These are some very good observations. I have travelled Europe from France to Romania and Ukraine, and learned many of these same things on those trips. Especially rewarding was when we visited young developers and technical folks from those eastern European countries who were working for my wife's graphic design and web development company. And before you go batshit on me, I'll explain that we paid there foreign developers and designers the same wage levels as we paid designers and developers in this country. My wife even took personal loans to help these young people purchase living quarters and get their start in life. We were privileged to visit these young folks in cities that still feature many things established by the invading communist and socialist countries and to experience the life that still bears the wounds and scars of those philosophies. We rode on highways which had many overpasses but few of which had ever been completed so they could be used, we stayed in lavish hotels that soviet dignitaries had built and used near lavish government buildings in the midst of mile after mile of crude, plain apartment buildings the local people lived in. We saw government officials driving their luxurious limousines around town, and actually parking on public city sidewalks when there was no parking space on streets, making the pedestrian traffic crowd around them.
I just wish that the young 'snowflakes' of today in this magnificent country could see and experience the social, economic and physical desolation that those failed social and political philosophies left behind. If they did, we would see far fewer demonstrations and protests against our own society.
So, get over obsessing and bellowing over Melania's stiletto heels. Next time you think you can stand a dose of reality take yourself on a trip to Eastern Europe and get your head set straight.
My advice to these naïve people is 'Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.'
Next time you see a person in our armed forces, thank them from the bottom of your heart for their service. And contract your governmental representatives and tell them to get their act together or get out.
Now I expect there will be some blowback from those who have no clue about the things I have described. Just be careful not to display too much ignorance.