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Outsider Views: Dedicated to The Future - by Mike Pouraryan

 
Welcome to Outsiderviews. This forum provides an opportunity for outsiders to think and reflect upon our ever-changing world. Thanks for your visit and your interest.

Worrisome Developments.....

October 25th 2008 12:46
: Can anyone do anything about it?
I can't help but be worried. As I continue to write about our world, I want to remain hopeful. But, the bad news continues coming in. The Dow lost over 300 points on Friday. As America continues to be in the midst of a Presidential Campaign, the world seems to be falling apart. BBC is reporting on a very disturbing development in Colombia threatens to undermine all that seems to have been achieved in the so-called war on drugs. A number of Army colonels have been sacked because they apparently kidnapped homeless men and then killed them to secure body counts and in turn promotions. Colombia was the same country, of course, that pulled off the release of Ingrid Betancourt and others using the emblems of the International commitee for the Red Cross. I view it as a bothersome development because it will undermine the very perilous nature of achievements made in the war on drugs that the world seems to be losing. Look at what is going on in Mexico. I regard Uribe as the ultimate teflon, though. I think he would muddle through as he has through other crisis.


The more worrisome development, though, is the killing of foreigners in the center of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Afghanistan is on fire. Karzai is useless and is a lost case. I am heartened by Joe Klein's comments on Time.com about Barack Obama's views. According to Klein, Barack Obama (and General Petreaus) are in favor of negotiations with the Taliban. I would be interested in any alternative anyone could offer. Right now, I see none.
There is of course the continued bloodbath in equity markets. In California, the public employee retirement system (CalPers) has lost over 40 billion dollars. Overall, 16.3 Trillion Dollars has been lost in equity markets. Although Governor Palin's 150,000 wardrobe, 22,000/Month charge for a makeup artist and the "fight" among the so-called McCain factions is news in some circles, this kind of news really does not help to find jobs and put food on people's tables.


As the week-end begins in the United States. I wanted to find "something" to end this pessimistic note on. All I can say to Mr. Colbert is, "....Right on!!!!".









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McCain v Obama: Round II

October 8th 2008 04:34
: Who Won? Who Lost?
The debate ended a while back. The whole world will be weighing in through polls and the analysts will have their say. I think Senators Obama and McCain held their own. Although some may disagree, a number of key points Senator McCain raised during his comments which I disagree with.

Iraq is the defining issue right now. It has been trumped by the economy for sure. Many of the questions centered on it. However, the war in Iraq is draining American Resources. Senator McCain noted that "..we are winning in Iraq.." and that the Iraq surge principles should be applied to Afghanistan. First of, Senator McCain is absolutely wrong on the surge. He forgot to mention the local mercenaries and the ethnic cleansing that has occurred. No one seems to talk about it. I also think Senator McCain must realize that even Secretary Rice noted the long difficult road that Iraq has been in her remarks during an award ceremony for Ambassador Crocker and General Petraus. When General Petraus himself has noted that he won't declare victory in Iraq, I wonder why Senator McCain continues to push this fiction of "winning". As for applying the surge to Afghanistan, I commented on the thoughts by the Senior British Military Commander in Afghanistan earlier. Tom Brokaw did raise it with him. Senator McCain went back to his "stock" answer of applying the surge principles. Afghans, Iraqis and Westerners are dying every day. The dying and the suffering has to stop. There has to be a better way.

The other crucial issue that Senator McCain and Senator Obama talked about was healthcare. The question from Tom Brokaw was simple: Is it a privilege, a right or a responsibilty? Senator McCain's answer to that was simple: responsbility. He noted his program to help the middle class with a $ 5,000 refundable tax credit so that they can cross state lines to buy health insurance to promote "choice" and "competition". The problem is that he does not seem to realize that the amount does not even come close to healthcare coverage for the average family. In addition, what may end up happening is that employer-sponsored healthcare may end up going away under McCain-Palin's proposal. I was pleased to see that he acknowledged the fact that there has to be a way found to address the healthcare cost. As for Senator Obama, his answer was simple and to the point: It is a right. I thought his comments on the predicament of his mother was personal and powerful. I personally have had the same challenge at times. The challenge is how to pay for this, though. We'll see. There has to be a better way.

The choices are indeed stark. We have thirty days of excitemet. As America continues to be excited about the election season, the grim facts of life goes on. Markets are still dropping throughout the world. The UK is about to roll out a bank bailout plan. The European Union has annouced a community-wide minimum guarantee for savings. Iceland is seeking Russian help to bail its' economy. The Fed has stepped in to guarantee commercial paper. It all leads to one conclusion: We are in a recession. The National Bureau for Economic Research may disagree with me. But, when neighbors are losing their jobs and their homes, there is no denying it.

Things are indeed grim. The only way we will get out of this is to nationalize the banking system. The market system as we know it has failed. There has to be a better way.

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