| Actually our man closer to economists is more correct here.
There is a higher demand for oil than ever before. China and India are definitely the top reasons here. You've got the two most heavily populated countries in the world industrializing at a rapid rate... it's almost surprising we can afford to run our own cars at all.
EDUCATION
I do agree education is KEY here. Smart people are proactive and creative enough to find solutions to problems. Although education is key, the problem runs even deeper...
First off we have this kind of media-lawyer kind of "team up" that just screws every body else's line of work. Education is hard hit with this as well and so is medicine (so I hear). Basically it is now illegal to discipline kids at school and if you don't discipline kids, the kids don't learn anything. So they're sitting around at school... the vast majority of them wasting a good 12 years learning nothing but slang, gang activity, bitches and hos etc. In other words, nothing constructive.
This media - law relationship is dangerous because what happens is the media sensationalizes an event that is relatively rare... basically the exceptions to the rules. It gets blown up that people think that's what it's like... even though it only made the news because it was so odd. Then there comes cries from the public for the government to do something about it... then someone more proactive with money hires a lawyer and launches a crusade over a problem that just isn't a real problem. Then what you have is a law that's based on an exception to the rule that now governs the things that operate by rule. In other words, the law goes against the reality.
Then what you have is a first class cock up.
I know I've gone on tangents here but what it means is, the media - lawyer relationship plus an idiotic public who believe everything the media says are a major factor in why things seem to keep going on an irreversible trip south.
That and also the lack of funding for teachers and schools. It's true that you can't solve a problem by throwing money at it, but you need salaries that attract good professionals to teaching and laws that empower them in the classroom. Without those, those classrooms might as well be used for storage.
We also have to STOP using the news networks as our primary source of information. Basically if they say "twelve die in a train crash in Alabama," that's about the limit of the truth to that story. The rest is opinions and analysis by someone who doesn't know a darn thing about trains and the train industry. Look out for "facts" that are in fact opinions. "Hybrid Cars Unsafe," is an opinion.
ON ISRAEL
Israel needs to protect Israel. We need to be real careful about dealings with them. Not to mention, there is no secret that there is a VERY strong Israel lobby in the US government. The Israelis are not to be given a blank check.
IMMIGRATION
So illegal immigration is a problem so we're going to limit legal immigration? Am I the only one that finds that funny? Also the "protect US jobs" is a joke. Most of these legal immigrants fill in jobs that have a short supply of qualified US citizens. I mean, it makes sense don't it? Even in the most liberal immigration law environments, it's easier to hire a local. The douche bag who's barely qualified for McDonald's isn't going to suddenly start fixing computers.
THE REAL POWER
The real power in America is not so much in the government but in the press and the lawyers. They can turn public opinion against someone faster than you can say "coffee," and knowing the kind of muckrakers out there, I'm sure they got a lot of dirt about just about everyone.
I find it hard to understand why it is legal to write highly biased (basically half truths, the worst sort of lying) articles to destroy someone's life, yet it is illegal to shoot someone through the face. If you think about it, if you shoot someone through the face, it's actually pretty instant and theoretically painless.
CHINA
Face it. We will have to just live with them in a long standing Cold War. The Chinese won't go away as they haven't gone away for thousands of years. The owners of the Pyramids are gone. The owners of the Great Wall are the same dudes.
Just wait until they start getting rich. They will have the same problems as us. Then again, maybe they're not as stupid as we are.
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Republic of Korea Marine Corps
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