Perhaps I'm just out of my depth here, though I suspect not. I sincerely have no idea what we're supposed to do to make other countries that feel inferior to and threatened by us happy. If the UN is already an admitted mockery, why perpetuate it by rewarding them with conciliatory gestures? Perhaps they can bilk money from relief agencies, since we're wise to them on their oil fraud? GMan's right. We're the leaders of the free world, and we finance the damned organization. This isn't exactly the right time for US to ask them to mend fences. If they're too stupid to identify global risks as they present themselves, then I'm not exactly sure it would be to our strategic advantage to have them as allies.
U.S. N[font=verdana,arial,helvetica][size=+2]ATIONAL[/size][/font] [font=verdana,arial,helvetica][size=+3]D[/size][/font][font=verdana,arial,helvetica][size=+2]EBT[/size][/font] [font=verdana,arial,helvetica][size=+3]C[/size][/font][font=verdana,arial,helvetica][size=+2]LOCK[/size][/font] [font=verdana,arial,helvetica]The Outstanding Public Debt as of 08 Mar 2005 at 10:08:30 PM GMT is: [/font] [font=verdana,arial,helvetica]The estimated population of the United States is 295,779,258 so each citizen's share of this debt is $26,167.93. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $2.27 billion per day since September 30, 2004! Smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors. . . We give and we give and we give, but yet we can't cover it. I'm no economist (matter of fact my LSU economics grades were F, W, D, F, C. . and that's just two classes) but at some point, the walls will come tumbling down. [/font]
That's exactly the point, though. We're a bottomless pit of foreign debt, and it's foolish to think that more of that should go to the freaking damned UN! As an aside, that debt number, and it's gross tendency to increase under Bush is far and away my biggest problem w/ his presidency. And the war and terrorism are inadequate excuses...the increase has been predominantly in other areas. Stepping off soapbox...
That and his stance on immigration were the 2 reasons that I was considering voting for Peroutka. The GOP needs to return to the days of fiscal responsibility and smaller government.
This thread needs hijacking. Somebody told me to check out 24 a couple weeks ago so I watched it the last 2 Mondays. I am hooked.
The UN is run by crooks that have operated for years with no checks and balances. The result is a highly ineffective organization that is infested with fraud. Mystikalilusion, your solution would be for Bush to appoint a patsy to the UN just so everyone their will like us? Why not appoint someone who is going to start holding the distraction responsible for their responsibilities. I am a fan of this administration. That is not to say I agree with all that they do or say, but for the most part I think they get it. They were many people that said Bush was not capable of handling our foreign affairs. Seems to me that the world is doing pretty dam good as of late. What do you know… Maybe Bush, Rice & Cheney know what they are doing. Amazing people who hate this administration can not even admit that things are going pretty good in this world of ours. However; never know what tomorrow holds… It could all fall apart for Bush and his team.
Hands down, the most interesting show on TV. I enjoy a lot of the HBO programming, but 24 is the first show I've ever watched where I get upset at every commercial break and think, wow, what's going to happen next. The end of every hour of the show leaves me anxiously awaiting the next hour (or episode) like a kindergardner on acid doing finger painting. . . I just can't get enough. Beaux-Bo, I do not "hate" this administration. We obviously are at odds as to the job they are doing, both internally and abroad and that's to be expected. I'm not out to change views. What I can distinguish is that liberals as a whole are able to pull back and see things in a light which takes every view into account. The conservatives are, on a whole, seeing things through tunnel vision because they embarked on a path they can't get off of, so they blindly shut out other views and opinions. The most obvious example I can put forth is your assertion that "things are going pretty good in this world of ours". I'm able to pull back, look at gas prices, look at Iraq, look at the situation with North Korea, look at our trade deficit, etc. and see that things are not going pretty good in this world of ours. Yes, i'm still getting my paycheck byweekly, and the earth is still rotating on its axis, but like you said, it's all a matter of perspective as to how good everything else is.
I just don't see this in my world. Working in Austin (Babylon on the Colorado), the posterchild of Southern Liberalism, it seems to me to be just the opposite. My hunch is that most liberals prefer to see themselves as you describe but it ain't necessarily so.
I don't see these massive differences between liberals and conservatives in the US, for the most part. Most people seem to be pretty middle of the road in their core belief structure, and virtually clueless that their own political parties are fooling them at every turn. It is by NO means limited to the Presidency. Far from it, that's just the easiest to scapegoat.
Putting the UN aside for a moment, as it is a joke unto itself (League of Nations, anyone?), I cannot understand why anyone who has at least a working knowledge of history feels that it is crucial that we have the approval of France, Germany and Russia for anything. Let's see...France-maybe 2 notches above a central American banana republic. Here we have a country that tries so hard to be a democracy (like us, of course..the French revolution would never have happened without ours), but lacks the moral fiber to persevere. They are now on what, their FIFTH republic? Or is it Sixth? Can you imagine if the US had had to rebuild the government 6 times since 1789? The only times France has really flourished has been under the hand of a strongman (see Napoleon). Even though they were able to survive WWI, it was only because of much propping up by Great Britain. Otherwise, the French army implodes in mutiny in 1917. France is always one major crisis away from collapse. It just seems to be the nature of the beast. Russia-A country that has only known freedom for about 15 years. Another example of a people that don't know how to step up and take charge for themselves, it just isn't in their culture. Putin is an ex-KGB man. That is pretty much self explanatory. Imagine if Himmler, Goering, or Speer had been allowed to become Germany's head of state following WWII. Germany-In my opinion, has the most potential either to be a worthwhile ally, or the worst enemy. 60 years of guilt over WWII has been useful to us, but enough time has passed that the generations growing up now are no longer cowed by it. Germany now feels good enough about itself to open up its mouth and speak out on international issues. They have a right to their views, but it rings pretty hollow that such a country should moralize to us.
