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To: Shane M who wrote (1791)	6/30/2012 5:09:20 AM
From: bruwin	Respond to of 4720

I would certainly agree with you, Shane M, that politics (and religion) can be contentious and often divisive issues in public forums. If one had to go through all my posts on SI, I’d say that there are Very Few that have a “political bent” to them. In my recent posts I was attempting to comment and somewhat elaborate on the theme of Dambisa Moyo’s excellent article in the NY Times, with special reference to Africa, and my own experiences as to what can occur in its regions. And you’re certainly quite correct, IMO, with regard to your references to Democracy coupled with the need for civil liberties, property rights and a bill of rights. They are essential in any society where the leadership and peoples both want them, treasure them and are prepared to sacrifice much to ensure that they remain central to their society. Unfortunately what has often happened in Africa (and possibly elsewhere) is that things start off in the right direction, with those criteria entrenched in a country’s Constitution. But most Constitutions can often be changed or amended by a government in power provided that a suitably high enough majority vote to carry out change. So in Africa, where it’s often a “numbers game”, it can happen that a government gets elected and before long they have the 67%, or 75%, of the vote that gives them the “authority” to change things in their Constitution, which can then erode those valuable criteria afore mentioned. I would say that a good example is Zimbabwe, formerly Southern Rhodesia, where its current president, Robert Mugabe, is regarded as a ‘pariah’ by many Western countries and who have, in turn, imposed a multitude of sanctions against him and those close and allied to him ..... for very good reason(s). Just one more thing, in closing, .... I see in the July 2, 2012, issue of TIME magazine, that I only recently received, there's an article headed, "The Cult of Apple in China" (page 30), with "MADE IN CHINA" on the front cover. Quite a coincidence I thought !! But enough of all that, I suppose. Let’s get back to interrogating the world of investment, etc.., etc...