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To: Jill who wrote (22929)	8/4/2004 11:20:41 AM
From: redfish	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 306849

Diatribe much?

To: Jill who wrote (22929)	8/4/2004 12:17:34 PM
From: X Y Zebra	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

Very good post. I don't like the present administration, in fact I think it's the blackest mark on our political history, but it will change in time, because our constitution doesn't allow dictatorship. The problem I see with the above is that there seems to be a trend now as the Clinton administration was no better, and worse, the current alternatives offer nothing different. America was (and perhaps still is, in overall terms) the best place for business, which in turn allowed to create the rest of the good things that came from such freedom. But slowly, as you in fact have mentioned, those great characteristics are slowly been taken away in a most disgusting way since few realize what is going on. I too have lived in many parts of the world and talk on and off to lots of ex-pats, who slowly see what they call a 'brain-drain' i.e. a smart set who are slowly choosing other locales as their 'home-base' in spite of some clear disadvantages of said chosen locale... I have a nagging feeling that not only it does not go away, but it actually it has gotten stronger in the last few years, which questions the wisdom to remain in America. No it is not a comforting thought, but again, each year that passes, the alternative, (i.e. remain in America) looks darker... Not so much because other countries are getting better, but sadly because America is getting worse... and to boot, its leadership is beginning to sound like a third rate military junta more common to a Latin American banana republic of the seventies, instead of the only super-power of the world. This carries another risk since not only their arrogance in the eyes of the world is viewed negatively and cannot win any friends, but worse, it polarizes the extremist to the point of making it a target. At a given point, (primarily due to risk and liability reasons)... one questions the risk/reward premise... you have to wonder indeed why is it that corporations are taking the steps of basing themselves off-shore and/or outsourcing every thing in sight... The above is not intended as a negative statement, but rather as a constructive criticism of the current direction that the country has taken... I have no doubt there are very smart people in this country capable of achieving very high goals; the problem I see is that such people are NOT participating in politics, which leaves us all exposed to a collection of scumbags, derelicts, fanatics, would be tyrants, and who knows what other low-lives. I do not believe that being complacent and ignoring the current trend is a good idea, one only has to look at the education system, (up to high school) to realize that for the most part, we are training morons with unrealistic expectations. America in the early 1800 certainly was not what it became; lots of things changed and were created to arrive at where we are. If you lived in Europe, you would be considered a fortune seeker desperado -for the most part- if you came to America, but those who came took a huge chance and did well... in fact, very well. It is time, assuming one wants to preserve a high standard of living and quality of life, to remove the idea that the lowest common denominator is the way to go, and most certainly we do not need presidents who receive messages and signals from an imaginary friend from out of space.... Best regards. ____________________________ NEEDED CHANGES To accommodate the great power shift now rapidly occurring in Asia, the United States needs vigorous preparation by its executive branch and Congress. The Bush administration's embrace of engagement with China is an improvement over its initial posture, and the change has been reflected in Washington's efforts to work with Beijing in the battle against terrorism and negotiations with North Korea. The change has also been reflected in the reluctance to settle trade and currency differences by imposing duties. In other ways, however, Washington has yet to shift its approach. On the ground, the United States appears undermanned. Despite a huge increase in the workload, the work force at the U.S. embassy in China numbers approximately 1,000, which is half the employees envisioned for the new embassy in Iraq. Training in Asian languages for U.S. government officials has been increased only marginally. As for the next generation, only several thousand American students are now studying in China, compared to the more than 50,000 Chinese who are now studying in U.S. schools. (Page 3) foreignaffairs.org

To: Jill who wrote (22929)	8/4/2004 12:28:29 PM
From: KyrosL	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 306849

OT What didn't you like in Australia compare to the US? All the surveys I read put it ahead of the US in terms of quality of life -- what do they miss?

To: Jill who wrote (22929)	8/5/2004 12:41:40 AM
From: Amy J	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 306849

Jill, RE: "I, and I suspect many other Americans, are tired of those who bite the generous hand that feeds them, but look, you're still on the board, and the generous hand still feeds you." Quite to the contrary. As an American, I think his posts are helpful. He provides a different viewpoint, that if a person can ignore his impolite tone, but read the underlying information, it might be useful in penetrating any potential arrogance about our country as well as ignorance about how many foreigners view America. Also impolite in tone, were some of XYZebra's posts (which you didn't appear to notice), but some of XYZebra's content was powerful, very accurate, and an astute business assessment of the situation, if you can get past the tone. Message 20372198 From her post, "Now... 20 years from now... The US (unless something drastic is done to change the course of things(snip)...to pay for the promises made" [promises that shouldn't be made, because a better system could be created instead where people become independent and pay their own way] and "Play the odds if 1.2 billion Chinese are about to become consumers and the goverment is willing to assist those who help this cause..(snip) I think there is opportunity. Contrast that with..... The entire baby boomers generation DEMANDING that Daddy government take care of them in a society that is getting rid of industrial (and white collar) jobs...? (snip) oh well.... take your pick and good luck" We need to act a bit more hungrier and avoid arrogance for our country to retain competitive with hungrier countries. Certainly hope my fellow citizens take this to heart, so we all don't go down with the ship. Entrepreneurs build their companies where talent is hungry, market share is large, and capital exists. China was #1 for most foreign investment received last year, France was #2. Where was the USA? Alas, could it be our ignorance or arrogance that could explain why our govt has not created a foreign investment arm to attract foreign capital such as more competitive countries have done. RE: "Say what you want about people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc, but they were the American visionaries who changed the world" Andy Grove (Intel) was an immigrant. Today, approximately 50% of the entrepreneurs in the USA are immigrants. We need to get over the "Americans are better" attitude. So we continually improve our competitiveness. One of Gate's major beliefs he would share with us and encourage upon everyone, was self-critical reflection of oneself - in order to continually grow. Complacency is an ingredient for a downfall. Self-critical competitiveness isn't. Regards, Amy J