Hippocrates all of them.... esp. Obama

[HA25]

Nobody isn't thankful for much of the US's historical contributions.. I for one would dare say, baring Slavery and Segregation (something no unique to the US), there is little I have criticism of in our country prior to the late 1970's.. but something happened, and I can't blame it on one sources (maybe the 60's counterculture boomers turned into Yuppies or something) and the idea of doing what's right, and thinking long term was replaced with doing what "makes most money" and doing it short term.. We replaced the small business with the superstore.. the American factory with the Asian factory... and sold off (for the purposes of getting rich quickly by a handful of wall street types and CEO's) the infrastructure of our nation all under the guise of "Free markets"

Well, the protectionist Europeans held back quite a bit more (even though, thru economic pressure mainly from us, they too had to shift into a more free system) and retained quite a bit more of their manufacturing base.

Maybe I'm just old school (a true conservative, not a libertarian) and just see the today going thru what the British Empire went thru in the later 19's century... we're on our way to being a has bin, with China fast approaching (with their long view, and patient culture), and the EU someplace in the middle... But the American Quarter to Quarter market system which compensates CEO's for how much the share is worth "today" and not how viable the company is in the next decade is broken in my view. Few CEO's (usually they're founders) break this mold.. A son of of another Muslim (Syrian) migrant and white woman comes to mind... (not Obama).. but Steve Jobs.. and his vision for Apple. That's not found in todays revolving door CEO suite much.

Look at the airline sector.. since deregulation, we've lost the Juan Trippes, Bob Six, and Howard Hughes types and replaced them with Tilton's and Mullins, bean counters that would be just as happy to run a Travel Agency and farm out their flying to the lowest bidder in the name of free markets..

For me there is a balance, I neither worship at the alter fo the free market, nor do I want to turn all private property into public.. there is always a balance, it's the ying and yang, it's the atom, and it's the nature of man.

PS. My grades are as a result of a lot of parties and girlfriends.. combined with parents that pushed me.. I can't fault the back inner city kid who doesn't go to college if he doesn't have a father or mother to push him.. because I'd be no better off if mine weren't there.

 

[jet2work]

Socialism is nothing but a Ponzi Scheme

OK I read the article. It had some good information, but I kept thinking that It was like comparing two golfers with different handicaps, and proclaiming the guy with the higher score the better golfer. In the comment section of that article I came across this link. It is also a European website, but they make the point that Europe is facing trouble because of its aging population and low birth rate. The quote is below the link.

http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=eiu_Cisco_Foresight_2020&rf=0

"Demographics. Population shifts will have a significant impact on economies, companies and customers. The favourable demographic profile of the US will help to spur growth; ageing populations in Europe will inhibit it. Industries will target more products and services at ageing populations, from investment advice to low-cost, functional cars. "

The report also mentions that China and India will be the fastest growing economies.

I am not a baby boomer, but I always feel like the "greatest generation" gave too much to the baby boomers. The boomers were the ones who started the "cultural revolution" and gave us such great social advances as free love, drug use, disease and social problems that go along with it (out of wedlock birth, abortion, aids and the resultant homeless, drug violence, divorce, etc). You yourself said that the pre baby boom years were the "Golden Age" in the US (and I agree).

Boomers have been in denial of their mortality and as such have failed to plan for retirement like our grandparents did. They have been too preocupied with Viagra and Botox, to worry about such trivialities as saving for a rainy day. Now that the party train has slowed to a crawl they are looking for someone else to buy the next round. How many post boomers are going to be saddled with caring for their aging parents who squandered away their savings? How many of those parents once had two homes, a boat, and bought a new car every three years??

The solution for boomers is to keep the party going. How do we do that. Give the government our bills. Let them pay for our medical expenses and housing and food. Who pays for it? Me, you, anyone elese who is still a productive member of society. What are the consequennces? Our kids will find it cost prohibitive (like it is in Europe ) to have more than 1 or 2 children. This results in a negive birth rate (like the EU currently has) and no one to pay for these programs long term. Once again I quote Maggie.

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."

I don't expect that I will ever see a penny of social security, yet I am forced to pay it month after month. Do I believe in taking care of widows and orphans? Absolutely.

On a closing note, In Europe it is quite clear that the Christian Church is dead. The only people who go to churches in Europe are tourists there to take pictures of the architecture. The reason? IMHO it is because the gov't has become the great benevolent safety net that the church is in this country.

Baby boomers have generally acted like spoiled brats and because of their numbers they have gotten and will continue to get their way right up until the day they die. Now that is the shortsightedness that I am worried about. While their parents worked hard and left an estate to their children, our parents are taking out reverse mortgages or worse yet buying bigger houses that they couldn't afford with interest only loans with the hope of flipping them after they appreciated.

What legacy will they leave me and my children and granchildren?? My guess is massive debt and civil unrest.

 

[HA25]

n

On a closing note, In Europe it is quite clear that the Christian Church is dead. The only people who go to churches in Europe are tourists there to take pictures of the architecture. The reason? IMHO it is because the gov't has become the great benevolent safety net that the church is in this country.n

If there is one place we can agree, it's the fact that Europe turing their back on their long history of Christian values, family, women staying home and raising children, etc.. is by far their worse fall, and sadly we're not very far behind them.

 

[JFReservist]

What do you really want?

Nobody isn't thankful for much of the US's historical contributions.. I for one would dare say, baring Slavery and Segregation (something no unique to the US), there is little I have criticism of in our country prior to the late 1970's.. but something happened, and I can't blame it on one sources (maybe the 60's counterculture boomers turned into Yuppies or something) and the idea of doing what's right, and thinking long term was replaced with doing what "makes most money" and doing it short term.. We replaced the small business with the superstore.. the American factory with the Asian factory... and sold off (for the purposes of getting rich quickly by a handful of wall street types and CEO's) the infrastructure of our nation all under the guise of "Free markets"

Well, the protectionist Europeans held back quite a bit more (even though, thru economic pressure mainly from us, they too had to shift into a more free system) and retained quite a bit more of their manufacturing base.

Maybe I'm just old school (a true conservative, not a libertarian) and just see the today going thru what the British Empire went thru in the later 19's century... we're on our way to being a has bin, with China fast approaching (with their long view, and patient culture), and the EU someplace in the middle... But the American Quarter to Quarter market system which compensates CEO's for how much the share is worth "today" and not how viable the company is in the next decade is broken in my view. Few CEO's (usually they're founders) break this mold.. A son of of another Muslim (Syrian) migrant and white woman comes to mind... (not Obama).. but Steve Jobs.. and his vision for Apple. That's not found in todays revolving door CEO suite much.

Look at the airline sector.. since deregulation, we've lost the Juan Trippes, Bob Six, and Howard Hughes types and replaced them with Tilton's and Mullins, bean counters that would be just as happy to run a Travel Agency and farm out their flying to the lowest bidder in the name of free markets..

For me there is a balance, I neither worship at the alter fo the free market, nor do I want to turn all private property into public.. there is always a balance, it's the ying and yang, it's the atom, and it's the nature of man.

PS. My grades are as a result of a lot of parties and girlfriends.. combined with parents that pushed me.. I can't fault the back inner city kid who doesn't go to college if he doesn't have a father or mother to push him.. because I'd be no better off if mine weren't there.

Overall, I'd have to say that I agree with most of your points, but I don't think that European socialism is the answer. My Christian sensibilities abhor the collectivist/statist system and the corporate greed that we have seen in the past 20-30 years. Mankind yearns for liberty, so that we may fully realize the God given potential we are born with. My aversion to socialism/progressiveism et al is moral... government has become their god, and secular humanism its acceptable religion. I would rather not see that happen here, as there is hope in neither. Only in liberty can we fully strive to be successful, and compassionate.

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
-- C.S. Lewis

Cheers

 

[mzaharis]

If you subscribe to the Economist magazine, here is an interesting article on the "Swedish" system - neither universally positive or negative. Points out shortcomings of the Swedish system that the Sweden-defenders tend to gloss over.

http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=E1_SRRDTSP