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The national ethos of the United States: a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. All men are created equal.But what's behind the mirror ? [url url=http://Nowhere to cook]Nowhere to cook[/url]Modificationhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21636723
I think you meant this link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21636723Well, what can you say? Thus is the result of the Foodstamp President, who has made it clear that re-fashioning America according to his liberal-socialist dream takes precedence over economic recovery. His solution to raise the minimum wage may sound nice, but in the long term this would merely result in businesses raising their prices, thereby forcing people (including the poor) to pay more anyway. As for the story itself, I am guessing that the family has encountered several problems specific to its situation. The article said the family pays $1326/month for its house, which may mean they have over $200,000 left on their mortgage. It seems that this family should be renting, not owning a house. I would expect that they could rent a decent-sized apartment or house in Iowa for under $1000/month, particularly since real estate prices there cannot be all that expensive relative to other areas.
Americans may be poorer, but the Third World seems to be less poor:World poverty is rapidly dropping, Oxford University report saysThis actually corroborates the thesis of the person behind the movie about Obama and 2016 which came out last year. In it, he suggested that Obama was interested in curbing America's strength so that other nations were effectively raised up. It is a rather sadistic plan, almost smelling of conspiracy theory, but any number of things that Obama has done supports this interpretation.
I don't think the growth of Third World nations has anything to do with Obama's policies. Much of the reason appears to be better nutrition and more food. The only “conspiracy” theories are those who criticize Monsanto and other corporations for supplying genetically modified food. I never understood that argument (that they are controlling or poisoning the food supply or something) because all they do is make more food available and it's less susceptible to drought and disease. If this was the United States, Obama's EPA policies would put a stop to this or do something stupid like force farmers to grow their corn for ethanol production, which raises prices, rather than food…ooops, he's already done that.
Well, let me be clear that I am not suggesting Obama has been able to single-handedly raise the level of economic well-being of Third World countries. I think that long-term policies in place in the West, however, have helped these countries. Foreign aid and the IMF, for example, have helped these nations operate in a way that they would not be able to without them. At the same time, certain policies in the West have harmed these nations. Subsidies to sugar farmers in America, for example, have undoubtedly hurt the Third World.What I do think, however, is that Obama has helped curtail American economic expansion, thereby creating a more "level playing field" among the nations. Global poverty is reduced much through things like technological innovation and access to free markets. The cell phone, for example, has allowed vast numbers of people to communicate even though they may live far away from land line phones. Goods have also been produced much more cheaply than in the past, making them more affordable to the masses. So yes, the Third World has inevitably benefited from certain developments in the U.S. and other parts of the West. According to one theory, however, it may be the case that this has taken place at a time when Obama has been beating down American economic excellence.
The national ethos of the United States: a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. All men are created equal.But what's behind the mirror ? [url url=http://Nowhere to cook]Nowhere to cook[/url]Modificationhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21636723
That is a pretty nice hit piece on the American experience that is far from representative. I guarantee you I could find people in every Western country with a story that is as pathetic or worse. The article tells one story and ignores the wider context. Typical yellow journalism. Remember the Maine!
That is a pretty nice hit piece on the American experience that is far from representative. I guarantee you I could find people in every Western country with a story that is as pathetic or worse. The article tells one story and ignores the wider context. Typical yellow journalism. Remember the Maine!
I am not sure about the political stance of the BBC, but tugging at the heart strings to make a political point is straight out of the Liberal Americana playbook. You are absolutely right that using one example out of a nation of hundreds of millions is rather ridiculous as a means of pointing to a social problem. Yet, the point it makes it done quite well - people in the middle of America barely being able to eat. How many people freaked read the article and thought, "wow, America must be in really bad shape if even Iowans can't feed themselves"?
I am not sure about the political stance of the BBC, but tugging at the heart strings to make a political point is straight out of the Liberal Americana playbook. You are absolutely right that using one example out of a nation of hundreds of millions is rather ridiculous as a means of pointing to a social problem. Yet, the point it makes it done quite well - people in the middle of America barely being able to eat. How many people freaked read the article and thought, "wow, America must be in really bad shape if even Iowans can't feed themselves"?
Given the amount of thought most people apparently put into their reactions, probably most of them.
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