Scott:
Mebbe I'll just rant OT for a moment--
"This has some logic. The US economy has long been the engine for world economic growth – and US markets have often set the tone for global ones."
The US has been taking care of the world economy, world markets, world security, and world sanity (explanatory rant: why did we have to work and spend 45 years to defeat Communism, otherwise known as The Stupidest Idea Ever To Take Root? why didn't the "host country nationals" take care of biz? why are we forever changing the world's diapers in Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan? these are just rhetorical questions) for so long it's no longer even mildly humorous.
Now we got a little stock bubble and the rest of the world is just going to have to wait for Uncle Sam to right his sailboat so the rest of the hangers-on will have someone to light the way. Because it's for damn sure that the Kaka-quarante and the LSE aren't going to lead the world, and neither is the TSE or the Hang Seng or that marvel of marvels, the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Ever see "Cool Hand Luke"? After Luke (Paul Newman) escapes and then gets caught and brought back to prison, some of the weaker inmates (see France, Germany) say, "What are you gonna do next, Luke? What are you gonna do?"
Luke screams, "Oh come on! Stop beatin' it! Get out there yourself. Stop feedin' off me. Get out of here. I can't breathe. Give me some air."
That scene always reminds me of certain things, but one of them is how Europe is always depending on us to save their sorry asses from whatever it is the boulevardiers in Paris have up their craw.
Sometimes nuthin' is a real cool hand.
Kb |
