Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : The Residential Real Estate Crash Index -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (16844)	2/6/2004 3:59:39 PM
From: GraceZ	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

I'm talking about prior to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. How did East Germany become a "third world country" while West Germany prospered? They had almost identical populations and histories when they separated. After all, East Germany was completely protected from free trade, "globalization" and competition of any kind, whereas West Germany had to duke it out with the US and the Japanese to make a living as well as all the third world countries with extremely cheap labor, cheaper than today.

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (16844)	2/6/2004 6:59:52 PM
From: Elroy Jetson	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 306849

You're absolutely bang on! If West Germans could go back in their time machine they would never have made all of their useless investments in Easy Germany after reunification. They would rip down the Treuhandanstalt buildings brick by brick. They have utterly destroyed themselves over a bunch of Ossies. Reunification takes generations - do it over-night and you stall or burn-out the economic engine. Kindleberger and Stone have shown clearly how Britain invested their capital in India and the colonies ending up with nothing but: an antiquated infrastructure at home; a near total loss of foreign capital; huge home unemployment for decades after decade; a decimation of their currency; and finally a catastrophic decline in their GDP. America is inconceivably following exactly the same game plan exporting their capital and jobs to India and China, while the cocaine-addict-economist chorus sings the glories of free-trade with the largest communist nation on the planet, doo-dah, doo-dah - and our government constantly finds new ways to spin out thousands of statistical lies like so much candy floss. Go Bears!