Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 186
August 31, 2011
Item: Good News and Patriotic -
Congratulations to the Harper Government - adding the prefix "Royal" to the Canadian armed force's insignia is good news for the country and is a long time in returning. For those who find such a bold action offensive - Stick it in your ear!
Item: US and Others Facing Armageddon?
The August 22nd issue of MACLEAN'S Magazine splashed a headline across its front cover page: THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISES - THIS COULD GET REALLY UGLY. Another sub-headline on the cover page reads: AMERICA IS DOOMED. Within the pages of what is rightly called Canada's "national" magazine are two articles that are worth study and both relate to the world's current economic crisis. The first article by Jason Kirby is entitled "This May Get Ugly" and describes Canada's economic state; how it survived the 2008 global recession unscathed (relative to others) and how Canada was able to come through it all without adding huge amounts to the country's national debt. Canada was able to skirt the 2008 recession largely because of a more regulated mortgage market opposite the unregulated "sub-prime" mortgage market fiasco in the US that has largely collapsed. Mr. Kirby goes on to say that Canada's close trade ties to the United States (worth noting, 75 percent of Canada's export trade is with the US) has made a difference in 2011 - now that the US is being forced into massive spending cuts. Mr. Kirby says: "The US path to austerity now bears a resemblance to the two-stage downturn of the Great Depression" and that means Canada will be drawn into massive change, whether it likes it or not. MACLEANS' second article by Mark Steyn is entitled "Get ready for Armageddon" (sub-titled: "The world's last superpower is on a joyride to oblivion") focuses on the astronomical debt issue in the United States and the unmanageable money problems in Europe. Mr. Steyn observes that President Obama inherited a horrible economic situation and now that he is facing another election, has added horribly to the situation, making things much worse: "Obama's response to his wastrel of a predecessor was to grab the throttle and crank it up." In my view both Mr. Kirby and Mr. Steyn gave more than adequate DESCRIPTIONS of the global precipice that has emerged - the question is can a catastrophe be avoided? What is needed are some ideas on how to avoid Armageddon - we need PERSCRIPTIONS! As I have mentioned on a number of occasions in Whispering in the Wind; Canada's economic / social problems can be addressed through a strategy of NATION BUILDING - rather than letting the mega-globalized corporations operate in a laissez-faire environment, dictating the operations and workings of government. And it is worth remembering a little bit of history - the last outbreak of laissez-fair-ism occurred in the Roaring 1920s and everybody knows what followed, the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Alberta's PC Leadership Campaign - Getting Interesting
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 185
August 24, 2011
Finally some of Alberta's PC leadership candidates are coming out with some specific ideas that are worth consideration and debate - in my view some of the ideas put forth are good and some are questionable, and not so good. On the plus side: Alison Redford has come out with some good ideas that need to be flushed out: she supports the development of more community healthcare centres; stable, predictable educational funding; and "externship" programs for exporting energy technology. Rick Orman has announced a prison reform initiative that separates prisoner classes without adding more prisons to the system; sounds quite interesting but does need more detail before it can be endorsed. On the questionable side is the big news coming from candidate Gary Mar who last week announced that (if elected Premier) he would allow "private" healthcare clinics in Alberta. These "private" centers would accept patients that have the required cash, to receive treatment in Alberta rather than having to travel to other provinces or into the States. Mr. Mar does qualify his healthcare thoughts by saying that any "private" clinic system would have to operate within the Canada Health Act. For Mr. Mar, having a "private" healthcare system in Alberta is an economic opportunity that should not be lost - for me, what Mr. Mar is suggesting does have some short term benefits, but in the longer term, what Mr. Mar is suggesting will definitely and eventually lead to a very dangerous, two tiered, American-styled healthcare system. A number of other leadership candidates have responded to Mr. Mar's proposal - candidate Alison Redford was "surprised" by what Mr. Mar suggested and feels that Mr. Mar is providing preferential treatment to the wealthy: "Albertans want a public healthcare system. Albertans want everyone to be treated equally.....It's a core value. It's a core belief for me." Doug Horner's response was less emphatic but he still feels the current system has to be fixed: "At this point in time, I am against it because I think we've got lots to do in our publicly funded system." Rick Orman hedged his views and said he wants to make the public system more efficient, but is not ruling out "privatization" if costs spiral out of control. Mr. Orman said: "I do not believe that today we need to expand to private healthcare." I'm not aware of any comments coming from candidates Doug Griffiths, Ted Morton regarding Mr. Mar's "private" healthcare suggestions.
Trying to Keep a "Stiff Upper Lip" in Ottawa
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is optimistic that the federal government's economic / financial strategy will insulate Canada (to the extent possible) from the growing financial chaos being felt in Europe and the United States. Both Mr. Flaherty and Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney are predicting modest, if not flat growth in the United States and Europe so there is no reason to offer further stimulus to the Canadian economy and the deficit reduction plan remains in place. Mr. Flaherty said last week: "We will stay the course. We will balance the budget by 2014-15 .... That's the plan and we intend to stick to the plan." Should things worsen, Mr. Flaherty said: "If we were to see the situation globally deteriorate in a dramatic way, we would obviously do what is needed to protect our jobs and economy and families in Canada. We would act in a pragmatic way, as we have done successfully, previously and recently." In my view, things are going to get a lot, lot worse so everything that Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Carney said is nothing more than "political speak," so be prepared for much more chaos and a lot of deficit spending in Canada (and elsewhere) in the months / years to come. What I hope results from all this chaos is a strategy of NATION BUILDING where, amongst a number of other measures, Canada's basic tax structure be drastically re-vamped to support small Canadian businesses and small business development in Canada - and yes, eliminate unjustified, unwarranted tax breaks to mega-globalized corporations.
Jack Layton Does Have a Legacy!
Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer and passed away on Monday at the age of 61 years. A month or so back I labeled Jack Layton as being a political leader who expressed his party's positions and views with: clarity, commitment and passion. I sincerely hope that these tenets - clarity, commitment, and passion - remain a part of the new NDP political leadership and yes, a part of all political leadership in Ottawa - Canadians want it and Canadians need it.
August 24, 2011
Finally some of Alberta's PC leadership candidates are coming out with some specific ideas that are worth consideration and debate - in my view some of the ideas put forth are good and some are questionable, and not so good. On the plus side: Alison Redford has come out with some good ideas that need to be flushed out: she supports the development of more community healthcare centres; stable, predictable educational funding; and "externship" programs for exporting energy technology. Rick Orman has announced a prison reform initiative that separates prisoner classes without adding more prisons to the system; sounds quite interesting but does need more detail before it can be endorsed. On the questionable side is the big news coming from candidate Gary Mar who last week announced that (if elected Premier) he would allow "private" healthcare clinics in Alberta. These "private" centers would accept patients that have the required cash, to receive treatment in Alberta rather than having to travel to other provinces or into the States. Mr. Mar does qualify his healthcare thoughts by saying that any "private" clinic system would have to operate within the Canada Health Act. For Mr. Mar, having a "private" healthcare system in Alberta is an economic opportunity that should not be lost - for me, what Mr. Mar is suggesting does have some short term benefits, but in the longer term, what Mr. Mar is suggesting will definitely and eventually lead to a very dangerous, two tiered, American-styled healthcare system. A number of other leadership candidates have responded to Mr. Mar's proposal - candidate Alison Redford was "surprised" by what Mr. Mar suggested and feels that Mr. Mar is providing preferential treatment to the wealthy: "Albertans want a public healthcare system. Albertans want everyone to be treated equally.....It's a core value. It's a core belief for me." Doug Horner's response was less emphatic but he still feels the current system has to be fixed: "At this point in time, I am against it because I think we've got lots to do in our publicly funded system." Rick Orman hedged his views and said he wants to make the public system more efficient, but is not ruling out "privatization" if costs spiral out of control. Mr. Orman said: "I do not believe that today we need to expand to private healthcare." I'm not aware of any comments coming from candidates Doug Griffiths, Ted Morton regarding Mr. Mar's "private" healthcare suggestions.
Trying to Keep a "Stiff Upper Lip" in Ottawa
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is optimistic that the federal government's economic / financial strategy will insulate Canada (to the extent possible) from the growing financial chaos being felt in Europe and the United States. Both Mr. Flaherty and Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney are predicting modest, if not flat growth in the United States and Europe so there is no reason to offer further stimulus to the Canadian economy and the deficit reduction plan remains in place. Mr. Flaherty said last week: "We will stay the course. We will balance the budget by 2014-15 .... That's the plan and we intend to stick to the plan." Should things worsen, Mr. Flaherty said: "If we were to see the situation globally deteriorate in a dramatic way, we would obviously do what is needed to protect our jobs and economy and families in Canada. We would act in a pragmatic way, as we have done successfully, previously and recently." In my view, things are going to get a lot, lot worse so everything that Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Carney said is nothing more than "political speak," so be prepared for much more chaos and a lot of deficit spending in Canada (and elsewhere) in the months / years to come. What I hope results from all this chaos is a strategy of NATION BUILDING where, amongst a number of other measures, Canada's basic tax structure be drastically re-vamped to support small Canadian businesses and small business development in Canada - and yes, eliminate unjustified, unwarranted tax breaks to mega-globalized corporations.
Jack Layton Does Have a Legacy!
Jack Layton lost his battle with cancer and passed away on Monday at the age of 61 years. A month or so back I labeled Jack Layton as being a political leader who expressed his party's positions and views with: clarity, commitment and passion. I sincerely hope that these tenets - clarity, commitment, and passion - remain a part of the new NDP political leadership and yes, a part of all political leadership in Ottawa - Canadians want it and Canadians need it.
Monday, 15 August 2011
PC Alberta Leadership Race
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 184
(August 17, 2011)
PC Alberta has to be congratulated on their publication of statements from the six PC leadership hopefuls - Gary Mar, Doug Griffiths, Rick Orman, Alison Redford, Doug Horner and Ted Morton. The first part of each candidate's statement offers what appears to be an independent view on each candidate's experience and qualifications for the job of leader of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party and Premier of the Province of Alberta. In the second section of the statement, each candidate offers a personal perspective on why he/she is best qualified and why they should be Premier. The third section of the statement offers the candidate's policies and priorities in the form of a Policy Statement. Following are my assessments of the six candidate statements:
GARY MAR - Gary Mar has well over 15 years government experience, including a number of important cabinet positions and a number of years as Alberta's representative in Washington. Mr. Mar indicates that parental roots have a lot to do with his values and his approach to government should he be elected to the PC leadership post. Mr. Mar's Policy Statement (offers 9 pronouncements) which is all well and good but what I want from Mr. Mar are clear ideas on what his legislative priorities are going to be and what he wants to achieve prior to the next provincial election. According to some polls, Mr. Mar is among the most popular of the six candidates, so if elected he will be running the show from the sidelines for a number of months and there is a by-election. My prediction is that Mr. Mar will be one of three in the run-off election on October 1st.
DOUG GRIFFITHS - Doug Griffiths is a young, ambitious candidate with limited experience in any executive position in government or elsewhere. In my view Mr. Griffiths' Policy Statement lacks clear, specific ideas on how to deal with Alberta's economic and social challenges. I feel Mr. Griffiths will be dropped from the final ballot election on October 1st - but wait, in 10 years Mr. Griffiths will be a formidable political voice in Alberta.
RICK ORMAN - Rick Orman is another candidate who is not a sitting member of the Alberta Legislature, so if elected leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, Mr. Orman will be pulling the strings from the sidelines, at least for the first while. When Mr. Orman was in government he held a number of cabinet posts including the powerful Minister of Energy position. Mr. Orman lost his bid to be Premier in 1992 and currently maintains strong, influential ties in the energy sector, particularly in southern Alberta. Mr. Orman's Policy Statement is generally, very general but he does cover all the bases. If there is one short-coming for Mr. Orman he is not exposing himself to rural Alberta, particularly northern Alberta - he has not visited Smoky Lake!
ALISON REDFORD - Alison Redford entered Alberta politics in 2008 and was named Justice Minister and Attorney General - in 2010 Alison Redford was appointed Political Minister for Calgary - Alison Redford's experience also includes important national and international assignments including, policy advisor to the Mulroney government. Alison Redford's Policy Statement focuses on three areas: Health Care where she wants to establish community health care clinics; Education where stable funding will be offered to avoid local school disruptions; and Energy where innovative "externships" will be offered to export and develop energy technology internationally. In my view, Alison Redford will be one of the three final candidates on October 1st, for leader of the PC party - and yes, she has visited Smoky Lake!
DOUG HORNER - Doug Horner is another candidate that has visited Smoky Lake and has garnered a lot of support in rural Alberta. Mr. Horner was first elected 10 years ago and has held two important cabinet posts: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Mr. Horner's Policy Statement offers 5 themes; specific policy statements are forthcoming. Mr. Horner's themes are quite interesting but I want to see concrete ideas that Mr. Horner will implement if he is chosen as leader. Mr. Horner's chances are good to be on the final ballot but most of his support will come from northern Alberta - so who knows if he will get support in the urban centers?
TED MORTON - Ted Morton has a particularly interesting background in politics - first elected 2004, Mr. Morton held two important cabinet posts: Minister of Sustainable Resource Development and Minister of Finance and Enterprise. Mr. Morton also was closely associated with the former Alliance Party and appears to be a stanch right-wing fiscal conservative. In my view Mr. Morton's Platform Statement is based on two themes - fiscal conservatism and bringing together of the two conservative parties (the PCs and the right-wing Wildrose Party) into one cohesive group. I don't think I'm exaggerating Mr. Morton's philosophical perspectives so only time will tell if two very distinct right of center philosophies can be merged - remember what happened in Canada's political movements; the Reform, the Alliance and now the Conservative Party of Canada which wiped out much of the "progressive conservative" movement. Mr. Morton has not visited Smoky Lake.
(August 17, 2011)
PC Alberta has to be congratulated on their publication of statements from the six PC leadership hopefuls - Gary Mar, Doug Griffiths, Rick Orman, Alison Redford, Doug Horner and Ted Morton. The first part of each candidate's statement offers what appears to be an independent view on each candidate's experience and qualifications for the job of leader of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party and Premier of the Province of Alberta. In the second section of the statement, each candidate offers a personal perspective on why he/she is best qualified and why they should be Premier. The third section of the statement offers the candidate's policies and priorities in the form of a Policy Statement. Following are my assessments of the six candidate statements:
GARY MAR - Gary Mar has well over 15 years government experience, including a number of important cabinet positions and a number of years as Alberta's representative in Washington. Mr. Mar indicates that parental roots have a lot to do with his values and his approach to government should he be elected to the PC leadership post. Mr. Mar's Policy Statement (offers 9 pronouncements) which is all well and good but what I want from Mr. Mar are clear ideas on what his legislative priorities are going to be and what he wants to achieve prior to the next provincial election. According to some polls, Mr. Mar is among the most popular of the six candidates, so if elected he will be running the show from the sidelines for a number of months and there is a by-election. My prediction is that Mr. Mar will be one of three in the run-off election on October 1st.
DOUG GRIFFITHS - Doug Griffiths is a young, ambitious candidate with limited experience in any executive position in government or elsewhere. In my view Mr. Griffiths' Policy Statement lacks clear, specific ideas on how to deal with Alberta's economic and social challenges. I feel Mr. Griffiths will be dropped from the final ballot election on October 1st - but wait, in 10 years Mr. Griffiths will be a formidable political voice in Alberta.
RICK ORMAN - Rick Orman is another candidate who is not a sitting member of the Alberta Legislature, so if elected leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, Mr. Orman will be pulling the strings from the sidelines, at least for the first while. When Mr. Orman was in government he held a number of cabinet posts including the powerful Minister of Energy position. Mr. Orman lost his bid to be Premier in 1992 and currently maintains strong, influential ties in the energy sector, particularly in southern Alberta. Mr. Orman's Policy Statement is generally, very general but he does cover all the bases. If there is one short-coming for Mr. Orman he is not exposing himself to rural Alberta, particularly northern Alberta - he has not visited Smoky Lake!
ALISON REDFORD - Alison Redford entered Alberta politics in 2008 and was named Justice Minister and Attorney General - in 2010 Alison Redford was appointed Political Minister for Calgary - Alison Redford's experience also includes important national and international assignments including, policy advisor to the Mulroney government. Alison Redford's Policy Statement focuses on three areas: Health Care where she wants to establish community health care clinics; Education where stable funding will be offered to avoid local school disruptions; and Energy where innovative "externships" will be offered to export and develop energy technology internationally. In my view, Alison Redford will be one of the three final candidates on October 1st, for leader of the PC party - and yes, she has visited Smoky Lake!
DOUG HORNER - Doug Horner is another candidate that has visited Smoky Lake and has garnered a lot of support in rural Alberta. Mr. Horner was first elected 10 years ago and has held two important cabinet posts: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Mr. Horner's Policy Statement offers 5 themes; specific policy statements are forthcoming. Mr. Horner's themes are quite interesting but I want to see concrete ideas that Mr. Horner will implement if he is chosen as leader. Mr. Horner's chances are good to be on the final ballot but most of his support will come from northern Alberta - so who knows if he will get support in the urban centers?
TED MORTON - Ted Morton has a particularly interesting background in politics - first elected 2004, Mr. Morton held two important cabinet posts: Minister of Sustainable Resource Development and Minister of Finance and Enterprise. Mr. Morton also was closely associated with the former Alliance Party and appears to be a stanch right-wing fiscal conservative. In my view Mr. Morton's Platform Statement is based on two themes - fiscal conservatism and bringing together of the two conservative parties (the PCs and the right-wing Wildrose Party) into one cohesive group. I don't think I'm exaggerating Mr. Morton's philosophical perspectives so only time will tell if two very distinct right of center philosophies can be merged - remember what happened in Canada's political movements; the Reform, the Alliance and now the Conservative Party of Canada which wiped out much of the "progressive conservative" movement. Mr. Morton has not visited Smoky Lake.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
The United States, The World - In Deep Trouble, Things are Getting Worse -
Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 183
(August 10, 2011)
The European / United States debt / financial crisis is mounting world wide with the resulting negative impacts yet to be felt - in my view; the financial crisis will not soon pass, so get prepared. What is particularly depressing is the financial crisis cannot / will not be resolved with a simple market correction in the stock market - remember, what has evolved: the world is now a laissez faire, globalized system of economic management with most national government leaders unwilling or unable to influence an out of control speculative system. In the meantime, national leaders are trying to contain panic selling in the stock market with positive political speak and hoping that the sell-off is only a market correction. For Canada, Prime Minister Harper is in Brazil trying to diversify our trade relations with countries not plagued by international debt and diversify Canada's interests - I have read that he views the United States' debt problem is quite different from Canada's and Canada's debt is manageable and is being appropriately managed. In the US, President Barack Obama addressed Americans and the world on Monday last and quite rightly took a major swipe at his political adversaries - the Republican Party - indicating that Republicans and their Tea Party supporters were not willing to realistically address the nation's debt crisis and this unwillingness to compromise for the betterment of the nation, caused the downgrade of the Standard & Poor's credit rating from AAA to AA+. The debt situation in the Euro-zone is equally dramatic, troubling and intense as that being experienced in the United States - so the question becomes: what must be done to create confidence and consumer demand in Europe and North America? In my view, globalization has failed the nation state and that means - jobs, another stimulus program for small businesses and a rethinking of globalization - and that means NATION BUILDING and the harnessing of dominant, multi-national corporations (including national banks) through appropriate regulation and taxation. As a footnote: a number of "experts" have commented on TV and elsewhere that the financial crisis in the world is a result of political incompetence rather than any fundamental economic issues or problems - I agree that we do have some incompetent political leaders but let's help them build a better community, a better nation and look at where the real problem is; the corporate dominance of political policy making.
Happy 4th Birthday, To Me?
I have been writing "Whispering in the Wind" for four years now and quite frankly, I've enjoyed every minute of the exercise. As to feedback, I wish there was more reaction to my views, particularly when I'm wrong in my point of view. Over the past four years I've received both accolades and criticisms over what I've written - sometimes relating to the same article. Seldom does a week goes by when I am not given a dig about something that I've written - and for those that e-mail me with articles or a comment, put magazines under the windshield wipers of my truck, thank-you and keep your comments coming.
(August 10, 2011)
The European / United States debt / financial crisis is mounting world wide with the resulting negative impacts yet to be felt - in my view; the financial crisis will not soon pass, so get prepared. What is particularly depressing is the financial crisis cannot / will not be resolved with a simple market correction in the stock market - remember, what has evolved: the world is now a laissez faire, globalized system of economic management with most national government leaders unwilling or unable to influence an out of control speculative system. In the meantime, national leaders are trying to contain panic selling in the stock market with positive political speak and hoping that the sell-off is only a market correction. For Canada, Prime Minister Harper is in Brazil trying to diversify our trade relations with countries not plagued by international debt and diversify Canada's interests - I have read that he views the United States' debt problem is quite different from Canada's and Canada's debt is manageable and is being appropriately managed. In the US, President Barack Obama addressed Americans and the world on Monday last and quite rightly took a major swipe at his political adversaries - the Republican Party - indicating that Republicans and their Tea Party supporters were not willing to realistically address the nation's debt crisis and this unwillingness to compromise for the betterment of the nation, caused the downgrade of the Standard & Poor's credit rating from AAA to AA+. The debt situation in the Euro-zone is equally dramatic, troubling and intense as that being experienced in the United States - so the question becomes: what must be done to create confidence and consumer demand in Europe and North America? In my view, globalization has failed the nation state and that means - jobs, another stimulus program for small businesses and a rethinking of globalization - and that means NATION BUILDING and the harnessing of dominant, multi-national corporations (including national banks) through appropriate regulation and taxation. As a footnote: a number of "experts" have commented on TV and elsewhere that the financial crisis in the world is a result of political incompetence rather than any fundamental economic issues or problems - I agree that we do have some incompetent political leaders but let's help them build a better community, a better nation and look at where the real problem is; the corporate dominance of political policy making.
Happy 4th Birthday, To Me?
I have been writing "Whispering in the Wind" for four years now and quite frankly, I've enjoyed every minute of the exercise. As to feedback, I wish there was more reaction to my views, particularly when I'm wrong in my point of view. Over the past four years I've received both accolades and criticisms over what I've written - sometimes relating to the same article. Seldom does a week goes by when I am not given a dig about something that I've written - and for those that e-mail me with articles or a comment, put magazines under the windshield wipers of my truck, thank-you and keep your comments coming.
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Back to the Fundamentals
Smoky Lake Signal Article 182
(August 3, 2011)
In my view, the debt crises in the United States has in political terms, been manufactured and could have been avoided - President Obama could have exercised his presidential powers and skirted what has now become both a political and economic crisis - the debt issue is much like a balloon that is dangerously expanding in size and nobody wants to or knows how to release the pressure - what is particularly disturbing, the bill that has gone through Congress will not see any increases in government revenues through taxation and will see dramatic reductions in government expenditures, both drastically negative policies when it comes to avoiding or fighting a 9.2 percent unemployment rate or any major recession that is likely to come. The bill is even more disturbing in that it will not increase the number of jobs, an extremely important indicator to generate national confidence. What the US political system has to do is start thinking in the NATIONAL interest rather than the CORPORATE interest. Remember the United States is (at present) one of the largest markets in the world and when you add Europe and Canada to the mix, the collection of nations is a formidable market and a formidable political force that must be respected as nation-states rather than just regional markets by countries like China and India.
(August 3, 2011)
In my view, the debt crises in the United States has in political terms, been manufactured and could have been avoided - President Obama could have exercised his presidential powers and skirted what has now become both a political and economic crisis - the debt issue is much like a balloon that is dangerously expanding in size and nobody wants to or knows how to release the pressure - what is particularly disturbing, the bill that has gone through Congress will not see any increases in government revenues through taxation and will see dramatic reductions in government expenditures, both drastically negative policies when it comes to avoiding or fighting a 9.2 percent unemployment rate or any major recession that is likely to come. The bill is even more disturbing in that it will not increase the number of jobs, an extremely important indicator to generate national confidence. What the US political system has to do is start thinking in the NATIONAL interest rather than the CORPORATE interest. Remember the United States is (at present) one of the largest markets in the world and when you add Europe and Canada to the mix, the collection of nations is a formidable market and a formidable political force that must be respected as nation-states rather than just regional markets by countries like China and India.
Politics vs. Sanity
Smoky Lake Signal Article 182
(August 3, 2011)
On Monday the United States House of Representatives voted 269 to 161 in favor of a bill that would avoid a US debt default and thereby, allow the US Treasury to borrow money beyond the federally set ceiling. The bill is conditional; no federal tax increases to counter the growing debt problem and the slashing of 2.5 trillion dollars in federal spending over ten years - I expect the United States Senate will vote in favor of this measure with a lot of bravado (please note, my copy deadline is prior to the actual vote). So who won this exercise of political brinkmanship? I don't think there is any doubt as to who undertook the winning strategy; the Republican Party is the clear winner (and that includes the influential, inflexible and dangerous Tea Party group of thinkers). As a result, the weakened Democratic President and the rest of the Democratic Party rank and file are wondering about their future role in a right leaning political mindset and trying to determine what measures they can offer to the American people to counter the growing demise of the United States as the world's most influential economic power. For Mr. Obama, he and his Democratic Party are going to have to do some amazing things prior to the 2012 congressional / presidential elections.
(August 3, 2011)
On Monday the United States House of Representatives voted 269 to 161 in favor of a bill that would avoid a US debt default and thereby, allow the US Treasury to borrow money beyond the federally set ceiling. The bill is conditional; no federal tax increases to counter the growing debt problem and the slashing of 2.5 trillion dollars in federal spending over ten years - I expect the United States Senate will vote in favor of this measure with a lot of bravado (please note, my copy deadline is prior to the actual vote). So who won this exercise of political brinkmanship? I don't think there is any doubt as to who undertook the winning strategy; the Republican Party is the clear winner (and that includes the influential, inflexible and dangerous Tea Party group of thinkers). As a result, the weakened Democratic President and the rest of the Democratic Party rank and file are wondering about their future role in a right leaning political mindset and trying to determine what measures they can offer to the American people to counter the growing demise of the United States as the world's most influential economic power. For Mr. Obama, he and his Democratic Party are going to have to do some amazing things prior to the 2012 congressional / presidential elections.
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