jamyskis: That is basically the only valid argument presented by the right, and of course it's a matter of healthy debate whether helping people in need is money well-spent. If you don't, that's your opinion, and that's fine. Of course, I do think we've let in too many refugees, but a lot of that is down to other EU states bellyaching about refugees and refusing to take them in, so Germany has had to shoulder the lot of them.

Merkel's popularity is not declining specifically because of the refugee crisis, but because she's tone-deaf to the political climate. She wasn't wrong to ignore the PEGIDA and AfD supporters with those whose "concerns" were based on shouting "Islam is evil, hur, dur" over and over again, but she was wrong to ignore the concerns of citizens who had legitimate worries about such a large influx of people unfamiliar with our culture.

Ironically, because Syria is largely a secular society, Syrians are actually having an easier time of integrating here than say, the Eritreans or Afghans. My wife is working with a Syrian refugee at her workplace, and I collaborate with two Syrian English>Arabic translators in my line of work. Neither of us have had any problems. There's certainly an immediate strain on the government budget, but I suspect that it will taper off as more and more refugees start earning their own money.

DubConqueror: Not easy to do, with a left wing heart that's burning with desire for a just and equitable world.

jamyskis: I think if I know Vainamoinen, (s)he is being ironic.

Emob78: [. . .] but I'm crying tears of joy that Hillary Clinton will not be president.

Matruchus: Thank you Assange and Wikileaks for bringing the truth forward to the world.

DubConqueror: Who holds the majority in the Senate of the US?
DubConqueror: Yes, another such an unthinkable thing that might come true. The PVV is at 36 seats of the 150 in parliament in polls. Election is in 2017. I'm scared shit for that as well. Luckily no-one wants to join in a coalition with the PVV, they made themselves impossible. But impossible things can happen, so it seems, looking at the US results today.

dick1982: Pence's political leanings will probably be a better indicator of what's gonna happen. TPP will happen. so much for being anti-globalist.

vulchor: Exactly. I am physically ill because of this. I never expected the results to go this way. Clinton fought hard when she was First Lady to give health care to the tens of millions of Americans without it (Bill put her in charge of that) and she originally proposed a single payer solution, but of course congress shot her down. I believe that if Hilary had gotten 8 years in office (two terms) the US would finally get that single payer solution we so desperately need, and we'd probably get public college education as well, that would solve the learning divide in the US as well. Hilary isn't the progressive that my heart 'Berns" for, but least of all she'd put a left-leaning Supreme Court justice in.

markrichardb: I think it's telling that nearly every US media outlet threw their support behind Clinton

Tauto: What will happen to the world in the next four years?
Not much.He is not a God but a big mouth.

DubConqueror: That's actually a comment of yours that I like. A +1 to counter your negative rep.

jamyskis: Well, besides the fact that I hate the word "globalist", as it seems to have become a carry-all insult of the far-right to defame any political opponent as being part of some all-encompassing global conspiracy [. . .]

Vainamoinen: They reported on Clinton's emails nine times longer than on her political stances. That's not necessarily a bias for Trump, it could just be a bias for sensationalism, but I'm definitely sure we would not call that "support" for Clinton.

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/9/13570724/media-obsession-emails