Monday | September 22, 2008

America's fatal obsession with happiness.


 American society has gone insane with happiness and with fruitless but very obsessive struggle to achieve it. To paraphrase some very smart and very famous person name of whom escapes me “Happiness is the domain of insane and idiots”. Pursuit of happiness even made it into founding documents of the USA but not the happiness itself. Why? Because happiness was understood by people as an, ultimately, unachievable goal pursuit of which would better society and people. Similar to Christian goal of trying to better one self understanding that in the end only God can make one perfect.

 

Founding fathers of USA were, probably, the happiest people on Earth of their time. They had nearly unprecedented level of freedom and self-determination even under nominal rule of distant king. American colonies enjoyed highest levels of personal wealth on the common person level. Colonists ate (and drank) better foods than any average commoner in Old World. Most of the founding fathers were well off colonists who enjoyed even higher-level quality of life than average persons. Yet, they rose up and risked it all to achieve freedom, not happiness.

 

Fast forward couple hundred years. Look at an average Americans today. Freedoms are traded for promise of happiness so routinely and so readily by them. It is hard to believe that these very people are the (proud) descendants of the founding fathers who put everything on the line in their quest for those very same freedoms that are given up so easily today. What was it they used to say: ”Hang together or hang separately” in the difficult days of American Revolution. Founders gave up happiness, wealth, and security and were ready to give up their lives and for what?

 

Today happiness is in winning the game of life. Game of life in which one who died with most toys wins. Those who do not feel like they are on the winning side and those who “won” but achieved no happiness turn to drugs to make them feel happy. I heard that nearly 150 million mood altering drug prescriptions were written in one year in US. Unbelievable number if you ask me.

 

In the pursuit of personal happiness society as a whole lost direction completely. Few and far between are voices of people who do not like USofA becoming more and more Socialist. There is next to no popular oppositions to Government taking over more and more control of people’s lives and society in general. There is next to no opposition to Government taking over entire industries and sectors of economy. It is all done for “the better of the people”. Happiness of people must be found in freebies given by the Government not in freedom of determining the quality of life based on personal achievements and hard work.

 

In so many conversations with average Americans I came to realization that they are more than ready to accept Socialism in part or as a whole. So many times after talking to them about clear indications of US becoming more and more Socialist all I get is a shrug of the shoulder and reply that goes more or less like this: “Oh well, I guess we will have to live in the Socialism then”. At first I could not believe what I heard but then I realized that average American has absolutely no fear of Socialism and basically knows nothing about it.

 

Well, maybe it is just me. Paranoid and needlessly alarmist immigrant who actually did get to “enjoy” Socialism in the USSR. I believe that it was Winston Churchill who said “Capitalism is all about unequal distribution of riches. Socialism is all about equal distribution of miseries”. Hard to find better description of the Socialism. Happiness in the Socialism is all about watching your neighbors suffer just as much as you do. No riches produced in Socialism because they must be distributed by Government equally among people. Who would want to produce riches of any kind only to watch them taken away and given to your lazy neighbor. Before you know everybody becomes lazy, everybody comes down to the level of lowest common denominator. At this point Government becomes the slave driver to mandate and force people to produce something, anything. Soviet citizens used to say “We pretend that we are working and government pretends that it is paying us for the work”.

 

Do you see happiness as understood by Americans in my short description of Socialism? I did not think so.

 

Founding fathers wanted Americans to “pursue happiness” do that with clear understanding that happiness itself is a myth, like mirage in the desert. Like that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Running toward that pot is good for you. Pursuing happiness is good too, just like trying to be good in Christianity all the while clearly understanding that you will not become perfect.

After couple hundred years of “pursuit” Americans decided that we must be there by now. Enough of that pursuit already! Realizing that we are not happy still (even though we should be by now) Americans now turn to Socialism for answer.

Posted by Danz at 15:14:44 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Sunday | September 21, 2008

US is to become another China?

US is becoming another China? With current bailouts and US Government taking bigger and bigger part of collapsing US financial sector and biggest insurance company US Government may soon become semi-official owner of entire industries. Not exactly new economical system. Ever heard of SASAC? I bet not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-owned_Assets_Supervision_and_Administration_Commission_of_the_State_Council

With US Government first dictating industries how to conduct their business, which drove them to bankruptcies the very same US Government, is now more or less taking them over. Hard to believe that all that happened purely by accident. It may not be all that far-fetched to see giant conspiracy in all this. US Government and duopoly dictatorship that operates it just took a giant step into socialism. Chinese model of Socialism. Looks like America oligarchy liked China so much that not only they sent manufacturing to China but decided to more or less adopt Chinese economical model here. I hear some mentioning if US Government creating some kind of oversight board to bailout and control US financial sector. Is it going to be US version of SASAC? Sure sounds like it. US financial sector is now 40% of US economy. Seems like almost nobody is against US Government taking over 40% of US economy. Fear of financial hard times drives Americans into new, Socialist USA faster than bayonet of Bolshevik Revolution.

With Obama in power another 20% of US economy will be nationalized with “Socialized Medicine for all” system. Almost nobody can see anything wrong with that ether. Same take over scenario by the way. First, drive entire industry to near bankruptcy with government regulations and then take over it for the “good of the people”.

I hear US automakers are lining up for bail out next. Will they become part of new USSA SASAC too?
Posted by Danz at 18:57:50 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Sunday | August 10, 2008

War in Georgia


War in Georgia.
 
What is going on you can read in the news. Two details of this war that is nobody talking about:
 
First:
 
From the news “President Bush expressed alarm about the escalating conflict and called on Russia to respect Georgia’s territorial integrity.”
 
Hypocrisy of US foreign policy knows no bounds. It was not long ago that supported by US and NATO troops breakaway region declared independence. US was first to recognize independence of that region. There was no calls to respect Serbia’s territorial integrity. Why?
 
Needless to say US press is taking Georgian side in this conflict. Evil Russia attacking poor little Georgia..... There are two sides to every story though:
At the fall of USSR completely bogus borders between former Soviet Republics became real borders of now independent countries. Millions of people ended up in regions where their ethnicity made them “foreigners” in their own homes. Russians that lived in northern Georgia lived there for generations but since they are now on the “Georgian side” of formerly completely nominal border they are unwanted “foreigners” in new, independent Georgia. Georgians did not want to draw new, realistic border occupied by real ethnic Georgians. They just wanted to run all the ethnic Russians out across the border into Russia. I think it is called “ethnic cleansing” but this charge is only used against countries that are not allied with US.
Paid for with US foreign aid, trained by US Special Forces Georgians felt mighty “Uncle Sam” will make them invincible against Russia. After all US only supports good people against bad ones. Good countries against bad ones. If you ask average informed American if US took right side in Serbia/Kosovo conflict many of them will say "We bombed wrong side there".
 
Second.
 
Georgia’s President Saakashvili called US to declare war on Russia. Is he that NAIVE? I bet not. He in not naive, he had to be promised that US would protect Georgia from Russia to make such a naive, in today’s political situation, statement. Most likely promise was made few years ago when Russia was weak and US was not entangled in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now days situation has changed and US left Georgia out to dry, to battle with Russia on it’s own.
  
US becomes rather famous around the world for making promises it cannot keep. What do you think Estonians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians are thinking now? US backed them up with promises of support and they felt safe to thumb their noses at Russia all they wanted. Now what? They are going to have to really change their attitude toward Russia. What is left of US "mighty superpower" reputation took another huge blow, especially in the countries that are anywhere near Russia. Asian countries will have to take notice too. US will not be there to protect them from China.
 
 

Posted by Danz at 11:38:37 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Friday | April 18, 2008

Introduction.

Many years ago as a young immigrant from USSR I sometimes wondered about source and reason of the greatness of the USofA. Not understanding much if anything about American culture and politics, not even speaking English much I wondered if there are some king of great and wise leaders out there somewhere at the helm of the USA or there is an inherent greatness and wisdom among American people as a whole. I just though that I did not meet all those great people yet. Sounds naive, does it not? It is easy to have naive explanations of things one does not understand.

 

Years went by, I learned some English (still working on it), got assimilated to the point that even some of my fellow immigrants called me “Russian Redneck” for my love of Fords, Jeeps, guns, living out in the country among American Rednecks and not in the area where most immigrants live. Beside my Russian accent which I will always have I became just an average American blue collar hard working “Joe” and after all these years I finally came to the clear realization that my search for reason of the greatness of the USA is long over but so is the greatness of the USA. Now before you get all upset by this statement let me explain why I think so.

 

I never did meet that mysterious group of the people that are smart and wise, that are using great system of American democracy to elect great and wise leaders with great vision and outstanding character. With very few exceptions American people in general are just as gullible and short-sited as average dumbed down, brain washed by state media Soviet Citizen. With very few exceptions American leaders are just as corrupt and hungry for power as leaders of late USSR.

 

So where did the greatness of the USA came from? It came from huge inheritance left to Americans by their founding fathers. (Or should I say “founders”? That whole “fathers” thing sounds way to sexist). Anyway “founders” left USA such a vast wealth of freedom that it lasted for over two hundred years but this inheritance is all gone now. For a long time no contribution was made to that wealth of freedom and in is now all spent.

 

Group of wise men had a vision of free country, new society, new order in which all men are created equal. This group of men created this divinely inspired and faith based new concept of society in which freedoms could prosper. Freedom of religion (and not freedom from religion) economical freedoms, personal freedoms. All that which made this country great.

 

It took a while for all that wealth to run out. I think it ran out right around the “New Deal” time when America fell for attractive lure of Socialism. Ever since then America is living in debt and on borrowed time. Right around that time is when Americans lost some of their most fundamental rights essential to survival of free society. Americans lost right to their income (income taxes), property (property taxes became more common and accepted), freedom to keep and bear arms (first anti-gun laws were introduced).

It all went downhill from there.

 

Where are the freedoms Americans are still talking so proudly about? Proud descendant of great founding fathers can work hard all his life and pay for his property but in his old age living in all paid for house he cannot afford to pay property taxes and Government (of the people and by the people) kicks him out.

Proud descendant of the founding fathers must jump through hoops of countless gun laws and restrictions. Assuming that he is living in one of the more “free” states and he can have gun not limited to a single shot break action shotgun with barrel length of 18 inches. What if his shogun barrel is 17.999 inches? Kiss your freedoms good bye then! All of them!

 

Proud descendants of founding fathers even speak different language now! The new “Soviet Speak” language that was so common in late USSR. The new language where Government replaced God, freedoms, responsibilities and even parents! Government must provide, defend, create jobs, create wealth, educate, provide health care, retirement, drugs..... Do I need to go on?

 

Hard to read all this written by an immigrant of all people?  It will get harder yet.

 

US has gone well pass the point of no return. No society in history of mankind went that far into ignorance and decadence and did not collapse. Those few Americans that can, must understand that people as a society do not make miraculous recoveries once they are gone this far. People will not “wake up”; will not “snap out of it” will not take their eyes of the TV. Only when there is no food in the fridge, no game on TV and no beer left and only then average American will look around with dumbfounded look on his face and ask: “Uhhh, what happened? What happened to my country, society, prosperity, freedoms?” Needless to say it will be too late to save America then. Rolled into some kind of new North American or even New World Order people who once called themselves Americans will have to find new name for themselves, new things to be proud about. BUT it is going to be one heck of a rough ride! You have no idea just how bad it was for average former Soviet Citizen while going through the collapse of USSR. It will probably be a lot harder here though. People in general are much softer, much more unprepared and will go crazy much faster (and much crazier) than average Soviet ever did.

Posted by Danz at 10:47:50 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Wednesday | April 16, 2008

US Navy defenseless?

US Navy defenseless?! Unthinkable as it maybe it seems to be the case! One little Swedish AIP Diesel submarine can come and go as it pleases. It can sink US nuke subs, it can even sink biggest and newest US aircraft carrier!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khaa3y0i87s

 

This video leaves you under impression that Swedish Gotland is pretty much the only AIP diesel sub in the world, which is hardly a case

 

Germans launched new Type 212 sub, which is quietest in the word and uses fuel cells for silent propulsion.

 

Russians are not far behind. New Amur class should be coming out with diesels and fuel cell. Amur class is an improvement of very well known Kilo class, which is just as quiet as most top of the line nuclear subs if not quieter. China bough many Kilo class subs and orders more of them. Even Venezuela and Indonesia are in line to buy Kilos and Amurs

 

French Agosta and Scorpene supposed to be very formidable subs too. For sale to Pakistan, India and pretty much anybody else who pays.

 

AIP diesel subs can be just as deadly as nuclear subs especially in littoral waters and they cost fraction of the nuke. Before you know it even backward third world countries will have fleets of silent and deadly submarines.

At the same time US all nuclear, very expensive fleet is to shrink to 40+ subs in very near future. US submarine fleet will be stretched well beyond its capabilities. Responsibility of protecting US shores and numerous giant floating targets (AKA aircraft carriers) can be more than US Navy can handle. Chinese and Russian sub fleets combined outnumber US fleet 2to1 already and number of submarines in Chinese fleet is rising rapidly. Even Russians added couple new subs to their fleet and re-commissioned two more submarines, which were mothballed after fall of USSR.

 

Then there is another story, which everybody forgot about:

 

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20750156-1702,00.html

 

Chinese diesel submarine coming boldly into US carrier group formation and surfacing within five miles from the carrier! Two US subs and dozen surface ships did not even see it coming! China is testing defense capabilities of US Navy.

 

So, can US Navy defend American shores? Automatic and very patriotic response would be “Heck Yeah!” But is it really the case?

Oh by the way. Almost forgot. Another very bad news: "US Air Force is going out of business". I did not say that Secretary of US Air Force did

http://dc01-cdh-afa03.tranguard.net/AFA/Features/modernization/box092107warning.htm

Posted by Danz at 11:20:54 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Tuesday | April 15, 2008

Duopoly

If in 1980s you would stop average Soviet Joe (Ivan) on the street and tell them that heir country is in grave danger and will fall apart just few years later 99.9% of them would think that you just escaped from mental institution. At least 90% of those would report you to the nearest police department as “spy and provocateur of the West”. I really do not expect any different from average American Joe, it is simply a normal reaction of well-conditioned, well brainwashed subject.
 
When did Americans seized to be citizens and became subjects? There is no date to pinpoint but it probably happened at the same time America went from being an idea and a country to simply being a country. Citizens that found this country revolted over half cent tax but subjects of today pay half of their income to the government and go on with their happy life as “Free Americans”. Serfs of old Britain paid third of their income to their Lords, now Government (“of the people and by the people”) became the ultimate Lord. There is no one face, no one person that represents him. No one specific castle where he resides. Lord Government is everywhere, it lives in many houses and takes many forms.
 
Sure Lord Government will put a show on every two four years called “election” but changing faces in few offices do nothing for the overall character it.  Sure you can choose from “D” head on the left or “R” head on the right but both of those heads are joined at the shoulders of one huge two-headed monster of the Lord Government. This show leaves subjects feeling good about themselves, they do home happy because they still have the right to vote but what good it is the right to vote without the right to choose?
 
One of those forms that Lord Government takes is the “alphabet soup” some concerned Americans are so worried about. Some may dream about getting read of agency or two and call for that. In reality all those agencies are not the problem, they are not the disease but merely a symptom of it. One can no more cure this country by getting read of some or even all of those agencies than doctor can cure TB with cough drops. In the way “They”, “Them”, the “G-men” of all kinds became the necessary evil. Apart of oppression it may be but subjects cannot really function without the oppression. Citizens gave up not only their rights but their responsibilities of being citizens to the Lord Government so now both of those replaced by oppression in order to keep society in general functional.
 
Depressing as it maybe there is no way that subjects of America can “wake up” and become citizens again all over sudden. It is naive to expect it to happen. Mindset of the people in general can only be changed by disastrous, catastrophic events, which are coming but even when they come Lord Government will probably survive just fine and get bigger at the same time. Somebody representing Lord Government will come forward and say: “You want your prosperity back? You want your new TVs and luxury items back? Just take this instead and it will all be back...... Take Amero! Oh by they way, since we screwed up our own currency we are going to need our Canadian and Mexican brothers to help us out, we are going to need to unite with them for that”.
Just that easy. Herds of American lemmings will go for that in no time! USA or NAU who cares....! We want our toys and good times back!
 
Generations may pass before somebody somewhere may try the bold experiment similar to founding of America again. That is if humanity in general will endure for generations more. Time will show.
 
Posted by Danz at 11:08:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday | March 03, 2008

Medvedev

Well, congratulations mister Medvedev! New Russian President and seat warmer so Putin can find it comfortable and warm when he comes back. He does not go anywhere anyway. He will be there whispering into Medvedev’s year what to do and what to say.
 
If only US could find an American equivalent of Putin. Smart, deeply patriotic, ruthless politician and great organizer. Instead we have bunch of empty suits (and skirts) that are hell bent on bleeding US dry and selling it off to the highest bidder.

Democracy failing in US. American people are generally good and generous but American Government spends gazzilions of US taxpayers $ all over the world to force US influence and control in form of forced "democracy". Forcing US form of "democracy" onto people that do not want it everywhere. From Iraq where democracy of any kind will never work to Ukraine and Russia where Western style of democracy cannot work.
US Government  DOES NOT represent American people. If only Americans would know just a fraction of what is done all over the world in their name.

I bet the first time you heard about "Orange Revolution" you asked yourself: "Ukraine? Where is Ukraine? Somewhere between Uruguay and Uranus?" but your beloved Government is there. Spending hundreds of millions of your money to elect one group instead of another for who knows what reason.
 
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2004/cr120704.htm
 
In Russia Western style of democracy would lead to chaos, fragmentation of Russia, economic collapse and massive unrest and starvation. Russia was well underway. Some regions of Russia were demanding UN recognition (not just Chechnya) Putin put the end to that quick
 
Oligarchs were stealing everything of worth from Russia and selling it off to the highest bidder. Putin put controls over them. Some of them had to run to West for safety.
Economy recovering, people earn more, crime goes down... What is wrong with the picture? Everything, in US eyes anyway. US backs weak, PC candidate who is not even Russian and has popularity in single digits. Why? Because strong Russia is an independent Russia. US wants weak, messed up country forever dependent on US foreign aid.

Putin's popularity approval ratings are in 70-80% range and he is a "tyrant"
Compare it to mid 20s approval for Bush and tell me who represents their people better.

There is a passage in Bible that goes something like this: "Pull log out of your own eye before pointing out speck in eye of your brother."

US democracy is failing miserably in the sea of corruption and dictatorship of political correctness while "patriotic" Americans are busy telling others that their political system is not good enough.
 
Russia is getting more and more stable by the day.  US backed non-Russian guy name Kasparian (Kasparov) who openly loathes Russians and is serving interests of the USA, not Russian people. He is a member of US National Security Advisory Council. Though his name was taken off official list just recently. I wonder if, say, Al Gore was an official member of some Russian Security Council, his campaign was paid for by Russia, how much Americans would object to that? Yet US expected different reaction from Russia?
Can you imagine something more anti-democratic? US is hell bent on destabilizing Russia as much as possible

Russia is not US friend. Duh. Russia is not US friend because friends do not threat friends like shit. Friends do not get into friends backyards and start moving fences around. Friends do not help some bum off the street to come into your friend’s house and take control over it.
US deals with Russia like a first rate school yard bully and then it is surprised that Russia is not much of a friend after all.
 
If US would treat Russia as just one of potential allies after fall of USSR things could be so different now. Instead, "Stick it to the Russki" mindset persisted. US started treating Russia as some third world semi-colony. What US did in Ukraine, the birthplace of Russia and some other former Soviet republics is nothing but spiting in the face of Russia at any given opportunity.
Great historical opportunity was missed. Russia really could become long term, reliable ally for generations the way Britain is.
 Lesson of WWI was missed entirely by the new leadership of US. Defeated Germany was punished non-stop and insulted at every opportunity. It did not take long for Hitler to capitalize on that and come to power.
Parts of Germany were cut off from all sides and given into control of other nations. Similarly US payrolled anti Russian groups in counties like Ukraine and de-facto gave it into Polish control.
Needless to say US leadership knows nothing about history of the region. They do not know that for centuries Poland wanted control of Ukraine or parts of it.

The biggest downside or this bullying of Russia is their increasing friendliness with China. Russian shipbuilders and weapon manufacturers work overtime and double time trying to fill all the orders from China. More and more advanced technologies are transferred to China.

Just one example: Russians figured out how to maneuver ballistic missile warhead in terminal trajectory (which was previously considered impossible due to super high speed) and in less than two years Chinese are testing missiles with use of that new technology. Des not sound very scary? Now Chinese can hit moving ship at sea hundreds if not thousand miles away and with those missiles going into boomer subs almost anywhere in the world. Those missiles cannot be defended against except a slim chance of hitting one shortly after launch and only one or two of them at the time not salvo of them.
This kind of close cooperation and on very advanced level increases with every anti-Russian step US takes. I think it was shortly after "Orange Revolution" that Russia announced building base in China. Supply base where Chicoms will go to weapons supermarket and pick what they like right off the shelf.

There was never much love between Russia and China but with US pressure alliance was forged out of necessity. It never even hit US main street press but there is now an official anti US alliance called BRICS. Russian and China are main players, India joining and even Brazil and South Africa are in it. Last two are not much of a military powers but their strategic location may some day come in handy to the new alliance.

Posted by Danz at 22:01:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

My day. (or suicide of the nation)

One day of my life.

I drive across nice new Tacoma Narrows Bridge on the way to work. Beautiful new bridge, made in South Korea and assembled on site in Tacoma.

Next I drive pass Tacoma Port terminals and look at those huge container cranes. You can see them from miles away. Best and biggest in the world. Made in China.

Back when I hauled containers from those terminals I took a lot of containers loaded with all kind of goods made in China and elsewhere out and brought a lot of containers back in. Containers coming back were loaded with apples, onions, squash, hay, lumber, round logs (yes, uncut round logs). Also, large number of those containers were loaded with the most prized commodity of them all – good, clear American air. I can only imagine those poor Chicom slave laborers opening those containers in China and saying: “it smells like... Freedom”. Yes, a lot of those containers went back on the ship empty.

I turn on the radio and listen to local news. “New street cars arrived in Seattle” Made in Chech Republic.

I get to work now. I am a truck driver. Open the hood of my truck to do pre-trip inspection and see “Made in Mexico” sticker inside. Out of the corner of my site I notice something in Russian. How can it be? Oh wait, those filters on the engine are made in Russia.
I hook up to my trailer. Is it Hyuindai trailer? Hm... made in Korea?
Oh well...

I go on with my day delivering groceries. Take whole pallets of boxes out of my trailer that say “Made in China” sometimes “Made in Indonesia” or “Made in India”. Even that kitty litter is “Made in China”.
On the way back from the store to my truck I see word “India”. It does not quite register where. I make a few steps back and read “Made in India” on the manhole cover. Great!

What is made in USA now days? I hear rumors that much of US$ is printed in South Korea now to cut costs.

Oh well, back home I go. Get into my Canadian built “American” vehicle and go home. Watch my “Made in Mexico” TV. Check my E-mail on “Made in China” computer and go to sleep. Have to get up tomorrow and do it all over again.
Posted by Danz at 21:17:56 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday | February 25, 2008

US$

What is going to happen to US$ in not so distant future? I am not an economist, I actually get nearly instant headache when I hear too many numbers and heavy accounting terminology.
What I hear and can understand is that Americans are the only people who do not know about collapse of US$. I do not know what else to call it. What do you call loss of 40% in value within four years? What do you call loss of 60% of value since introduction of Euro?
 
After years of delay Iran finally opened new oil bourse. For now they will trade oil in Iranian currency but before long they will probably trade it in everything except US$.
 For many years US$ was backed by oil US did not own or controlled and by might of US military. Saddam announced plans to trade his oil in Euros and look what how he ended up.
 
Iran was postponing opening of oil bourse until recently when fear of US attack somewhat subsided. I would not be surprised if some reasons to attack Iran will be found anyway and very soon. Aircraft carriers and assault ships are still in the Gulf and ready to go. Iran maybe much harder target than Iraq though. Unlike Saddam who only had some very old, obsolete arms and equipment Iran has been busy buying up much more advanced equipment. Yakhont, S-300, Sckval, Tor, Kilo just a few names which may not tell average American much but they do worry American generals and admirals greatly.
 
In addition to Iran Russia is getting out of US$, even Norway of all places is talking about doing the same.
 
There is a whole other side to US$ troubles. With US economy slowing down and looming recession Fed is dropping interest rates lower and lower. Who is going to keep buying US debt at these rates? There is a limit to a good will of China, Japan and Britain.
Today one announcement (“we are not buying US debt anymore”) by some Chinese financial minister can literally pull the plug of US$ and US economy in general.
 Who need a war, shooting, fighting... all that nasty business when mighty USofA can be defeated by just a simple announcement?
 
American mindset about China has been the same for years. Very outdated “They need US more then we need them” the “Golden goose” mindset. Reality is loss of American market for Chinese goods is now very much a survivable scenario. Rapidly growing Asian market can become self-sustainable very, very soon. Add to that European market and it becomes very bad short term but very survivable in the long term scenario. In addition to that all US “allies” with come to kiss Chinese boot in the hurry. Europeans, Japanese, Koreans will be there in no time. With loss of American market they will have absolutely no choice but to try to save their investments in China.

How about another totally shocking fact that NOBODY is talking about. I am not an economist but it seems like US market in freefall too. All stocks on US markets are in US$, right? DOW itself is a combined worth of top 30 companies as far as I know and those stocks are in US$. With value of US down 40% in last four years and 60% in the last seven or so does it mean that US market lost 40% and 60% of it's value in the same time period?
Where on the news did anybody hear about US market loosing 60% of its value in the last seven-eight years?
 
Going back to my common theme of looking back at last days of USSR.
 In 1980s I often heard term “convertible currency” of Soviet media. Apparently Soviet Ruble was not “convertible currency”. Few bothered to figure out what it meant. Basically what it meant is that Soviet Ruble was totally worthless outside of USSR. It could not be converted to any other currency. Trust in Soviet Ruble inside of USSR was nearly absolute though. Average Soviet citizen never doubted worth of the Soviet Ruble for a moment.
I look around today and I see things going in the same direction. Americans look at their news and see two topics on daily bases: “US$ record low” and “Oil record high”. They look at both and can not comprehend the connection between the two. Trust in worth of US$ is so absolute that it precludes them from making simple connection between those two “dots”. Instead they go straight into complaining about ridiculously high gas prices.

News flash Americans! Gas is derived from worldwide commodity called oil! Gas is not going up, US$ is going down the drain!


Posted by Danz at 18:43:30 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Sunday | February 24, 2008

M1 Abrams made in China

M1 Abrams made in China
Well, so far only 10% of it is made in China.


Planners: U.S. industrial base not strong enough
Ability to meet military needs is questioned



TED EVANOFF
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE


American troops drive 10,000 Humvees in Iraq. But if the U.S. Army suddenly needed 10,000 more of the slab-sided trucks for the war, the Indiana factory that makes them could not soon deliver.
Tooling and machine shops that supply critical Humvee parts, such as extra-large 3.5-inch shock absorber bolts, aren't prepared to gear up output quickly.
"The industrial base just isn't there if we ever had to surge production," said Craig MacNab, spokesman at South Bend, Ind.-based AM General, whose cavernous 1,100-employee Mishawaka plant is the Humvee's sole producer.
QUOTE
"If we needed to seriously increase our capacity for military goods, it'd be a real challenge."

Bruce Braker

President of the Tooling and Manufacturing Association
It's not only army trucks the U.S. might have trouble producing in large numbers.
For the first time since America emerged as a first-rank war and industrial power in the 1890s, some U.S. military planners openly doubt the country's manufacturers can sustain the nation in a major war larger than the Iraq conflict.
"What kind of superpower are you if you can't make what you need?" asked systems engineer Sheila Ronis, a lecturer at the Pentagon's Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
The decline of the Detroit auto industry and the rise of industrial China have decimated a supporting cast of die, machine, mold and tooling shops, a metalworks industry centered in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
For the same reason imported chairs, televisions and clothes fill American homes, imported parts appear in increasing volumes in military hardware. Imports cost less than homemade.
While no one is sure how many imported parts are used in weapons systems, a growing chorus of researchers and trade groups express concern. They warn the rise of imports and the demise of the metalworks trades threaten the nation's manufacturing base.
"If we needed to seriously increase our capacity for military goods, it'd be a real challenge," said Bruce Braker, president of the Tooling and Manufacturing Association. The trade group, in Park Ridge, Ill., represents 1,627 companies, down 25 percent in a decade.
Throughout the industrial Midwest, 1,991 metalworks plants closed and dismissed 80,000 workers in the same years, the U.S. Census Bureau's County Business Patterns reports show.
For three decades, union members have urged consumers to buy products made in the U.S., largely to save union jobs. Ronis, head of the consulting firm the University Group in Birmingham, Mich., said the stakes are larger. She links Detroit's decline with national security.
It's a controversial point. Pentagon researchers regularly assess the nation's industrial base. Each year they deem it capable of supplying the armed forces.
America has enough factories. What's inside is in short supply -experienced manufacturing engineers and talented machinists, diemakers and other highly skilled workers.
"We could ramp up production if we had to, but the problem would be finding experienced machinists. They aren't out there anymore," said Sam Reed, president of Reed Manufacturing Services, a 40-employee Franklin, Ind., machine shop that supplies diesel and appliance makers.
Ronis, a director of the foundation supporting the Pentagon's National Defense University, contends America's weapons components supply chain now runs to China, France, Germany, Japan and other nations. As a result, China supplies as much as 10 percent of the parts for the U.S. Army's M1 Abrams main battle tank, Ronis suggested.
In 2004, a third of the new U.S. metalworking machinery was imported, along with almost 46 percent of the process control instruments and nearly a quarter of the relays and industrial controls, reports the U.S. Business and Industry Council, a trade group in Washington, D.C., that studies imports and exports.
"Imports may be the thing to do, but no one has asked the question, 'To what extent is a strong U.S.-located manufacturing base still vital to U.S. national security?'" said economist Alan Tonelson of the U.S. Business and Industry Council. The conservative trade group, based in Washington, D.C., favors import restrictions.


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