Who are you supporting in the upcoming American election

[Zero]

^ There is no need to watch a video from Salerno. I assume since you are a Canadian in the UK, you don't know of his reputation in the U.S.

Mr. Salerno would be what many people would call a "Left Wing Nut". It would not matter if the Republican party was chopping the heads off of baby ducks, or feeding every straving person in the world. He would give some kind of speech saying it was fascist, racist, or a plan from little green men from Mars.

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have better reputations than this guy. You would get a better response if you posted a video of a Mork and Mindy rerun.

I don't honestly care what people think of him. He is very intelligent and he makes a lot of sense. The people who call him a "nut" do so because an adoption of fair economics would mean disaster for the cigar-smoking con-artists who are profiting from the economic ignorance of the masses. If you have a point to make about what he has said, please do. I'm more than happy to discuss the validity of what he talks about, but if you'd just like to call him a "nut" then don't expect me to take your opinions seriously.

Consider that Salerno is an accomplished economist and his ideas are those generated by the likes of Hayek and Rothbard, both of whom were immensely influential. Hayek won the Nobel Prize in Economics, for goodness sake. If you're going to call someone like that a "nut", you'd better be damned prepared to impress me with your intellect.

[Zero]

I mean to say that he displays shocking incidents of broken logic, fuzzy thinking, confusion, and all manner of other mental glitches, any of which would scare me to find at the helm of the world's largest army.

examples?

To save my wrists, I offer a compilation.

[Link]

The USA as a government probably cares more about helping countries in need than its own citizens who make up the government.

Based on what evidence? I see the US having been instrumental in overthrowing democratically elected governments of dozens of countries. I see the US having funded and trained militias and terrorists to stimulate chaos in countries they had an interest in controlling. I see the US being the aggressor, time and time again, starting wars from which major US industries gain extremely lucrative public infrastructure contracts. The examples of random aid gifts (ie: post-Tsunami) are inconsequential when you factor them in against the bottom line. I can only wish that one day the US government becomes what its citizens largely and erroneously believe it to be.

Based on history and facts. And you name those dozen countries and I'll counter that they were democratically controlled elections in name only. And others will succumb to their own homelands propaganda too because the few who control the many do whatever to not relinquish power.
And of course there will be benefactors whenever a new system is put in place, but it will be for everybody- certainly more for the majority in the middle east who have 1% of that countries money.
Altogether, Your above statement is proof positive that there's more people who would rather shoot the meesenger and completely ignore the message itself, all because you want to follow the cash in the short term.

First, the world DOES expect the USA to play a lead role in things which involve aid because we are a very prosperous country and second, the USA is a country which has been founded on respect for all individual human beings and the diversity such brings.

I agree it was founded on those principles, but it has been about a hundred years since the government has acted in accordance with those principles.

This is just ridiculously absurd. YOU go take a look at the last one hundred years---go pull out a map--- and look at how many more countries peoples have freedoms the ever before:
South Korea
East Germany
Countless south american countries not done in by proaganda
Many parts of the previous USSR
Kuwait

Please, If we were the imperialsts we are constantly accused of, we'd be more similar to Germany of the late 30's and 40's.

The Bush family was very supportive of Hitler and his policies. Bush Senior's father was, in fact, subject to legal proceedings after the Union Banking Corporation scandal during WWII. Bush was one of seven on the board of directors who supplied Hitler with between 1/4 and 1/3 of the raw materials used during wartime (heavy steel plate, piping, wiring, pig iron, etc). They were all charged under the Trading With the Enemy act. It's not the whole government which is at fault - most of the US government is benign. They are just there to collect their pay and raise their hand now and again. This leaves the actual decision making very much open to the manipulations of a powerful minority in the government. A review of history can be quite illuminating.

You are obbssed with money. The jews themselves were quilty along with the sweeds, and countless other countries on making a buck during wartime.

Personally, I'd like for the USA to become more of an isolationist country because no matter how much you try to help other people by raising world standards, there's people like you who'd rather accuse instead of looking at the big picture.

But what is the big picture? Simply having good intentions is not enough - I can intend to do all the good in the world and still cause a catastrophe. The problem is with methods. If I give the US administration the benefit of the doubt - to trust that they actually intend to do good rather than intend to control under the guise of doing good - then they have been an abject failure. The only way to say that the US has been successful is to assume that their goal all along has been to draw otherwise free peoples into their economic sphere - making them something of a "client state" which furnishes raw materials and labour and which exports higher order goods for the consumption of America's industry and population. It's this forcible turning of countries into "employees" of a sort which is distasteful.

What I hinted at earlier and what I bolded in my first paragraph is the big picture- Raising world standards for individuals everywhere who are subjected to Dictatorships and manaical religous freaks and the hardships associated with such.
But there's always people like you who would rather worry about who is benefitting financially in the short term.
Oh, want to know how many barrells we've taken from Iraq? ZERO. There's something for you to count.

I guess it'll take about another couple hundred years and a muslim controlled world before certain conspiracy theroists in socialist countries come begging for some freedom since most have obvioulsy fogotten what true freedom really is and would rather discount the USA because, oh no, they are making some money in the short term.

[TBD]

Zero, you are correct that in today's politics left and right are confused. By classic definition I am a liberal. I believe in Liberty, of thought, of action and using them responsibly. In todays political world, I am a "righty" a conservative, but in the classic political sense I am the opposite. We as a nation have dumbed down our kids and the system and lost control of the definitions. all so a few power hungry indviduals can control us better.

[kidstaxi]

^ There is no need to watch a video from Salerno. I assume since you are a Canadian in the UK, you don't know of his reputation in the U.S.

Mr. Salerno would be what many people would call a "Left Wing Nut". It would not matter if the Republican party was chopping the heads off of baby ducks, or feeding every straving person in the world. He would give some kind of speech saying it was fascist, racist, or a plan from little green men from Mars.

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have better reputations than this guy. You would get a better response if you posted a video of a Mork and Mindy rerun.

I don't honestly care what people think of him. He is very intelligent and he makes a lot of sense. The people who call him a "nut" do so because an adoption of fair economics would mean disaster for the cigar-smoking con-artists who are profiting from the economic ignorance of the masses. If you have a point to make about what he has said, please do. I'm more than happy to discuss the validity of what he talks about, but if you'd just like to call him a "nut" then don't expect me to take your opinions seriously.

Consider that Salerno is an accomplished economist and his ideas are those generated by the likes of Hayek and Rothbard, both of whom were immensely influential. Hayek won the Nobel Prize in Economics, for goodness sake. If you're going to call someone like that a "nut", you'd better be damned prepared to impress me with your intellect.

First of all, I did not call him a "NUT". I said, that many people do. As far as, not taking my opinions seriously, it would be better if we did not discuss anything about economics. Because if you are going to just reguretate Salerno, I can't take your opinions seriously.

To be as respectful as possible. Salerno is like Booby Flay to me. Flay steered so far of course, he wasn't even respected for his chess playing. I will not stoop to calling Salerno a nut. He is more of a "pot stirer" or "smart eleck" in my opinion. He puts in his $0.02 in when ever he can, just to be heard.

Just difference in opinions, I guess.

[Dead Rabbit]

Perhaps Zero could point out a historical world super power that America should mold itself after?

The Romans crucified the entire Carthaginian army after the 3rd Punic War.

The Babylonians lit the Jerusalem night up with light via torches made out of defeated Jewish carcasses.

The British smashed Chinese ports and then force flooded its market with opium.


The Americans, on the other hand, built Japan and Germany up as economic competitors.

The Americans respond to a post cold war world, in which they find themselves as single military masters of the world and…….drum roll…..try to dominate the world market with shitty Big Mac hamburgers.

Come on dude. Has the U.S. made some dummy moves during the Cold War? Yes.


But they are the first super power who has not tried to take over as the world’s overlord.

Even the democratic Athenians took people over by force and stole their resources.

But compare the United States to every single world power through out the history of humanity and we are incredibly benign.

The fact is, America’s behavior has been truly unprecedented.

You want fries with that?

[Zero]

Well, my whole point is that they are trying to be a world superpower. I can't name one that worked because there have been none - the quest for superpowerdom is doomed to failure and tragedy. In fact, I'm saying that this is rather a lot like the rest of history - the superpower uses force to plunder. In fact, it would make me a lot happier just to hear them admit it - at least then they would be being honest. But if they were so good as to admit such a thing, everyone would be up in arms. At any rate, I always find Americans take such discussion far too personally - it's about the government, not about the people. I can go on a rant about everything I think is wrong about Canada too - it's just not really on topic.

[Zero]

Because if you are going to just reguretate Salerno, I can't take your opinions seriously.

I've got a whole range of economic texts on my bookshelf - from Smith to Keynes to Rothbard. I speak my opinions and I don't form opinions quickly. Your beef with Salerno?

[Zero]

You are obbssed with money

Because money is power. Money is the central tool of government and the system of credit provided by them is probably a more powerful weapon than even the nuclear arsenal of the US and ex-Soviet military. In fact, when the Soviet Union fell, it wasn't nuclear warheads that brought it down, but it was the collapse of its economy from the inside. Perhaps if you realised the economic implications of the US's military adventurism, you might be obsessed about money too. Ask yourself, for example, how congress "lost" a trillion dollars (over $2500 for every man, woman, and child) and then ask yourself how you feel about the fact that it was your tax money that they "lost" :

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...8/MN251738.DTL
Military waste under fire -- $1 trillion missing

Wars are only ever about one thing - land, its resources, and the support that can provide to a credit-based/managed economy. Everything else is just an excuse to make otherwise good people want to kill each other.

[Dead Rabbit]

Well, my whole point is that they are trying to be a world superpower. I can't name one that worked because there have been none - the quest for superpowerdom is doomed to failure and tragedy. In fact, I'm saying that this is rather a lot like the rest of history - the superpower uses force to plunder. In fact, it would make me a lot happier just to hear them admit it - at least then they would be being honest. But if they were so good as to admit such a thing, everyone would be up in arms. At any rate, I always find Americans take such discussion far too personally - it's about the government, not about the people. I can go on a rant about everything I think is wrong about Canada too - it's just not really on topic.

America is trying to be an economic super power, no doubt about it. whats wrong with that?

dude...i'm not offended at all. i like this stuff. even if people get their panties in a bunch, i suppose, with the upcoming election, at least its all concentrated in this thread.

[Dead Rabbit]

Well, my whole point is that they are trying to be a world superpower. I can't name one that worked because there have been none - the quest for superpowerdom is doomed to failure and tragedy. In fact, I'm saying that this is rather a lot like the rest of history - the superpower uses force to plunder. In fact, it would make me a lot happier just to hear them admit it - at least then they would be being honest. But if they were so good as to admit such a thing, everyone would be up in arms. At any rate, I always find Americans take such discussion far too personally - it's about the government, not about the people. I can go on a rant about everything I think is wrong about Canada too - it's just not really on topic.

I reject everything you say in that response. In some ways, a world super power can be good for the world: Pax Romana, Pax Britanica.

The global, economic success of Florence gave birth to the Renaissance.

The Islamic Caliphate in Spain gave us advancements in mathematics that made space travel possible today.

American power saved the world from nuclear war.

Now, I don’t want to sound like a sort of social Darwinist, because I’m not. The road to, say, Pax Romana was ethically unacceptable. However, I am arguing that uni-polar geopolitical conditions offer the stability needed for human achievement and progress. Multi-polar geopolitical conditions give us World War I and anarchy. Power vacuums have proven to be the most dangerous political condition on Earth.

[Dead Rabbit]

I'll give you a can of Elixer Power Snus if you write a post comparing and contrasting Keynes, Smith and Rothbard.

I will then give a roll of General Stark to somebody else who reads it.

This must be completed by 9 eastern time.

[Starcadia]

Clearly there's no accounting for accuracy or objectivity in political discussions. It's unnerving as it is anti-enlightening. Says a great deal about people, though, which is fascinating.

[Premium Parrots]

I think most Americans are most concerned with these issues..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKFKGrmsBDk




....................continues to quietly watch this thread.

[RobME]

Because if you are going to just reguretate Salerno, I can't take your opinions seriously.

I've got a whole range of economic texts on my bookshelf - from Smith to Keynes to Rothbard. I speak my opinions and I don't form opinions quickly. Your beef with Salerno?

I'll give you a can of Elixer Power Snus if you write a post comparing and contrasting Keynes, Smith and Rothbard.

I will then give a roll of General Stark to somebody else who reads it.

I'm putting you on notice that I'll read it, AND... I'll send half the roll to zero if HE writes it. So... we're all covered. 8)