(snip the original article)


categories we're not even in the Top 10
> >> >>> anymore. Not even close.
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>> The USA is "No. 1" in nothing but
weaponry, consumer spending,
> > debt,
> >> >>> and delusion.
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Reprinted from the Austin Chronicle.
> >> >>> www.citypages.com/databank/26/1264/article12985.asp
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Most of the statistic's above courtesy of that bastion of truth,
> > The
> >> > New York Times.
> >>
> >> I'd imagine that the Austin, TEXAS paper probably checked the
stats -
> > given
> >> the Times track record in accuracy.
> >
> > They might have, but I wouldn't rely on it.  Newspapers are
notorious
> > for simply taking and running with what another paper prints.  The
NYT,
> > for all its flaws, is still identified as the newspaper of record
in
> > the industry.
>
> Hmm. I really wish I could gind that NH Gazette item about the Times
and
> their ability to speak truthfully..

Oh, I don't doubt you about the NH Gazette, I'm just wondering if the
Texas newspaper did more than cut and paste from NYT.


> >
> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>Oh yeahhhhh...
> >> >>
> >> >>It's gonna be fun watching the FoxNews weenies squeal like pigs
in
> > a poke
> >> >>when the shit hits it.
> >> >
> >> > Turn that tube off, once in awhile, Deb.   Recently, you've
posted
> >> > comments on a list of sit-coms, including 'Sex and The City',
and
> >> > reality shows e.g., 'queer eye for the straight guy' etc., and
yet
> >> > watch those and many other programs.  Aren't you the one who
says
> > she
> >> > doesn't watch Television?  Then, how can you review FoxNews?
Or,
> > is
> >> > it just that CNN is simply more suited to your ideology?
> >>
> >> Ermm. Nope. I like the Wall STreet Journal, The Atlantic and the
> > scrappy
> >> little New Hampshire Gazette. Fox news DOES have a website, you
know,
> > AND a
> >> local affiliate in Boston that broadcasts some of the cable news
> > stuff.
> >>
> >> I posted a reply to G.A.'s reference to baseball players (?) going
on
> > the
> >> Queer Eye show. He was making note of that he'd seen an
advertisement
> > for
> >> the players' presence on the program. That's more than I knew of
it.
> > I've
> >> never seen an episode of Sex and the City - isn't that on HBO or
> > something
> >> like that? Don't have premium channels, only basic.
> >>
> >> >>Here's another one Turin. Last Tuesday, the WSJ ran two really
> > interesting
> >> >>articles - one about how China has made inroads in
EVERY country
in
> > Africa
> >> >>in the last 5 years. They are building infrastructure
across the
> > continent.
> >> >>They are rebuilding the Nigerian rail system, have paved 80% of
the
> > state
> >> >>highways in Rwanda, are working in over a dozen countries
> > rebuilding
> >> >>electrical grids and telephone services, are running
the largest
> > copper mine
> >> >>in Zambia. And are increasing their influence while America is
> > barely
> >> >>hanging on, and in many cases, losing influence.
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> > That is a stretch.  China, the 'altruistic nation'.
> >>
> >> I wasn't saying it was.
> >> >
> >> > China, who persecutes, imprison's, and torture's young AND old
for
> > the
> >> > practice of Falun Gong.
> >> >
> >> > China's occupation and stranglehold on Tibet.
> >>
> >> :(
> >
> > Agreed.
> >
> >>
> >> > China, continually rattling swords at Taiwan.
> >> >
> >> > China, whose industrial pollution is so bad, especially mercury,
it
> >> > effects us here in the U.S.
> >> >
> >> > China, who is building the largest dam in the world to control
the
> >> > flow of the Mekong River, which will effect the flow of water
and
> >> > major dependency on it downriver in Laos, Thailand, Myanmar,
> > Cambodia,
> >> > Vietnam.  These countries benefit from recurring flooding
(despite
> >> > damage and minimal fatality).  to replenish the soil.  Not to
> > mention
> >> > the effects the dam will have on native species of fish.
> >> >
> >> > "Flooding is a way of life along the lower Mekong River in
Vietnam
> > and
> >> > Cambodia. Every year between August and November, monsoon rains
> > fill
> >> > the rivers of Southeast Asia, and the Mekong River Delta
broadens
> > well
> >> > past its dry season levels. The annual floods carry
nutrient-rich
> > silt
> >> > to farmland around the river and provide the moisture needed to
> > grow
> >> > vast fields of rice. Vietnam is the second largest exporter of
rice
> > in
> >> > the world behind Thailand, and the Mekong River Delta is one of
two
> >> > primary rice-growing areas in the country. The second is the Red
> > River
> >> > Delta in the north."
> >> >
> >> > From:  Flooding on the Mekong River
> >> >
> >
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/shownh.php3?img_id=12469
> >> >
> >> >>Here's a full paragraph from the article:
> >> >>
> >> >> "China has simply exploded into Africa, as in
'Katie-bar-the-door
> > stuff.'"
> >> >>says Walter Kantsteiner, a former U.S. assistant secretary of
state
> > for
> >> >>African affairs. Adds Rep. Ed Royce, a Californian Republican
and
> > vice
> >> >>chairman of a House subcommittee that deals with Africa:
"China's
> > increasing
> >> >>engagement in Africa is a concern and we need to focus on it
before
> > Beijing
> >> >>becomes fully established."
> >> >>
> >> >>Here's the rub: China has no qualms about doing business with
> > countries like
> >> >>Nigeria, or other brutal, corrupt dictatorships. It is dropping
300
> > million
> >> >>in Zimbabwe to rebuild it's electrical grid, Mugabe's UN
sanctions
> > be
> >> >>damned. Also, since most of the businesses going in are state
> > owned, they
> >> >>turn a modest 3% profit, if at all, while Western businesses so
> > used to
> >> >>short term, high profits for the stakeholders, won't even
consider
> > an effort
> >> >>unless at least a 15% profit margin is sustainable.
> >> >
> >> > Of course, the corruption will stop and the people themselves
will
> >> > "profit".  Dictator's get what they want,
China gets what it
> > wants..
> >> > It's a win-win plan.  Except for the poor.
> >>
> >> You think the Chinese govenrment isn't corrupt itself? It's
> > communist! It is
> >> totally corrupt, and the countries it does business with may very
> > well stay
> >> that way.
> >>
> >> Besides that, who was it sold them the tools over the years to get
> > them this
> >> ability to expand? That's what I'm pissed about. Oooooh, we can
make
> > them be
> >> like us and have capitalism and they'll be free - yeah right, and
> > there's a
> >> few people from Tiananmen Square that might disagree with that!
> >
> > The Chinese appear to be extracting the benefits of capitalism
without
> > feeling a necessity to become democratic.  In that sense, they
> > certainly have an advantage over us in that they can move more
swiftly
> > on several fronts getting ahead of us, while we do indeed help them
do
> > so.  And I share your anger over that.
>
> The danger of the modern business model being embraced by a political
> culture that is totalitarian. In today's WSJ, there is a wonderful
article
> written in the editorial section about the Pope, and why, in spite of
the
> fact of an infinitesimally small numbers of Catholics in China, the
> government there was afraid of letting him set foot on their soil, so
strong
> was the moral authority and ability ot undermine inhuman value
systems that
> he had.

I was reading an article today that credited the Pope, Reagan, and
Spanish King Juan Carlos I (for opening his country to democratic
elections) for doing the most to defeat communism.  I think Margaret
Thatcher should have been included as well.  That article also cited
the Pope's moral authority, especially his influence in Poland.

> >
> >>
> >> Don't worry, next they'll bust a move on Taiwan,
> >
> > As I've stated on other posts, my son is in the military.  My wife
was
> > expressing concern about Iran being the next hotspot, but I'm not
> > convinced it is.  I think we might be facing problems in Taiwan
before
> > that; either that, or the Chinese will wait until we're
sufficiently
> > distracted elsewhere before moving on Taiwan.
>
> Here's to hoping that

My fear is that a move on Taiwan will provoke a response from Japan,
and that might draw us in.

> >
> >> and will hold SO much of
> >> our debt, we will be unable to stop them, lest they dump US
dollars
> > onto the
> >> international money markets and tank the remainder if it's value.
> >
> > Do you think they'd move that arbitrarily?  Their currency is
pegged to
> > ours, and right now it's to their financial advantage to stay that
way;
> > it certainly makes it easier for them to fund their African
activities.
> >
> Honestly, I don't know for sure. They DO have their yuan pegged to
the
> dollar and the Fed wants that to change - I know that it is a bone of
> contention with the Bush administration, but consider that if we DO
get our
> way on that, it could mean that they would have less incentive to
stay any
> hand of that nature.

Perhaps, but maybe it's best not to have the particular sword hanging
over us any longer.  Short term pain for long term gain?

> Just remember, that last week, the South Korean central
> bank started to speak of 'diversification' away from US dollars
(presumably
> to euros), and it sent the markets into a spastic fit - and this was
just
> them talking about it!

Yeah, but I think they were doing that to counter all the talk here of
pulling our troops out.

> >
> >>
> >> See how this works when you let yourself get leveraged by debt?
> >
> > Remember the 80's?
>
> Yep.
> >
> >>
> >> Fuckin' Kruschev got it right about American business, the little
> > communist
> >> prick.
> >
> > And we got it right about communism.
>
> Uh huh, but we're not embracing their economic system, they are
embracing
> OURS and will shove us into the dirt with it.
>
> The truth is, China is seeing the unrest in their rural provinces and
> pushing development into those areas - they rightly see that a
materially
> kept populace guarantees a fair degree of status quo - people who
have shiny
> things have a tendency in their lives to focus on the goods and
become
> rather apolitical and complacent. Give them more materially, and you
can
> keep them happy. It's what the government here depends on.

Sure, but does this eventually--and even inexorably--lead to a freer
country?  After all, a more prosperous people tend to want to have more
direct influence on their politics, if for nothing more than to
increase their comfort.  Why else would France and Germany be scared to
death to do anything to upset the entitlement applecart, unless they
were afraid of politicial suicide?  I realize an argument can be made
with regards to a tipping point and whether or not Western style
civilizations have reached it, but China wouldn't be anywhere near that
point.

>
> The rub may be, as the American middle class gets more and more
squeezed,
> there MAY be greater political unrest with the beltway. I've always
viewed
> with a jaundiced eye, first when Clinton, and now Bush, stated that
they
> want this country to be 'middle-class.'  You know full well that a
man with
> a mortgage, car payments, school loans, health insurance bills and
credit
> debt isn't going to do much more than work like a slave to pay them
off and
> dig out of the hole that having all that, put him in.

Except all those goodies and that life style is associated with the
term "middle class".  Let's face facts:  if you're willing to get an
education and work even moderately hard, you can enjoy a very
comfortable lifestyle if you don't mind putting up with debt.  And if
the debt is managed properly, and you don't go nuts buying big
expensive toys, most people can get along fine.  Unfortunately, in this
society, sacrifice and savings isn't emphasized while no down payments
and low monthly payments are.

>
> I see it in my customers, many of whom now look at my husband and I
with
> envy (!?), because we have NO credit cards, no debt, no house to
maintain,
> no health insurance bills, old vehicles we own outright, no kids to
put
> through school and are in the black. Granted we don't have squat, and
have
> to be very careful about our health (tofu for dinner again?) but we
are
> independent in a way alot aren't.

I'll be the first to admit I envy you for that in some ways.  In
others, nope.  I like my toys, (if you come for my tablesaw, bring
friends and guns  lol) but I've tried to be responsible buying them.
My wife and I both earn a decent wage, but we do have debt.

Now, we're still worth far more than we owe, and we could liquidate
tomorrow and have a healthy chunk of change.  Much of that is because
we own real estate, both our primary residence and rental properties.
So we have debt, but we've used it to our advantage.  Of course, one
downside is that I simply don't have your freedom.

Debt, in and of itself, isn't necessarily evil.  Excessive debt and
mismanagement of debt is what leads to most problems.  That, and the
constant institutional pushing to acquire more credit.

> >
> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >>The Chinese are setting up their long term access to resources,

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