Biden Speaking Now, Putin's Strange Bravado ...

 

In addition to the "crippling" sanctions, here are two more things I'm glad he addressed ...

1.  Our troops are NOT in the Ukraine - they are in surrounding countries that are members of NATO, to protect them.

2.  He has repeatedly said they are "monitoring closely" any "efforts to exploit the situation" by gas price-gouging, and  that they have included government subsidies to gas companies in their plan to cover any natural price raises.

As for number 2 - FINALLY - a president addressed this, which always happens any time there's conflict overseas, natural disasters, or holidays.  

People think the president and/or congress can control gas prices (or market prices for anything, for that matter).

He/they don't - yet. 

So here's the thing - what legal consequences could he/Congress give for gas-price gouging?

I know that there are state laws in place for price-gouging, basically just fines, but they're rarely enforced.

At the federal level,  Americans are so terrified of federal government price control, in any form, that the federal government has zero price regulation, in any form. 

So I can see it now - if gas companies do price gouge, they will bitch that he's now directly engaging in federal gas-price control :/

I'm not sure what federal legal consequences he or Congress could give. at the federal level, that wouldn't be perceived/twisted into "government price control" - unless there's some kind of military-conflict legality that would give him the ability to do so? 

Otherwise, as for press questions, lots of people pushing for us to have troops on the ground in the Ukraine, now.

IMO, again - no - very bad idea and we should look before we leap - nobody wants WW3.

The other big question was, "Why not personally sanction Putin right now (rather than just Russia in general)?"

I'm not entirely sure what they mean, actually, by "personally sanction Putin" - does that mean shut down his personal finances and assets abroad or restricting his worldwide press coverage or-?

It's a good question - one which I think deserves both an explanation and an answer.

Biden responded that option is "on the table."

Hmm, not a great answer - and I do think we deserve one. 

Lastly, can I just say, once again, that Putin is crazy, but it's usually a calculating, controlled kind of crazy - and he's definitely not stupid.

There's a reason Putin thinks he boldly get away with this, with virtually no outward support, risking crippling sanctions to do it, so what is that reason - does he know something we don't?

That's what scares me.

Now, my first thought is that Putin's threat meant cyberwarfare, if we interfere - does Putin/Russian government now have the technological hacking capacity to shut us all down?

I hope I'm being slightly paranoid? 

Regardless, there's a reason Putin doesn't care that no one supports him or is risking severe sanctions - and we need to find out what that reason is ASAP.