The Shrinking Dollar

[Father Timothy]

Bless you my sons bless you. Even the church has been finding a few of those old "counterfeit" 1 mil coins and some fender washers in the collection socks these days. The 1 mil coins were removed from circulation here awhile back because everyone was replicating them.

Glory be to God on the highest.

We'll take your shekels any day of the week as long as we can convert them to alms (and not arms.)

Bless you my sons, bless you one and all.

[Cap'n Jib]

"I swear, I looked for this on snopes.com, thinking that surely it must be just an internet rumor. Apparently it's not. WHAT THE...? " - Bueller

IF only it had been some silly organization that thought up this nutty idea. Nope....a right-wing think(?) tank. Some of the things written and advocated by the Council of Foreign Relations don't seem so far fetched now....not that they should be done but that they will be done.

[gdsnr]

Originally Posted by ElCapitan

It's nice to think that we can make our "Dollar" stretch further in LAm, but should it be the focal point of why we go there?

If it is, then we're going for the wrong reasons.

Maybe we should contract out the White House Position, and headhunt for a CEO instead. At least the board could fire him at will then, instead of going the impeachment route.

Is the alarm clock ringing yet?

As to point #1... yes. Besides, this is not a political/economic board.

Point # 2 Since the subject is raised, nobody who wants the job of Pres/Senator/Rep should have it. Draft 'em and let 'em go for good behaviour.

The experiments of modern liberalism (from FDR forward) have utterly failed, and the social engineers have been neither discredited nor discouraged. My only disappointment with Pres. Bush is his lack of fiscal conservativism. Should another Clinton (or the like) gain the White House I'm outta here. I'll most likely see my livllihood taxed beyond the 40+% that it already is. I won't even begin to talk about the deterioration of other aspects of our society which seem to be rampantly popular among every stripe of politician.

There are many who criticize and demean the US, both from without and within. Those who blame Pres. Bush for all of our ills are either ignorant of history or purely motivated by a political agenda, or both. Expect that no matter who is elected next year the crazies in the ME will hate us. Bank on it.

The alarm clock will be ringing soon, but you may not want to wake up.

Sorry ElCap, I meant to respond to your post differently, but ended up getting carried away with the whole thread.

Taxes are leeches
Greg

[El Capitan]

Originally Posted by gdsnr

Sorry ElCap, I meant to respond to your post differently, but ended up getting carried away with the whole thread.

Taxes are leeches
Greg

Not at all GD...glad to hear your opinion on the subject, and certainly glad to see you jumping in...

[Lostagain]

gd,
In reality, all political systems can be seen as utter failures, including your beloved Gorge II's. In that realm all is a grand experiment to find out what seems to work best for the moment in a dynamic and ever changing set of circumstances. By their very nature political institutions are going to eventually fail because they are always trying to address yesterday's problems and have to cope with the tendency of everyone to think only of his self interest. And yes some systems seem to function pretty well for a long time while others come and go like mushrooms after a rain. The FDR social democrat system worked pretty well for a long time and was a major factor in getting us out of a serious depression. Despite the fact that it was under constant assault by its opponents, it did give us a few good things. (Of course we can argue 'til the cows come home about what those things are or whether they're good, so there's no point in trying to list them.)

What we got from George II, was not very good in the long run. We've lost way too much of our personal freedom from government prying. We've essentially handed the government over to private contractors when it comes to basic functions of defense and foreign polity. We've launched down a road toward theocracy, which is only a good deal for those who belong to the government sponsored religion (one of the things we had a revolution against, if you studied any U.S. history at all). We have unprecedented corruption and banality in our government (seems like the neocons find it impossible to go into government without doing their best to line their pockets from the public trough). Honesty in government has become even more of a joke than it was when Clinton lied about getting his dick sucked. We have a foreign policy based upon adolescent bullies fighting on the playground. We have totally lost any respect by other countries in the world and with it we have lost influence over the actions of other governments. Our debt to China has left us where we are utterly beholden to their wishes. We are heading into an environmental catastrophe and have completely lost our leadership position to try to stop it. We have gotten bogged down in a useless war where the lives of thousands of American are being destroyed (not to mention Iraqis) and of course, when it comes to caring for the vets, Gorge II will be right there doing everything possible saying he supports them while cutting every program that could help them from the budget. And, thanks to George II and his Republican congress we've ended up with a staggering debt that we never imagined would occur.

gd, I've only scratched the surface of what legacy George II has left us and could go on for literally hundreds of pages. Indeed, he will go down as the president who precipitated the beginning of the decline of the United States as a nation of global importance. No, gd, it is the supporters of George II and those in his administration who haven't bothered to study history. And if you're concerned about a political agenda, only look to the actions of our dearest attorney general and his best and brightest assistants who raised the use of a political agenda in the hiring and firing of U.S. attorneys to a new height in politicization in an area where political neutrality for the sake of fair enforcement of the law has heretofore been a long tradition. No, my friend, I cannot think of anyone who has been more corrupt, ignorant of history, more politicized, and more damaging to this country than George II and his gang.

Yes many people in the Middle East hate us, along with a great deal of the rest of the world, and we have the stupidity of the neocons to thank for much of it. Hopefully, the next leader of our country can salvage the situation before we reach the point of no return.

[Cap'n Jib]

gd,

Thank for your opinion. I can understand your view because I shared it for many years…however now…

These are my concerns:

A Nation “of the people, by the people, for the people”, does not mention corporations. The Federalist Papers had a very critical view of corporations to the extent that corporations are not provided for in the Constitution. This was NOT an oversight on the founders part. Therefore PEOPLE FIRST CORPORATIONS SECOND.

Hooray for Our Side! When the Conservatives attacked, quite rightly, the Clinton Administration, for corruption, the Right had the moral high ground. Now, those ideals and virtues are no longer important for the Right when they are accused of the same. They just 'cirle the wagons'. Hypocrisy…..…nothing less. If the party no longer sands for values, it can not expect or deserve support. Values are values...they apply to all of us.

So what has this to do with women and Latinas in particular? Family values, and not the ‘faith based’ ones used for political expediency. We all know that one of the strengths of Latin culture is their family. I.E. people FIRST! Do you want to try to explain all those long hours slaving for the corporate bull to her? I do not think she will GET IT. And yes, we will try the excuse ‘I am doing it for us, Dear’…..

Logically enough, we are going to be rated, BY HER, from her cultural view and her value system….not ours.

[El Capitan]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Jib

gd,
So what has this to do with women and Latinas in particular? Family values, and not the ‘faith based’ ones used for political expediency. We all know that one of the strengths of Latin culture is their family. I.E. people FIRST! Do you want to try to explain all those long hours slaving for the corporate bull to her? I do not think she will GET IT. And yes, we will try the excuse ‘I am doing it for us, Dear’…..

Logically enough, we are going to be rated, BY HER, from her cultural view and her value system….not ours.

I think that pretty much drove the nail flush Jib !!! I don't think it could've been put better, or more clearly...

[TBOND]

Interesting Question But No I Dont Feel The Economic Reason Should Be Why We Travel There.. But Hey.. Who Does Not Like To Travel For Less..

To Me One Of The Great Aspects Of Traveling To South America Was For The Value.. And I Mean That In All Aspects =) Now If We Loose The Economic Advantage Does That Mean I Stop Going.. No Way!!! .. It Is Or Was Just A Great Aspect Of Traveling There.. But The Reality Is If You Travel Many Times A Year The Shrinking Dollar Will Have A Negative Impact On Your Pockets.

[gdsnr]

My head is swimming.... had no idea such a flame would ignite.

LA - I'm not a great lover of Pres. Bush, some of his decisions have made me quite angry. Neither do I have the almost pathological hatred of the man that so many have. I disliked Pres. Clinton and still think he was a terrible leader for our country, but never hated him in the vitriolic manner that I see now aimed at Pres. Bush.

I absolutely agree with you that self-interest is a main evil. I personally believe it will ultimately destroy every institution formed by man, even a democracy, perhaps especially. Was is deToqueville?... Democracy will last only until the electorate discovers they can vote themselves benefit from the public largesse. (can you say entitlement?). I would add that too many politicians will give anything to anyone who promises them something for personal gain. Both sides of the aisle gents. Another problem is that its OUR money paying for it.

Cap'n J - With all due respect, you know nothing about my views, save perhaps that I deplore our tax system and that I believe the ME problem goes back much further than the modern age.

Clean politicians.... hmmmm your chances are much better in Vegas, no matter what they call themselves. I think the phrase "Honor among men" has become nearly extinct as it applies to this subject. Hypocrisy is rampant, as you say, and there is none worthy of casting the first stone. Bloody hell Cap'n, look back at the history of politics. The current crop are just the most recent bad actors.

Don't know where the Corporation/Constitution element came from. There is a LOT going on today which has no basis in our Constitution.

Corporations (as all businesses here, including mine) are a natural result of capitalism, which itself is the natural economic result when people are free to engage in a market free from gov't control. No more no less, and the framers were wise to stay out of it. What the marketplace has become in our age is far from the ideal; see Gov't Intervention. see also LA's astutely observed self-interest angle which makes gov't intervention necessary ad infinitum. Still, I prefer it to the "fairness" systems in which we are constrained by those who have a crystal ball on the "greater good".

If you spend your life "slaving for the corporate bul", whatever that is, that's your business, not mine. We make our own choices. If you want to be in a place where people are FIRST, go find it and be there. I detect a note of bitterness in your typing Cap'n, or just cynicism?

Enough, this is my LAST post with ANY political comment. PM me if you like.

Finally, ON POINT, Cap'n, you certainly did drive the nail home with the values comment. No matter where your values come from - and faith based values are fine by me - the family is the core of society and the LW is steeped in this as you say.

I've been talking to a Colombiana for almost a year now and so much of what she says about family reminds me of a Vietnamese man I worked with for several years. There was a very lovely Vietnamese woman who I met at my friend's son's wedding and I wanted to ask her out. I asked my friend about her; I sensed it was appropriate since he was pretty much a patriarchal figure in their community. He said "ok, I will see". A few days later he handed me a piece of paper with her phone number written on it. He didn't have a lot of English and he only said "for you it is ok". I'll tell you, I could not have been happier, and not just for the phone number. He told me she was half American and both parents were dead, and my he was her Vietnamese equivalent of godfather. I was 20 years his junior and technically his boss. This man knew me well, and I had passed the test.

The family is the beginning and end of almost everything for them, and we WILL be "rated" by their system of values, like it or not. We should be happy for that, because its that family core which has kept a lot of people from making dumb mistakes for centuries. Just ask my parents

Thanks for all the great posts and info guys, it helps a lot and there's no other place that matches this board. Talk to you again when I'm in SAm.

Oh, almost forgot, the shrinking dollar. Still can't live live like that for a buck here, or buy that kind of property. I'm still making plans.

Cheers and cheerio
Greg

[Lostagain]

Perhaps some of the intensity in the dislike of George II is generated by his (meaning him and his supporters) characterizing everyone who opposes his positions as unpatriotic, pro-terrorist, anti-American, anti-family, godless murderers and abortionists, pro-communist, ...and the list goes on. In all my years living here and in studying U.S. history, I have never seen a president who has been so divisive and hateful toward his opposition. It is as though we who have different opinions about what is best for our country somehow don't deserve to participate in the political discourse because we are basically promoters of evil. He has painted a black and white world and has said many times that in his world you are either on his side or on the side of evil. I, for one and tired of having my patriotism questioned every stinking time I disagree with the religious right or the neocons about what is best for our country. Can't we just accept that we see the world differently but that each of us is not evil for holding our points of view?

No, I don't hate George II, but I will not quietly accept the hatred he promotes.