If the other Western countries are so superior in their way of thinking, why is it then that our particular brand of Democracy built on a foundation of Christian ideals has managed to produce the most creative, wealthiest, powerful, country the world has ever known? We must be doing something right.
Now this is a crack up. You think its based on Christian ideals? Most of the South American countries are based on stronger Christian ideals that the US. In fact, abortion is illegal in most of them, and the church and the state are very closely intertwined. And they can't get out of their own way. Argentina, for an example, should be an economic powerhouse but instead is economically crippled. In fact, there are a number of third world countries with strong Christian beliefs. IMO Christianity has had little to do with our success.
The reality is that this country was blessed with an inordinate and surprising amount of resources, land and climates. First of all, land wise......its in the top ten. It fronts on two key oceans. And it has an extraordinary diversity of climates. Did you know that CA has a Mediterranean climate and that there are only three other places in the entire world with such a climate.........the Mediterranean area, of course, a small piece of AU and S. Africa? A Mediterranean climate is very favorable for growing things, and with many plant species, it can produce two crops within the same year, and with adequate water, it allows for the growing of crops not possible in other climates.
We had oil, iron ore, bauxite, magnesium, coal......all the important minerals........in huge abundance. We had forests upon forests and land so fertile you could eat it. And because the country was huge and the population small, we adopted a laissez-faire economy.......and became one of the freest markets in the world. That allowed us to develop very quickly.......much like China is doing today. And let me remind you that China is non Christian as is Japan.......the second major economy in the world.
And still we were not a first tier economy until after the 1930's Depression. It was during that time much needed market reforms and safeguards were put into place. We became a much less freer economy and a safer one without the huge booms and busts of the previous decades. At that time, we began to usurp Europe's position as THE economic power. Our position was given a boost when after WW II, Europe lost her colonies that had supplied cheaply many of their needed resources and they had to rebuild from the war.
Fash forward today.........there is no question we are an important economy in the world; a world engine and a world driver. However, with fewer resources and a much smaller land area, the European nations that so many from the right like to scorn have managed to produce a relatively equal standard of living in spite of their lesser size and advantages. In fact, if we were to compare ourselves with say Germany, the UK or even France, given our comparative advantages in terms of land area and resources, I suspect we would come out looking short........relatively.
Yet, France, which typifies those other Western countries which you cite, seems to be an atrophied, powerless, shade of a country.
Spoken like a true American GOPer. Have you been to France? This country you are so convinced has atrophied maintains one of the finest networks of fast trains in the world. So fast, intra-nation air travel is virtually non existent. It is a world leader in the production of fiberoptic and fiberoptic componets. During the past 4 years, Alacatel, a French firm, quietly has been buying fiberoptic divisions of major American companies.
France has a heavy concentration of defense industries and is one of the key participants in Airbus.........a airplane company that has given Boeing a considerable run for its money. And I hate to admit it but the Airbus jets are better designed and better built than Boeing's........at least until recently.
France also is the breadbasket of Europe......the Massif Central is their equivalent of the American Midwest. Before the net was popular, they had their own internet-like system that allowed you to buy a ticket to the Paris opera 'online' in say Lyon or Marseilles in the AM, hop on a fast train and be in Paris that evening for the performance.
And lest you forget, France's cities, from the smallest to the largest, are some of the most dynamic in the world. Their food is incredible............its hard to get a bad meal anywhere in France. And they have a sense of culture about which we can only dream.
BTW France has 60 million people compared to our 290 million, and it is twice the size of Colorado. What's that? 1/20th the size of the US?
And with the EU, Europe will only get stronger as they become as big a trading economy as the US.
The right needs to be careful at whom they scoff. Their knowledge of the world seems to be limited............as evidenced by Rumsfeld's claim that Iraq would be tamed in 5 days, 5 weeks but at the worst, no longer than 5 months. Rumsfeld was wrong about Iraq and so many other things, and you are wrong about France. The world is much bigger and much stronger than the right gives credit.
And you read it here first..........in a war between Islam and the US, we will be the likely loser. Its a very real possibility about which the right seems oblivious. |
