Australia is one of my favorite examples. I have been to your country a few times, and I typically receive good service without having to tip. Why? First of all it is just part of your culture to be service oriented, but more importantly they are happy with the wage they are receiving. Thanks for following my blog!

An excellent overview of our present economic situation. Like the $5,600 approach to our citizens who deserve home aid rather than the US providing foreign aid which never gets to the intended targets.

What also is necessary is to fight our terrorist war militarily and not politically. We must remove the rules of engagement and when necessary retaliate with extreme force killing all who are involved or who act as suppliers to the enemy. If not done now we will ultimately extricate ourselves from what may be politically determined a failure (without letting the military do its work) and we will have lost those soldier’s lives (5,000+) for nothing. Let alone be considered soft to all enemies, current and potential. We must take Patton’s and Mac Arthur’s stretegic approach to managing a war. They learned from history. We do not in DC and more potential enemies will become emboldened. Let’s get with it now.

Nikita K knew how to beat our democracy through realizing he could win by getting us from within (the drug problem is another way to destroy the USA). Just reflect upon what is going on now with our economy and the way we are “not” respected globally. Let’s talk.

If you’re a small business you were thrilled when no one stopped you from outsourcing software programming to india, or call center support to Brazil. Hey, you don’t need to pay social security taxes on them. Look at how much money your business saved. But, it means that many more skilled Americans without work.

What we need to do is provide incentives for businesses of all sizes to employ people HERE, so they pay taxes here (i’m tired of carrying the tax burden for all of the unemployed) to support the services and education of our children. Every dollar sent to another country to pay for labor is a dollar that no longer supports our infrastructure here.

my 2 cents.

inga

The other issue is that people mistake capitalism and free market with democracy. One is a form of economics and the other a form of government. There are many successful democracies that operate in mixed economies.

The Bailouts were a mistake from the beginning… It sends the message to those misbehaving that they can continue to misbehave and still receive sustenance. what message are we sending here, people? Stimulus? Bailouts? Top Down, Bottom Up? What is it really, to have a free market? Does it truly include the World Bank and the IMF? So many question, so many theories, so few answers that would satisfy a global economy working towards world democratization.

Trickle Up may work, but I fear that it may be a case of too little too late. The world is in a loan/repay/restrictions cycle and it is a merry-go-round that is never ending. The IMF has tried a failed experiment. Lets allow for real market competition, and see where the profits land.

Just simple thoughts from the dark side… at the end of the day.

Sadly, the stock market had to crash, people had to loose their jobs, businesses had to go broke, employees had to be “satisfied” with lower wages, yet do more work, everything had to devaluate, just so that profits and investments can be restored where it will be the beginning of greed and I can guarantee another crisis will be happening in the future.

Problem is that the wrong people had to suffer to get this “bubble” out and it was the “big boys” with the greed that got “rewarded” with getting the bailout money.

Great post Morissa!