lisa starts everything with “Usman, tell them about the time...” then just talks over him to tell the story herself.
Stephanie appears.
Ed appears.
Usman leaves. Lisa tells them about the armed convoy everywhere they went. Ed wants to know about the goat. More goat tales.
7 hour 10 minute mark.
Part 3: Lisa and Usman
Shaun is back with Lisa and Usman. We lose Usman.
Lisa had surgery.
She hurt her baby toe before going to Nigeria. Ruptured a blood vessel. It swelled up in Africa. Returned to the US with a dead/dying toe. Got infected, went gangrenous, was amputated.
Usman returns.
The next segment is insufferable.
Usman says Lisa calls him a N***** frequently. Lisa screams about opening a can of worms.
Usman asks if American women are all like this.
Lisa and Usman are married but keep blocking each other.
Lisa is Usman’s first serious relationship.
Lisa freaks out about women on Usman’s comments and in his DMs.
Says she’s seen the other girls Usman dated, they’re “3 times my size”.
They fight about Trish Playtas.
Lisa talks over Usman. Yells, curses, threatens.
Enter Giant and Aba (?) after 25 minutes of toxic bullshit.
Lisa talks about getting “gangbanged”. (I think she means ganged up on, but she’s so cringe who can tell.)
Lisa has a screaming match. Hangs up because she was “mistreated and disrespected”.
Enter Lisa’s friend Nikki.
Nikki screams about disrespect for the next forever. Lisa returns.
There’s endless raspy screeching about bitches, clowns, motherfuckers and more disrespect. Fuck you. Fuck outta here.
Shaun loses all control.
Aba and Nikki scream at each other some more.
Shaun gives up. She is writing something just below the screen. I suspect it’s her resignation letter.
Finally Shaun redirects the conversation. She brings up the polygamy.
If Lisa has an egg and can tote it, Usman doesn’t want another wife. If Lisa can’t squat and hatch Usman’s offspring, he will take another wife.
Cue Lisa’s expertise on polygamy.
Clip Roll: the night before the wedding, Lisa storms off and disrespects Usman’s brothers the night before the wedding.
Lisa cackles.
Avery and Ed appear.
Usman and Lisa keep arguing.
Shaun asks Avery’s perception. Avery asks “where is the love?” All she sees is them screaming over each other and assert themselves.
Before Lisa can respond Ed jumps in.
Lisa calls the kettle black and says Avery and Ed aren’t portrayed well.
Ed started to watch the show after he decided to be on it.
Ed compliments Usman for being calm and respectful and not using any foul words.
Lisa Cackles. Ed calls her a bull in a china shop “no disrespect”. Says he thought she was the definition of a narcissist, but says she’s actually the definition of delusional.
Lisa interrupts. Usman starts singing. Lisa and Ed scream over each other. Lisa tells Avery to shut up, says she went on Ed’s live drunk and making an ass of herself. Ed keeps screaming “delusional”. Lisa calls Avery a drunk. Avery tells Usman “not all American women are like that”, Lisa rebounds with “that’s why Ash dumped your ass.” Ed tells Usman there are many more nicer women.
Ed: she treated you like a piece of shit. She treated you like a slave.
Lisa: you are a piece of shit!
Ed: you made America Sick!
Lisa: Ed Fuck You! Fuck You!
Lisa: you abused Rose to go on this show because no fucking other woman would! You fucking used her (x 5). Shut the fuck up.
More screaming over each other.
Usman begs Ed to calm down.
Lisa: you’re going to let this fucking pervert who’s got charges for sexual harassment... you’re going to let this idiot come at me with the fucking charges he’s got? This fucking pervert has been grooming women. The women are coming out of the woodwork saying Ed has molested them, he’s groomed them, and god only knows what the fuck else he did to them.
More screaming.
Ed: the internet is fake!
Lisa: Harry (producer) remove these two right now!
Lisa calls them Thing 1 and Thing 2 and demands Harry remove them.
Ed gets cut.
Lisa continues to scream at Avery about glass houses.
Tom appears.
Usman is yelling now.
Shaun tries to gain control.
Tom: I was nervous delivering that letter to Darcey but coming in to this conversation is wild!
Shaun brings up the polygamy subject again.
Lisa might move to Nigeria for The Other Way.
Shaun disappears.
Avery drops.
Lisa says “Tom, this is all for show. It’s a dog and horse, pony show I call it.”
Tom blows smoke up her ass. His idea of love is apparently jealousy, anger and disrespect. He says it’s obvious they love each other because apparently only people truly in love can be that hateful and vicious and angry to each other.
Shaun is back. Darcey appears. Usman is singing. Darcey is swaying to Soja Boy, slurring, “do it big! Lisa, Be the queen!”
Darcey’s been in the sauce.
Usman tells Lisa to cover her bra.
More second wife talk.
Tom asks a question about what kind of second wife Usman would have. Darcey says something. Shaun asks Lisa a question. Usman freaks out and screams “Tom asked me a question, let me answer the question”. This leads to Lisa screaming at Shaun about disrespecting Usman, screams at the producer “you better tell this hostess to shut her mouth” shut up! Shut up!”
Usman keeps yelling. Shaun trying to calm everyone.
Lisa: Barb! Barb! Barb! Do you hear me? It’s time to cut her now! Barb! Cut her now! Barb! Cut the fucking thing, cut it now! She’s disrespecting Usman! Fucking stop it! Stop it barb! Fuck off!
Darcey looks like a confused bobble head.
Lisa hangs up.
Usman and Darcey talk about Trish Playtas.
Darcey: things are don’t differently in America, I’ve been in the entertainment industry way before Tom, way before Jesse.
Usman starts to explain going live with Trish.
Lisa returns.
Part 4: Wrap Ups and “where does your relationship stand?”
Shaun turns to Darcey and Tom, asks where the future of their relationship is. Lisa and Usman respond loudly, not letting them talk.
Finally, Lisa and Usman are gone.
Tom: friends maybe blah blah blah great mom, good person, wish you the best.
Darcey: my journey, my daughters, my brother who passed blah blah blah don’t want toxic negativity
Ash and Avery return: same question
Ash is worried about his hair being cut off on the screen.
Ash started the journey with the intent to propose. Says he loves her. Breaking up was the hardest thing. Future is going to be looking after his family.
Ash answers the question in a concise, straight forward manner.
Just kidding. He uses a lot of words to absolutely avoid answering anything.
Avery says this is a hard question to ask someone who just separated. She trails off. I think... I don’t... I wanted... honestly...
Erika and Stephanie return: where do you stand?
Not even friends. Can they ever be friends?
Stephanie says best case is friends from afar.
Erika says they’ve been friends and fought many many times. She came in today wanting to speak and wasn’t able to do that, but doesn’t hold any hate. It’s going to be hard to see any of this in a positive light.
Erika didn’t get a change to express that she took a big step coming out to her parents then Stephanie dumped her the next morning.
Stephanie came out to her mom too apparently, but it wasn’t like Erika’s coming out (receptive and kind).
Pick up lines:
Asking what they’ve been doing during the quarantine, will air at the beginning of the show.
(Erika makes earrings!)
Shaun has to rephrase the question to Stephanie to ask specifically about... HER ILLNESS!
Bet you didn’t see that one coming.
Yolanda wrap up: no more online dating. She’s going to meet men at the market or the casino. Old school.
Ed wrap up: who cares.
Ok. I guess we do.
Shaun asks about the shower. I just can’t listen to him anymore. Then she asks about the first night they were intimate. I’m going to barf.
Ed takes full responsibility for “not the things I did, but the way I did them”. Rose is mad at him right now. She wanted to reconcile February 9.
Ed is taking a break from dating (sorry ladies!) but Rose taught him to love again and “she didn’t destroy me like my first marriage did.”
His mom is moving in with him. But she’s a nurse so hasn’t moved in yet. Ed’s mom is a nurse caring for a young child with a tracheostomy.
Ed sucks, but a round of applause for Mother Ed is deserved.
David wrap up:
David is going to retire earlier than planned because of the recession resulting from the quarantine.
Shaun asks about the first kiss.
David says something about bowling. He bowls 4 strikes with Lana.
The girls in Ukraine love bowling but don’t get to do that. So he takes them. He bets kisses for every strike he bowls.
Lana is upset over the publicity from the show. Gets physically ill in front of the camera.
If she won’t come to the US or dumps him, he will live part time in the Ukraine - 3 months at a time - to continue dating women there.
It’s over. Thank God.

The Conference

 
In keeping with the tradition that began in 1866, the Internationale has held a successful conference. Paris, the epicenter of the old order’s great defeat, has birthed new life in the form of the modern revolutionary spirit, as it had done in past centuries. Now, with the great debates, speeches and secret meetings of military importance all concluded, the following consensus has been produced:
 

Political Conclusions

 
The Third Internationale is between a rock and a hard place policywise. It is the conference’s belief that our poor economic, foreign policy and logistical situations can only be remedied by taking certain political stances. Broadly-speaking, this means a focus on efficient autonomy and a very clear delineation between when things are more efficient top-down versus bottom-up.
 
Development of critical industries such as natural resource and war materials production should be top-down, because national decisiveness is key. Similarly, a presidential system is preferable in order to have a single figure able to make decisions that cannot wait for consensus. In regards to local and regional affairs, however, consensus should be built from the bottom up, via legislatures and representative groups. Market socialism is a natural extension of trade unionism, in order to spare administrative resources that would otherwise be wasted on micromanagement. Overall, federalism and municipalism are good options for making these power structures work, as a strong supplement for trade unions. This balance of decisiveness and consensus should provide the best manner from which to make viable revolutionary states.
 
We need to be open for diverse modes of thinking in order to make a broad enough coalition to facilitate our political aims. That means, broadly speaking, an end to the modern conceptualization of colonialism, which we’ve already signed onto. More importantly, we need to recognize that all people must be treated with equality of opportunity, as this is our chance to eke out the most from our limited amount of manpower. Primarily this is concerned with women’s rights, civil rights for oppressed groups, and better education/social services. Investments here will build support for our movement, give us more manpower and industrial power per capita, and increase productivity on an individual level. The revolution’s goals can also serve as the means of achieving them.
 
It is also worth considering the women’s revolution from a different angle than mere necessity. If our revolution is to be victorious, it cannot discard the rights of half of the population due merely to differences in anatomy. It is worth remembering that even in places where women’s political rights are heavily curtailed by patriarchal norms, they still hold massive sway due to the essential part they play in the fabric of all societies. If we appeal to the common woman with a genuine offer of liberation and the right to make their own choices, it is not only a huge victory for our revolution, but our moral and civic duty.
 
During the course of this conference, the so-called “Entente” nations have abandoned the last semblance of democratic norms they still had, unveiling them as the tyrants we already knew them to be. This course of events, combined with a reconciliation with less radical democratic movements in many countries, see the Internationale as the main proponents of true democracy in the world. We should take up this mantle with gusto, as we are up to the challenge of broadening our coalition and making nice with moderate allies when they are willing to make nice with us.
 
Those who espouse democratic socialism and social democracy are the most easily incorporated. While they do not necessarily espouse anarchist or syndicalist views on economics, a shared focus on public welfare and the common good makes our rhetoric a snug fit. Social liberals are perhaps a more challenging group, as they still adhere to many of the tenets of capitalism, especially the concept of a market system. However, their willingness to be open to social change and their firm belief in democracy being supreme over capitalism where the two conflict (in their eyes, at least) will give us openings to make appeals.
 
While it is certainly a much bigger tent ideologically than the revolution began with, we can make it work. It may also allow the revolution to make inroads if we portray our values in ways that our non-revolutionary fellows can understand. While we all agree with the concept of “negative freedoms”, or rights that can only be taken away - such as freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom of public protest - the revolution’s ideals are often embodied in “positive freedoms”. These freedoms can only be attained by working together towards a common goal, such as freedom from hunger, freedom from want, and so forth.
 
Additionally, while the revolution is fundamentally secular, it is not opposed to religion in and of itself. This has not been made clear, usually due to fundamentalist propaganda rooted in fear of our economic stances but peddled in religious terminology. By establishing a firm separation of church and state without alienating the church, we will preserve both the revolution and the spiritual connection that many people have with their faith of choice. There will often be conflicts between the two, as many tenets of faith are somewhat outmoded, but these can be overcome without stamping religion out. This will both preserve the rights the revolution is meant to defend, and allow us lasting appeal with many of those who are of strong personal faith.
 
While much of this discussion about broadening the revolution has been met with derision from purists, it is a compromise that most seem willing to make.
 
 

Economic Conclusions

 
The Third Internationale is critically isolated from essential resources required for war production. The Germans have a significant colonial empire, and the Entente has access to many critical resources simply due to the geographical size and wealth of their remaining overseas territories. The Third Internationale has neither of these things, and is in serious danger of being unable to compete for resources essential for war production. This must be rectified as soon as possible, both by removing the safety nets of our enemies and securing one for ourselves.
 
Oil is by far the most critical natural resource we have a paucity of. While synthetic oil production and coal cracking have broken critical ground, they still provide an absolutely paltry amount of refined oil for use or stockpiling. Exploration of Scottish shale deposits have also proven unsatisfactory for running a single peacetime economy, let alone two wartime ones. The best option currently is investment in Mexico’s troubled oil industry, which has struggled to find buyers ever since the US and Germany refused to trade with them. By investing in Mexico and building considerable storage facilities, we should have enough to weather the storm. Oil security, fortunately, is a problem that Germany also shares. If we’re able to isolate them from their tenuous connection to the oil fields in Baku, we can place the juggernaut into the troublesome situation we’re in, but with far less advance preparation.
 
Rubber is even more troublesome, and is crucial in significant quantity in order to run the vehicles which appear critical for modern war. Rubber is needed for planes, tanks, everything complex that acts in support of the infantry. We have virtually none, and even worse, the Germans control the lion’s share of world production between their colonial enterprises. Any revolts in rubber-rich areas should be given special consideration, and the fomenting of revolution in places like Indochina, Malaya, Siam, Ceylon and Equatorial Africa should be strongly encouraged. Additionally, if an allied regime can be created in Brazil, we could secure vast potential rubber resources with enough investment. Brazil would also be the safest bet logistically, with Germany able to largely disrupt or shut down rubber transfer from other areas. A special consideration should also be made for the Dutch East Indies, and support of a friendly Insulindian revolution could also provide an indigenous counter to Entente and German interests in the region. If we act quickly, we could also seed major rubber plantations in other viable zones of the Americas and Africa amenable to our trade, in order to provide auxiliary sources by the time the war is in full swing, but rubber trees take six years to grow.
 
Copper is another massive challenge. The Entente has many productive copper mines, as does the United States. The Internationale, meanwhile, has to rely mostly on mines in Cornwall that are likely to begin declining in output soon. Our best bet for competing is to exploit the considerable reserve in Chile, which indicates that we must secure Argentina to ensure the preservation of the Chilean regime. Additional sources could be secured in Spain or the United States if we’re lucky, and exploration of unproven reserves in Peru if their government is overthrown. Germany has active copper mines in places like Lubin, but it is unclear as to whether they would be sufficient to sustain a prolonged war.
 
With the second defeat of France, all of Lorraine now lies in Germany, her critical iron ore going with it. Italian ore production is insignificant, and British mines are largely uneconomical but can at least bolster her domestic steel demand. Chile, Brazil, Mexico, the United States, Norway and Sweden are the most accessible producers, with potential for future expansion of the steel industry in India if Jharkhand can be held. Without these imports, war production will be implausible. Germany, meanwhile, has much of their ore production and steel industry near their frontlines in the Lorraine and Flemish-Wallonian Sillon Industriel, as well as the Ruhr. If war comes, it is possible that air power could provide a critical advantage in reducing the Reich’s warmaking capacity in this sector.
 
Bauxite production is minimal, which is unfortunate considering our significant potential for aluminum production. Hydroelectric facilities in Alpine France and Italy could produce considerable amounts of aluminum for planes if bauxite sources could be obtained. Most bauxite used commercially is currently exported from Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana and especially Australia, rendering it out of our grasp. However, there are also proven deposits in Arkansas that could be exploited by an allied America to greatly increase wartime aluminum throughput. Fortunately, Germany is in a similar predicament regarding aluminum accessibility, and knocking out their import sources in China and Brazil could help facilitate the crippling of their aeronautical industries. However, the Entente would be just as likely to sell to Germany for processing, rendering those efforts moot.
 
Cobalt is essential for catalysts, as well as various alloys. Unfortunately, we’re not in a great position regarding cobalt either. The US has some unproven reserves, but the main production sites available to us are in Cuba. It is possible that Chile could provide cobalt in the required amounts to feed our synthetic materials industries, but that is as yet uncertain.
 
The Union of Britain and Commune of France both produce considerable amounts of coal, but it tends to be mediocre in quality and economic viability. Additionally, the most viable French coal deposits in Nord-Pas-de-Calais are directly in the line of fire for German troops, leaving mostly the Loire deposits in a strategically secure region. Meanwhile, Germany’s principle coal-mining region in the Ruhr could be made vulnerable to air power, but their significant coal sources in Silesia and elsewhere could aid in keeping their electricity and steel production online. Unfortunately, accessing coal from elsewhere is not economical, and hydroelectric power should be strongly considered, as well as natural gas or literally anything that can keep the lights on.
 
Manganese is usually found alongside iron deposits, and is critical for virtually all steel production, most aluminum alloys used in military applications, as an additive to reduce engine knocking in unleaded gasoline, and as the key ingredient in current-generation batteries. While the Internationale possesses minor manganese production, mostly in the northern Pyrenees, it is not nearly enough to sustain a wartime steel industry. The best alternative sources at this time are Brazil, India (specifically Orissa, controlled by the Bharatiya Commune), and Mexico, whose reserves are as of yet mostly unproven. Most other sources and potential sources - South Africa, Australia, China, Malaya, Gabon, Ukraine, Ghana - are controlled by the Entente or Reichpakt, with South Africa and Australia being by far the leaders in manganese production.
 
Lead is crucial for bullets, solder and many alloys of copper and brass. By and large, lead can be sourced in necessary amounts from Mexico if we invest, with other potential candidates being Peru, Bolivia, the US, India and Ireland. Again, the Entente has a massive lead (pun intended) due to Australia, who has by far and away the largest reserve of lead. Germany has minor lead mines of her own, but not enough to support her war industry without major supplementation from Sweden, Russia or Australia.
 
Nickel is necessary for several alloys, especially types of stainless steel, as well as being a catalyst for hydrogenation. The primary sources for nickel are German New Caledonia, the Philippines, Russia, Canada, Cuba and Brazil, with the latter two being by far the most accessible. Nickel is especially critical for tungsten carbide machine tools, which are vastly superior to regular steel for many tools and machines needed for war production.
 
Tin is necessary for almost any form of solder, not to mention tin-plated containers, cans and bearings. Outside of the now-declining tin mines in Cornwall, the Bolivian and Chinese tin belts are the primary sources of tin for the Internationale. Unfortunately, Yunnan’s economy is largely controlled by German corporate interests, as are many other potential sources. That said, Siam may be a viable long-term trade partner, as could an independent Indochina, Malaya or Insulindia. Brazil, Peru, Australia and Russia also have significant deposits.
 
Molybdenum is a critical component of alloys in military-grade armor, electrical contacts, airplane components, industrial motors, filament supports in lightbulbs, and many forms of stainless and tool-quality steel. The main sources of molybdenum are in Norway and the United States, with Chile also producing Molybdenum as a byproduct from copper mining. In this respect, it is possible that the Internationale will be able to deny Germany access to major deposits, as Canada has yet to exploit most of theirs and it may be possible to cut much of US trade to the German industrial heartland.
 
Tungsten is straightforward, primarily being used for tungsten carbide in machine tools, kinetic energy penetrators, etc. By far the largest production potential for tungsten is China, but many other sources exist in more convenient countries such as Spain, Portugal, the United States, Australia, Canada, Russia and Indochina. While the Entente and Reichpakt control much of these, Spain and Portugal could be potential sources, and England has domestic tungsten production that could provide a bare minimum of new tungsten carbide in wartime.
 
Vanadium is another extremely useful steel additive, as well as having applications in airframes, axles and other high-wear, critical components of vehicles and machinery. Vanadium is mostly present in Manchuria, Peru, far eastern Siberia and South Africa. It is likely that we could deny the Germans access to significant amounts if South Africa could be somehow isolated.
 
Zinc is essential in galvanization, many alloys including bronze, catalyzing rubber, manufacture of industrial chemicals, and more. Zinc at least can be accessed in reasonable quantities via Ireland, Mexico and India. However, it is worth considering that Peru, Australia, Russia, China, the United States and Canada are by far the largest producers. It is very unlikely that Germany can be cut off from significant access to zinc, given that it is also produced in quantity in Anatolia and Sweden.
 
Nitrates used for fertilizer are largely dominated by production in Chile, Peru, California and the Pacific islands. Fortunately, it is far more abundant in Chile than anywhere else, meaning that agricultural production is more secure. Actual productive agricultural lands that could be tapped into are largely in Argentina, southeastern Brazil, the United States and perhaps unorthodox countries such as India, if properly mechanized. Germany is heavily reliant on colonial and Ukrainian imports, and the Entente mostly relies on Canadian (and to a lesser extent, Australasian) grain. A significant enough disruption from sea traffic could potentially starve the French Republic out, or on a smaller scale could work on the garrisons of Corsica and Sardinia.
 
 

Logistical Conclusions

 
The Internationale is critically reliant on overseas trade in order to support our war economies, even if we manage to acquire the necessary resources to actually further our war aims domestically. This means a rapid change of focus from building up to face Germany on the home continent to instead facing off against the Entente and Hochseeflotte to wrest control of the waves. We start in control of two critical naval passages, the English Channel and Straits of Magellan, but this will not suffice to achieve a victory in the current situation.
 
Most critical and with the most potential is Gibraltar. Control of Spain would allow the Internationale to hold a knife to the throat of Germany’s largest colonial trade artery, forcing them to reroute their trade from Ostasien around the Cape of Good Hope instead of through the much shorter Suez route. This would also be absolutely devastating to the French “Republic”, who relies on Gibraltar for almost all of their imports due to the severe traversability challenge posed by the Sahara. The much smaller ports in Morocco would not suffice, and could potentially be intercepted from a Gibraltar position, rendering them moot, and allowing us to choke the French pretender state into submission. In enemy hands, meanwhile, Gibraltar would force us to move almost all supply overland and would prevent our naval forces from being able to group together if necessary, rendering a major blow to our warmaking capabilities.
 
Additional pressure on the Mediterranean can be provided by seizure of Sicily, thus locking down the Strait of Messina and would allow for considerable strike capability into the Strait of Sicily. Such a position could pose a large threat to German trade, but would have much less of an effect on the French Republic. As such, it would be prioritized in the context of strengthening Syndicalist Italy, and not as a viable alternative to Gibraltar.
 
Now we turn our attention to holding our own trade open, and the North Atlantic becomes our principle battleground. Sufficient deployment of German or Entente submarines could pose an existential threat to Internationale shipping, let alone their surface fleets. If we are to survive, the North Atlantic must be kept open so that supplies from allies such as Chile and Mexico can be received and put to good use. This means that Spain and Portugal are once again critical, as Iberian waters stand to intercept any and all shipments from critical resource regions. Additionally, Brazil would serve as an extraordinarily useful base for naval patrols, allowing the Internationale to put pressure on insufficiently-guarded German shipping between Natal and Monrovia, and use of the Canaries and Azores would allow a significant extension of the Internationale’s air coverage in supply areas critical for the Entente.
 
The Caribbean is rife for potential socialist uprising, and the Entente could theoretically use their bases to shut off resources critical for the war effort, especially Mexican oil and Cuban rare earth metals. At bare minimum, a corridor must be established somewhere via the support of syndicalist revolutionary activity, in order to keep ahold of our Mexican petro-lifeline. Without oil, no strategy will succeed.
 
In the North Sea, it is worth gambling on protections for Danish Faroes, Iceland and Greenland if we cannot take them ourselves, as allowing them to fall into enemy hands could prove disastrous. Already we are at an informational disadvantage compared to the Entente, whose position in the western Atlantic means they are aware of the expected weather across the ocean ahead of time, whereas we… are not. To allow a launchpad for airborne convoy raiding or other activities in such a critical space is exceptionally dangerous, which is the same reason why detente or even occupation of Ireland could prove necessary. We cannot allow any additional bridges towards us, or lifelines for German shipping.
 
Our control of the Straits of Magellan, preferably supplemented by the Falklands and South Georgia, is crucial for segmenting and isolating German or Entente commerce raiders, but is most important as a secure lane for transport for our own supplies, should the Panama Canal prove unusable or fallen into enemy hands.
 
The Internationale should broadly assume that they will be unable to sever trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, unless Egypt chooses to seize the Suez Canal in a wartime situation, which is entirely beyond our control. As such, it is possible that Germany will attempt to reroute their supplies from Suez into the Ukraine and then overland, a far inferior route to purely overseas but still possible. In order to mitigate this, it may be worth pursuing a Sicily -> Malta strategy to allow our navies to put greater pressure on the eastern Med if Russia cannot exert significant force in the Black Sea.
 
Should the Dutch East Indies succumb to revolution by an Insulindian regime friendly with us, or at least hostile to the Germans, it will open up a world of opportunities to disrupt the flow of German and Entente trade in East Asia, a critical theatre for German rare materials and economic interests. Similarly, a liberated Indochina, Malaya or similar power could apply more minor pressure in that direction. This would likely prompt Japan to make significant moves against Germany.
 
 

Overall Strategic Priorities and Considerations

 
We’re backed into a corner, and we must find our way out or potentially see our revolution extinguished. For the sake of all peoples of all times who slowly grasped their way into the light, we must never let the torch fall.
 
The German behemoth sits and glowers from across the Moselle, awaiting our challenge from its throne of colonial pillage. However, that is a challenge that we must admit we cannot face head-on. We must be like the Spanish bullfighter, and dodge their clumsy advance in order to tire them out, much as they did to our fathers in 1918. This time, we have the time and political will to prepare a comprehensive strategy of resistance and attrition, directed towards denying Germany the ability to acquire the resources vital to war production for long enough to wear their warmaking capabilities down to the nub. To accomplish this, we must somehow keep the biting dogs of the old order off our backs, and gain far more allies than we currently possess.
 
First and foremost, we must find some way to regain Haute-Savoie from Switzerland, for it contains significant hydroelectric capacity that will prove essential to keep our coal-starved industry afloat in the future. This should be undertaken primarily as a diplomatic endeavor, as it is unlikely that the Swiss would desire a war given their unique political fragility at this juncture. A mutual trade treaty could gain us access to Swiss financial instruments, allowing us to far more easily bankroll revolutionary organizations worldwide. It could also potentially open up Switzerland to syndicalist influence, at minimum keeping them neutral and perhaps even flipping them to our side in the future.
 
The main German border must be well-fortified. We saw the vast difference in casualty counts when defensive fortifications were a crucial part of a given Weltkrieg battle, especially in Verdun. As such, a massive defensive bulwark should be constructed to shield the remainder of the Lorraine upwards to Sedan, with slightly sparser fortifications across the front from Sedan to the sea. This defensive network will save troops for an effective push into Flanders-Wallonia just west of the Ardennes, where it is possible that more mobile forces could seize Mons and Charleroi and push up towards Namur, with the ultimate goal being Liège. While it would be preferable to take advantage of Syndicalist support amongst Walloons before an actual war broke out, this is unlikely to be possible. That said, a radical shortening of the German front should be prioritized, in order to reduce the effectiveness of their numerical advantage.
 
Other key points of focus should be the English Channel, through which we will be able to choke and reroute a huge amount of German trade, and its sister the North Sea. Shetland provides for a considerable power projection capacity, but securing Bergen across the waves via alliance or occupation would be decisive in culling German abilities to trade overseas, choking them on their own colonial reliance. Even if Norway were hostile or invaded by a superior hostile power, it would be plausible to hold a critical logistical choke point in Vossevangen and either force the Germans to sally out with the Hochseeflotte to be subjected to naval bomber attacks, or make them assemble a logistically strenuous force in Norway, away from the frontline.
 
In a similar vein, we must keep the Danish North Atlantic neutral or otherwise bring it into our hands, to prevent it from providing key bases for bombing raids and submarine traffic. Weather stations in Greenland, or perhaps secret autonomous or one-man stations in Labrador, would allow us to have advance notice of the weather on par with the Entente, nullifying their main informational advantage at sea. For similar reasons, Ireland must be kept neutral or brought into an alliance in order to prevent circumvention of our wartime air blockade.
 
Mexico is our only hope for a reliable partner to fill our military need for oil production, and so access to Mexico must be maintained as best we can. This will require taking express aim at Entente possessions in the Caribbean, which are already seething hotbeds of political and racial resentment. If we can make a power play to secure a gap, we will be able to hold it open against Entente air and naval counterattacks, hopefully allowing enough oil to get through in the process to facilitate our war machines.
 
In Spain lies our most troublesome quandary: Gibraltar and the Canaries. With them, German trade suffers a critical secondary blow, Internationale trade is greatly secured from commerce raiding in the Atlantic, and the French Republic is permanently crippled without outside aid. Without it, we are divided and damned. Gibraltar must be secured at all costs, and the Canaries as a secondary priority, perhaps even as a bridge to Madeira and the Azores as major Atlantic bases. This means backing the CNT-FAI with all possible political, economic and military aid we can, to ensure their success. With Spain, our revolution in Europe lives or dies.
 
In Italy, things are bad but not quite so pressing. The Po River is horrific ground on which to meet an advance, with the Alps being far more to Italy’s advantage should Austria join her old German ally. Additionally, the Two Sicilies are poised to join our enemies should they believe it to their advantage, and it is proposed that some form of attack to eliminate their warmaking capabilities should be committed to before that is possible. Corsica and Sardinia, meanwhile, present a direct threat to the Internationale’s flank, leaving the critical southern ports of Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Genua and La Spezia exposed. If Corsica could be cut off or liberated by diplomatic or economic means without resorting to war, it would greatly relieve the pent-up Mediterranean navies, allowing them to effectively stand off against the French “Republic” and any German forces tasked to the Mediterranean.
 
Critical natural resources, including almost all of our copper imports, come from Chile. In order to secure Chile, we must secure Argentina. We must strike immediately, while the present regime is scrambling to put down their own even more reactionary navy! Securing Argentina will place another economic arrow in our quiver and remove it from Germany’s. It can provide much of the necessary food to sustain our war effort, especially if combined with victory or intervention in Brazil.
 
More broadly, Latin America is both receptive to our ideals and filled with war-critical resources that haven’t been monopolized by German tyrants or Entente corporations. Brazil is by far the greatest priority, as a reliable wartime supply of rubber will be necessary in order to allow our scarce manufacturing sector to field more vehicles cheaply, and they have numerous other key resources in smaller amounts. Similarly, Peru, Bolivia and Cuba have very sizable mineral resources and rubber potential. If possible, any and all syndicalist or allied activity must be directed towards regime change that will secure our power projection and war supply in order to resist the menaces all around us.
 
The United States too is in turmoil, and could be ripe for change. A syndicalist Union is highly unlikely as an outcome, but supporting the SPA in their political activities could at least maintain American neutrality, and perhaps even a thaw that would open lines of credit and vast resources that would vastly buoy our war effort.
 
As for India, while it would be nice to gain more of their present iron and manganese production, the Indian Ocean is practically a German lake unless significant political change occurs. This rather limits our abilities to coordinate with our Indian allies, but it is worth trying to disrupt critical German resources in East Asia that help fund their vast imperial hoard. Disruption of German rubber production would also be excellent if possible, but as of now it seems out of reach.
 
Japan and Russia are both large powers with a mutual bone to pick with the Germans, but they may actually loathe each other even more somehow. As such, we cannot expect anything from the weakened Russian state or the isolated and resource-starved Japanese “Empire”. We must assume that we will have to go it alone if we wish to fell Goliath.
 

New Yorker: Vice President Biden “Has Been A Strident Voice Of Skepticism About The Use Of American Force.” “Since entering the Administration, Biden has been a strident voice of skepticism about the use of American force. At times, that put him on the opposite side of debates from others in the Administration, including Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta, Obama’s first C.I.A. director. Biden opposed intervention in Libya (as did Defense Secretary Robert Gates), arguing that the fall of Muammar Qaddafi would result in chaos; Biden warned the President against the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]
New Yorker: Vice President Biden “Voted Against The Gulf War…Advocated NATO Air Strikes In The Balkans In 1993” And “Voted For The War” In Iraq in 2002. “When he was in the Senate, Biden was a centrist Democrat who called on his party, at times, to back diplomacy with force. Though he voted against the Gulf War, in 1991, he advocated NATO air strikes in the Balkans in 1993 to stop the Serbian slaughter of Bosnians. In the run-up to the war in Iraq, in 2002, he pushed a resolution that would have allowed Bush to remove weapons of mass destruction in Iraq but not to remove Saddam Hussein. The resolution failed, and Biden voted for the war, a decision he regrets.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]
Vice President Biden: “Bob Gates Has Been Wrong About Everything.” “I asked what he made of Gates’s specific criticisms. He called Gates “a really decent guy” and then unloaded on him: ‘Bob Gates is a Republican, with a view of foreign policy that is, in many fundamental ways, different from mine. Bob Gates has been wrong about everything! Bob Gates is wrong about the advice he gave President Reagan about how to deal with Gorbachev! That he wasn’t real. Thank God the President didn’t listen to him. Bob Gates was wrong about the Balkans. Bob Gates was wrong about the bombing. Bob Gates was wrong about the Vietnam War, for Christ’s sake. You go back, and everything in the last forty years, there’s nothing that I can think of, major fundamental decisions relative to foreign policy, that I can think he’s been right about!’” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

CONTRAST WITH OTHER DEMOCRATS

CONTRAST WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA

Foreign Policy Editor David Rothkopf: “Even When There Were Differences Of Opinion, Biden Was Seen As Being Loyal And Supportive Of The President.” In a New Yorker profile of Vice President Biden, Rothkopf said: “While Biden has been a strong voice on foreign policy, it has never been asserted, as it was about Cheney, that he was trying to advance his own agenda. Even when there were differences of opinion, Biden was seen as being loyal and supportive of the President.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

CONTRAST WITH SECRETARY CLINTON

Wall Street Journal’s William Galston: Vice President Biden “Is Well-Positioned To Wage A Left-Leaning Campaign On Foreign Policy.” “Mr. Biden is well-positioned to wage a left-leaning campaign on foreign policy as well as economic issues. Although he voted for the Iraq-war authorization in 2002, he argued vehemently against the Bush administration’s surge in 2007, proposing instead the quasi-partition of Iraq into autonomous Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite zones. As vice president, he argued just as hard against Gen. David Petraeus’s proposal (backed by then-Secretary of State Clinton) for a massive military surge and nation-building policy in Afghanistan.” [William Galston column, Wall Street Journal, 7/23/14]

IRAN

COMMENTS MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN

Wall Street Journal’s William Galston: Vice President Biden “Has Taken U.S. Military Action Against Iran Off The Table.” “[Vice President Biden] has taken U.S. military action against Iran off the table, declaring that ‘war with Iran is not just a bad option. It would be a disaster.’” [William Galston column, Wall Street Journal, 7/23/14]

CRITICISM OF IRAN POLICY

New Yorker: Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates “Echoed A Conservative Talking Point Produced For The 2008 Presidential Campaign” To Attack Vice President Biden. “In referring to Biden’s errors over ‘four decades,’ Gates echoed a conservative talking point produced for the 2008 Presidential campaign, when commentators sought to counter criticism of Sarah Palin’s inexperience in foreign affairs.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

DEFENSE OF IRAN POLICY

Washington Post Fact Checker: Bob Gates Claimed That Vice President Biden Supported The Fall Of The Shah Of Iran In 1979, But “No Evidence Can Be Found To Support This Statement." “BOB GATES: ‘He said that when the Shah fell in Iran in 1979, that that was a step forward for progress toward human rights in Iran.’ FACT CHECKER: No evidence can be found to support this statement, at least in news clips at the time and copies of the congressional record that we examined. Our colleagues at PolitiFact, who had earlier this year examined Gates’ claims, located a reference to the statement in a 2008 opinion article published in The New York Post by Amir Taheri, an Iranian-born conservative writer; we also found a similar statement made by Taheri in 2008 Forbes column. He did not respond to e-mail queries to provide evidence for his claim, so at this point we have to rate this as doubtful.” [Fact Checker, Washington Post, 7/22/14]

ISRAEL

DEFENSE OF ISRAEL POLICY

U.S. Ambassador To Israel Ron Dermer: Biden Presented “The Single Most Succinct Understanding Of Israeli Political Reality Of Any Other Statement That I’ve Heard.” “On a visit in 2011, Biden quoted his father saying, ‘There’s no sense dying on a small cross’—to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take a larger step toward peace in the Middle East. Ron Dermer, the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., said, ‘We’re in Jerusalem, we’ve got a Catholic Vice-President, we’ve got a Jewish Prime Minister, and he’s telling him, ‘There’s no sense dying on a small cross.’ The Prime Minister starting laughing, and, I have to tell you, it is the single most succinct understanding of Israeli political reality of any other statement that I’ve heard.’” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

RUSSIA

COMMENTS ON PUTIN

New Yorker: Vice President Biden Said To Russian President Vladimir Putin, “I’m Looking Into Your Eyes, And I Don’t Think You Have A Soul.” “‘As I turned, I was this close to him.’ Biden held his hand a few inches from his nose. ‘I said, ‘Mr. Prime Minister, I’m looking into your eyes, and I don’t think you have a soul.’’” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

IRAQ

RELATIONSHIP WITH ABADI

Associated Press: Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi Assured Biden Of “His Intent To Quickly Form A New Government That is Inclusive Of All Segments Of Iraqi Society And…Address The Concerns Of All Of Iraq’s Communities.” “Biden and al-Abadi discussed military action against Islamic State and the importance of forming a new government in the fight against the terror group that has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. Abadi reassured Biden of his intent to quickly form a new government that is inclusive of all segments of Iraqi society and that he is prepared to take concrete steps to addresses the concerns of all of Iraq's communities.” [Associated Press, 8/25/14]

RELATIONSHIP WITH MALIKI

Vice President Biden In 2010: “I’ll Bet You My Vice Presidency Maliki Will Extend The [Status Of Armed Forces Agreement].” Michael R. Gordon and retired Lieutenant General Bernard E. Trainor, in their book “The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama,” described a video conference in October, 2010, in which Biden predicted that Maliki would sign on to a Status of Forces Agreement to keep U.S. troops on the ground. “Maliki wants us to stick around because he does not see a future in Iraq otherwise,” Biden said, according to the account. “I’ll bet you my vice presidency Maliki will extend the SOFA.” [New Yorker, 8/12/14]
USA Today: Vice President Biden’s “Phone Calls To Foreign Leaders…Spiked” In 2014, As His Portfolio “Includes Iraq, Ukraine And—Increasingly—Turkey.” In an article about phone calls from the White House to foreign leaders during crises, USA Today reported: “Records also show how some nations rise and fall in importance and the evolving division of labor between Obama and his vice president, Joe Biden, whose phone calls to foreign leaders have also spiked this year. While Obama speaks most often with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, France and Russia, Biden's portfolio includes Iraq, Ukraine and — increasingly — Turkey.” [USA Today, 7/28/14]
President Obama “Has Largely Delegated [Iraq] Conversations To Biden,” Making Four Disclosed Calls To Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki Compared To Vice President Biden’s 64. “[Duke professor and former national security staffer Peter] Feaver said Obama has ‘downgraded’ some key relationships, leaving them to Biden or the State Department. Bush had weekly video teleconferences with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, but Obama has largely delegated those conversations to Biden. The White House has disclosed four calls that Obama has made to Iraq during his presidency. Biden has made 64, partly because the vice president usually checks in with three different sectarian leaders in each round of calls: al-Maliki, Speaker of the Council of Representatives Salim al-Jabouri and Kurdish Regional President Masoud Barzani.” [USA Today, 7/28/14]

CRITICISM FOR RELATIONSHIP WITH MALIKI

New Yorker’s Evan Osnos: Biden “Embraced” Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki Despite Fears That Maliki “Was Alienating Sunnis And Stoking The Return Of Open Sectarian Conflict.” In an article about Vice President Biden’s relationship with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Evan Osnos of the New Yorker wrote: “Biden embraced the figure he decided was most likely to keep the country together, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, despite growing complaints from U.S. diplomats and advisers that Maliki was becoming a strongman who was alienating Sunnis and stoking the return of open sectarian conflict. Emma Sky, who was the chief political adviser to General Raymond Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, told me, ‘The White House became impatient,’ and that Biden decided that the best route ‘was to support Maliki as Prime Minister—and pressure and persuade the others to agree to this.’” [New Yorker, 8/12/14]
New Yorker: Vice President Biden “Considered Maliki The Only Viable Option” In Iraq, But His “Confidence In Maliki Proved Misplaced.” Despite growing concern among American diplomats and allies in the region that the Iraqi Prime Minister was an increasingly sectarian and despotic figure, Biden considered Maliki the only viable option, and was confident that he would allow a contingent of U.S. forces to stay…But Biden’s confidence in Maliki proved misplaced. In 2011, Maliki refused to ask his parliament for immunity for American troops, and the U.S. ended the effort to leave forces in Iraq. In December, Biden visited Baghdad to mark the American withdrawal. He called Obama and thanked him ‘for giving me the chance to end this goddam war.’” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]
New Yorker: “Some Have Criticized The Administration For Investing So Much In Maliki, Or For Not Pushing Harder To Leave A Force That Might Have…Checked Maliki’s Sectarian Project.” “His certainty is not universally shared. Though few American commanders or diplomats lament the end of a gruelling U.S. occupation, some have criticized the Administration for investing so much in Maliki, or for not pushing harder to leave a force that might have preserved American influence and checked Maliki’s sectarian project. Biden once believed that a stable, representative government in Baghdad was ‘going to be one of the great achievements of this Administration,’ as he said on CNN in 2010. His optimism has waned.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

FEDERALISM IN IRAQ

COMMENTS FROM VP BIDEN ON FEDERALISM IN IRAQ

Vice President Biden: Iraq’s Security Depends “On Addressing The Alienation That Fuels Extremist Movements And Convincing Iraqis That Their Needs Can Be Met Through The Political Process Rather Than Through Violence.” In an op-ed on Iraqi stability and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant appearing in the Washington Post, Vice President Joe Biden wrote: “There is no negotiating with ISIL. We have seen its appalling murders of U.S. journalist James Foley and countless other innocent people, its cruelty and its fanaticism. But even if there were no ISIL, Iraq’s survival would still depend on the ability of Iraqis to set aside their differences and unite in a common effort. Iraq’s security would still depend on addressing the alienation that fuels extremist movements and convincing Iraqis that their needs can be met through the political process rather than through violence.” [Joe Biden op-ed, Washington Post, 8/22/14]
Vice President Biden: The U.S. Would Offer Training And Assistance To Support The Establishment Of “Functioning Federalism” As The Governing Model For Iraq. In an op-ed on Iraqi stability and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant appearing in the Washington Post, Vice President Joe Biden wrote: “Another approach that is emerging is a ‘functioning federalism’ under the Iraqi constitution, which would ensure equitable revenue-sharing for all provinces and establish locally rooted security structures, such as a national guard, to protect the population in cities and towns and deny space for ISIL while protecting Iraq’s territorial integrity. The United States would be prepared to offer training and other forms of assistance under our Strategic Framework Agreement to help such a model succeed.” [Joe Biden op-ed, Washington Post, 8/22/14]
Then-Senator Biden: The Best Way Forward In Iraq Would Be To “Maintain A United Iraq By Decentralizing It, Giving Each Ethno-Religious Group…Room To Run Its Own Affairs.” In a 2006 op-ed for the New York Times with Leslie Gelb about the best way forward in Iraq, then-Senator Biden wrote: The idea, as in Bosnia, is to maintain a united Iraq by decentralizing it, giving each ethno-religious group — Kurd, Sunni Arab and Shiite Arab — room to run its own affairs, while leaving the central government in charge of common interests.” [Joe Biden op-ed, New York Times, 5/1/06]
Then-Senator Biden: Iraq Should “Establish Three Largely Autonomous Regions” Which “Would Each be Responsible For Their Own Domestic Laws, Administration, And Internal Security.” In a 2006 op-ed for the New York Times with Leslie Gelb about the best way forward in Iraq, then-Senator Biden wrote: “The first [step] is to establish three largely autonomous regions with a viable central government in Baghdad. The Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite regions would each be responsible for their own domestic laws, administration and internal security. The central government would control border defense, foreign affairs and oil revenues. Baghdad would become a federal zone, while densely populated areas of mixed populations would receive both multisectarian and international police protection.” [Joe Biden op-ed, New York Times, 5/1/06]
Then-Senator Biden: The Iraqi “Constitution Must Be Amended To Guarantee Sunni Areas 20 Percent (Approximately Their Proportion Of The Population) Of All Revenues” From The Central Government. In a 2006 op-ed for the New York Times with Leslie Gelb about the best way forward in Iraq, then-Senator Biden wrote: “The second element would be to entice the Sunnis into joining the federal system with an offer they couldn't refuse. To begin with, running their own region should be far preferable to the alternatives: being dominated by Kurds and Shiites in a central government or being the main victims of a civil war. But they also have to be given money to make their oil-poor region viable. The Constitution must be amended to guarantee Sunni areas 20 percent (approximately their proportion of the population) of all revenues. [Joe Biden op-ed, New York Times, 5/1/06]
Then-Senator Biden: The U.S. Should Increase American Aid To Iraq But Condition That Aid On “Protection Of The Rights Of Women And Ethno-Religious Minorities.” In a 2006 op-ed for the New York Times with Leslie Gelb about the best way forward in Iraq, then-Senator Biden wrote: The third component would be to ensure the protection of the rights of women and ethno-religious minorities by increasing American aid to Iraq but tying it to respect for those rights. Such protections will be difficult, especially in the Shiite-controlled south, but Washington has to be clear that widespread violations will stop the cash flow. [Joe Biden op-ed, New York Times, 5/1/06]
Then-Senator Biden: “[A] Substantial Long-Term American Military Presence” In Iraq “Would Do Terrible Damage To Our Armed Forces, Break American And Iraqi Public Support For The Mission And Leave Iraqis Without Any Incentive To Shape Up.” In a 2006 op-ed for the New York Times with Leslie Gelb about the best way forward in Iraq, then-Senator Biden wrote: Fourth, the president must direct the military to design a plan for withdrawing and redeploying our troops from Iraq by 2008 (while providing for a small but effective residual force to combat terrorists and keep the neighbors honest). We must avoid a precipitous withdrawal that would lead to a national meltdown , but we also can't have a substantial long-term American military presence. That would do terrible damage to our armed forces, break American and Iraqi public support for the mission and leave Iraqis without any incentive to shape up. [Joe Biden op-ed, New York Times, 5/1/06]
Then-Senator Biden: “Under An International Or United Nations Umbrella, We Should Convene A Regional Conference To Pledge Respect For Iraq's Borders And Its Federal System.” In a 2006 op-ed for the New York Times with Leslie Gelb about the best way forward in Iraq, then-Senator Biden wrote: “Fifth, under an international or United Nations umbrella, we should convene a regional conference to pledge respect for Iraq's borders and its federal system. For all that Iraq's neighbors might gain by picking at its pieces, each faces the greater danger of a regional war. A "contact group" of major powers would be set up to lean on neighbors to comply with the deal.” [Joe Biden op-ed, New York Times, 5/1/06]

CRITICISM FOR FEDERALISM COMMENTS FROM PUNDITS

New Yorker: In 2006, Biden’s Plan For Partitioning Iraq Received “Almost All Negative” Attention, With Commentators Saying It Could Lead To “Disintegration” Or “Ethnic Cleansing.” Referencing then-Senator Biden and former New York Times foreign affairs correspondent Leslie Gelb in 2006, the New Yorker reported: “They hatched an idea for a federal system incorporating three semi-autonomous regions, for Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds, based partly on Biden’s experience with the division of Bosnia. They published the idea in an Op-Ed in the Times in May, 2006. ‘It got a lot of attention—almost all negative,’ Gelb recalled. Foreign-policy commentators said that it would lead Iraq to disintegration, or, worse, ethnic cleansing.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

DEFENSE OF FEDERALISM COMMENTS FROM PUNDITS

Al-Monitor On Then-Senator Biden’s 2006 Plan For Regional Autonomy In Iraq: “Today, The Point Iraq Has Reached And The Debate In Washington On Iraq Have Vindicated Biden.” “Today, the point Iraq has reached and the debate in Washington on Iraq have vindicated Biden. Just as Biden said, the basic issue of Iraq is not terror organizations but the sectarian conflict and consequent social, political and economic questions that make the country a fertile ground for terror organizations. These are not questions that can be solved by American soldiers and solely by the United States, as Biden said. [Al-Monitor, 8/21/14]
Brookings Institution Expert Michael O’Hanlon On Biden’s Partition Plan: “It’s Not A Crazy Idea, It Never Was Crazy, And It May Still Be A Necessary Fallback.” “‘I watched this with great interest to see how Joe would react,’ Gelb said. ‘Because, under that kind of pressure, with everybody telling you, ‘You’re wrong,’ politicians just run for the hills. He never did at all. Not one iota.’ (I asked Michael O’Hanlon, a foreign-policy expert at the Brookings Institution, his view of the proposed federal system. He said, ‘It’s not a crazy idea, it never was crazy, and it may still be a necessary fallback.’)” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]
Politico: Vice President Biden’s “Judgment On Iraq’s Capacity To Stay United Now Looks Almost Prescient.” While Biden may have taken a beating repeatedly in recent years for some foreign policy calls he’s made, his judgment on Iraq’s capacity to stay united now looks almost prescient.” [Politico, 6/13/14]
HEADLINE: “Turns Out, Joe Biden Was Right About Dividing Iraq.” [National Journal, 1/30/14]

WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ

COMMENTS ON WITHDRAWL FROM IRAQ

Vice President Biden: Because Iraqi Leaders Didn’t Resolve “How The Hell They’re Gonna Live Together…It Wouldn’t Have Mattered If We Stayed There.” “[N]otwithstanding all of the hundreds of hours I and others spent with each of their leaders, they didn’t resolve a core problem of how the hell they’re gonna live together. And it wouldn’t have mattered if we stayed there.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

AFGHANISTAN

ROLE IN SHAPING AFGHANISTAN POLICY

President Obama: “On The Foreign-Policy Front, I Think Joe’s Biggest Influence Was In The Afghanistan Debate.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

TRUSTWORTHINESS

PLAGIARISM

New Yorker: Vice President Biden Has A “Record Of Exaggerations And Plagiarism” And “The Costs Of That Weakness Have Been Steep.” Looking over the record of his exaggerations and plagiarism, I came to see them as the excesses of a man who wants every story to sing, even at the risk of embarrassment. The costs of that weakness have been steep, but Biden has only fitfully acknowledged them. When he announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race in 1987, he conceded his mistakes but also cast blame on ‘the environment of Presidential politics that makes it so difficult to let the American people measure the whole Joe Biden and not just misstatements that I have made.’” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

SENATE TENURE

CLARENCE THOMAS NOMINATION HEARINGS

CRITICISM FROM LIBERALS

New Yorker: “Biden Enraged Liberal Supporters” During Thomas Nomination Hearings By Shielding Thomas From Testimony Corroborating Sexual Harassment. “In 1991, Biden ran the hearings on Clarence Thomas’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Biden enraged liberal supporters by not allowing the testimony of women who might have buttressed Anita Hill’s accusations of sexual harassment. Though Biden ultimately voted against him, Thomas won by a narrow margin, fifty-two to forty-eight. Biden, who omitted the Thomas hearings from his memoir, told Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson, for their book on the hearing, ‘Strange Justice,’ that he had acted in ‘fairness to Thomas, which in retrospect he didn’t deserve.’” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS

SUPPORT FOR RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION

COMMENTS ON CONTRACEPTIVE MANDATE

New Yorker: “Biden Objected To An Administration Plan To Require Catholic Hospitals And Other Institutions To Cover Contraceptives.” “In 2011, Biden objected to an Administration plan to require Catholic hospitals and other institutions to cover contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act, saying that it would cost them working-class votes.” [New Yorker, 7/28/14]

VOTING RIGHTS

COMMENTS ON VOTER SUPRESSION

Vice President Biden: “Moves To Limit The Right To Vote Are…Pure Politics, Masquerading As Attempts To Combat Corruption.” "These moves to limit the right to vote are nothing more than pure politics, masquerading as attempts to combat corruption where there is none.” [AP, 7/23/14]
Vice President Biden:The Supreme Court Has Focused “On The Right Of Wealthy Individuals To Contribute Unlimited Sums Of Money In The Name Of Free Speech” Instead Of “Protecting The Right Of An Elderly Veteran…[To] Speak At The Ballot Box.” “In the past few years, the Supreme Court decisions have seemed to focus more on the right of wealthy individuals to contribute unlimited sums of money in the name of free speech rather than on protecting the right of an elderly veteran to exercise his ultimate right speak through the ballot box.” [Speech, NAACP Convention, 7/23/14]
Vice President Biden to NAACP: “This Is Not Your Father’s Republican Party.” “And we had five decades, five decades of bipartisan action. Democrats, Republicans, governors, senators, congressman. Five decades of making it easier for Americans to vote. The 1965 Voting Rights Act; in 1971, the 26th Amendment expanding the voting rights of people 18-21. 1984, the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act, which guaranteed access to federal elections for the disabled. 1990, a joint effort led by Republicans to see to it that we expanded the act further to guarantee that all elections were available. 1993, the Voting Right Registration Act, referred to as the Motor Voter Act, which gave us the right to register when we had our automobiles inspected. 2002, the Help America Act, which passed 357-48 in the House and 92-2 in the Senate after the debacle in Florida. But those days appear to be over. This is not your father’s Republican Party.”
· Vice President Biden: “We Are In A Hailstorm Of New Attempts By States And Localities To Limit Ballot Access.” “We are in a hailstorm of new attempts by states and localities to limit ballot access without the full protection of the law… Laws modeled after one in NC, which imposed a new photo ID requirement, shortened early voting, and eliminated same-day registration for early voting. Laws like the one in OH and WI, which shortened the early voting period and limited the time polls would be open, cutting evening hours and eliminating most weekend early voting. These were laws passed by Democrats and Republicans.” [Speech, NAACP Convention, 7/23/14]

EFFORTS TO DISENFRANCHISE AFRICAN AMERICANS

HEADLINE: “How Joe Biden Is Trying To Bring Black Voters To The Polls.” [National Journal, 7/23/14]
vice President Biden: “Seven Out Of 10 States With The Highest African American Turnout In 2008 Have Since Passed Laws To Restrict The Vote.” Seven out of 10 states with the highest African American turnout in 2008 have since passed laws to restrict the vote; nine out of the 12 states with highest Hispanic populations in America have passed laws to restrict the vote. Thirteen states have introduced bills to make it harder to register to vote—the very issue that sparked Bloody Sunday in Selma 49 years ago. We crossed that bridge. We can’t go back. We cannot go back.” [Speech, NAACP Convention, 7/23/14]
· Vice President Biden: Fighting Back Against Voting Restrictions Is “About The Right Of The American People To Choose Who They Want To Be Their Leaders.” It’s not about Barack and me—it’s about the people’s right to speak. Let me give you the example. President Obama and I won the state of Florida by 73,000 votes, and in Florida, we won the African American vote by a margin of 1,125,000. Here’s what that means—I want you to think about this so you don’t think I’m just reliving old fights of the past. That means that if only 6% of those African American voters in Florida who voted were prevented from casting their ballots because of changes in polling places, requirements for IDs, etc. If only 6% had not voted, we would have lost Florida. We would have lost Florida…The election could have been different in result than it was. Again, it’s not about Barack and me, it’s about the right of the American people to choose who they want to be their leaders.” [Speech, NAACP Convention, 7/23/14]

WEEKEND AND EARLY VOTING

Vice President Biden To NAACP: Restrictions On Early Voting And Weekend Voting Mean That “You Can’t Vote After Church” And You May Need “To Travel 25 Miles To Vote On Election Day.” “That means you can’t vote after church. That means women who take two buses to get to work in Cleveland have to take off time from work or choose between caring for her children and voting for her future. Grandmothers in Alabama, who came up under Jim Crow. Many of whom don’t have a car or a license, are being stripped of their vote unless they can make a 10 mile journey to a state ID office. Many of which are only open twice a week. Athens, GA is considering eliminating half of its polling places, replacing them with two early voting centers inside police stations. Baker Co, GA, which is predominantly African American and high poverty, is considering eliminating 4 of its 5 polling places, requiring voters to travel 25 miles to vote on election day.” [Speech, NAACP Convention, 7/23/14]

JOBS

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

COMMENTS ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Vice President Biden: “The Free Enterprise System” Will Help Us Develop “The Most Sophisticated Workforce In The World” But Federal And State Governments Can “Connect The Dots.” In an article about Vice President Biden’s visit to Goodwin College in Connecticut to highlight workforce development programs, the Hartford Courant wrote: “‘We can, we can, we can have the most educated, the most sophisticated workforce in the world,’ Biden said. ‘The federal government's not going to do this, the state government's not going to do this. It's the free enterprise system. But what we can do is connect the dots.’” [Hartford Courant, 8/20/14]

ROLE IN SHAPING PROGRAMS UNDER OBAMA

HEADLINE: “Congress And Biden Aim For Job Training That Actually Leads To Jobs” [National Public Radio, 7/23/14]
National Public Radio: President Obama Signed The Workforce Innovation And Opportunity Act, Which “Streamlines And Updates The Nation’s Job Training Programs.” “Something pretty remarkable happened Tuesday afternoon in a small windowless auditorium next door to the White House. President Obama signed a new law: the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It streamlines and updates the nation's job training programs and was 11 years overdue. The bill got overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.” [National Public Radio, 7/23/14]
· National Public Radio: The Act Aims To “Better [Match] Training To Employer Needs” And “Encourages More Apprenticeships And On-The Job Training.” “When an unemployed or dissatisfied worker seeks out job training through a government program, the hope is to get a new job in a field where workers are in demand. But the nation's workforce development system hasn't always succeeded in matching the training with the work. The act aims to fix that by better matching training to employer needs. It encourages more apprenticeships and on-the-job training. The measure of success will no longer be just how many people sign up for help, but also how many actually get jobs.” [National Public Radio, 7/23/14]
National Public Radio: Vice President Biden Spent Time “Traveling Around The Country” To Witness Training Programs, And “White House Officials Say Biden’s Work Gives The Administration A Head Start In Implementing The Act.” At the same time Congress was working out the details of the bill, Vice President Joe Biden was traveling around the country, looking at what works and what doesn't. Back in March, he visited New Hampshire, where an innovative on-the-job training program has helped nearly 700 people get new jobs since 2010. There he stopped at XMA Corp., a small manufacturer that has hired about a half-dozen people so far using the program…‘So it really is connecting an individual with an opening and the skill required to fill that opening," [Biden] said. "It's that basic, but it's hundreds of thousands of jobs available.’ That's exactly what the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act aims to do, and White House officials say Biden's work gives the administration a head start in implementing the act.” [National Public Radio, 7/23/14]

INFRASTRUCTURE

COMMENTS ON INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

HIGHWAY SPENDING BILL

Vice President Biden: Instead of Stopgap Funding Measures, “We Need A Fulsome Solution…To Highways And Highway Infrastructure.” After explaining the historical importance of transportation funding in a YouTube video, Vice President Biden “offered a starkly different perspective of the transportation funding debates in Congress today. He said lawmakers needed to think about the impact of underinvestment in infrastructure before they settle for temporary stopgap measures. ‘Businesses go where they can increase productivity,’ Biden said. ‘Productivity relates with how rapidly they can get things to market, how cheaply they can get to market, and how often they can get to market. That's infrastructure.’ Biden said he hoped lawmakers would approve the temporary transportation funding bill, but then give serious consideration to the Obama's administration's four-year, $302 billion proposal. ‘I know the Congress is in the process of coming up with a stopgap measure and how they're able to get it down,’ he said. ‘But in the meantime, we think we need a fulsome solution, at least it relates to highways and highway infrastructure.’” [The Hill, 7/23/14]
Vice President Biden: “We Have To Invest In Infrastructure” To Attract More Businesses. “We have to invest in infrastructure. Highways, airports, railroads, canals. Because businesses locate where they have easy access to get their materials to facilities, and where they can quickly and cheaply, in the fastest market, get their product to market. And they can’t do that without infrastructure.” [Speech, National Urban League, 7/24/14]
Vice President Biden Touted An American Society Of Engineers Estimate That “Between Now And 2020, American Infrastructure Needs An Additional Estimate Of $3.6 Trillion.” “The American Society of Engineers has done extensive studies. They said that between now and 2020, American infrastructure needs an additional investment of $3.6 trillion to meet our needs…and even if we do a portion of that, that means tens of thousands, millions of good paying jobs, jobs you can raise a family on, jobs you can live on.” [Speech, National Urban League, 7/24/14]

GAS TAX

COMMENTS SUPPORTING THE GAS TAX

The Hill: Vice President Biden “Ripped Congress For Passing Only A Short-Term Transportation Funding Extension, Saying, ‘Hell, Congress Can’t Even Decide On A Gas Tax To Keep The Highway System Going.’” “Vice President Biden on Wednesday ripped Congress for passing only a short-term transportation funding extension, but in doing so muddled the administration's position on the issue. ‘Hell, Congress can’t even decide on a gas tax to keep the highway system going,’ Biden said in remarks criticizing the Congress's inability to write policy.” [The Hill, 8/6/14]

CRITICISM FOR SUPPORT OF GAS TAX

The Hill: Vice President Biden “Appeared To Criticize Congress For Not Agreeing To A New Gas Tax To Pay For The Funding” For America’s Highway System, But “The [Obama] Administration Actually Opposes Raising The Tax.” “Biden's comments appeared to criticize Congress for not agreeing to a new gas tax to pay for the funding. The bill approved by Congress keeps the 18.4 cents-per-gallon rate that can't keep up anymore with highway spending. The administration actually opposes raising the tax, however. The Obama administration prefers to close corporate tax breaks to increase highway funding.” [The Hill, 8/6/14]

BitLife Suggestions

• Careers:
  • Self-employment:
    • I’d love to see the ability to open up your own business, sell handmade products and stuff like that. Maybe add business properties to real Estate?
  • stocks and investments: ability to buy/sell shares and other Securities.
  • Job-related Events: maybe that’s already in the game and I just wasn’t lucky enough, but random Events that can appear according to your career with different outcomes so you can kinda „directly influence“ your job performance from time to time.
  • job-related risks: what I mean is that when you’re a cop you could get injured during a police operation or when you’re in the army, you could actually be deployed to a war zone and get killed on the battlefield. Kinda correlates with the job events above.
  • Supernatural investigator career
    • Encounters with ghosts, aliens, ufos, etc.
    • Ghost hunter
    • UFO Researcher
    • Cryptozoologist
  • Social services
    • Adoption Agent/Agencies
    • Social Worker (Non-Profit)
    • CPS Agent
  • Espionage/Investigative Work
    • Private investigator
    • Detective
    • bodyguard
    • Spy
    • CIA
    • MI6
    • FBI
  • Body Mod Artist
    • Tattoo artist
    • Piercing Artist
  • Black Market/Illegal
    • Prostitute
    • Grave Robber
    • Hacker
    • Loan sharks
    • Insider Trading
    • Alley Surgeon
    • assassin
    • drug dealer You could turn your house into a drug lab
    • Terrorist
    • Pimp
    • Insurance Fraud
    • Intimidator
    • Probably a HITMAN or like Mafia and you could go up the ranks And eventually be Godfather a Gambino it would be cool and in prison you would get a 1 year sentence every time because of mob ties and PRISON GANGS As well as allow for professional assassins and maybe a whole new section for “black market” jobs A criminal record wouldn’t be a detriment to getting these jobs, or could even be a plus. That would simulate the spiral into crime that can happen when people can’t get gainful employment. Your spouse/kids/parents/siblings could find out and ask you to quit your “life of crime” and promise to go straight, force-resigning you from your job. If you got another crime job, it could lead to a huge reduction in relationship, or even abandonment/divorce. Different job levels could have different dangers. You could have a chance of getting addicted to the drugs you sell or being assaulted or killed.
  • Politician!!!!
    • Being able to take decisions for your nation once you become president... And if you make the wrong decision it could also cause a war senator, governor, President
  • Fame:
    • More Famous Actions: —
    • social media influencer
    • For music, being able to form bands or make songs and rise through the industry. Different sports as well
    • Combat athlete, boxing, mma Professional athlete, (also maybe add a fitness bar, which would also affect other careers like military, along with health, happiness, smarts, and looks; also have a remarkably high salary, but would be forced to retire by around age 40)
    • video game streamer,
    • YouTuber
    • Screenwriter
    • Best Selling Author
    • Actoactress
    • Stunt Driver
    • Sandwich Artist (Maybe be able to have similar part time jobs during high school to save for college
    • Rapper
    • Rock Star
    • Music Artist
    • Street artists
    • Game show host/ tv presenter
    • Esports
    • Movie critic
    • Model
    • Fashion Designer
    • Race Car Driver
    • Band Member
    • Anchorman Career Path
  • Monarchy
    • king, dictator, or other ruler (basically pays the most but is super high-risk, you’ve gotta murder people, win elections, bribe foreign governments, etc.) The 1 in 1000000 chance of being born a monarch depending on where you are born ( so not in the USA or other countries without kings and queens) it would be so cool to have millions of pounds at the start and then get to help make law and even have the chance to make international decisions with massive consequences.
  • Animal Careers
    • seeing eye dog trainer
    • aviary worker
    • Zookeeper; A zookeeper has random events that would get you killed by your animals. Become a pimp.
    • Animal Breeder cat or dog breeder, if you’d buy two (male, female) animals of the same breed there could be a chance that you’d get a prompt the following years (something like ‘your pet, (pet name) is pregnant! would you like to become a professional breeder?’). imo your karma should plummet if you choose to do that because professional breeding is a dubious business
  • Military & Police:
    • I think the events you see happening in other countries, and sometimes even your own should actually have an impact. Like wars, soldiers should be able to fight and places like Canada could send you in as a peacekeeper if there is a war or something along that line. Natural disasters would be cool too!
    • So I think the Police career is kinda dull, same with the military but Bitlife already replied to that, so, it’s kinda the same deal with the military it’s dull, I think there should be crimes that pop up etc, a store robbery, bank robbery, solving a murder, chasing down a pickpocket, all that because most of the careers where there’s supposed to be stuff happening doesn’t happen, BitLife probably already thought of this but I thought I’d might write this just to remind them, great game btw.
  • Physical Laborer
    • ♦️= starting position______ Miner (⛰Coal, ⛏Silver, ⚱️Gold, or 💎Diamond) - (High School) ♦️Jr. Miner ▪️Miner ▪️Head Miner ▪️Extractor ▪️Shaft Manager Mine Safety Inspector (Engineering Degree) ▪️♦️Jr. Safety Inspector ▪️Safety Inspector ▪️Sr. Safety Inspector
    • Grave digger
    • Refinery worker (Oil/Steel/alcohol/sugar)
    • Foreman (Refinery or Construction Work; requires 5 years work experience and promotion)
    • Driving Instructor
    • door to door salesperson
    • Contractor (requires car)
    • Technician (similar to engineering but for community college graduates)
    • Miner (Can be high school but miners sometimes require specialized training with safety equipment
  • Part Time Jobs
    • Babysitter
    • 🍭Candy Store Worker▪️♦️Shelf Stocker ▪️Cashier ▪️Taste Checker ▪️Creative Consultant ▪️Store Manager
    • Substitute teacher
    • Tutor (requires car)
    • Dog Sitter
    • Retailer. MUST have events related to problem customers. Giving refunds could get you fired
    • Stripper
    • Waitress
    • Apartment Manager
    • Sugar Baby
    • Taxi Driver
    • App Driver
    • House Sitter
    • Landscaper
    • Valet Driver
  • Superhero.
    • I get notifications saying, “You suspect your father is a superhero” and shit like that, and I want that to be an actual career. In fact, you could even go as far as having it be unavailable until you trigger a special event that gives you one of a number of possible superpowers. Maybe you could do this by, when someone comes up to you and asks to go to, say, a science expo or so. There could be a 1/5 chance you get one of the superpowers.PS: +10 points if you make one of the superpowers a reference to JoJo’s Hamon power
  • Religious Jobs
    • Monk
    • Nun
    • Priest
    • Rabbi
    • Priestess
    • Sheikh
    • Preacher
  • Miscellaneous Jobs
    • mime Only in France
    • Homeless person/hobo
    • Personal trainer
    • Cam Girl
    • Sugar Baby
    • Used car Salesman
    • Hot water heater repairman
    • surrogate motheegg donor
    • For real estate agent, maybe have it so they get bonuses every year depending on how much they sold?
    • EntrepreneuStart your own company
  • Trades Jobs
    • We should have trades, for our bitizens who aren’t school smart may be more versed in trades, plus that is another way to make loads of money. You’d just have to go to community college or a trade school and choose your path.
    • Blacksmithing
    • Tailoring
    • cooking/chef
    • Fashion designer
• Scientist/PhD Levels
  • Astronaut (Physics Degree) ♦️Astronaut Trainee ▪️Astronaut ▪️Lead Astronaut
  • Nuclear safety inspector
  • Data Scientist (Any Organization)
  • Physicist (Industry or Government)
  • Paramedic
  • Aerospace Engineer (Would have a much greater salary than mechanical and chemical engineers)
  • Chemist (Industry)
  • Economist (Think-tank/Government)
  • Researcher (Engineering and Science; pays lower but every year there is a small chance of a breakthrough where you are awarded $200,000-$1 million)
  • Civil Engineer (Government or Architecture firm)
  • Health Inspector (Government, Jr.-Sr., stops at Supervisor)
  • Electrical Engineer (Same as other Engineers)
  • Petroleum Engineer (Ditto, except it pays more and is harder to get into)
  • Music Teacher (School or Conservatory)
  • Professor (University; have to have at least ten years of work experience)
    • Can get kids a full scholarship, and higher chance of entering the college despite lower smarts bar
  • Plastic surgeon
  • Inventor
  • Epidemiologist
• Degrees and Schooling
  • Schooling:
    • Private School Vs. Public School vs Online/Homeschool vs. Military school (all depend on the country you are residing in)
    • You could get a high chance for random injuries. If you join in high school sports teams you come get offers for pro teams when you get out of highschool. Etc etc.
    • Higher expulsion rate in school, it is too hard to get expelled. Especially high in private school
  • Degress
    • Physics,
    • Foreign Language,
    • Food (or Agricultural) Science, Economics,
    • Anthropology,
    • Linguistics.
    • Environment Science
  • Can we get a PhD option and Professor career track? I think there should be a professor career path added along with a PhD option. After graduating you can be eligible for Associate Professor which starts off in the low 100s and maybe they'll get promoted to Professor which is in the 200k-300k range.
    • When you choose to retire, you could get "Professor Emeritus" as a title instead of "Retired" and still receive small stipends every now and then.
    • I also think there should be more options with graduate school. Perhaps if you're adding the career track, they could become a "Lecturer" and eventually "Senior Lecturer."
  • Have them applicable to existing jobs or feel free to add new ones More post-college options, especially for community college. Aside from being a dental hygienist there really doesn’t seem to be much incentive for our characters to go to community college.
• Religion
  • I suggest adding Religions, it will be like a pop-up, and it will appear: What's your religion? Christianism, Judaism, Islamism, Atheist, and then will occur relate events, like:
  • Yeah, can we do something with the religiousness bar? I'm cool with it being a religiousness bar, but maybe there could be actual stuff to do with religion. If you want to avoid political drama it could be silly or made-up religions, or actual ones. I just figure that if there's a religiousness bar for your parents, missionaries who come to your door, and the option to make a career as an exorcist it would be cool to see your level of 'religiousness' too, maybe upon your death or something.
  • A Christian woman is arguing with you because you are Atheist. /Argue Back/ /Convert to Christianism/ /Assault/ /Leave/.
  • Or: Another Islamic guy is arguing with you because you didn't visited Mecca already. /Argue Back/ /Plan a trip to Mecca/ /Assault/ Leave/
  • Or: Your Jew parents are arguing with you because you are an Atheist /They Are Right, I'll Convert to Judaism/ /Apologize to they/ /Argue back/
  • Christianism
  • Hinduism
  • Islamism
  • Judaism
  • Paganism
  • Atheism
  • Rastafarianism,
  • Satanism,
  • Scientology
  • Cults
  • ! Of course, there should also be an option to believe in "Bitlifeism/Philosophy" the belief you’re an actually a character in BitLife.
  • Wearing a Hijab or other type of Head Coverings
• Animals
  • Enter them into competitions! Or maybe breed them
  • Becoming an animal breeder is one idea.
  • Also finding a stray animal and having the option to bring him/her brought home to keep as your own should be a random event.
  • Bring them on vacation with you!
  • I feel like an option to have 2 different dog breeds (eg. Poodle and Shih Tzu) cross breed then have Shih Poo pups would be really cool. There could also be a cross breeder in the pets section which you can request 2 different breeds to mix and have mixed puppies.
  • Make them part of a divorce settlement! Like if your ex wants custody of the pet you should hire an attorney to help you keep custody or you can let them have it.
  • Are alligators’ part of the exotic pets on IOS? If not, then add alligators! Also add the ability to get arrested for letting your domesticated dog or cat into the wild.
  • Abandoning pets to fend for themselves should be illegal like it is in real life.
  • Also, the ability for your pets run away from home and we can have the option to contact the animal shelter or put up "Lost pet" posters to have a chance of finding them.
  • Another idea is the ability to rehome your pets with a grown child of your character or a sibling/grandchild/etc.
  • I’ve had stray animals I’ve rescued
  • Treats.
  • If we buy a horse can, we have an option to participate in horse races??
  • Also, training them
  • -Lizards (Bearded Dragons, Geckos, Anoles, Skinks, Iguanas, Tegus, Komodo Dragons, etc.)
  • -More Rodents (Chinchillas, Sugar Gliders, Capybaras, etc.)
  • -Foxes as Exotic Pets (Fennec Foxes, Red Foxes, Grey Foxes, etc.)
  • -Hedgehogs at Pet Store
  • -Invertebrates as Exotic Pets (Scorpions, Tarantulas, Leaf Insects, Stick Bugs, Millipedes, Centipedes, etc.)
  • I would love to have more Ribbons related to pets, such as ‘Animal Hero’ if you adopt a certain amount of them?
  • when you take your animal on a walk you should have an option to bring your wife or your kids with you (bulk relationship points (kind of like a vacation))
  • I REALLY want a tibetan mastiff, ( The most expensive dog in the world) PLEASE google it and as soon as you see it I bet you will agree with me and hope almost as much as much as I do!One went for 1.6 million but it was white. They cost at least a grand tho
  • Also add in a zoo director thing and allow you to build new exhibits with animals in them.
  • Dress the animals
  • The animals would like or not like it same as bathe
  • I’d like to be able to foster pets
  • As well as personally groom them or professionally groom them.
  • Make them a service dog
  • Also please add more variety in animals like more reptiles maybe even tarantulas’ You guys are doing amazing
• Luxury/Money
  • Please add apartments It would add so much to the game. It could be small studios all the way up to penthouses. It would also be possible to rent apartments for cheaper than a mortgage, but it would not add to your net worth.
  • As well as off the grid Housing
  • Also, in cities like NYC please make it basically just apartments and townhouses. And make the price really high for realism
  • Of now there is not a lot of ways to spend your hard-earned riches. I would love to see the additions of more purchasable items such as:
    • Yachts, they could be like houses so you could throw parties and maybe choose to go on vacation to it and choose its location. Obviously extremely expensive to buy and maintain maybe, $5M-$50M to purchase and $100k-$500k a year maintenance fee.
    • Private Jets, again only for the very rich ballers of BitLife. Would make it” free” to go on holidays (maybe fly to your yacht), but instead have a huge maintenance fee. Price to purchase and maintain similar to that of the yacht.
    • Art would be able to choose if you want it in your house or in a museum. It could be all from $500 for a painting to a $100M sculpture. Some may go up in value some may go down
    • Watches and jewelry, every rich person need a little bling. Please add gold chains, god necklaces, diamond earrings and most of all watches with different brands and an ability to collect rare watches.
    • And last but not least holiday houses, everything from a trailer in a camping for maybe $15k to a luxury penthouse in NYC for $45M depending on what you could swing
    • Private islands too. But private islands depending on the location go from $4k to newer $100 million
  • Add the ability to control your spending
  • Please give us the ability to choose our outflow through different choices all affecting your character. Ex you could choose the kind of food,” cheap” to” royal” (don’t use these terms) where the” royal” foods would make you healthier and much happier and” cheap” would make you happier and healthier
  • Then like now mortgages and maintenance costs will add on. But this would give us the opportunity to choose where to spend your money on, food, clothes, drinks, and a lot more and this could help you stretch to afford a house or really live like a king. It would also help with retiring early, if you feel you have made money enough then you could control you outflow better not making it bigger each year and being able to live of your riches without a job
  • As well it could be added to stuff like dog food cat food or even an allowance for the kids
  • As well as gas for the cars
• Family & Parenting:
  • • Strict parents - Parents should have different levels of strictness, which is based off of their religiousness bar. Parents with super high religious bars should not let you hang out with friends, potentially kick you out of the house for coming out of the closet, and for teenage relationships, there could be a risk of strict parents breaking them up.
  • • Gifts - If you have a good relationship with your relatives, they should be able to occasionally give you money as a birthday gift when you age up, without you asking for it. Rich parents could also gift you a car after you get your driver's’ license.
  • I think it would be cool if we’ll off parents could give their kids allowance while they’re young. It’s hard to make money while in school so it would mean that you could make a little bit for the gym and so forth. It might also be cool to be able to get a part time job while in school. Love this game!
  • I think it would be cool if we’ll off parents could give their kids allowance while they’re young. It’s hard to make money while in school so it would mean that you could make a little bit for the gym and so forth. It might also be cool to be able to get a part time job while in school. Love this game!
  • Suggestions: Great-Grandchildren, Uncles and Aunts, and Calendars?
    • So I was thinking of the idea of being able to have great-grandchildren, since that seems to be impossible now, and maybe there could be a "Legacy" ribbon associated with it? (i.e. for having a certain amount of total descendants as opposed to "Fertile" which is for a total amount of children). We could possibly also interact with Uncles and Aunts, which would especially be interesting in a legacy challenge to see how our previous lives' siblings are doing. ANd maybe a calendar or some way to have anniversary or birth dates and it might randomly quiz you on when your anniversary is if you fail to maintain a good relationship with your spouse to see whether or not you've "forgotten your anniversary" (since that might sometimes happen IRL too ;) ). Thoughts?
• Relationships
  • I think there should be polygamic relationships (more than two people) added into the game cause it would add a nice drama and relationship building aspect and along with that add the option to have a foursome and so on.
    • In most countries, polygamy is illegal, but in countries like saudi Arabia it is legal as long as it is a man and several women.
  • Last one lol, step siblings/parents. If your parents aren’t together or you start dating someone, there should be a possible chance of that person having a kid or kids.
  • If a hookup goes well or results in a child their should be an option to date whoever you hooked up with
  • Infidelity:
    • You should be able to cheat on people and have several families
    • The random chance of meeting up with an ex later in life, maybe with the chance to ask them out again. Or vice versa.
    • Leading on from that, you could maybe have the chance of seeing your ex with their new partner, and have the option to... I dunno, assault them because you’re obsessive and salty? Or to chat or to start an argument, or, naturally, to ignore them
    • Since there are various options when your partner wants to leave you, what if there was a chance for them to beg you to take them back when you leave t h e m? Or for them to assault you, etc.
    • Karen snatching yo kids, if you’re married with children and get a divorce, maybe you could lose connection with your children depending on your life choices, financial status, how many people you most likely murdered (just me?... Just me.)
    • • The opportunity to reconnect with your hookup after you have an accidental child with them. Be it friendship or starting a romantic relationship, especially if you have a kid it should be an option.
    • •Having a constant side-piece while you’re still married (an ongoing affair)
    • •Have a constant hookup, not just a random one each time
    • •Be able to reconcile with Ex’s (S/O’s or Ex-Spouses)
    • You should be able to cheat on people and have several families
• Friends:
  • • Best friends - when you end up meeting people at the club/in public, there should be an option to either date them, become their best friend, or neither. If you become their best friend, they could get added to your family list so you can actually hang out with them and have a relationship bar with them. Kids could make best friends, too. It would also make things a lot more real when your friends come to you for help in the game
  • Friends in BitLife
  • I think I speak for many when I say I’d love to see the addition of friends in BitLife, beyond the occasional pop ups of “your best friend did X” of course, or the ability to murder🔪 them.
  • 🔹My thinking was that friends could start to pop up as soon as you start school at age 6. On the occupations tab, an option called “find new friends” would appear alongside the “drop out of school” and “study harder” options.
  • 🔹the younger you are, the easier it would be to make friends, and you’ll be more likely to accumulate larger numbers of them.
  • 🔹At age 6 for example, you could tap the “find new friends” button and you’d make 5 at once, with >90% chance of doing so — as you got older however, the number you’d make when you tap the button would decline, and the chances you’d make any at all would decline too.
  • 🔹Your stats would also affect how likely you are to make friends — aka better looks, better smarts, and richer parents would increase chances — as an adult meanwhile, finances would cease to be a factor, and your following on social media would become a factor.
  • 🔹the “find new friends” button would work once a year.
  • 🔹Friends you make would pop up in a new section under the relationships tab. Your relationship bars with them would start out as half full.
  • 🔹You’d have the usual interactions with them, like “have a conversation,” “spend time,” “go to the movies,” “give/ask money,” etc.
  • 🔹Also, though, you’d have the ability to set them as one of three: Best Friend (max of 1), Good Friend (max of 5), or simply leave them as “Friend”
  • 🔹to set them as “Best Friend,” you must have a full relationship bar with them — To set them as “Good Friend,” you must have 3/4 relationship bar with them.
  • 🔹 Best Friends would stick around regardless of your relationship bar with them, unless it hit absolute bare minimum for a certain number of years.
  • 🔹 Good Friends would stick around until your relationship bar with them got into the red, in which case they’d revert to simply “Friends.”
  • 🔹Standard Friends would stick around until your relationship bar with them dipped below half, after which point, they’d leave after one year.
  • 🔹Relationship bars would drain slower with Best Friends and Good Friends than it would with Standard “Friends.” Relationship bars would also drain slower the older you are.
  • 🔹You could have as many friends as you want, though bear in mind maintaining all of them would require lots of interacting with all of them, which takes still, like in real life.
  • 🔹While in school, if you’re being bullied, one new option would be to tell your best friend (if you’ve set a friend as that by that point), in which case your best friend would attack the bully.
  • 🔹 (The odds you’d be bullied btw would go down if you have more friends).
  • 🔹You may also run into a scenario where your best friend is being bullied (much like your siblings), and you’d have the option to attack the bully.
  • 🔹Once you’ve hit adulthood, you would have the option to take your best friend (if you have one) on vacation if you wish.
  • 🔹Another thing would be that you’d have the option to ask friends out on a date, in which case there’d be a chance of them saying “yes,” “friend-zoning” you, or unfriending you altogether.
  • 🔹the closer you are with them (based on relationship bars as well as their status to you, aka “Best Friend” vs “Friend”), the more likely they’d say “yes.” Also, the number of years you’ve known them would impact chances.
  • 🔹If they say no, aka “friend-zone” you, your relationship bar with them would drop slightly, but you’d remain friends regardless (unless they decide instead to unfriendly you altogether).
  • 🔹This could open the door for “dating” at age 6, though the odds of one saying “yes” would be extremely slim at that age, and the chances of break up the following year would be extremely high.
  • 🔹Other ways to obtain friends besides school would be at your job, once you have one — “find new friends” would be added to occupations tab for all occupations.
  • 🔹Any friends made from the jobs tab would bear the same occupation as you. Also, any friends in the same field as you will see their relationship bar with you drain more slowly.
  • 🔹You could also go clubbing, in which case you’d have a chance to make a new friend. Going to the gym, the library, or throwing a house party could also give that chance.
  • 🔹Going on vacation could potentially give the chance to make new friends in places elsewhere from where you live, in which case you have em as long-distance friends.
  • 🔹And of course, siblings would have a new “make friends with their friends” tab added under interactions — the odds of this succeeding would depend on your age difference.
  • 🔹This would also be the case with your boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancé/spouse, who’d also have a “make friends with their friends” tab — the odds of it succeeding with them would be much higher.
  • 🔹Lastly, you’d have a random chance of just making a new friend without doing anything each year.
  • 🔹the number of friends you had during your life would be displayed on your tombstone at death, meanwhile your “best friend” as well as “good friends” would attend your funeral.
  • 🔹If a “good friend” or “best friend” dies, you’d have the option to attend their funeral too, and they’d remain in the relationships tab as “late friends” for you to mourn them.
  • • Long-Distance friendships/relationships through social media
• Potential New Ribbons:
  • 🚶‍♂️Lonely — Have no friends, no wife, or kids, and ignore any family members throughout your entire life. Have no one attend your funeral.
  • 👯‍♀️Popular — Have at least 100 friends throughout your life (at least 20 of whom you acquire during school), start befriending them at age 6, have at least 3 of them be your “best friend” at some point, and at least 15 as “good friends” at some point. Have the max number of friends attend your funeral.
  • ☮️Loyalist — Maintain every friend you make from square one, and also acquire at least 20 of them by the age of 40.
  • 💍One True Pair — Have only one friend throughout your entire life — befriend them at age 6, make them your best friend, if they get bullied at some point, help them — eventually ask them out, later on get married and possibly have children. Have no other friends besides that one special one.
  • Also getting kicked out for teen pregnancy or forced abortions from Parents
  • But with extended families the likelihood is the relationship tab will be crowded and divided into loads of sub-categories. To combat that maybe there should be a family tree of some sort. (Or even a filter of sorts)
  • When you go to a vacation, besides making new friends, I would add also the possibility to meet a new lover, exactly like you do when you go to the library. And in that case the name of the person is different based on which country you go on vacation!! And then you could have the option to emigrate to that country and be with that person, but you have to marry him eventually, within a certain amount of years otherwise you are forced to leave the country, depending on that country's immigration rules (for example in Italy rules are very soft, whereas in China and USA are very strict). And I think when you go to a vacation, it could show up many other options, like "you lost your passport, what do you do?" With the possibility to be sent back to your country and to have an impact to your criminal record. Or also: "a person offered you this food or drug, what do you do?" And you also could end up in jail or just food poisoning. I think that now going on a vacation is pointless, it just improves your happiness but nothing relevant happens.
  • great grandchildren
  • grandparents
  • aunts and uncles too!
  • Cousins
  • Can you have more than one child each year? Like if you’re a male can you impregnate more than one woman each year, so you have heaped more offspring?
  • It is possible, in one life I got quadruplets and triplets, if you get lucky you might get twins in the first try, you have to impregnate someone younger than 18 or older around 40 to get the best chance outcomes.
  • It would make sense to have a higher chance of multiples if you get ivf
• Legalities:
  • Divorce Disputes:
    • Custody agreements,
    • finance disputes rather than the usual payment to spouse,
    • LAWYERS,
    • the option to separate but not divorce
    • Karen snatching yo kids, if you’re married with children and get a divorce, maybe you could lose connection with your children depending on your life choices, financial status, how many people you most likely murdered (just me?... Just me.)
  • We should be able to have our spouse inherit the hard assets and our children inherit the money.
  • Being able to select whose last name children take. I HATE it when I play as a female and the child, I got from a hook-up has their father's last name.
  • When playing as a woman 21-64 in Saudi Arabia or Iran, the icon should be the “woman with hijab” emoji. Those countries have strict decency laws.
  • Being able to select in the will, leaving it all to your sons or all to your daughters. I was playing a life in Saudi Arabia and I had one daughter and two sons, and I wanted to leave it all to the sons as is commonly done there, but I had to just leave it all to one son.
• Crime
  • Crimes available as early as 6- cases like this have happened in real life. I would totally abuse this option for murdering my younger siblings.
  • I really want gangs!
  • Being able to assault your siblings, no matter what age they are. If you assault a newborn, it has an extremely high chance of dying because it cannot fight back, and newborns are also very weak.
  • More crimes:
    • robbing a bank
    • selling drugs.You can already sell drugs though if someone asks you in the game
    • you should be able to hack into other peoples bank account the richer the person he harder to hack. and it's easier with higher intelligence
• Prison
  • You should be able to trade cigarettes for safety and sleep with other inmates.
  • The ability to call family members while in prison would be nice.
  • Conjugal visits once a year
  • Escape in a group to distract the guard
  • Work out
  • Try to learn or go back to school
• More Transportation Instead of Cars
  • Skateboards
  • Bicycles
  • Taxis
  • Walking
  • Bus
  • Subways
  • Carpooling
• Realistic Stuff
  • New Life:
    • More things to do in the first 10 years, especially at ages 1 and 2.
    • Selecting your race in the “New Life” menu.
    • Adding siblings in the “New Life” menu.
    • When you make a custom person or play a custom life, you should be able to edit how you want your person to look
  • Babies, Toddlers, adn Newborns:
    • Babies shouldn't be able to die from drug overdoses, and for kids it should be put that they thought it was candy.
    • Being able to take children to the doctor.
    • Newborns shouldn't be able to ask you to take them to do something- since they obviously can't talk
  • Finances
    • •Stock Market:
    • •Own your own business
    • Scams or scammers a pop up may come up saying “you have come across a ad saying [ex. Get a free smartphone!!] what will you do? [options: try it,no I won’t try it, ignore it] or “ you have got a message by a account you don’t know sending you a link to get a [ex. Free Ariana Grande tour tickets] what will you do? [options: try it, delete it, ignore it]
    • •Odds for Horse Races
    • • Add a store to go to where you can buy things, like food or alcohol or car repair stuff, etc. Let me spend my money!
    • • Hobbies! Like part time jobs. Let me be a lawyer but also a hobbyist bird watcher or painter! Handy for those boring retirement years.
    • can you add a shop in the activities so then you can take your kid there and get them a phone and your relationship will go up with them. By the age of 13 you are allowed to buy them a phone. The kids can also ask their parents for a phone. During that can access social media on the phone.
    • Hobbies/skills should be added such as a singing skill which could result into you getting into the singing career
    • Pensions - I think it would be a great idea to receive pensions from a company after working for one company for a certain amount of time. As of right now, when you retire, all you do is lose money.
    • Specific Actions tailored to your career. For example: —Pop Star: Drop albums, Go on tour, Publicity Events, etc.
  • Other
    • When playing as a female, you shouldn't just be forced to get an abortion. It should instead be a prompt that says something like your partner wants to get an abortion, but you want to keep it. Will you still keep it, agree to get an abortion, assault him, or break up with/divorce him? (BTW I never get abortions unless I contract something that can't be treated without going to the witch doctor)
    • •Be able to work while in high school/college
• Hospitals, Diseases, & Disabilities:
  • Disabilities - Every once in a while, a baby should be born with a physical or mental disability.
    • This could impact certain events depending on the disability, such as lifespan, smarts, abilities, etc. (For example: if someone is born blind, they can’t get a drivers’ license). You could also potentially get into accidents throughout your life that leave you impaired in some way
    • Maybe we could have an opinion if you get in a car accident that we get into the hospital for a while and get a bit of game play inside there. Or something like that ~
    • Ooo, long term hospital stays could be treated like prison. You can't work, if you're in too long you get fired, &c.
• Scenarios
  • can you add a nuclear war scenario?
    • And let’s say it happens you could buy a bunker. Also, it could add multiple scenarios in game!
    • Or, could you add a zombie apocalypse scenario?
    • Before adding zombies
    • Add buying treehouses
    • And hammers
    • And saltlicks
• More Countries:
  • such as Thailand, the UAE, Morocco, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine? Also, add Iceland and the DRC.Albania,Austria,Armenia,Bahrain,Bangladesh,Belarus,Belgium,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Bulgaria,Cameroon,Croatia,Czech Republic,Cyprus,El Salvador,Georgia,Ghana,Guatemala,Honduras,Hungary,Iceland,Kazakhstan,North Korea,Kenya,Kosovo,Kyrgyzstan,Laos,Latvia,Liberia,Libya,Liechtenstein,Lithuania,Luxembourg,Madagascar,Malaysia,Mali,Malta,Mauritania,Moldova,Monaco,Mongolia,Montenegro,Morocco,Mozambique,Nepal,Nicarágua,North Macedonia,Oman,Pakistan,Papua New Guinea,Paraguay,Poland,San Marino,Slovakia,Slovenia,Somalia,Sri Lanka,Sudan,South Sudan,Switzerland,Taiwan,Thailand,Tunisia,Ukraine,Uruguay,Vietnam and Zambia.