UN Study Knocks Japan And Germany (Praises US)

German shoppers need to buy more imported goods, the report says Japan and Germany need to do more to help stimulate the world economy, a United Nations report has warned. The study said that the US was having to shoulder too much of the burden of sustaining worldwide demand for goods and services.

With the Japanese and German economies underperforming, the report warns that any big downturn in the US could have serious global repercussions.

The annual development report, issued by the UN Conference on Trade and Development, it said both countries should start buying more imports.

It pointed to the contrast between Japan and Germany's large trade surpluses, and the US's record trade deficit.

"It's a big credit to the US economy that it has been providing the growth impetus while some parts of the world have not been participating, like Europe," said Supachai Panitchpakdi, Unctad's head.

He warned that America's trade deficit - $160bn (£84bn) in 2005 - needed to be reduced, and that Americans could not continue buying so many foreign goods forever.

Mr Panitchpakdi said the issue was now so serious, the time had come to issue a "warning signal".

He said economies in the developing world will significantly suffer if the US cuts its overseas spending and other developed nations - most notably Germany and Japan - do not pick up the slack.

A spokesman for the German Economics Ministry rejected the suggestion that his country was not doing enough to stimulate world trade.

He added that the German economy grew 0.9% in the second quarter of 2006, its fastest pace in more than five years.

The Japanese economy is also continuing to recover after a number of years of recession and deflation.

Well, my '92 Thunderbird, with 175K miles on the O.D. says that the United States does build a good car. We simply have to stop believing the hype about forgien cars.

I had an 88 Grand Prix as my second car, and I'll have to say, I really liked that car. It laid down on me at 125k, but the person who had owned it before me did not take care of it, so it was pretty much a worn out piece of junk when I got it. Too bad, because that was a great machine.

What I'd like to get is about a 99-00 Pontiac Firebird V6. I know the six doesn't have the performance of the Formula or the TA, but I can't really afford $300 a piece tires and 26 mpg on premium fuel only, so I'd have to go for the 6 which will get 29 mpg on regular gas. Besides, if I get with a stick and put a custom exhaust on it, it will probably have enough torque for me. What I liked about the Firebird is the visceral appeal of the styling. Ricers can be refined and civilized, but I'm not really into that.

I have, however, been spoiled by my Nissan Sentra. It's not an exhilirating ride, but I got it when it had 96k miles and I've now got 145k on it, with no major repairs necessary. Maybe the Firebird would be comparable, I don't know. Then again, since Firebirds are very inexpensive, it might not matter anyway.

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