Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Four Million Jobs in Four Weeks--No Joke.
Do you remember the 800 Billion Dollar Stimulus Bill? I do. And I did some math--well, simple arithmetic actually. Here is the way to create four million jobs in about four weeks. This is not a joke:
An $800 Billion dollar stimulus bill, when divided by 5 (years) will work out to $160,000,000,000 a year for 5 years. My original thought was that the initial legislation would take us to 2013--the year following the election. Now, I am looking at the issue from a different perspective.
4 million people and $40,000 per year.
People who earn $40,000 a year, spend $40,000 a year. Now, we can quibble about the taxes: for the purposes of discussion only, let's say 20%. Do we pay people $40,000 and tax then 20% or pay them $32,000 a year? (Now you know why I don't discuss, debate, or defend my viewpoints.)
4 million people making $40,000 a year will cost about $160,000,000,000.
I suggest this because it is flexible. You can plan the programme for 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, or you can adjust the number. More people in the programme for fewer years, for example.
What those people who have been hired by Uncle Sam will do is subject to debate. Certainly, companies looking for trained employees can train the "new hires" at a very reduced--temporary--wage. People could go to school; start a blog; do volunteer work; or sit in front of the television set all day watching CNBC thus answering the question, "Who is CNBC's target audience?" One would like to think that professionals in the finance industry are at least watching their money if not ours.
This then leads to the multiplier effect. This was mentioned--only in passing--by Madame Lagarde in her interview with Maria Bartiromo on CNBC. The topic was the European Economic Crisis. This is the crisis that the European Leaders are attempting to solve without any attention to Capital Investment or Economic Development which leads to growth, employment, increased revenue, reduction of Government spending (through the divestiture of State owned assets), and the improvement of the economy. But don't bother listening to me, everyone always doesn't listen to me. But I digress.
To play out the math of the multiplier effect serves no useful purpose. Therefore, I have included a link to an illustration of the multiplier effect--this being more easily understood than an explanation of the multiplier effect. Keynesian? Perhaps--but only just a bit.
The Multiplier Effect--Illustrated.
http://www.slideshare.net/slimfairview/the-multiplier-effect-4962273
Economic Stimulus--by Metaphor
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/economic-stimulus-by-metaphor.html
(Please read them both. It builds character.)
Regards,
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All Rights Reserved.
PS. An attempt was made to post this monograph in the comments of the New York Times online. (Probably on Dr. Krugman's blog.) I assume the reason the monograph was not approved for posting was that the relativity to the topic was tenuous. Slim
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Russia
Let's consider a topic I have not yet written about--Russia.
To understand the misalliance, we must look back over time.
The economic problems in Russia go back to before the Bolsheviks. One of the reasons for the economic decline is the absence of primogeniture in Czarist Russia. Feel free to Google the topic.
The second reason is the failure of leadership to understand that while propaganda may fool some foreigners, it won't fool the citizens. They must live under the conditions as they are, not as they are defined or described. In short--when everyone owns everything, no one owns anything. Reported in the news over four decades ago. Eighty-five percent of the food grown in the Soviet Union is grown on fifteen percent of the land. We are not discussing surficial geology. We are talking about the 15% of the land allocated to the farmer for his personal use. This was a problem the Pilgrims confronted in Colonial New England. They resolved the issue more expediently. (Change or starve.)
With this much established, a centralised government, provided little or no opportunity for the independence that fosters creativity. However, there is more. The lessons of the revolution. For those who read Danton's Death by Georg Büchner: The Lessons of the Revolution: "They are suspect, we are suspect, all are suspect."
However, the Soviet Union is no longer in business. Today, President Vladimir Putin is moving Russia into a free-market economy, moving Russia into the WTO. These are positive moves. However, what happened in between?
Russia had a startling success with Sputnik in 1957. However, it was not long before the U.S. put a man into space and a man on the Moon.
Soon after, we saw some rather iconic images. The Gdansk Shipyard Strike. Then: Ronald Reagan, a President of Mythic Proportions single-handedly tearing down the Berlin Wall. The collapse of the Soviet Union. And, most poignantly, the unbridled success of China's economy. Too, there was the reunification of Germany and the stark contrasts that were revealed.
The problem President Putin has in his efforts to move the Russian economy forward and upward is this simple--he must contend with the fact that there are still a few members of the Old Soviet Guard who "remember a better time".
Quite frankly, I believe President Putin will succeed. Still, globally, there are many old wounds that have not yet healed. Many slights, embarrassments, "awkward moments" in diplomacy. The "companionable" silence. Complicity in excruciatingly polite behaviour. And, there is another factor:
"It is a universal condition: We refuse to accept that all alliances and enmities are transitory." Slim Fairview. From The Quotations of Slim Fairview.
Regards,
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All rights reserved.
To understand the misalliance, we must look back over time.
The economic problems in Russia go back to before the Bolsheviks. One of the reasons for the economic decline is the absence of primogeniture in Czarist Russia. Feel free to Google the topic.
The second reason is the failure of leadership to understand that while propaganda may fool some foreigners, it won't fool the citizens. They must live under the conditions as they are, not as they are defined or described. In short--when everyone owns everything, no one owns anything. Reported in the news over four decades ago. Eighty-five percent of the food grown in the Soviet Union is grown on fifteen percent of the land. We are not discussing surficial geology. We are talking about the 15% of the land allocated to the farmer for his personal use. This was a problem the Pilgrims confronted in Colonial New England. They resolved the issue more expediently. (Change or starve.)
With this much established, a centralised government, provided little or no opportunity for the independence that fosters creativity. However, there is more. The lessons of the revolution. For those who read Danton's Death by Georg Büchner: The Lessons of the Revolution: "They are suspect, we are suspect, all are suspect."
However, the Soviet Union is no longer in business. Today, President Vladimir Putin is moving Russia into a free-market economy, moving Russia into the WTO. These are positive moves. However, what happened in between?
Russia had a startling success with Sputnik in 1957. However, it was not long before the U.S. put a man into space and a man on the Moon.
Soon after, we saw some rather iconic images. The Gdansk Shipyard Strike. Then: Ronald Reagan, a President of Mythic Proportions single-handedly tearing down the Berlin Wall. The collapse of the Soviet Union. And, most poignantly, the unbridled success of China's economy. Too, there was the reunification of Germany and the stark contrasts that were revealed.
The problem President Putin has in his efforts to move the Russian economy forward and upward is this simple--he must contend with the fact that there are still a few members of the Old Soviet Guard who "remember a better time".
Quite frankly, I believe President Putin will succeed. Still, globally, there are many old wounds that have not yet healed. Many slights, embarrassments, "awkward moments" in diplomacy. The "companionable" silence. Complicity in excruciatingly polite behaviour. And, there is another factor:
"It is a universal condition: We refuse to accept that all alliances and enmities are transitory." Slim Fairview. From The Quotations of Slim Fairview.
Regards,
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All rights reserved.
Friday, June 8, 2012
EuroBondage & Leadership
"You can't lead if you can't manage." The Quotations of Slim Fairview
The new deception--leadership legerdemain--is a call for a EuroBond. This, of course, is more than a gilt-edged bailout. Here is the problem.
We hear constantly about European Leaders meeting. However, what is really happening is European followers are meeting. Whom are they following? Chancellor Merkel. This begs the question, "Why?"
Have we followed Merkel's Lead? Yes.
Have things gotten better? No.
Have things gotten worse? Yes.
Conclusion? Do not follow Merkel's Lead.
Let's speak colloquially for a moment.
A country borrows money. (Bonds)
This money is used to grow the economy.
The economy grows.
The money from the growth repays the bonds.
This is not Merkelism: A solution based on the fear that someone, somewhere, is earning a living.
A country borrows money. (Bonds)
A country pays bills.
The country borrows more money to pay off the bonds.
Merkelomics means keeping the Greece and Spain shackled to poverty by keeping Greece and Spain shackled to poverty programmes.
Suddenly, there has arisen a Twitter call to stop Merkel spreading through Spain. This is not new to me. I've been doing that for a while now.
Back to leadership.
The reason we have committees is not to include people. It is to conceal incompetence. It is to spread the blame. It is a desperate attempt to find a solution the way buying more lottery tickets is a desperate attempt to win the lottery.
Merkel has recently indicated that she will consider the idea of a EuroBond. This is not an effort to find a solution to the EuroCrisis before the economic crisis becomes a disaster. This is an attempt to conceal the fact that her leadership has failed. This, I've discussed before in numerous monographs posted to my blog.
I would like to quote from my previous monographs. That, however, is not the best way to handle matters. Instead, I will include links at the end of this posting.
China. I once said of Chinese-American economic relations, "China is smart enough to know that it won't stay in business very long if it puts its customers out of business."
The same holds true for Europe. China does not celebrate the EuroCrisis. Now, the EuroCrisis is a Global Economic Crisis. Soon? A Global Economic Disaster. Why? Because no one is leading.
Recently, commentators were saying there is no magic solution. China will not come to the rescue. Now they are saying we should call on China. Don't tell me the commentators haven't been reading my blogs.
Now, commentators are discretely expressing their disappointment in Merkel. They say Germany. They mean Merkel.
Nothing in any of the attempts over the past two years has any connection to economic growth. Most of the attempts in fact impede or forestall any possibility of growth.
You can't have Economic Growth without Economic Development. You can't have Economic Development without Capital Investment. If you don't like the concept, you don't like China.
China: Capital Investment in Brazil to bring food to the ports.
China: Capital Investment in Portugal. (Winning bid for a state owned utility.)
China: Capital Investment talks in Greece--Shipping!
Bring food grown in Brazil to the ports. Ship the food to China and the world markets.
Chancellor Merkel has failed to lead. That evidence lies not only in the EuroCrisis bordering on a EuroDisaster, but also on every effort to conceal this crisis in leadership in a morass of committees and agencies. The EFSF, the ESM, the IMF, the ECB and a series of meetings.
Chancellor Merkel cannot manage the crisis. You can't lead if you can't manage. The European leaders are not leaders--they are followers. The EuroCrisis is about to become a EuroDisaster. The EuroCrisis is effecting the Global Economy.
This is the time for Chancellor Merkel to step down and go home.
Bon chance.
Slim
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All Rights Reserved.
Additional Reading:
Merkel's Last Stand
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/merkels-last-stand.html
The EuroCrats Trojan Plan--Destroy Greece
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/eurocrats-trojan-plan.html
Eurocracy with Apologies to Swift
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/eurocracy-with-apologies-to-swift.html
Merkel and the Salesman. (A metaphor to explain the failed economic policies.)
http://sidestreetjournal.blogspot.com/2012/05/merkel-and-salesman.html
Merkel Blinks. Slim Wins.
http://sidestreetjournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/merkel-blinks-slim-wins.html
You Can't Fool the Lion. (A metaphor to explain failed leadership.)
http://sidestreetjournal.blogspot.com/2011/12/you-cant-fool-lion.html
Firewall or Farce? (Building a firewall around Greece will not save Spain's Economy.)
http://sidestreetjournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/firewall-or-farce.html
Regards,
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
The new deception--leadership legerdemain--is a call for a EuroBond. This, of course, is more than a gilt-edged bailout. Here is the problem.
We hear constantly about European Leaders meeting. However, what is really happening is European followers are meeting. Whom are they following? Chancellor Merkel. This begs the question, "Why?"
Have we followed Merkel's Lead? Yes.
Have things gotten better? No.
Have things gotten worse? Yes.
Conclusion? Do not follow Merkel's Lead.
Let's speak colloquially for a moment.
A country borrows money. (Bonds)
This money is used to grow the economy.
The economy grows.
The money from the growth repays the bonds.
This is not Merkelism: A solution based on the fear that someone, somewhere, is earning a living.
A country borrows money. (Bonds)
A country pays bills.
The country borrows more money to pay off the bonds.
Merkelomics means keeping the Greece and Spain shackled to poverty by keeping Greece and Spain shackled to poverty programmes.
Suddenly, there has arisen a Twitter call to stop Merkel spreading through Spain. This is not new to me. I've been doing that for a while now.
Back to leadership.
The reason we have committees is not to include people. It is to conceal incompetence. It is to spread the blame. It is a desperate attempt to find a solution the way buying more lottery tickets is a desperate attempt to win the lottery.
Merkel has recently indicated that she will consider the idea of a EuroBond. This is not an effort to find a solution to the EuroCrisis before the economic crisis becomes a disaster. This is an attempt to conceal the fact that her leadership has failed. This, I've discussed before in numerous monographs posted to my blog.
I would like to quote from my previous monographs. That, however, is not the best way to handle matters. Instead, I will include links at the end of this posting.
China. I once said of Chinese-American economic relations, "China is smart enough to know that it won't stay in business very long if it puts its customers out of business."
The same holds true for Europe. China does not celebrate the EuroCrisis. Now, the EuroCrisis is a Global Economic Crisis. Soon? A Global Economic Disaster. Why? Because no one is leading.
Recently, commentators were saying there is no magic solution. China will not come to the rescue. Now they are saying we should call on China. Don't tell me the commentators haven't been reading my blogs.
Now, commentators are discretely expressing their disappointment in Merkel. They say Germany. They mean Merkel.
Nothing in any of the attempts over the past two years has any connection to economic growth. Most of the attempts in fact impede or forestall any possibility of growth.
You can't have Economic Growth without Economic Development. You can't have Economic Development without Capital Investment. If you don't like the concept, you don't like China.
China: Capital Investment in Brazil to bring food to the ports.
China: Capital Investment in Portugal. (Winning bid for a state owned utility.)
China: Capital Investment talks in Greece--Shipping!
Bring food grown in Brazil to the ports. Ship the food to China and the world markets.
Chancellor Merkel has failed to lead. That evidence lies not only in the EuroCrisis bordering on a EuroDisaster, but also on every effort to conceal this crisis in leadership in a morass of committees and agencies. The EFSF, the ESM, the IMF, the ECB and a series of meetings.
Chancellor Merkel cannot manage the crisis. You can't lead if you can't manage. The European leaders are not leaders--they are followers. The EuroCrisis is about to become a EuroDisaster. The EuroCrisis is effecting the Global Economy.
This is the time for Chancellor Merkel to step down and go home.
Bon chance.
Slim
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All Rights Reserved.
Additional Reading:
Merkel's Last Stand
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/merkels-last-stand.html
The EuroCrats Trojan Plan--Destroy Greece
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/eurocrats-trojan-plan.html
Eurocracy with Apologies to Swift
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/eurocracy-with-apologies-to-swift.html
Merkel and the Salesman. (A metaphor to explain the failed economic policies.)
http://sidestreetjournal.blogspot.com/2012/05/merkel-and-salesman.html
Merkel Blinks. Slim Wins.
http://sidestreetjournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/merkel-blinks-slim-wins.html
You Can't Fool the Lion. (A metaphor to explain failed leadership.)
http://sidestreetjournal.blogspot.com/2011/12/you-cant-fool-lion.html
Firewall or Farce? (Building a firewall around Greece will not save Spain's Economy.)
http://sidestreetjournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/firewall-or-farce.html
Regards,
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Friday, May 18, 2012
GM and Facebook
I posted this monograph of 5/18. After a few colleagues read it, I took it down. Now, with Mr Ewanick having left the firm, I am reposting the monograph. Regards, Slim
General Motors doesn't find much value in advertising on Facebook. Some investors see no value investing in Facebook.
Perhaps General Motors doesn't realise that the 14, 15, 16 year old youngsters visiting Facebook today will be visiting New Car Showrooms in a few years. None the less, let's look at GM through the Years of Technology.
The General: "The Telly Phone? The Telly Phone! I'm not buying telly phones. I do that and my employees will spend all day talking on the telly phone instead of working. Besides, why would I want to invest in some youngster and a start-up tech company. You have no revenues, no profits. I'm not investing in the telly phone."
The General: "Telly vision? Telly vision! Who wants to look at that tiny screen. Nobody, that's who. Besides, why would I want to invest in some youngster and a start-up tech company. You have no revenues, no profits. I'm not investing in the telly vision."
The General: "Flying machines? Flying machines! If the good Lord wanted me to fly, he'd have given me wings. Besides, what good is flying around with my brother? And another thing: if you have flying machines you need to have airports. Do you see any airports? Besides, why would I want to invest in some youngster and a start-up tech company. You have no revenues, no profits. I'm not investing in any flying machine."
The General: "Light bulbs? Light bulbs! What good are they. Light bulbs aren't any good unless you have electric companies. How many electric companies to you see? Besides, why would I want to invest in some youngster and a start-up tech company. You have no revenues, no profits. I'm not investing in any light bulbs."
The General: "The Motor Car? The Motor Car! Noisy smelly toy for the rich. It will never replace the horse. Why in heaven's name would I want to invest in the Motor Car?"
"BECAUSE YOU SELL MOTOR CARS!"
Facebook is the telegraph, the telephone, the fax machine, the post office, the television, the movies theatre, the Rolodex
®, and--with voice chat--the meeting room. It is no longer a place for youngsters to hang out. Facebook is now the business platform.
But don't bother listening to me. Everyone always doesn't listen to me.
For more on Social Media:
Social Media is the Medium. Greater than the sum of its parts.
Quill Pens and Powdered Wigs in Today's Classrooms.
Warmest regards,
Slim
PS. General, if you've found anything I said to be helpful, please don't hesitate to send me on of those tricked out Macs and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note. Slim
Monday, March 19, 2012
Our Middle East Muddling
Our Middle East Muddling
Western efforts in the Middle East are not going well. Hence:
Through no fault of my own, I was watching C-Span over the weekend. I was never so happy to see something so sad. Four middle-age, middle-class, suburban white men were sitting around discussing The Middle East.
Each man was a credentialed individual. The hosting organisation was prominent. The collective understanding of the Middle East was non-existent.
One fellow, in making a point, referred to a conversation he’d had with someone from the Middle East. He began, “You should…” He lost me immediately. I wonder how his Middle Eastern colleague felt.
You Forgot to Tell the Other Guy In discussing on my blog, why strategies fail, I opened with the following statement. It is as true of Global Affairs as it is of business management, perhaps more so.
Global Planning, eh? Did anyone tell the other guy?
Okay, now you are getting ready to plan globally. You are going to discuss:
Strategic Planning
Innovation
Team Building
Market Penetration
The Visioning Process
Consensus Building
Project Management
and so on.
You will also consider financing, information technology, cloud computing, virtual servers, capital investment. You will achieve consensus the way others achieve nirvana. You will plan your work and work your plan.
You will fail.
Why?
You forgot to tell the other guy.
Okay, now you are getting ready to plan globally. You are going to discuss:
Strategic Planning
Innovation
Team Building
Market Penetration
The Visioning Process
Consensus Building
Project Management
and so on.
You will also consider financing, information technology, cloud computing, virtual servers, capital investment. You will achieve consensus the way others achieve nirvana. You will plan your work and work your plan.
You will fail.
Why?
You forgot to tell the other guy.
Based on this programme, and the one I watched on Sunday—same topic, four new middle-aged, middle-class, suburban white guys—I asked myself, “What would Muslims say in response to all this? This monograph is, of course, for the benefit of the Middle East experts in this country. This is not what we want to hear. This is what we need to hear.
The First Amendment
One expert took the liberty of reading the first Amendment to your Constitution.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Now let us look at your posturing from the point of view from someone in the Middle East. The reason for this is to underscore that many Arabs want American style freedom, but not American style government.
If we embrace your form of government, what will be the benefits? You criticise us for having what you call a Theocracy. You accuse us of lacking sensitivity to various religions. Well, let’s look at what you practice.
When the Valedictorian at Thomas Jefferson High School gives her address, she is allowed to discuss the eating of pork—offensive to Muslims. She is allowed to discuss drinking alcohol or having intimate relations without benefit of marriage—offensive to Muslims. However, if she thanks Jesus for her success, she will be censored by the Principal.
We must assume the same rule would apply to the Muslim student who wishes to praise Allah for his success. This you attempt to justify under the guise of separation of Church and State.
We know that this is not in your Constitution. It was fabricate by your Supreme Court. Your Supreme Court created a principal to negate, “nor prohibit the free exercise thereof. Hence, under your system, our Supreme Court will forbid our Valedictorian to praise Allah. This is only a part of the Western Cultural Hegemony you wish to impose on the Middle East.
Your Supreme Court, on one occasion, declared separate to be equal among your diverse people. Then, they declared separate to be unequal. Therefore, you now have a society of diverse people that is, for the most part, not separate but is still unequal. Still, you lack the capacity to understand that our society is not for the most part, diverse. Stop trying to tell us it is to justify your pretense and gratify your pretensions.
Your Second Amendment
There are many Muslims who know your history better than many of you know ours. In 1776 you fought an open, armed rebellion against what was at that time your legitimate Government over the minuscule tax on tea—taxation without representation. Those of you most concerned about freedom, and those who claim to be charged with the responsibility of protecting the civil liberties of your people, have concluded that this right to keep and bear arms has limitations. Sensible, perhaps; however, some have gone so far as to declaim that the amendment is there to protect the right of the government to maintain regulated militias.
Let’s look at Libya. What if Colonel Gaddafi and the Libyan Civil Liberties Association told the Libyan people that their second amendment right was the right of the Libyan government to form militias to protect the Libyan people? There would have been no liberation of the Libyan people.
We hold these truths to be self-evident; that each man is endowed by his creator with inalienable rights.
Now that we have established that your revolution and new government arises from rights that you received from God, and that you wish to create a peaceful society, and that you have enumerated rights to protect your citizens, let’s look further.
You have accused the Muslim society of being a society of violence. Yet, we see the violence perpetrated against the Loyalists in 1776. We see the enslavement of Africans. We see the bombing of Churches and the killing of children. We see the violence of Corporations against workers who try to form unions. And we see the violence of labour against the businesses they work for. We see “peaceniks” rioting for peace in your streets. We see Americans bombing Federal Buildings, or trying to. And when they are captured, they are represented by Laudable Attorneys protecting their civil rights.
Now, what about civil discourse?
We see those who claim to be protecting their rights to free speech; attempt to protect that right by violating the rights of others through heckling. And we see the hypocrisy. “When they do it, it is censorship. When we do it, it is sensitivity. “
On your news programmes we see the hypocrisy of debate played out every night. Pundits, politicians, contributors—some on the left, some on the right—evading questions, telling half –truths, interrupting each other with contradictions that are vague at best if not untrue, or all talking at the same time.
This is not debate, this is a farce. Has no one mentioned to your most distinguished public intellectuals that belligerent, argumentative, and rude, are not attributes of civilised, intellectual debate? Then there are those who attempt to intimidate opponents with either ridicule or false and malicious allegations that malign their character, their integrity, their faith, and or their sanity.
Congress
One member of your Congress, the single-most august legislative body in the secular world, told the people that that Congress has a 9% approval rating. (Perhaps he forgot that he is a member of that Congress.)
To your Congress: there is an incontrovertible fact—your people don’t like you.
Your President Clinton stated that Government is the store and the American People are the customers. According to your Constitution, your Government is the store; the American People are the owners. The owners have said you performance is not acceptable. They don’t say this only every four years in a Presidential election. They said it when the people gave control of your Congress to the Republicans in the mid-term election of President Clinton’s first term—“I’m not going to tax and spend, I’m going to tax and invest.” [Perhaps too many people remembered President Carter.]
They said it when they handed authority to the Democrats with the election of President Obama. Then came, “If you want to find out what’s in the bill you have to vote for it.” Is anyone surprised that the people returned control of the House of Representatives to the opposing party? The surprise—and irony, however, is that the first time this happened, the Republicans worked with the President. Now, the Republican Party is controlled by the Tea Party—the Party of No. Plus ca change…eh?
To quote one of the most eloquent of your Presidential orators, Lyndon B. Johnson,
“I ain’t never learned nothin’ talkin’” [sic].
This is excellent advice. Everyone wants to talk to the Muslims. Everyone wants to explain US policy in the Middle East. [How long ago was the mantra, “If you don’t agree with me, it’s my fault. I didn’t explain it properly.”]
This seems to me to be what the Arabs would say to us.
Perhaps it would help if we listened long enough to find out what the “Policies” of Middle Eastern Nations are toward the US and other Western Countries.
“It is a universal condition. We refuse to accept that all alliances and enmities are transitory.” The quotations of Slim Fairview.
China sees the world from a mountain top 6,000 years high.
The Middle East sees the world from a mountain top 4,000 years high.
Europe sees the world from a mountain top 2,000 years high.
We see the world from a mountain top 236 years high.—Slim Fairview
“No one agrees with someone else’s opinion; only his own opinion expressed by someone else.” – My Dad.
We may be the biggest kid on the block, but we are not bigger than all the other kids on the block put together.
“Diplomacy—If you have to explain it, it’s not diplomacy.”
Bon chance.
Warmest regards,
Further reading:
The Impending Failure of Western Diplomacy in the Middle East. (11 April 2011)
Impediments to Executing Strategy. (24 November 2010)
Copyright © 2012 Robert Asken as Slim Fairview
All rights reserved.
Friday, March 9, 2012
China? No, CHINA!
The China bashers are at it again.
I realise that this is an election year, however, the bashing is starting to come from the professional sector. Apparently, it is now fashionable to predict bad things for China.
It seems only yesterday that "hard landing" was being bandied about. Then, soft landing. Then, those who did not see the grow they had predicted, indicated that China was not growing as rapidly as they had predicted. Others, who predicted the Chinese economy would fall, reported that the Chinese economy grew less larger [sic] and therefore they were right in their prediction.
Meanwhile, no one mentioned any of this to the Chinese. In short, China's economy is doing well because no one told the Chinese how bad things were going to be.
On the Political Front.
Governor Mitt Romney is calling China names.
Speaker/Professor Newt Gingrich is lecturing us on the history of China.
Senator Rick Santorum is planning to Evangelise China.
President Obama's Policy on China is, as the Nuns used to say in Catechism--a mystery. This is not to say that The President's policy is good or bad, only that ..."It's a mystery."
Congressman Ron Paul thinks China doesn't matter. What matters is electing him President so he can pull US troops from the Middle East and send them to Texas and Arizona so he can declare war against sick Mexican children who need hospital treatment.
And, of course, Donald Trump has declared war on China.
Back to Economics.
China has a very large economic engine and much fuel for that engine. China has many business colleagues around the world. China also sees potential for growth through partnering to achieve economic development. We, however, are obsessed with daily market fluctuations.
The Middle Class
The rise or fall of the middle class is a leading indicator of a country's economic well-being.
China: Rising middle class--rising economy.
India: Rising middle class--rising economy.
USSR: No middle class--no more USSR.
US: Declining middle class--follow the path of the trajectory.
At this point it is necessary to digress for an apology. I have said on several occasions, "USSR: no middle class--no more USSR." However, what I neglected to point out is this:
Russia: Rising middle class--rising economy.
The issue is plain. China has projects not plans.
The Hydro-electric Dam Project. (Energy)
The Super-computer Project. (Technology)
The High-speed Train Project. (Transportation)
Recent figures: China has a very large percentage of the world's population. However, China represents a very small segment of the Pharmaceutical industry. (You may Google the numbers.)
As Mr. McGuire said to Ben, I just want to say one word to you.....chemicals.
(The Graduate. With apologies to Charles Webb and Buck Henry.)
The Talk on the Television: China may well be fueling the economic engines of the global economy. China may well be fueling the economic engines of the global economy even as we speak.
China buys Portugal state owned assets. China makes investments in infrastructure in Brazil.
While some nations print more money or fiddle with interest rates, oops! I mean, adjust the interest rates, China is accused of manipulating the Yuan. At this point it is necessary to point out that The Chinese Government works in the best interests of China. Other governments should work in the best interests of their respective nations.
Warmest regards,
Slim
Further reading:
China! Economics! Diversification!
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/china-economics-diversification.html
China: Hostile or Expedient?
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/china-hostile-or-expedient.html
America v. China: The Diplomacy Wars.
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/america-v-china-diplomacy-wars.html
China: The economy and a word beginning with the letter P.
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/china-economy-and-word-beginning-with.html
India: The Facebook Evolution.
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/india-facebook-evolution.html
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All Rights Reserved.
I realise that this is an election year, however, the bashing is starting to come from the professional sector. Apparently, it is now fashionable to predict bad things for China.
It seems only yesterday that "hard landing" was being bandied about. Then, soft landing. Then, those who did not see the grow they had predicted, indicated that China was not growing as rapidly as they had predicted. Others, who predicted the Chinese economy would fall, reported that the Chinese economy grew less larger [sic] and therefore they were right in their prediction.
Meanwhile, no one mentioned any of this to the Chinese. In short, China's economy is doing well because no one told the Chinese how bad things were going to be.
On the Political Front.
Governor Mitt Romney is calling China names.
Speaker/Professor Newt Gingrich is lecturing us on the history of China.
Senator Rick Santorum is planning to Evangelise China.
President Obama's Policy on China is, as the Nuns used to say in Catechism--a mystery. This is not to say that The President's policy is good or bad, only that ..."It's a mystery."
Congressman Ron Paul thinks China doesn't matter. What matters is electing him President so he can pull US troops from the Middle East and send them to Texas and Arizona so he can declare war against sick Mexican children who need hospital treatment.
And, of course, Donald Trump has declared war on China.
Back to Economics.
China has a very large economic engine and much fuel for that engine. China has many business colleagues around the world. China also sees potential for growth through partnering to achieve economic development. We, however, are obsessed with daily market fluctuations.
The Middle Class
The rise or fall of the middle class is a leading indicator of a country's economic well-being.
China: Rising middle class--rising economy.
India: Rising middle class--rising economy.
USSR: No middle class--no more USSR.
US: Declining middle class--follow the path of the trajectory.
At this point it is necessary to digress for an apology. I have said on several occasions, "USSR: no middle class--no more USSR." However, what I neglected to point out is this:
Russia: Rising middle class--rising economy.
The issue is plain. China has projects not plans.
The Hydro-electric Dam Project. (Energy)
The Super-computer Project. (Technology)
The High-speed Train Project. (Transportation)
Recent figures: China has a very large percentage of the world's population. However, China represents a very small segment of the Pharmaceutical industry. (You may Google the numbers.)
As Mr. McGuire said to Ben, I just want to say one word to you.....chemicals.
(The Graduate. With apologies to Charles Webb and Buck Henry.)
The Talk on the Television: China may well be fueling the economic engines of the global economy. China may well be fueling the economic engines of the global economy even as we speak.
China buys Portugal state owned assets. China makes investments in infrastructure in Brazil.
While some nations print more money or fiddle with interest rates, oops! I mean, adjust the interest rates, China is accused of manipulating the Yuan. At this point it is necessary to point out that The Chinese Government works in the best interests of China. Other governments should work in the best interests of their respective nations.
Warmest regards,
Slim
If you find anything here to be helpful, please do not hesitate to send me a really tricked-out laptop and to put a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note. Slim
Further reading:
China! Economics! Diversification!
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/china-economics-diversification.html
China: Hostile or Expedient?
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/china-hostile-or-expedient.html
America v. China: The Diplomacy Wars.
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/america-v-china-diplomacy-wars.html
China: The economy and a word beginning with the letter P.
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/china-economy-and-word-beginning-with.html
India: The Facebook Evolution.
http://slimviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/india-facebook-evolution.html
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
India: The FaceBook Evolution
India. New Delhi & the ROI. (The Rest of India)
Changes are due soon, if not sooner. The culture is changing. Why? Empty stomachs know no isms.
Opportunities in India
The only "pent up" demand in the world at the moment is the demand for investment opportunities. Investors invest to make a profit, not to mitigate their losses. Therefore, as long as the EuroCrats embrace Merkelism there will be little to feed the economy--or the people.
The confusion lies in the fact that we have been distracted by the loud noises, bright colours, and shiny things of the Big City World of Advanced Technology. That, and the rising middle class.
Remember the Quotations of Slim Fairview.
"The Rise or Fall of the Middle Class is a leading indicator of a countries economic future."
China: Rising middle class, rising economy.
India: Rising middle class, rising economy.
USSR: No middle class, no more USSR.
US: Declining middle class--follow the path of the trajectory.
There is growth in China. There is growth in India. Capital Investment Cannot be Far Behind.
For quite some time now there have been reports of food rotting in the fields because the Indian farmer cannot ship his crops to the market. And there has been the caste system.
Both are changing. What has been reported in the news?
Two articles in the New York Times have championed individuals who have broken free from the caste system to bring prosperity to themselves and to the communities from whence they came.
Add to that the news that China has been making "capital investments" in Latin America. These to bring crops to the docks for export.
Capital Investment Opportunities
China's emergence, when viewed from the perspective of capital investment, economic development, global trade, and so on, is less an invitation and more a mandate to do business. This both for one's own and for the global economy. Also, the need to feed the people.
However, as I've often said, "I learned more about management from novels than from textbooks," we have Danton's Death by Georg Büchner.
The Lessons of the Revolution: "They are suspect, we are suspect, all are suspect."
Back to the ROI.
Following the model already in place, if India cannot ship the food to the market, there are options. Viable options.
1. Bring the food processing plant to the farms.
2. Make Capital Investments in the infrastructure to bring the food to the market efficiently.
Prosperity through Peace
Will China see peace as the road to prosperity? Will India?
"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." Santayana.
"Those who never learned history are doomed--period!" Slim Fairview
Ramses II brought untold wealth to Egypt after making peace with the Hittites.
Capital Investment in India will reduce waste in food at the farms.
India's farmers will build bridges to one another; pool their resources; leverage their assets; and increase their productivity.
Capital investment will create jobs: construction jobs, processing jobs, and road and rail jobs. The subsequent result will be to expand the export market and bring revenues to India, returns on investment to China, and food for many more people.
What is the engine driving this? The Facebook Evolution. Technology spreading throughout India and the rest of the world will be the force that helps the Indian people and the Chinese people to coalesce. The results will be positive.
Warmest regards,
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All rights reserved.
Changes are due soon, if not sooner. The culture is changing. Why? Empty stomachs know no isms.
Opportunities in India
The only "pent up" demand in the world at the moment is the demand for investment opportunities. Investors invest to make a profit, not to mitigate their losses. Therefore, as long as the EuroCrats embrace Merkelism there will be little to feed the economy--or the people.
The confusion lies in the fact that we have been distracted by the loud noises, bright colours, and shiny things of the Big City World of Advanced Technology. That, and the rising middle class.
Remember the Quotations of Slim Fairview.
"The Rise or Fall of the Middle Class is a leading indicator of a countries economic future."
China: Rising middle class, rising economy.
India: Rising middle class, rising economy.
USSR: No middle class, no more USSR.
US: Declining middle class--follow the path of the trajectory.
There is growth in China. There is growth in India. Capital Investment Cannot be Far Behind.
For quite some time now there have been reports of food rotting in the fields because the Indian farmer cannot ship his crops to the market. And there has been the caste system.
Both are changing. What has been reported in the news?
Two articles in the New York Times have championed individuals who have broken free from the caste system to bring prosperity to themselves and to the communities from whence they came.
Add to that the news that China has been making "capital investments" in Latin America. These to bring crops to the docks for export.
Capital Investment Opportunities
China's emergence, when viewed from the perspective of capital investment, economic development, global trade, and so on, is less an invitation and more a mandate to do business. This both for one's own and for the global economy. Also, the need to feed the people.
However, as I've often said, "I learned more about management from novels than from textbooks," we have Danton's Death by Georg Büchner.
The Lessons of the Revolution: "They are suspect, we are suspect, all are suspect."
Back to the ROI.
Following the model already in place, if India cannot ship the food to the market, there are options. Viable options.
1. Bring the food processing plant to the farms.
2. Make Capital Investments in the infrastructure to bring the food to the market efficiently.
Prosperity through Peace
Will China see peace as the road to prosperity? Will India?
"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." Santayana.
"Those who never learned history are doomed--period!" Slim Fairview
Ramses II brought untold wealth to Egypt after making peace with the Hittites.
Capital Investment in India will reduce waste in food at the farms.
- Crops will not rot.
- Agricultural investments will increase.
- Economies to scale will bring benefits to agriculture through intensive use of technology in agriculture.
India's farmers will build bridges to one another; pool their resources; leverage their assets; and increase their productivity.
Capital investment will create jobs: construction jobs, processing jobs, and road and rail jobs. The subsequent result will be to expand the export market and bring revenues to India, returns on investment to China, and food for many more people.
What is the engine driving this? The Facebook Evolution. Technology spreading throughout India and the rest of the world will be the force that helps the Indian people and the Chinese people to coalesce. The results will be positive.
Warmest regards,
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview
All rights reserved.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Too Greek to Fail
The Greek Debt Conundrum, conundrum being a better word than crisis, has now become what can be described only as Chancellor Merkel's Toy.
The Analysis
Have we been following Chancellor Merkel's Lead? Yes.
Have things gotten better? No.
Have things gotten worse? Yes.
Conclusion: Don't do that!
In addition I've described what has been happening in terms that I'd hoped would help people see beyond the balance sheet. Why? Because that is where the problem lies.
Merkelism: An Economic System based on the fear that someone, somewhere is earning a living. That somewhere is Greece. That someone is the Greek Bus Driver.
Merkelomics has been the strategy. However, you cannot cut wages, fire people, raise property taxes, and call it a solution.
Only now are people starting to become restive.
History
It should be pointed out that Greece predates Europe. The Romans brought the Graeco-Roman culture to western Europe. From Egypt to England--perhaps not it the most gracious of manner--government, law, politics, trade, shipping, and so forth was propagated. (by the way, we all know what eventually happened.)
Santayana: "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."
Slim Fairview: "Those who never learned history are doomed--period.
Perhaps the Arab Spring is too recent. Perhaps the Russian Spring is too current.
For the French: Bastille Day, Robespierre, The Committee for Public Safety. However, as I've often said, "I learned more about management from novels than from textbooks," we have Danton's Death by Georg Büchner.
The Lessons of the Revolution: "They are suspect, we are suspect, all are suspect."
For those who forget what happened between 1917 and 1939 we have Dr. Borisz de Balla's Diary of Europe in Conflict (1939-1946). In some interpretations, Eastern Europe did not embrace the Germans, they feared the Soviet Union. Now, the chickens have come home to roost. M. Hollande is criticising the economics of M. Sarkozy. It is not M. Sarkozy's economics that are the problem. M Sarkozy's diplomacy is the problem. He went to Berlin one too many times. I admonished him. "Have the next meeting in Paris." The compromise? The next meeting was held in Strasbourg. (Merkel wins again.)
The problem in the distressed nations is not capitalism. It is the dalliances with socialism. In short, M. Hollande is not the solution.
"The Rise or Fall of the Middle Class is a leading indicator of a countries future well being." -- Slim Fairview
China: Rising middle class, rising economy.
India: Rising middle class, rising economy.
Soviet Union: No middle class, no more Soviet Union.
U.S. Declining middle class--follow the path of the trajectory.
However, the matter is more than money. For those who are not familiar with American Television, in the early days, William Bendix played in a television series called, "The Life of Riley." He was a blue collar worker complete with zip-jacket and lunch pail. A few decades later, Carroll O'Connor played in a television series called, "All in the Family." He played Archie Bunker, a blue collar worker complete with zip jacket and lunch pail.
The former was a touching look at a man working to support his family, his friends, his community. The latter was a brutalisation of the blue collar--middle class--worker. The character, Archie Bunker, was portrayed as ignorant, opinionated, bigoted, and abusive. This was supposed to accomplish a noble goal. What it accomplished was not noble. It transformed America into a land where people got ahead to a land where people had to drag others down. Why mention it? Why indeed!
Look at the solution for Greece. Keep cutting debt to make the GDP appear larger. The economy cannot grown, the country cannot grow, the people cannot grown. Soon, they won't be able to live. The Middle Class is declining. Follow the path of the trajectory!
"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." -- Santayana
"Those who never learned history are doomed--period!" -- Slim Fairview
Ours was not a revolution of the Sans Culottes. Ours was a revolution led by those who read Latin and Greek. Who read the writings of the Greek and Roman philosophers. Europe went on to produce more philosophers. We went on to criticise them and laud Mark Twain who wrote Huck Finn (a racist tract) and Pudd'nhead Wilson--a new world ripoff of The Prince and the Pauper.
That is why I brought up a bit of history and culture. Because I am writing this for European readers. European readers, not leaders!
Marketing Chancellor Merkel recently witnessed S&P (The Black Angels of Merkeldorf) fly through Europe spreading an evil spell: The Downgrade.
If the ratings remained the same, Merkel could have claimed to have stemmed the tide.
If the ratings had gone up, Merkel could have claimed that her plan is working.
However, the fact that the ratings went down shows that conditions are getting worse. What is a politician to do? Claim that this proves that her plan is needed now more than ever. "The medicine made the patient's condition worse. That is why the patient needs more of the medication."
Still, The Chancellor presses on.
I wrote, Merkel's Trojan Plan--Destroy Greece. Sneak in under the cover of Bailout, then in the middle of the night, Greece's blackest moment, crush the economy, the people, the country.
Now, things are worse.
I had described one solution as a Ponzi Scheme: Go to China for a bailout. Go to the Middle East for a bailout. Go to Brazil for a bailout. Sound familiar?
Then, Sarkozy's was Merkel's Artful Dodger. Now, however, that the Artful Sarkozy failed to gather alms for the poor, Madame Christine Lagarde has been pressed into service as "Christina Twist" Where Sarkozy failed to pick the pockets of the richer nations, Merkel has sent Madame Lagarde out in rags to beg for coppers. This is not the first time that Madame has seized the opportunity to display both great humility and dignity. Madame Lagarde handles herself well: with dignity, grace, perseverance, and a commitment to duty. And, we may presume, her duty to France, Europe, and the rest of the world.
Still, the problem remains. The problem lies in the fact that everything seems to revolve around a growing web of Bureaucracies: The ECB, the IMF, the EFSF, and the EMS. Each, no doubt, (perhaps) vital in its own right, together are far from "greater than the sum of their parts." More bureaucracy, more expense, more regulations, and--dare I say it--more lawyers. (Notice, I did not even touch on the subject of more politicians.)
Follow the Path of the Trajectory: Empires fall. Byzantine, Rome and, before Ronald Reagan declared the Soviet Union the Evil Empire, Russia had an empire under Ivan Grozny. The Polish Empire, The Austro-Hungarian Empire, The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire, and so on. However, things are much too interconnected today. People are much closer. And, there is a new twist--The Internet. There is now a new social order--a world without borders: Will it become Netopian or a Distopian world? That remains to be seen. None-the-less, the IMF declared a slowing of growth. That is a Global call to arms.
My modest proposal--The Lender of First Resort--was intended to do two things. Bring the world's economies closer through capital investment--not unlike China's capital investment in Portugal and Argentina--and empower the people of Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, et. al. by reminding people that privatisation is not a dirty word when the Greek bus driver owns stock in the company. (I believe it is called an IPO.)
Greece need not fail. Greece need not collapse. However, Europe needs to rethink the way it rethinks the solution. For this, we need to remember the strength of the European people lies with their unity. With the rich traditions of literature, law, commerce, industry, culture, and pursuit, Europe cannot fail if the Europeans muster their resolve. With no pursuit of Economic Development and Growth, not unlike that which I've been blogging about for almost a year, the end will draw closer, faster until there is no undoing the damage. Merkel's solutions are the dripping faucet. Soon, the erosion will be irreparable.
My Mother taught me, "nothing for nothing." It is no longer a question of Greece leaving the Union or Greece going broke. Now it is a time to realise that perhaps the European people can no longer afford Germany. That, or that they can no longer afford to follow Merkel's lead.
Bon Chance.
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview. All rights reserved.
The Analysis
Have we been following Chancellor Merkel's Lead? Yes.
Have things gotten better? No.
Have things gotten worse? Yes.
Conclusion: Don't do that!
In addition I've described what has been happening in terms that I'd hoped would help people see beyond the balance sheet. Why? Because that is where the problem lies.
Merkelism: An Economic System based on the fear that someone, somewhere is earning a living. That somewhere is Greece. That someone is the Greek Bus Driver.
Merkelomics has been the strategy. However, you cannot cut wages, fire people, raise property taxes, and call it a solution.
Only now are people starting to become restive.
History
It should be pointed out that Greece predates Europe. The Romans brought the Graeco-Roman culture to western Europe. From Egypt to England--perhaps not it the most gracious of manner--government, law, politics, trade, shipping, and so forth was propagated. (by the way, we all know what eventually happened.)
Santayana: "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."
Slim Fairview: "Those who never learned history are doomed--period.
Perhaps the Arab Spring is too recent. Perhaps the Russian Spring is too current.
For the French: Bastille Day, Robespierre, The Committee for Public Safety. However, as I've often said, "I learned more about management from novels than from textbooks," we have Danton's Death by Georg Büchner.
The Lessons of the Revolution: "They are suspect, we are suspect, all are suspect."
For those who forget what happened between 1917 and 1939 we have Dr. Borisz de Balla's Diary of Europe in Conflict (1939-1946). In some interpretations, Eastern Europe did not embrace the Germans, they feared the Soviet Union. Now, the chickens have come home to roost. M. Hollande is criticising the economics of M. Sarkozy. It is not M. Sarkozy's economics that are the problem. M Sarkozy's diplomacy is the problem. He went to Berlin one too many times. I admonished him. "Have the next meeting in Paris." The compromise? The next meeting was held in Strasbourg. (Merkel wins again.)
The problem in the distressed nations is not capitalism. It is the dalliances with socialism. In short, M. Hollande is not the solution.
"The Rise or Fall of the Middle Class is a leading indicator of a countries future well being." -- Slim Fairview
China: Rising middle class, rising economy.
India: Rising middle class, rising economy.
Soviet Union: No middle class, no more Soviet Union.
U.S. Declining middle class--follow the path of the trajectory.
However, the matter is more than money. For those who are not familiar with American Television, in the early days, William Bendix played in a television series called, "The Life of Riley." He was a blue collar worker complete with zip-jacket and lunch pail. A few decades later, Carroll O'Connor played in a television series called, "All in the Family." He played Archie Bunker, a blue collar worker complete with zip jacket and lunch pail.
The former was a touching look at a man working to support his family, his friends, his community. The latter was a brutalisation of the blue collar--middle class--worker. The character, Archie Bunker, was portrayed as ignorant, opinionated, bigoted, and abusive. This was supposed to accomplish a noble goal. What it accomplished was not noble. It transformed America into a land where people got ahead to a land where people had to drag others down. Why mention it? Why indeed!
Look at the solution for Greece. Keep cutting debt to make the GDP appear larger. The economy cannot grown, the country cannot grow, the people cannot grown. Soon, they won't be able to live. The Middle Class is declining. Follow the path of the trajectory!
"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." -- Santayana
"Those who never learned history are doomed--period!" -- Slim Fairview
Ours was not a revolution of the Sans Culottes. Ours was a revolution led by those who read Latin and Greek. Who read the writings of the Greek and Roman philosophers. Europe went on to produce more philosophers. We went on to criticise them and laud Mark Twain who wrote Huck Finn (a racist tract) and Pudd'nhead Wilson--a new world ripoff of The Prince and the Pauper.
That is why I brought up a bit of history and culture. Because I am writing this for European readers. European readers, not leaders!
Marketing Chancellor Merkel recently witnessed S&P (The Black Angels of Merkeldorf) fly through Europe spreading an evil spell: The Downgrade.
If the ratings remained the same, Merkel could have claimed to have stemmed the tide.
If the ratings had gone up, Merkel could have claimed that her plan is working.
However, the fact that the ratings went down shows that conditions are getting worse. What is a politician to do? Claim that this proves that her plan is needed now more than ever. "The medicine made the patient's condition worse. That is why the patient needs more of the medication."
Still, The Chancellor presses on.
I wrote, Merkel's Trojan Plan--Destroy Greece. Sneak in under the cover of Bailout, then in the middle of the night, Greece's blackest moment, crush the economy, the people, the country.
Now, things are worse.
I had described one solution as a Ponzi Scheme: Go to China for a bailout. Go to the Middle East for a bailout. Go to Brazil for a bailout. Sound familiar?
Then, Sarkozy's was Merkel's Artful Dodger. Now, however, that the Artful Sarkozy failed to gather alms for the poor, Madame Christine Lagarde has been pressed into service as "Christina Twist" Where Sarkozy failed to pick the pockets of the richer nations, Merkel has sent Madame Lagarde out in rags to beg for coppers. This is not the first time that Madame has seized the opportunity to display both great humility and dignity. Madame Lagarde handles herself well: with dignity, grace, perseverance, and a commitment to duty. And, we may presume, her duty to France, Europe, and the rest of the world.
Still, the problem remains. The problem lies in the fact that everything seems to revolve around a growing web of Bureaucracies: The ECB, the IMF, the EFSF, and the EMS. Each, no doubt, (perhaps) vital in its own right, together are far from "greater than the sum of their parts." More bureaucracy, more expense, more regulations, and--dare I say it--more lawyers. (Notice, I did not even touch on the subject of more politicians.)
Follow the Path of the Trajectory: Empires fall. Byzantine, Rome and, before Ronald Reagan declared the Soviet Union the Evil Empire, Russia had an empire under Ivan Grozny. The Polish Empire, The Austro-Hungarian Empire, The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire, and so on. However, things are much too interconnected today. People are much closer. And, there is a new twist--The Internet. There is now a new social order--a world without borders: Will it become Netopian or a Distopian world? That remains to be seen. None-the-less, the IMF declared a slowing of growth. That is a Global call to arms.
My modest proposal--The Lender of First Resort--was intended to do two things. Bring the world's economies closer through capital investment--not unlike China's capital investment in Portugal and Argentina--and empower the people of Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, et. al. by reminding people that privatisation is not a dirty word when the Greek bus driver owns stock in the company. (I believe it is called an IPO.)
Greece need not fail. Greece need not collapse. However, Europe needs to rethink the way it rethinks the solution. For this, we need to remember the strength of the European people lies with their unity. With the rich traditions of literature, law, commerce, industry, culture, and pursuit, Europe cannot fail if the Europeans muster their resolve. With no pursuit of Economic Development and Growth, not unlike that which I've been blogging about for almost a year, the end will draw closer, faster until there is no undoing the damage. Merkel's solutions are the dripping faucet. Soon, the erosion will be irreparable.
My Mother taught me, "nothing for nothing." It is no longer a question of Greece leaving the Union or Greece going broke. Now it is a time to realise that perhaps the European people can no longer afford Germany. That, or that they can no longer afford to follow Merkel's lead.
Bon Chance.
Slim
slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2012 Slim Fairview. All rights reserved.
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