Posted on 06/11/2010 8:55:09 AM PDT by NetRight Nation
Two unrelated stories in early June show in stark detail why the United States is on an accelerating downward, death spiral while China is continuing to build a solid foundation for economic domination in the decades to come. The actions reported in and of themselves will hardly register on the radar of most Americans. But they portray the crucial errors and arrogance of the Obama regime. They also point to a different path, a way forward out of the morass of ultra-liberal, ideological delusion that is now policy in Washington, D.C.
The first article, appearing in the Washington Post, details Chinese investment in the basket case of Europe, Greece. The Chinese government is investing “hundreds of millions — perhaps billions — of euros” into Greek infrastructure. Not the soft infrastructure that is thinly disguised consumption but in the hard, base platform that will allow both China and Greece to build prosperity.
Greece’s primary port city is Piraeus, a gritty industrial zone to the west of Athens. China is investing heavily to modernize Piraeus. Why? The answer is simple. The investment is so China will have a port to off-load mountains of Chinese exports to Europe. They are making investments that will enable industry to produce and sell more. And that means they are investing to put their people to work.
China has learned the hard way that control of all elements — what was once called total vertical integration — means maximum profit. Greece is flat on its back. China can get what it wants cheap. The irony of a communist state teaming up with a petty bourgeois neo-socialist government to crush unions allied with a local communist party just to maximize profits is too sweet not to note. But all such theoretical conflicts are of no consequence to the dictators in Beijing when in the hunt for increased market share.
Contrast the Chinese model with a big announcement made the same day by Barack Obama. Obama committed the United States taxpayers to $400 million in aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. What will the $400 million buy? Schools, mortgages for local citizens to buy homes, water treatment facilities and other associated “soft infrastructure” expenditures.
Is there any economic return on this money? None that is readily apparent. Is there any link to U.S. business thereby creating jobs for American citizens? Not unless they are a top level bureaucrat. What do we get out of it? Good karma, that’s about it.
So, while the Chinese invest in hard things that directly help create jobs in their country, the United States lavishes money on things the locals should be doing for themselves — things that any nation should want to do for themselves from their own savings, investment and hard work.
In Greece, China creates the foundation for the Greek people to do for themselves. In Gaza, the United States practices the toxic, paternalistic enslavement of the welfare state.
Were that all, it would be bad enough. But, of course, there is more. The Chinese are making these investments with saved money, money they have stockpiled. The United States is frittering away $400 million it doesn’t have. In fact, we are borrowing the money, throwing yet another brick on the backs of our children and grandchildren, unconcerned about their future.
In short, China is building jobs and a future for theirs, while the United States is going deeper in debt.
Whether there is time for America to reverse course is something one can only guess. But the path of enlightened self interest and national sovereignty practiced so aggressively by the Chinese is clearly the way the U.S. should go. The “World Government” dreamers and Ivory Tower gurus need to be shoved aside and hard-nosed realists put in their place. Just like they have done in China.
Bill Wilson is the President of Americans for Limited Government.
Read more at NetRightDaily.com: http://netrightdaily.com/2010/06/a-tale-of-two-countries-why-the-u-s-is-drowning-in-its-own-blood-while-china-prospers/#ixzz0qYnyImrq
We have stupid economic planners....they have intelligent economic planners. We need to clone their planners.
The Chi-Coms are nowhere near having a domestic market that could support the 400 million or so dependent upon U.S. and other export sales.
What about the 800 million rural Chinese who have been left behind?
What is China without useful-idiot technology transfers, FDI, and EXPORTS?
What is there to admire about this..
"According to World Bank figures, nearly 500 million Chinese people still live on less than $2 (£1.40) a day. The rural poor feel that the profits from China's economic expansion have passed them by. . . Communist Party's model of growth could soon collapse unless it allows China's 800 million rural people more of a say "
800 million of 1.2 billion.. about three-quarters? That's like 225 million here? NO THANKS!
I'll take the good ol' U.S. Y'all can have the Chi-Coms' economic "miracle."
If they stopped buying our treasuries we'll stop buying the Chi-Com and useful-idiots' exports -- we'll suffer economically -- for a while -- but we'll have massive job creation as American entrepreneurs rush to provide the products.
The Chi-Coms will have revolution and the useful idiots will lose everything -- they were going to lose anyway as Deng's NEP had no intention of allowing them to stay in China. I bet.
“Everything we need to know about America’s future will be told by how the November elections go.”
Agreed.
I believe that we will prevail in November, barely. But if we don’t, the destruction/suicide of our country will be very near complete.
Suicide by vote.
Were you being facetious?
about 90 per cent of China's billionaires are the children of high-ranking officials.
I believe it.
Every atrocity committed by the Chi-Coms from the day Mao took over was a contemporaneous event for me. You can have the Chi - Coms. NO THANKS!
By our own volition, no less.
I agree but in general at least don't we have to acknowledge the progressives' addiction to OPM?
Isn't the generous giving of money and self-sacrifice pretty much the obligation of those other people from whom the progressives take the money?
Leadership?
A more fitting name for this article would be: “The Mind vs. The Heart”, becaue if anyone needed any proof of which is the way to prosperity, this article highlights those differences.
Bzzzt! Wrong answer. The $400 million will pay for more missiles to fire at Israel and explosives for little girls and boys to strap to themselves.
Those 500 million rural poor represents the bottom 35% of Chinese society. They represent mostly older farmers who never caught on to the industrial revolution. They live on 2 dollars a day, which is pretty horrible.
However the median global wage is around $1.15 a day. So the poorest Chinese peasant still makes almost twice as much as the global median salary. In the early 80s, 95% of the Chinese population lived on a dollar a day.
The bottom line is that capitalism and industrialization tremendously improves a society.
In the early 80s there was an "iron rice bowl" I think it was called. That was an era when "enterprises" were state owned or owned by the local governments. Worthless enterprises. Some remain being kept alive by non-performing bank loans -- The Chi-Coms don't dare add tens of millions to the unemployed.
The 500 million (many put the figure at 800 million) have no "iron rice bowl."
Yes capitalism and industrialization tremendously improves a society. But what good is it if it's decades away from a domestic market that can sustain the industrialization? When only about 400 million out of 1.2 billion have benefited?
The news articles I've read say that the Party is very worried about those "older farmers who never caught on to the industrial revolution." Not worried about their well being but about revolution.
If their exports take a dive that's tens of millions more out of work while the Chi-Coms can't even come close to 25 million new jobs annually needed for youngsters entering the workforce.
No.. I do not admire the Chi-Coms and their "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" (a.k.a., Deng's version of Lenin's New Economic Plan. IMO). I'll take the good ol' U.S.of A. and Her recessions any day, thank you.
Not sure where your coming up with the 800 million rural poor figure but.... Here are some semi-reliable sources of information:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html
130 million below UN poverty line ($1 /day or global median wage)
350 million low income ($2 a day)
500 million working class ($3000-$9000 a year)
250 million middle class ($10k-20k a year)
50 million upper class ($20k or above a year)
China in the 80s had numerous food shortages all over the country. The iron rice bowl was basically government propaganda.
Notice the sharp discrepancy between the rural incomes of 2 dollars a day versus the 15-30 dollar per day incomes of factory work?
A Chinese factory worker is earning between 15-30 times more money than the median person(an illiterate peasant) on the planet.
Basically the difference between subsistence agriculture in a mud hut with cows and pigs versus a small apartment with electricity, running water, TV/Internet, and modern transportation.
The link in my post #24. There have been other articles over the past few years that had the same number (800 million) of rural poor.
A lot of articles mention the "floating population" of 100 million to 200 million. These are people without steady jobs or other sources of livelihood who must travel looking for any kind of employment. Lots of google hits for, "floating population" china.
I am no fan of the Chinese Communists.
Every atrocity committed by the Chi-Coms from the day Mao took over was a contemporaneous event for me. Others can have the Chi - Coms. NO THANKS!
The link you referred to had that number at 500 million.
Moreover, I’m just pointing out the obvious. Capitalism and industry dramatically improves living standards of ordinary Chinese people.
The chicoms should be more aptly named chi-fascists, since their economic policies in the last 30 years have clearly not been communist.
I do not assume that the 300 million difference consists of people happy with their lot in life under the Chi-Com. They may have incomes of more than $2 / day however but still be classified as poor.
BTW, I hope that I have been as polite as you have. Sometimes in these discussions by this time I've received some classic contumely to add to my collection.
BTW, yes clearly it's not classic Marxism but would you believe, about 90 per cent of China's billionaires are the children of high-ranking [Communists] officials. My reply #27.
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