***The Chinese of wealth always builds his house with a cunning simulation of external poverty. ***
My brother wanted to build an underground mansion. It would be accessable only though a secret elevator conceled in a rundown mobile home on the land above it.
Alas, he never built it.
Mid-century? When half the population is over 60, and the other half consists of 2/3 men and 1/3 women?
I don't know what you want to call it, but it's not going to be pretty.
http://www.neoperspectives.com/china.htm
Some scattered posts on china.
Steyn scores another bullseye hit of the fawning self-loathing liberal class. Falling for the "Potemkin Villages v. 2.0" of China, hook, line and sinker.
Follow the rose-colored glasses. And you will find liberals.
Anyways, I have read an analysis that, the Communist Party, which lines it's own and its families pockets, that would represent a wealthy ruling class of about 150-250 million people. As many as well-to-do as our own country.
That many wealthy can put on a good front to foreigners to conceal the state of affairs for the other 1 billion souls under their heels, and noses chained to grindstones.
"One country, two systems" will lead to two or three countries, three or four systems. "
Its just a matter of time!!!!!!!!
The Communist doctrine still depends on world domination to eliminate dissenters and opposition. They are only flirting with free enterprise to fund their soon-to-be-powerful military. Free enterprise doesn't exist without freedom and they are too stupid to realize that.
That was the whole idea behind Nixon's initiative with China. Yeah, that Nixon, the one being vilified to boost the reputation of journalists.
Another great one from Steyn.
Very intesting take by Steyn. He is likely 100% correct, as he nearly always is.
Is there any way to hire this guy for our State Department or are we going to be stuck forever with warmed over Clintonites??
My opinion has always been that India is really the potential power of the east. Despite all the problems there, the biggest thing they have going for them is more freedom, and the basis of a western legal system given to them by the British that does respect property rights.India, by contrast, with much less ballyhoo, is advancing faster than China toward a fully-developed economy - one that creates its own ideas.
No doubt about Europe. But is Steyn correct about Russia? I hold out more hope for her than for the EU.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
How many times have I heard Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton speak of the inevitable decline of the United States?
Bump for post-golf reading.
OUTSTANDING! Mark Steyn is OUTSTANDING! Thanks for posting.
First of all, China abandoned communism about 20 years ago. It's capitalistic, but it's state-run. That's fascism, not communism.
They kept the name of the Party, but that's it.
The Party considered political reform and an introduction of political freedom, but they freely admit that they felt they had to make a choice between democracy and getting rich. They chose rich.
The final point where Steyn is wrong is that the Chinese intend to force 400 million of their rural residents into the major cities over the next 15 years. So they will participate, to some extent, in the growing Chinese economy. They'll be the cheap labor that assembles the cars for export to europe and America.
Fascism does work. And as long as you don't desire to dissent and aren't at the bottom of the economic ladder, it's a far better existence than under true communism.
China is a 4,000 year old country and has essentially governed itself that entire time, with very brief periods of foreign occupation. The borders have changed very little.
It's not going to unravel this century.
Steyn BTTT
I recommend anyone who also speak Chinese go and read Caoan's articles. The reality is far grimer for China and much worse than Steyn knows - in fact, the reports I read on all Western media read like yesterday's People's Daily.
http://www.dajiyuan.com/gb/nssc858.htm
(To TLR: this is the unnamed gentleman I mentioned a few months ago on a thread on P.R. China)
Pass the Windex...