How far will the Ukraine fighting escalate?

Leaders from the west continue to pour money into the government they helped set up in Western Ukraine. Ukraine owes Russian companies more than 3 billion dollars, but Ukraine probably is not going to use the 1 billion just given to them to pay up. No that money might as well be flushed down the toilet. It will buy more war toys for them to lose to the "rebels."

Our money is escalating this war. The irony is that Western Ukrainian troops (the ones we are supporting with the government we backed) are doing a bad job of anything beyond getting themselves killed and killing more civilians than rebels.

How long can we expect our leaders to sit back and sanction Russia with Russia returning the favor? Here, the BBC suggests that Putin's statement shows he is weakening because of sanctions. But that isn't my take on it. I see Putin treading a fine line. He doesn't want to get involved in WWIII so close to his border. By Eastern Ukraine voting themselves out of the Ukraine, he gave himself a little buffer there, but he wants more. He also wants to entice us into making the first move.

I think Putin is a very smart man. I think eventually, he is going to turn off Ukraine's gas and the rest of the gas for Europe. Once our "sanctions" really start to hurt him, he will make sure his sanctions hurt us. At that point, Europe will have two options - back down and let Russia have what they want (admitting that Russia is stronger) or send troops in to turn the gas back on. The West will have to make the first "official" military move. (I don't doubt some (or all) of the pro-Russian activists are Russian military or at least Russian trained - they are way too accurate at taking out anything Western Ukraine sends their way. This alone should scare us at the efficiency of the Russian military.) How long until we make it?

In the US, we are led by Democrats and Republicans with unlimited terms in Congress and the House. During elections, they sling mud and try to show how different they are from their opponents, but once they win, they are in bed with each other. That Coats and Donelly support military action (despite the anti-war election time stance of Democrats) and support dumping money into the Ukraine - money that we are ironically borrowing from Russia and China to stay afloat - shows that ALL our leaders in these parties are corrupt. America is the ONLY nation with ONLY TWO parties. Why do we think adding more would topple us?

Every time election runs around both sides scream that if you vote for a third party you could let the other guy win. Wake up, America! We are not longer a democratic republic where the people elect leaders who represent them. NO ONE in Washington represents us because they have ALL been there too long. The represent their PARTY. And their parties represent the businesses that dump the MOST MONEY into them. If GM dumps billions of dollars into both parties - GM gets a voice. (Please don't fool yourself into thinking one party takes more than the other.) We have lost our voice until we get rid of every Republican and Democrat on Capitol Hill and start running independents.