Besides the fact that the picture in the paper has me clean shaven (I’ve been sporting the goatee again since August), the paper has a quote that may seem stupid to some. I’m going to be the first to admit- I think in concepts, and speak in words- and sometimes the two don’t quite jive. I am most lucid and accurate when I write. I should follow the Jason Calacanis [1] model, and only interview via IM (then post before the story breaks :-)
So- to make things clear- even though I may have said this:
Longtime Dayton activist Esrati to run for Congress [2]
Esrati remains critical of Turner on issues such as home foreclosures and predatory lending.“The threat to our democracy is not the global war on terrorists,” added Esrati. “The threat is that the United States is going to get bought by China.”
What I meant to say was: “The threat to our democracy is not going to be solved by the global war on terror,” added Esrati. “The threat is that the United States is going to get bought by China.”
In fact, the money being spent on the GWOT with the military industrial complex may be the only thing keeping our economy afloat. There is one thing we don’t like to outsource to China- and that’s our weapons of war.
If China told Wal-Mart “starting today, everything will cost 25% more”- coupled with the falling dollar, we’d all (at least “my people” who live with high credit card balances and fear of going to the doctor) be screwed.
The 500 Billion spent in Afghanistan and Iraq could have gone a long way to making us energy independent via investment in mass transit, high speed rail, tax incentives for businesses who employee people who can walk to work and in a high speed data infrastructure so that more work could be achieved virtually.
Think about it.
And please, forgive me in the future for my inability to quote exact conversations back, it’s never been a skill. I listen and analyze, not listen to memorize. It’s how I’m wired.
Thanks.
China is at minimum 25 years away before they will even dream of confronting us directly. They are that far behind in terms of spending on their military. They know this, and are planning accordingly. Is the US Government doing the same thing? Sometimes I wonder.
In 25 years they’ll have 100 trillion in the bank, mostly thanks to Wal-Mart and Wall Street- with the attention on quarterly results instead of real investment.
One thing I learned in Outward Bound comes to mind: The rule of P’s: Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
We need to redefine the concept of “Investment” in the US if we are going to have a sound financial ecosystem.
Wall Street is not a casino.
Wall Street may not be a casino – but I treat it like one – and make a ton of money off it. I will be dead before China gets to us, why should I care? The government does not care how and why it takes my money and who they use it on, so I could give a rats arse about the whole thing – IT WILL NEVER CHANGE – even with you in there David. The whole thing is a waste of time, I did care, but now it just seems everyone spins their wheels – now off to Florida to catch some rays……… MT rules BTW!
Gene, nihilism will get you nowhere in the end. You’re making money, great, awesome, but sorry buddy, in the end we are all dead, and you don’t get to take it with you, unless of course you’re some sort of ancient Egyptian Pharaoh.
“The 500 Billion spent in Afghanistan and Iraq could have gone a long way to making us energy independent via investment in mass transit, high speed rail, tax incentives for businesses who employee people who can walk to work and in a high speed data infrastructure so that more work could be achieved virtually.”
Thing is Mr. Esrati I don’t think Americans want any of this. Incentive through government or not American’s love cars, love flying and love pretending that America is the most efficient work force in the world. They also want to have a big government military to protect them and flout their power every once in awhile.
Shake it off David!!
First opening jab in what is going to be a bruising slugfest. DDN is going to keep clinching and sliding you just to make you look bad. You are the most dangerous sort of candidate, an honest free-thinker. The MSM (DDN) made need an occasional wake-up correction call, but in truth you owe NO ONE ANY apologies for parsing linguistic nits on issues that should be materially apparant. Keep swinging away, stay out of the clinches!
Yvan