Comments by Zecharia

- Recession proof policing (batteries not included)
- Homeland security, version 2.0
- Your stimulus dollars hard at work

Homeland security as easy as counting to three. With the new and handy plastic policemen all you need is to place in highly visible areas to scare you would-be-terrorist away. Available in a variety of colors and models so he can be deployed in any number of environments for any occassion.

@ohcrumbs
Brazil's long history with the IMF, World Bank and international investors are due to several reasons that have changed numerous times and to which you do not acknowledge. I can only assume that you are referring to the loans that were given in the early 80s and 90s, but I think that you are mostly referring to the so called "Washington Consensus". The loans extended to Brazil in the early 80s were due to excessive private and public debt which after Mexico's devaluation of the peso in 1982 (aka the Peso Crisis) which sparked the 80s Latin American debt crisis. This resulted in the creation of Brady Bonds to restructure Latin America's debt by then Treasury Sec. Brady. This period for most of Latin America (including Brazil) were years of high inflation, low economic growth and resulted in the return to democratic rule as most of the dictatorships had proven their inability to manage the economy through ISI development strategies. NOTE: Notable exceptions are Chile, Mexico and Uruguay whose governments changed in 89 or the 90s - with Mexico.

The "Washington Consensus" to begin with was not a comprehensive economic agenda forced on Latin America. It was a view that most people believed that 1989 Latin America should undertake as an economic agenda. – See: “Did the Washington Consensus Fail?” by John Williamson – That being said, most policy makers in Latin America openly accepted the Washington Consensus and each country implemented it in various ways, each had different results with the reforms. It must be kept in mind that Brazil’s current economic success is due to many of the reforms that were enacted during this period and the commitment of policy makers to keep a sound macroeconomic policy which has been buoyed by high commodity prices and complemented by robust domestic demand and energy independence. Therefore, placing the blame solely with the IMF or World Bank is not only unjust, but inaccurate. Poverty in Latin America has numerous roots which are as much historical and cultural as due to economic reforms. To ignore that is to completely frame the situation incorrectly and ignore most of the situation.

The structural reforms, while in the short term were hardest on those that are most needy, have in the long-run brought down costs, decreased unemployment, reduced inflation and spread public services to a larger number of Brazilians than before the reforms. Before the reforms many of the state-owned companies were extremely inefficient, the services they offered were expensive. Just as an example, before privatization the state-owned telecoms company, to get a fixed line for one’s home or apartment cost $1000 per line and the telephone was an additional couple of hundred dollars. After privatization, the cost of a telephone line dropped drastically as companies competed for customers by attempting to offer better service for lower costs. The creation of a private sector created a labor market where people could sell their labor and skills instead of using political or family connections to get a position in a public company where performance and effective use of resources and providing of service were unimportant. The creation of a private sector reduced patronage and clientelism that were rampant in the Brazilian economy and effectively restricting the job market and access to jobs to those in the lower classes.

The idea of CCTs on paper is amazing, but there in their implementation problems arise. Since many are CCT programs require that recipients to get vaccinations for their children or to send their children to school, it would seem appropriate to have mechanisms to verify that parents are meeting these requirements and those that do not would be punished in some way. Bolsa Familia has several problems ranging from corruption to lack of verification mechanisms and follow-up on the part of program administrators. It has been widely reported in Brazilian media in the past few months that approximately 80% of Bolsa Familia's budget is spent on "administration" of the program - lots of the money ends up pensions for employees that worked for Bolsa Familia and not in the hands of poor Brazilians or being used for the actual adminstration of the program. Other problems have been that recipients are not vaccinating their children or sending them to school, but are still receiving their monthly stipends from Bolsa Familia. Additionally, the public schools which these children attend are not providing them with a good education that will help them join the middle class later in life or to continue to higher education. Many of these schools are poorly funded and class sizes are large. It is hard to see how, while the requirement is a good idea, that is truly helping these children in the long run. With out schools to provide a quality education and truly enforcing the requirements that children attend school it is not likely that this will prove to be a success at educating the poor.

However, it is true that Brazil's middle class has grown drastically in the past decade, but it is difficult to say whether this is due to Bolsa Familia being a success or simply because high commodity prices and rising domestic demand for goods have created more job opportunites. CCTs do have a place in developing countries, but it requires efficient and skilled managers to achieve the goals of these programs, as well as ovesight of managers and audits of the program. It is essential that public schools be improved for these programs to truly be successful in the long-run.

Furthermore, it seems that programs should be developed that give parents of these children jobs if they cannot find one for an additional stipend or increased stipend - much like the New Deal in the US. Parents could be put to work on infrastructure projects, waste management for cities or numerous other positions that are needed in these countries as well. Lastly, these programs are not meant to be a permanent income source thus there should be a graduation schedule component to them otherwise you condition people to receive payments and not seek employment.

The Economist is not saying that closing the loopholes for tax havens is bad nor that policy to this effect shouldn't be enacted. What they are saying that in addition to closing the loopholes that allow for companies to be set up their headquarters in the Caymans for example and avoid paying taxes on profits earned in the US is wrong. Who doesn't agree with that? They are point out the fact however that the US's system instead of using a territory tax system which would tax companies based on where the profits were earned. Therefore, any company that is selling its goods in the US will have to pay taxes on the profits from those goods. How is this unfair or even stupid? However, the converse of this would be that any profits that are entirely earned outside the US would be subject to the tax laws of the nation-state in which they were earned. I don't see anything wrong with this.

All this being said it is a ridiculous way to attempt to recoup the trillions of dollars that he has spent so far. With a projected $210 billion to be recouped over 10 years without deducting the costs of the 800 investigators, their administrative apparatus, and agency overhead for whichever agency they will work reduces those "recouped taxes" a great deal. I completely agree with the Fair Tax, but we need a step in the right direction instead of just jumping head in. We have to make reforms that will eventually get us to that end of a Fair Tax.

As long as politicians can get elected and even appointed to cabinet positions without paying their taxes what hope do we have of reforming the American tax system? Especially, since most of the people that vote on it themselves most likely are hiding money in many of these tax havens. Whatever happened to letting people who are experts in the field help devise policy? Why aren't accountants, economists and financial experts creating the tax code instead of a bunch of greedy megalomanicas?

The IMF should allow a greater share of votes to those countries that provide more funding; however, I believe that each member country should have an equal say, i.e. an equal number of votes. Thus, power/decision making is not in the hands of a few but must be agreed upon by the whole of the members or at least a clear majority.

What will China's growth be like when they stop keeping their currency artificially low and are forced to let it float like the rest of the world? I doubt that GDP growth will be as high as what jiuzhou stated from the IMF's current forecast.

Samoa38, I am going to put aside your ignorance and racist overtone for a minute. It is people like you that fail to understand the economic reality of out country. Without those "Hispanics" the American economy would come to a halt, and in fact it did some two years ago when all of these "Hispanics" went on strike for a day. You sir are proving that it is those immigrant and bilingual children that are far superior in their educational pursuits than you, whom I dear say cannot even write in your own native language.

I work in the Brazilian Consulate General of Atlanta, Georgia and the shear number of American businesses and businessmen and women that travel to Brazil to do business is astounding. There are thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of businessmen and women that work in Latin America. The US is the largest trading partner for every single country in Latin America, how do you think this happened? We just sat back and let them send their products to us?

Being bilingual, trilingual or a polyglot is an amazing feat. As someone who was born in the US and studied Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese, I can only hope that studies such this one and others help the American educational system take a hard look at how it teaches foreign languages to students. In an ever increasingly global world the importance of speaking more than one language is becoming a necessity for doing business, trade and for global commerce. It is the monolingual people, such as the above named Samao38, that will be left behind.

Great study and hope to see more of it.

Digitalizing medical records has the potential to make primary medical care better. I can't emphasize the importance of its potential effect. This has not been proven.

There is a very real risk of abuse of this system. The HIPA law for example in the US was pretty much written by insurance and pharmaceutical companies. I do not see how they will not have their hands in the cookie jar of digital medical records. They are two of the most powerful lobbies in DC.

If companies can patent your DNA and not have your signed consent, imagine what they can do with a state, national or even international data base of health records. Before promising some grandiose miracle that will revolutionize health-care, how about putting this new revolutionary idea to the test in a medical study or trial. I think that many of digital medical records supporters will be surprised at the cumbersome nature of the system and even the mediocre improvement it provides over the current system.

What the American health-care system truly needs is for the government to get its act together and regulate insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. The fact that you see a nurse practioner or physcian's assistant instead of a doctor is not only irksome but scary. We have seen the rise of insurance companies, worsening in the quality of care as doctors are forced to see more patients to make a living, and the doctor-patient dynamic become like a mechanic working on a car.

yasono the point of view you embody/believe will not solve anything. the same article you quote also cites that there is no Palestine. to others that have argued in other posts that Israel's right to exist is biblical you can say the same of a Palestinian state. Maybe none of you remember this from your history classes or even learned it but in Southern Spain prior to the Spanish Reconquista, Muslism, Catholics and Jews co-existed under the rule of the Moors. There was even a "Golden Age" in the Muslim world as study of mathematics, science, alchemy (pre-cursor to chemistry), Greek and Roman classics, and knowledge of other ancient civilizations were preserved in Arabic. An earlier post that pointed out the economic and political potential of the Israelis and Palestinians working together is something that I would say both sides fail to see. Land has always been fought over for 3 things: Power, Money/Wealth, and Land. This conflict adds a forth dimension to this and that is religion. If both sides can see that they can accomplish monetary/economic wealth, political power and prowess, a nation of their own and become a regional and even world power by working together there would be no reason to fight would there? Yasono and others of similar persuasion, please name a modern nation that has not come to exist out war, conflict or one group asserting its willing over another's and taking their land? Not the US, any country in Latin America or the Caribbean, most of Africa I dear-say falls under this, Russia, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, India, Central Asia and Australia/Pacific Islands.

I have a unique perspective on this issue. I attended both a large public university in the US (University of Georgia) and was an exchange student to a university in Brazil (Universidade Federal de Vicosa). As an undergraduate at a university with 34,000 students it is hard to meet international students. Especially, when you have some classes that are 350 people. Usually, most students interaction with international students are the teaching assistants which for the most part tend to be international graduate students. If you study a foreign language, science or business course you have have a teaching assistant or even professor that was a foreigner. I think that 3.5% figure in the article is fairly representative of the undergraduate student population at the university. However, at the graduate level it is almost 50%. Some programs have more (foreign languages, sciences, engineering, and veterinary medicine) international students in them than others. For undergraduate international students - at least that come on exchange programs only have to pay for books, food, fees and housing as an American student paid for the international student to study in his/her place at the University. Most of the graduate students I know are foreigners and of them only 5-10% do not have their full tuition waived by the university and are not being paid as teaching assistants or research assistants. I know that the teaching positions are harder to get because you need to have a very high TOFEL score and you have to take another exam that proves you ability to communicate in English (both spoken and auditory comprehension) with students. As an exchange student I couldn't help but notice certain things about the university I was studying at and the students and professors that I interacted with. There was an equal number of graduate to undergraduate students at the university. But in my classes, I noticed that students didn't perform or care about their performance as much as I or the other Americans did. As long as they passed the class that was enough for them, but to me and the other American exchange students we sought to do the best we could. We were not even receiving grades for our classes and we had to only get 60% to receive credit. In two of my classes there was another American exchange student. We were always awake, paying attention, taking notes, answering the professor's questions, discussing the material in class, and we had the best grades on exams and projects. Does this mean that we were better students or had a better education? I don't think so since we were learning Portuguese at the same time that we were taking these classes and we were taking the same exams and doing the exact same work. To me I took away from this that our education system expects us to perform and perform well, that is why there are grade point requirements for participating in exchange programs, internships or getting scholarships. I noticed that professors in Brazil were much more friendly with their students than many of my professors in the US. The university however did not have funding to purchase all of the lab equipment or to have a lot of computers that students could use. My home university had just opened a building the previous year that had 2,000 computers that students could use in addition to the various computer labs across campus, and UFV had one computer lab with about 50 computers. As for this article, I think that agents should not be used to attract/recruit students. Information sessions, exchange partnerships, internship programs, education fairs and the like with universities in other countries will provide the same access to students and information for them about American universities. Universities could also have their websites translated into other languages so that students and their families can read about universities and chose which one is the best fit for them. Also, American immigration policy should be addressed. The policy does not have an objective, at the moment, to attract students or highly educated workers to the US. It actually makes it harder for them to come. A better immigration policy in regards to working after completing an undergraduate or graduate degree in the US would attract students. Currently, the OPT program allows international students to stay an additional year after graduating (this depends on your degree) to work in the US or to try to find work here. Requirements for American companies to hire a foreigner is equally perplexing. They have to prove that there is no American citizen that can perform the job. Why shouldn't the US want to try to keep as many of these international students here if they want to stay?

as someone who is not brazilian, but has lived, studied, and traveled there...most of you are misguided in your views of your own country (brazil) or of another country that you may not know anything about. first, the word America comes from Vaspucio America, an Italian navigator that was on a Spanish ship that sailed to Central America. the spanish and portuguese were trying to find a faster route to the Orient in order to trade for spices than using the Silk Road or sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. Second, Cabral landed in Brazil in 1500, and the Portuguese weren't very interested in colonizing it until they discovered gold and gems in Minas Gerias. They let anyone that wanted to go there go, and it wasn't until the bandierantes that exploration in-land really occurred. when i was studying in brazil i noticed many things that are to be admired like the vast mix of different peoples and cultures from all over the world in places like Sao Paulo and Rio, but they are no different than Paris, London, New York, or Hong Kong in that regard. The way in which everyone is Brazilian (identifying themselves this way) that i found interesting. that being said there is still racism in Brazil but it is not as apparent as in other countries that i have lived in or traveled to. Brazilians still look down on the native populations that live in the Amazon and other regions of the country, and on numerous occasions i heard brazilians say thank god i'm not an indian (native americans). the fact that there are over 150 different skin colors to identify yourself is a further evidence of that. brazil is a rising economic power and, if the BRIC analysis holds true, will surpass the EU and the US by 2050. however, that depends on many different things. as brazil's economy grows and it's economic and political power rise in the world it has a lot of issues that need to be resolved at home as well as in the region. the drug trade and violence that comes with it must be resolved, the prison system needs urgent reform, public education needs not only reform but drastic improvement, and investment and repair of infrastructure are vital for growth. the UN is one of the most hypocritical organizations that possibly exists in the modern world. they are supposed stop wars (both civil and external) and genocide around the world and provide aid. however, they issue mandate after mandate without taking action. Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur are just a few of their lastest "mistakes" in which they had the power and ability to prevent, stem or stop genocide from occurring in these three regions. now the resolution "never again" is what they say, but will they indeed act when the time comes or sit and pass resolutions and mandates? there is no problem with Brazil aspiring to a seat on the security council, they deserve it much more than some of the other countries that have had seats. fabio c...i think you need to read some more about brazil's history under Dom Pedro II, the creation & formation of the Republic, and the early 20th century. Brazil's leaders have in the past been as harsh and totalitarian as in many other countries. It was under the leadership of Vargas (a dictator) that brazil saw expansion (both internally and externally) and it's involvement in WWII http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Expeditionary_Force_(FEB)http://smithsonianeducation.org/scitech/impacto/graphic/aviation/wwiibrazilian.htmljust so you can read the extent to which brazil was involved NOT in D-DAY as you had said earlier but in Italy. brazil will be a leader, the type of leader that it will become has yet to be seen. just as the type of President that Obama will become is yet to be seen. you can speculate and postulate all you want, but actions speak far louder than any diplomatic rhetoric can. MecroSul (MercoSur em Portugues), FTAA, UNASUR and Doha are important for Brazil, South America, and the Americas to resolve in the near future. ps. Brazil has had genocide occur in its past. I am not just talking about the massacre of indigenous populations or the mass enslavement, rape, mutilation and killings of African slaves either (The largest population of slaves in the Americas went to Brazil). I am referring to Canudos and other movements in Rio Grande do Sul. The past is the past and you can't change it. You should learn from it so that the same mistakes aren't repeated in the present or in the future. if you can't grasp that simple principle, then i hope that only 5% of brazilians are like you and none of you are in power. without a generation of brazilians that have lived outside of brazil, speak other languages, understand not only the economic reality of brazil but also economic policy, and truly seek to better their country and not take for themselves brazil will never progress. Vou fazer pra mim primeiro e se dani o resto...won't save anyone.

In several of the earlier posts people asked why the homeless/poor and why only women were being educated by this financial literacy programme. There are two simple reasons: a) the homeless/poor may never have received any education about the financial information they need to survive in today's world; and, b) there are many programs around the world that target women as opposed to men for government sponsored programs (the reason is that women are more likely than men to use the money wisely - i.e. spending on family needs instead of alcohol). I encourage all of you to go to www.jumpstart.org and take one of their surveys that they give to high school students every year and see how you fair. I'm quite sure that you will be surprised at what you don't know, but think you did. Financial literacy is not simply something that you can learn in one class that you take in high school. You have to start early with children and continue to teach them until they are going off to college. Also, good examples set by their mothers and fathers are just as influential and even more so than is what they learn in a class room. Financial literacy is not simply about saving money, buying the right kind of insurance, or how to prioritize your purchases by working from a budget. Yes, that is part of it, but no, that is not all it is. Financial literacy is how well you as an individual are able to interpret, understand, and use the financial information given/provided/exists in the world to make educated decisions about your finances and your future. Look at this program and everything that you know about saving & investing money, credit cards, the stock market, loans & mortgages, budgeting, and how well you really understand financial information again using this definition. I think that you will find that a majority of people are actually financial illiterate or semi-literate. I can attest to this by my personal surveying of college students, doctors, lawyers, financial advisors, corporate executives, small business owners, high school students, and college professors. Our society has deemed it okay to issue 18 year old college students credit cards with limits of $10,000 or more with absolutely no credit history. We have condoned and allowed banks, credit card companies, and the education system to disregard the importance of making sure that people really know what they are getting into. In response to Mr. Ricecake and others of the same persuasion:How many of you have witnessed how credit card companies pray on college students? They sit outside every single dorm and tell you that by filling out this survey or giving your information you are not applying for a credit card. What happens but these students receiving credit cards that are PRE-APROVED for $5,000. They send every student at least one pre-approved credit card in the mail without the student every having requested the credit card or applying for one. Have you stopped to think about how the disappearance of cash transactions has actually encouraged people to become more reckless with their spending? If you don't have enough cash on hand charge it, right? It is not merely the consumer nor these companies faults. It is both. To blame one with out taking into account the actions of the other is asinine. Our culture has made it acceptable for people to become consumers instead of smart consumers. How many of you knew, before owning a credit card, what happens if you only pay the minimum balance every month? Did you know that your credit rating affects your ability to get a job, rent an apartment, purchase a house, or purchase a car? Did you also know that there are 3 different credit ratings for every single person? What about mortgage insurance...do you know why banks required you to have this if you did not have enough for the down-payment? Mr. Ricecake...you may know some about financial information and even how to save or invest your money, but don't think that you know everything. Even people with MBAs in Finance don't know it all.

I wrote my senior paper for my undergraduate Economics degree on Financial Literacy. My advising professor didn't even know what I was talking about when I first talked with him about my topic. I used a survey by the Jump$tart Coalition (www.jumpstart.org) and survey 100 people (students, recent graduates, retired professionals, doctors, lawyers, etc.). The results I got to the survey were quite scary. Even people who think they are know about personal finance are just as "financially illiterate" as some of the people that are in the programs run by Jump$tart and other groups. I think that financial literacy programs should start in schools with young children and continue until college. There is an article the Economist published entitled "Getting It Right on the Money" from April 3, 2008 (http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10958702). I suggest you all read it and look into organizations like Jump$tart and Aflatoun.

Mr. SeeclearYou misunderstood my meaning. I do not mean that the experiences of POWs from WWII whether they be American, English, Candiand, Australian, Japanese, German, Italian, etc that their experiences and the things they experienced were meaningless or that their personal experiences per say was part of the history that the Allies wrote afterwards of the events of WWII. If you look at history it is full of footnote such as the bridge that was built over the River Kwai by British and American POWs held in a Japanese POW camp. Their stories like the stories of the POWs in Europe and other camps across Asia are part of history yes, but they are not part of the history that most people learn about WWII. Yes, we know that there were POW camps, but how many and where? What of the American internment camps? Are the experiences of the people that were rounded up and placed in these camps meaningless? My point is that history is always changing because new facts, evidence, and documents are always being discovered that shed new light on what we previous thought. For example let's look at the American Civil War. Most people in the US see it as a war that was fought over freeing the slaves. However, this view is wrong. The war was about keeping the Union (North and South) together and over trade. Later, toward the ends of the war when abolitionist gained the ear of President Lincoln that freeing the slaves became a larger issue in the war. We are constantly learning new things about the past. That is my point, not that the personal stories of people that lived through events are meaningless to history. They are part of history, but do their stories contribute to understanding an event or series of events as a whole and why they happened? It is not right to look merely at what American and Allied soldiers did during the war to understand what was going on. You have to understand the results of WWI and the armistice agreement signed at Versailles combined with the resulting devastation that this event combined with the Great Depression of the 1930s had on the rise to power of the Nazi party. Also, you have to look at the weakness of the Leagues of Nations to prevent the German invasion of Poland as more evidence. You cannot look at just one side of history. You will never truly understand what happened. You have to look at both sides. I am not saying that what the Japanese are doing by denying what they did in WWII and before it as a correct view of history. I never said that. If you think that I did, then you are misinformed as to the meaning of what I wrote earlier. They should fully admit and accept what they did. That also means that the US should fully admit and accept what it did to the Japanese-Americans in this time. As well as government reluctance to stop the German Concentration Camps, treatment of Japanese POWs, and German POWs. As for Japanese war criminals...did you ever see President Truman brought up on charges of genocide for ordering the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagisaki? or the Pilots of the Enola Gay? The answer is now. Were the bombings of these two cities horrifying, horrendous, and crimes against humanity? Yes, they were. The actions of the Japanese military in Asia and the Pacific are equally horrifying and horrendous. Don't think that the US is not guilty of similar actions for a second. War is war, and it is a horrendous affair that takes its toll more on those who are innocent or not fighting than those in uniform. Have you read the statistics on civilian casualties and death tolls from Allied bombing of Germany compared to the number of German soldiers that were killed? Seeclear, there is more to history than you know. Go to the National Security Archives and read a bit there and you might understand my point. I strongly encourage you to read the documents that they have declassified and put on their website. You will see a new window into the history that you learned of the world in the 20th century.

After reading all of your comments I find that many of you need to sit down and read about the history of each of your nations, both World Wars, and the Cold War. History is something that maybe written by the victors to enhance their victory and standing in the world, but that does not mean that the losers do not write their own history. Perhaps the Japanese ideals of bushido, Shinto, and break with it's recent Feudalistic past during the early part of the 20th century are all pieces of the puzzle as to why Japan has not apologized for the atrocities that their armies committed in Asia and the Pacific. I am by no means agreeing with this philosophy or point of view, but merely explaining why it exists in their culture. Someone pointed out how many European nations recount the atrocities in their colonies in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Most probably do not include them in their histories. How many people know that the Dutch colonial occupation of Rwanda and the Congo in the late 19th century worsened the tribal divisions between Hutus and Tutsis by declaring one tribe better than the other and treating them that way? Or what about the Spanish monks treatment of the Maya and Aztec survivors of the Conquest in Mexico and Central America? Has the Church or Spain apologized for these atrocious and horrendous acts? American history books are finally starting to discuss the atrocities committed against the Native Americans, but what of Europe and the treatment of the Jews, Muslims, and Gypsies (not just during WWII - before)? History is a story that is not always complete, and even people that witnessed the events cannot give a full account of what happened. I have learned this after taking several history courses on Latin American civilization and on international affairs in college. I encourage you all to get two or three different history texts on WWII or any event that you like and read them and compare them. You will find discrepancies between them, because every historian interprets facts differently. Most of you have included famous quotes in your posts, but what about thinking about their meaning. You can just as easily say "One man's hero is another man's mass murderer" instead of "One man's hero is another man's terrorist." Also, Kilgor Trout be ware of what you read on Wikipedia. While it is a good start, check their sources and references after reading an entry. Since it is amendable by anyone, there entries may not be complete or correct. I sincerely hope that we can learn from the past so that we do not make the same mistakes. We can not understand the present without understanding what has happened in our past, because the present is the culmination of all past actions. The future is the culmination of all present actions. Keep this in mind when studying history, and hopefully before criticizing another nation, people, creed, or political philosophy.

I find it interesting that places such as Darfur in Southern Sudan and Republic of Congo seem to remain humanitarian causes fro NGOs and subject of debate in the UN. 17,000 troops sounds like a large number, but when placed in a country the size of Western Europe their effectiveness as a peacekeeping or restores of the peace is questionable. UN troops could do good, depending on how many there were and how well trained they were. If they are unable to protect the Congelese people as in the massacre last week, I doubt that any number of UN troops will stifle or stem the violence that has long ravaged this country.

Golem XIV, a rebuttal to your post. KACEY1's comment on the banking havens that exist in the Caribbean, Switzerland, and in Lichtenstein are spot on the money. You are partially right in your first point that the majority of individuals that have money in these bank havens are wealthy or criminals. However, how rich do you think these "wealthy" account holders are? I do not doubt that there are many millionaires and billionaires that have some of their fortunes in these banks, but that does not mean people making $500,000 or even $250,000 have no incentive to put some of their money in these off shore banks. The incentive is to evade taxes, either income taxes or capital gains taxes. Your second point however does not fully take into account the information in which you are using as evidence. Yes, it is true that the American economy, and thus Americans, as a whole, have a negative savings rate. But do you really understand what that statistic means? It is not merely the fact that Americans spend more money than they earn, but it is also a statistic that says on average, Americans spend more than they save. That does not mean that all Americans spend more than they earn. It means that a majority of Americans spend more than they earn, or more than they save.

reply to mr. jthompsoni am not convinced that obama is a communist. simply the definition of communism and what he is advocating is more of a socialist ideology than that of communism. Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at my graduation from the University of Georgia. I was honored to hear his words, and I think that if all of you were to hear what he told my graduating class it might moderate most of you. I, unlike most, will take his words to heart. His philosophy is quite simple do what is right, not because there is any advantage to it, but simply because it is the right thing to do. Do not be a burden to those around you (your family, loved ones, or your community), try to help those around you when you are in a position to do so. These words are not what 22 year old graduates are used to hearing upon completing their studies at university, and what he said has more staying power than go out there and save the world, and you are our future leaders so act like it. Mr. Thompson, as someone who has traveled the world and dedicated his life to making my country and the world a better place what people think about the United States and Americans is very important. Do you know what it is like to be hated in another country because of being an American? I think not. Until you feel that and understand, maybe you might understand the importance of other countries' opinions about our nation. As the United States has been acting as chief moderator, host to the United Nations, sponsor of NATO, member of the WTO (formerly GATT), and an integral member of the IMF and World Bank I think that international image and politics are of great importance to the growth and success of this country. Would you rather that the United States become and isolationist power like it was before WWI? or just sluggish like in WWII? I may be younger than you, but that does not mean that I do not understand the world. I speak 4 languages and have lived on three continents. I have studied economics and the histories and cultures of the 22 countries of Latin America. I am sick of the lackadaisical attitude in this country that we should not have to learn about other countries and other languages. We live in the 21st century, not the 19th and not the 20th. Where were you when Yitzhak Rabin was assasinated? Or during the Orange Revolution? What about when the Berlin Wall fell? or the collapse of the Soviet Union? Do you remember the end of apartheid? If you want this country to remain a beacon to the world international economics and politics should be important to you. As for the bitter divide between Republicans and Democrats...if this country is to truly be united and move forward to resolving the numerous issues of vast importance to our country and its future growth, bury the hatchet. Be thankful that we live in a country where the elections aren't contested, riots breakout, or tanks are patrolling the streets when the president-elect is announced. I do not doubt that in the past both parties have been malicious towards each other, but we have an ability to move forward even though we may not agree with each other. Maybe this is my generations view and yours may never accept it. I cannot say, but I sincerely hope that the digressions of the past can serve as lesson toward how to act in the future and not server as a divider between us.

I am surprised after reading the comment's posted by all of you (democrats, republicans, independents, and others) of the extreme dislike and near hatred of each others views and choice for president. I must say that in my opinion all of you democrats and others that voted for Obama, you must accept the fact that in order to UNITE you must either: a) agree to disagree with those who supported with Sen. McCain; or b) attempt to find some common ground. Thus far I have found neither a recognition of this fact amongst those who support President-elect Obama that have written comments posted here nor amongst supporters of his at my alma matter. I do not doubt that Obama's charisma and the world's support for him at the moment will give the United States a much need boost in credibility and public image around the world. Whether this will continue over the next four years is yet to be seen. Enough of finger pointing and blaming the other party and its supporters. Face the facts people. How many politicians can honestly say that they know what middle class America is? Is it Joe Schmoe working for $50k or Joe Blow who makes $200k a year? Reality of it is if you make more the $90k per year you are in the richest 1% of the world's population. Bet most of you didn't know this fact. Politicians want to get re-elected. That does not mean that they are necessarily representing our interests or what is best for our country and the world. How many politicians have put "ear marks" and pork barrel spending proposals in the legislation that Congress votes on? A lot...enough to be ashamed of and wonder if we truly live in a Democratic Republic. Enough of pointing fingers. This will not solve anything nor will it help steer this country into being more united. There was a place that had a similar division happen, it's called German in 1933. So go ahead an finger point and blame each other all you want. As for me, I will hope that Mr. Obama will be much like Lula in Brazil, who even though he ran on a leftist platform has governed to the center-left. I hope that his policies are tempered, and not egregiously over-reaching policies. He has a lot that he must confront. A slumping economy, reforming (rather regulating) the financial system, entitlement programs that need desperate reform, and a healthcare system that has been run by insurance and pharmaceutical companies. This is just on the home front. I do not envy the man, and wish him the best of luck. You can only hope for the best when looking to the future. The past is as much of the present as it is of the future. Keep that in mind next time you criticize, point your finger, or place blame. Scape-goating is a dangerous business. Gandhi once said "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." I sincerely hope we can all put aside our differences and work together to make this country as great as it can be. It is not perfect, but we can work together to make it better. Remember, we the people of the United States run this country. We are the ones that politicians, Supreme Court Justices, and the President must answer too. Do not forget the ideals that this country was founded upon.