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139 comments on DrumBeat: June 27, 2006

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jkissing on June 27, 2006 - 2:49pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Good points. The US has made some serious mistakes post GBII, particularly with respect to internal tax and external belligerance. However, the US system is far more malleable than the EU's. We will respond better than most to changing conditions, just as we did in bringing the two world wars to successful conclusions. Note that in both cases we had done little planning or preparations before hand.  And, it was US leadership (pre GBII) that finally ended the shameful events in the balkans that could, and should, have been easily nipped in the bud by europeans years earlier.  

EU countries do not look to be able to resolve even simple internal issues of employment - students riot to protect young people's wages and guarantees of lifetime employment that prevent them from being hired, resulting in high unemployment that then creates dissatisfaction and more riots among immigrants.  The US, for all its recent mismanagement, remains a far better place for a poor person to rise to middle class or above, to say nothing about a person with a 'different' background to get a job.

THe US could do without any oil imports by car-pooling, converting to prius/diesel technology, plus moving from trucks for long haul to trains - that is, adapting to Europe-level energy consumption. And, we will soon begin converting from fossil fueled generating stations to nuclear ones, something not likely to come soon to Germany, the EU's largest economy, where we will see more brown coal consumed instead. Europe is addicted to russian gas, and the price is rising fast. As for oil, the EU is becoming less self-sufficient by the day.

As an aside, the world may well be moving towards less trade and more local product, not least agriculture. But, globalization has brought higher living standards to many, not least in asia but in many others too.  Many at this site decry trade and its more visible entities, such as walmart. Probably many of these proudly think of themselve as liberals. There was a time when US liberals, and "trade" unions too, supported free trade both as helpful to the world's poor and as usefully providing markets for our exports.  Trade still mostly helps the world's poor while competition does, in the end, help everybody. Restrictions to trade would reduce jobs everywhere today, just as they did do in the thirties, whether caused by policy or higher energy costs.

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tate423 on June 27, 2006 - 3:23pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I'm definately for free trade due to my strict economic outlook on the benefits, however at times I do see some who are better off at the expense of another and there is little done to correct it.  This is a problem b/c economics stresses making someone better off without making another worse off.  On net the US has transformed into a service economy and these jobs DO pay less.  Those who suffered are provided little to transform into another career.  On net we haven't "lost jobs" to other countries, we've just switched and added more people to the payrolls.

I disagree about our leadership though.  I'm not liberal by any means, I'm for a small small national govt.  States should have a bit more power, but that's for another discussion.  People keep saying we did this before, so we'll rise to the occasion.  I think this is flat wrong.  We will do something about, albeit too late, but it can't FIX this problem.  It's easy to build crap and destroy even more crap with big metal bombs.  The people of those generations were used to sacrificing and dealt with rationing of common goods for the war effort.  Can you imagine that now?  

We are different people than just three decades ago.  We haven't faced a major crisis that required a national effort since WWII.  Vietnam, Korea, & the middle east conflict are NOT even close in national scope.  We transformed entire sectors of our economy into wartime mode.  We couldn't do that now and part of it has to due with the flight of all the equipment, plant & property we used to make these wartime machines.  

So much has changed especially the consuming public.  We consume like no one on this planet and we gloat on top of that.  Generally speaking we have transformed into a "me, now" culture and have little room for sacrifices.  Add on that our representatives do not represent us, rather corp america and what will motivate these people?  Personally I'm getting rid of any incumbant that I can, but the replacements don't look a whole lot better.  The business interests of this country do not jive with the personal needs of America.  However the average American will tell you different due to the success of the machine know as marketing.  

Not to mention Science is being repressed.  Does that sound like another time European history?  Science is being tarnished by this Administration and who knows what the next leader will have to say about this.  Most people are asleep at the wheel, the leaders are sleeping, and the few of us that are awake are screaming to slam on the brakes.  The only way out is reduce demand.  As a politician you will not get elected telling everyone to stop doing what they are doing.  

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BrianT on June 27, 2006 - 5:05pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Nothing on this planet benefits "everybody". Look, real wages at the median are far higher in Germany, so if you are the average schmuck you will have a better life there. If you are an employer, live off investment income or speculation, or if you are in the top 20% of employees you are better off in the USA. All this liberal/conservative stuff is sheer bullshit.  
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139 comments on DrumBeat: June 27, 2006

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