Reviving the American dream

Completely off the topic but...

I'm getting tired of all this America bashing for the subsidies that they give to their agricultural sector. Or the European Union for that matter. One simple truth that many, many people don't realise is that the 3rd world countries like that of Africa are net importers of foods and not net exporters. In short, if the EU and US decides to scrape their subsidy many many millions of poor Africans will starve because they can no longer afford to import grains.

This is actually funny, "He (Barak Obama) not only holds, but articulates brilliantly, views on race, economic policy and diplomacy that we recognise and share." What are they? Do you really know? The junior senator from Illinois is a virtual unknown. He is already trying to tone down the "substantative change" rhetoric that he's been using during the campaign because he knows that he cannot deliver it. He is a puppet of Joe Biden (VP) and will tow the party line.

Sad and sorry to say, but McCain is the only "Maveric" who does not tow the party line. With Obama, you'll just get more failed economic policy with a smiling face. You see, Obama's party controls the House and Senate and they'll continue more of the same. Don't expect change from Obama because you won't get it. So, watch and learn a bit about US politics and you'll see another Bill Clinton emerging. He'll do nothing of substance. Talk, Talk, Talk, but no action. These types of leaders are popular because they are all talk and show. It was the failed policy of Bill Clinton that led to the violent attacks on the US that started the "War on Terror". Obama, Good Luck! Terrorists love you because you won't fight back, the world likes you because you'll bow to their will, the citizens of the USA will grow to dislike you because you can't deliver on your high and lofty promises and don't intend to do so.

This is an excellent column. It's great to hear how closely the rest of the world is tracking the Amercain election, it gives me hope as American that you all haven't abandoned us yet. It's certainly been a rough 8 years, but I'm glad to know that our government hasn't completely alienated us from the rest of the world yet.

No offense to the person who commented about Obama being a terrible choice, but you're quite off target with your comments on American politics. John McCain is anything but a political maverick, he has been a supported of George Bush, Jr. throughout most of his presidency. And actually an Al Qaeda website recently acknolwedged its "support" for John McCain, saying that his desire to continue the war on terror in a reckless manner is exactly what they want because it helps bring people to their cause. If there are no wars in Pakistan and Afghanistan it will be much harder for Al Qaeda to generate such adamant militant support. And the democractic house/senate majority has only been in power for two years, hardly enough time to turn around the many problems Bush and his party have created for America, especially when the President is still a Republican and his Vice President has made it his mission to curb house and senate power in an effort to accumulate more power for the President. As an American, you can absolutely bet John McCain and his embarassment of a Vice Presidential pick Sarah Palin will not be getting my vote. And Barack Obama is hardly a puppet of Joe Biden, be the by. If you want to see a puppet, take a look at George Bush, Jr. I think you'll have a hard time drawing too many similarities bewteen the relationship between Bush and Cheney and the relationship between Obama and Biden.

This is a great opinion. I grew up in a free world where the American President was a Democrat and South Africa was free from oppression. William Clinton's goverment cleaned up after Bush Senior's mess, cut government debt and spent wisely. Indeed, under the Clinton Administration, the United States entered one of the longest uninterrupted periods of growth, peace and broad-based prosperity. Government ran the largest dollar surplus in US history - as a percentage of GDP, the largest government surplus of the past 50 years. Unemployment fell as people gained access to jobs - not merely in fast food joints, but in the high quality type that we South Africans hope to create here. Additionally, this Clinton Administration liked to get things done through broad consensus - take Kosovo for example.

Then Bush Junior. A case of like father like son. 1. Illegal war in Iraq. 1.1. That war has created more problems for the US and the Middle East than the war strategist and proponents where able calculate. Think prewar Iraq: a counterweight to Iran. The Bush Jnr administration simply did not understand the Middle East. 2. The War On Terror? 3. Unilateralism 3.1. Think of Russia and Georgia. US unilateral moves have violated the United Nations. The US has unleashed an era of cowboys and terror. 4. The economy - It's the economy stupid. Simply put, Bush Jnr has mismanaged the economy. Horrendously. 4.1. Reckless tax cuts. 4.2. Lax market regulation. The difference for Alan Greenspan is that under Clinton, he worked for the United States of America, and under Bush Jnr, he worked for Bush Jnr. The financial mess of late has its creation in unregulated markets; in 2006 as the housing market showed signs of tiping over - after several years of alarmingly explosive growth - financial firms created the so-called sub-prime mortgages and sold them to investors as derivatives - financial tools described by Warren Buffett as 'financial weapons of mass destruction'. The tax cuts coupled with the unregulated markets eventually led the US to the largest public deficit in all its history - and indeed, the largest dollar deficit of any country in the history of the world. And, of course this has been a major destabilising force in the world today. 4.3. US government share of research and development both as a share of GDP and as a share of total R&D in the economy has been declining - a sign of how expensive Iraq has become. Ultimately, as innovation is the driving force of US economic growth, this will have serious repercussions in the long run.

What the rest of us take from this is that following the stock markets mess of late, the US Government has been forced to act in tandem with other governments to bring calm back to global markets. An excellent sign of multilateralism. But at incredible cost.

If all we get from an Obama victory is a return to normality or peace or bridge building, global finacial stability because the US government seeks to balance the books, and more multilateralism, then I'll be happy.

(Please accept my apology for the empty comment posted. Regards)

The article is sentimentally preaching pie in the sky. The author seeks a Big Brother.
s dinning is right about Obama.
McCain is also a puppet; is no better than Obama. The Presidential campaign is a lesser order Punch and Judy show. Look and see!

We must learn to get along without the USA.
The USA has many good people, but the monolithic USA is an anachronism that has proved to be an absurdity. Read what is going on in the campaign. It seldom reaches above the level of junior school playground debate. Only fool will let the USA back.

The USA must break up into separate states,each with a president elected as they wish and each state government so formed must negotiate with other American country states much as the EU states function.
Each American Country State must also be allowed to negotiate with other countries in the world much as EU countries do.
In this way it could be a model for the Chinese to aim at. (This is a realistic solution they are already contemplating. The multiplicity of ethnic identities makes it a natural and once the USA is removed from the position of being able to highjack states and promote fragmentation in the world and China this could become a reality very quickly.)

At the moment The USA is an example no state in its right mind would follow. Its model of authority is positively mediaeval: dear George and the amazing mass of half wits in the Republican Party defined it perfectly when they allowed GWB to be characterised as 'The Decider'. This is an absurdity nothing short of political self immolation.
The USA is dust and ashes. They are still warm but the fire is out.

@David Xu, it doesn't take a masters in economics to see why your point is silly - The reason that African countries are net importers of food is that it is not profitable to be a farmer in Africa. And the reason it is not profitable to be a farmer is the hated subsidies.

Think about it like this - if the Americans\Europeans really have a comparative advantage in food production (i.e. African countries are net importers of food because they are just worse at growing it, as you suggest) then why is a subsidy necessary?

Bush and his gang have done nothing to deal with terrorism. We have been told that terrorists attack us because they hate our freedoms and wish to destroy them. If that is the case they have already won. The government's first acts were to remove as many freedoms as possible. They've shown little inclination to truly tackle terrorism, but great enthusiasm for destroying the freedoms upon which the country was founded. Maybe Obama will do a better job, maybe he won't. Can he do any worse than the steaming mess left behind by the Bush presidency?

Fair trade that Barack Obama is against is what Africa needs. We need to compete equally for markets. Africa is rich enough and does not need aid. We need the trading rules to be fair period. No escalation of small armaments and no civil wars funded by foreign business. Africa needs to enjoy what God has blessed her with. We need to be given a break.

Americans now are blackmailing us with Obama without pointing guns at us. A well thought out strategy. It will be interesting to see how Africa is going to respond to this one. Is Africa going to refused Obama's charm in order to allow American business to access raw materials? This is getting interesting by the day.

I am worried that the new face of America is so likable. It concerns me that everyone around the world cried with happiness as the United States elected a half black president. There have been many examples of elected heads of states who had surpassed race, religious, gender, and class barriers. So why are people so proud now? Why are they so involved? Why are black heads of states so happy? Do they think their day to day issues will change that drastically? Do they believe foreign businesses will stop raping African resources to make products for the American consumers? Or that conditionalities imposed on struggling nations from the IMF and World Bank will cease to exist? Do they think multi-national corporations will suddenly stop their business as usual motto, especially as cultural gentrification continues to thrive as non Americans pursue the American dream. A dream that values individualism. A dream that fattens up one country and
starves another. If the rest of the world were to live
like Americans - eating in drive-throughs while driving SUV's in suburbia - who will supply the energy and resources? Who will provide the hamburgers? Who will produce the cocoa? The pursuit of this dream depends on consumerism driving the capitalist machine. Consumerism in the developing world doesn't work. It creates elitism and corruption, divides the haves and have-nots, and causes conflict. At least with the Bush administration there was no doubt that business was the driving factor behind American foreign policy. The problem is this version of the American dream is so likable. It's a new angle on the same product. A product that has given America the credibility it needs to continue as the world power. A power that has promised peace yet has embarked on one war after another because it is after all, business as usual.

Things fall apart the center can know longer hold the Republicans are disorganized the birth of a new democracy has come people blaming each other how does it happened.Who will lead the Republican party? Cry of joy and happiness is beloved the country.This is not the time to talk about colour or race but the beauty of beloved Americans,the rejected stone had been elected as the President of the most powerful nation on earth.I can hear the sound of people of good will coming together even enemy Nation congratulating Mr president elect.
Remember,the black slaves who built the white House were not paid. My opinion, is to change the white house to freedom house because American are multi cultured society.I can hear the sound of warrior, saying let get out of Irak.The maverick, republicans are all quit except the political prostitute.What do we learn from this historical election?Let the wise feel he is wiser what he rep is foolishness.

Things fall apart the center can know longer hold the Republicans are disorganized the birth of a new democracy has come people blaming each other how does it happened.Who will lead the Republican party? Cry of joy and happiness is beloved the country.This is not the time to talk about colour or race but the beauty of beloved Americans,the rejected stone had been elected as the President of the most powerful nation on earth.I can hear the sound of people of good will coming together even enemy Nation congratulating Mr president elect.
Remember,the black slaves who built the white House were not paid. My opinion, is to change the white house to freedom house because American are multi cultured society.I can hear the sound of warrior, saying let get out of Irak.The maverick, republicans are all quit except the political prostitute.What do we learn from this historical election?Let the wise feel he is wiser what he rep is foolishness.

Thing is:
Because Obama has an off-white skin & his mother is/was Kenyan means nothing in terms of Africa. He is an American. He is no more African than Frank Bruno (the British ex World heavyweight champion - briefly as I recall) - or Lewis Hamilton, also a Brit.

The spurious attachment of skin colour to culture/ethnicity is the pervading stupidity of racism, on both sides of the debate

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