ping
Oh no not the big bad Japanese buying up America.
Er.. I mean the Chinese. How will we ever survive?
Zzzzz...
sigh ...
America's greatness was never based on the volume or quality of our manufactures, on the size of our armed forces or on how many graduates in engineering and the sciences we produced.
America's greatness comes from the freedom of enterprise that we have here in this country and the innovation in product and process that it engenders.
For probably much of the last century, on a per capita basis and even on a gross basis, Germany has had more manufacturing workers producing items rated higher than US manufactures for quality, Germany has had more soldiers under arms (until 1944), and Germany has had more degrees awarded in engineering and science.
Yet we profoundly defeated Germany militarily, we have far outstripped Germany in innovation and basically completely outclassed them in every way. The same goes for Britain and France. The greatest economic and military powerhouses of old Europe could never touch us despite their possession of what you consider advantages.
China is far from replacing the US as the world's lone superpower either economically or militarily.
From an April 30, 2004 article …
http://www.morganstanley.com/GEFdata/digests/20040430-fri.html
I am doing some research work for UNLV. The "students" that are all educated are coming HERE. That means those dollars are being spent on American education. American education is STILL the most highly valued and desired in every country, especially China.
China opening it's doors seemed to me almost inevitable considering it's history. Yeah, the past 50 years haven't been their high point but in general their culture is always trade and technology heavy. I worry more about China's looming energy crisis because of the modernization. They could become warlike to claim their needed oil resources at some point.
Over 50% of China's workforce are engaged in agriculture compared to 1.4% in the US.
America WILL be eclipsed by China. Not a big deal, though, since lesser nations do pretty well in todays world.
No nation can survive when it kills off its infant girls and cannot sustain sensible reproduction.
Willie - the economy is important, but you gotta stop obsessing on money; it's unhealthy and unnecessary - everything will be just fine, uunless Kerry wins, then you can head for the poor house...
I always felt the Chi-Coms will be the source of our next Cold War.
Well this fellow missed the fact that, first the Chinese have to be on par with us; another words we going to be standing still for the next 30-40 Years for the Chinese to catch up with us and be on even level, and than we can talk about rate of growth.
Big difference...apples and oranges if you ask me and I ain't no economist of any kind!.
BTW on a different thread sometime ago, some wise guy in Europe concluded that we have to stay put for an average of 15 Years, so the Europeans can catch up with us on most levels!
You draw the conclusions!
There is a difference between the Chinese and American business people. The Chinese executives are persuing profits for a purpose, that of making their country stronger. The American executives are persuing profits for the sole purpose of increasing their own yearly bonuses, without regard for anyone or anything else.
In 2000, Bush had promised Prosperity With A Purpose. But the business community has undermined it.
I think some people have a death wish for America.
Any "mouse that roars" could defeat us. Let us surrender now Give up. Disarm. Let it be our generation that disgraces the Founders and more than two hundred years of brave Americans? Is that the issue?
"America can be eclipsed by China in key ways"... I bet he forgot that China can enslave over a billion people in a second and arm them with spit ball guns.
Our superpower status is not entirely based on our economy. It is based primarily on our ability to project military force anywhere in the world without anyone being able to stop us.
That said, if the U.S. were to stop all trade with China as of tomorrow, the world would abandon China and flock to the U.S. They may be growing fast, but they are growing from a sprout. We are a still growing mature oak that is getting bigger and stronger while China is still trying to get big.
The most important gauge of economic power would probably be the water guage. What percentage of Chinese homes have running water as compared to the U.S.
Shalom.
If you slit your wrists ACROSS your arm, the blood will usually clot and the cut will almost certainly not lead to death.
The proper way to slit one's wrists is to begin at the edge of the hand and work upward, toward the elbow.
Glad to help.