FOREIGNER'S VIEWS ON AMERICA

PICTURE CREDIT:  ROLLING STONE

An Indian friend of mine asked:  “Is the world looking at a turbulent America?”

He stated that the world has traditionally had a perception of America as a strong, affluent, advanced nation. In addition, American has been viewed in the past as a rich nation and strong military super power.

In view of the recent Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, he asked if that image has changed? Is America at crossroads financially and politically? Is this the most turbulent times in America’s history? I believe he asked very good questions.

I believe that only in third world countries does the positive image of America exist. Unfortunately, many people in the developed world now see America only as arrogant, narrow, and gluttonous (as we sometimes are).

There have been times that are more turbulent in American history, but not with the potentially wide-reaching devastating effect of today’s “small world”. This fact creates fear and anger toward America. The consensus does not appear positive.

Another young woman gave answers that struck me as naïve and uninformed. This woman, an intelligent, outspoken, hard right-winger, dramatically insisted that the fall of America will be inevitable when Americans are criticizing free enterprise and business. (Some younger people are very opinionated. The less they know, the more they know.)

Of course, what we are actually protesting against is a system where free enterprise is disappearing and the cards are unfairly stacked against us by the elite 1%. I believe, if someone does not see how we no longer have a truly free economy and that the elite are stealing from the 99%, they are in deep denial or blind.

For good measure, she added a personal attack on “those Americans” who support the Palestinian cause. If we show any sympathy or support to the Arabs, we are truly lost! That statement struck me as highly ironic considering that it is our adversarial stance toward the Arabs and support of the Zionist state that has stirred up Arab resentment and hatred against us.

A GREAT POSTER HELD AT AN OWS DEMONSTRATION

Are there faults with America and its economic and political policies?  Yes, yes, yes!  However, they are not so easily classified. The reasons for our declining position as a super power is a subject of great debate.

Another person remarked, “I think the idealistic image of America is gone and, like a Polaroid film camera, America needs to reinvent and re-market itself in order to stay relevant to modern times.” Yes, the image is fading, but the solution will not be found in better publicity and marketing, but rather in clear actions that are beneficial to the world.

If you are a super power, you are under scrutiny. You are vulnerable to much criticism. Some driving forces of criticism are jealousy, but mostly others are because of America’s attitudes of entitlement in other countries. (No country really likes foreign bases on their soil. Put yourself in their shoes.) They view American politics as dangerous—and I understand their fears. People tend to hate what they fear.

U.S. SAILORS MOVE SUPPLIES TO JAPAN

Yet, there are other foreigners, those who gain from American expansionism, those who remember the young men who sacrificed their lives in Europe, those who have traveled and are more educated and sophisticated, realizing that Americans are not necessarily their politics—and that they are all different!

I believe people from other countries see America as becoming more aware of the existing problems and other problems American politics are instigating along with their global consequences.

Perhaps they look at America now and gloat, seeing that America is struggling financially.  "Just desserts"?  Or they worry that, for all their antipathy toward America, they realize they would rather have America be the superpower than the other options.

USA HELPING INDIA WITH WATER SOURCES

Then there are those foreigners that may look at the “Occupy Wall Street” movement as courageous, active people at the forefront, trying to do something about America’s financial straits. They may remember that Americans often speak up and fight for their rights.

Obviously, many foreigners agree that the OWS are on the right track. As evidence, we see other countries following suit with 1500 OWS demonstrations around the world. Both Americans and foreigners are becoming more informed and sophisticated in realizing that the financial situation is not America’s isolated problem.

Some may look upon OWS and wonder at the coming together of so many different races and religions for not only an American cause but a world cause! Hopefully, the world will see that Americans are not American politics. Hopefully, they will recognize that, in contrast, most Americans care about not only their country's welfare but also the welfare of other countries!

My hope is that, as I have differentiated foreigners in this post, they will realize that generalizations are not always true.  I also hope that they will think for themselves, leaving out party political propaganda and cultural conditioning.

DO THE 1% DO MOST OF THE THINKING?

Co-authored with Sodium Boy

With all the OWS talk going around, I feel the need to clarify my position on capitalism.

PICTURE CREDIT AP BEBETO MATTHEWS

At an OWS demonstration recently, someone put up a sign saying, "It's because the 1% do most of the thinking." The arrogance and entitlement behind this type of thinking is mind-boggling! This is how some of them rationalize the theft of the people's money.

I think many people are making mistakes in arguing this subject, resulting in  circular debate, animosity, and confusion. Some people on the right accuse OWS "complainers" of being unpatriotic, ignorant, and lazy.  Proof that they do not think.  Some people on the left complain about capitalism and its "evils".

I have noticed that discussions and comments on blogs exhibit a kind of angry, terse concision, which doesn't allow for the development of a set of common operational definitions. I've noticed also that commentators and debaters often jump to conclusions and make generalizations about their fellow commentators that are false and sometimes even derogatory. Obviously, this type of communication is not productive.

For example, when I argued in sympathy with the OWS, I was called a "lefty" by one responder, when in reality, I am on the left on some issues and on the right on others. It is unfortunate that many who consider themselves to be on the right politically tend to brand others who do not believe as they do as “lefties” or "Socialists", which is false.

In my opinion, discussion such as this does not lend itself well to emotionally charged quips. Most people have emotional attachments to their particular social and economic preferences and are emotionally reactive to certain words, causing them to veer easily off course. As a result, most discussions end up in misunderstanding and frustration.

One of the best things about the video I have posted below (by Mr. Griffin, a Libertarian), is that he brings out the issue that people often do not have common operational definitions of words like capitalism and socialism, etc., as a base from which to discuss these subjects rationally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVdI4Kx8TdY

As I see it, the basis for the OWS movement is simple: As with religion, most people also are most comfortable with the political and economical system into which they were born. As long as they are comfortable, they usually do not question their country's economic system. However, when people suffer, as they do now, they rebel.

I agree with the point of view of some critics who say that some people in the OWS movement are ignorant of important facts—how our system works vs. how it should be working—causing them to come to erroneous conclusions derogatory of capitalism. Many of the 99% also have difficulty explaining what they think should be changed because they are not accustomed to speaking extemporaneously.

However, I believe the corporate media shows these negative examples, rather than positive ones, to degrade the integrity and validity of the OWS movement. After all, part of what the OWS movement wants is for media to stop highlighting what is most shocking and entertaining and reporting what is factual and relevant. I also believe many more OWS supporters do know what is wrong and what they want changed.

Most of us hope, or even assume, that those who see themselves as individualists, understand that individualism means recognizing that others are also individuals. Respect for individuals means respect for the needs, desires, and aspirations of everyone.

Unfortunately, most of us who also see the obvious benefits of individualism in our culture are naive and blinded by the individualist vs. collectivist arguments of some vocal right-wingers. Again, our lack of operational definitions leaves us without a solid base for discussion on individualism. Sadly, most of those who tout individualism are actually autocrats—they like individualism as long as they can be the "individualists" who get to tell everyone else what to do.

For example, in a business situation, an individual owner would see that his/her individual employees would have the best management equipment and pay that he/she could give them while still making a decent profit. Many privately held companies in the U.S. operate on this level.

Many wealthy people (not of the 1%) who have privately owned companies are not on the stock market. Yet they provide jobs without the machinations of Wall Street and the government.

Unfortunately, the usual models we see are publicly held companies whose policies are dictated by stock-owning shareholders and are represented by a board of directors.

In this model, we understand that there is a natural antipathy between owners and labor. The first concern of a publicly held company is profits, not the good of individuals. Therefore, in my opinion, these publicly held companies are collectivist in nature and engage in a form of theft from the stakeholders of the company (i.e. the INDIVIDUAL workers).

An ongoing argument from the right is that capitalism creates jobs and investment creates wealth.  Why demonstrate against those aspects of our economy?  When they make such statements, I am often shocked when realizing the ignorance of people in the throes of their personal beliefs.

The proof is all around us:

The investment money is not trickling down.

There are not enough jobs and/or well-paying jobs.

The inflated economy and poor paying jobs force most households into two-parent incomes. Quality of family life is sacrificed.

Many people are working 2 or 3 part-time jobs with no benefits just to scrape by.

Insurance rates are too high because medical costs are too high.

Wall street is rigged in many cases...(illegal stock tips are rampant)

...and The Fed is making money just by printing it, without backing, and making loans. We are trillions of dollars in debt.  In debt to whom? To what?  To The Fed, a privately owned central bank. This private business essentially "owns" most of us.

Banks are giving credit cards with outrageous interest and deceptive policies, and granting mortgages to people they know cannot afford them.

Due to the incredible inflation of higher education, in order to get a degree, most people are now forced to take government loans. Ultimately, most of us are becoming slaves of debt--to the system.

Our government and banking is "doing the thinking" on how to make money--off the backs of most citizens working hard to pay bills and loans (actually creating real money) plus interest (creating more real money).

So what else is wrong with the system as it is now operating?

Here is a clue: The upper 1% is comprised of bankers, investors, government officials, and lobbyists who legislate on their behalf. These facts are not generally disputed.

The nature of money creation (fiat money and fractional reserve banking and interest—or usury) is "the 900 lb gorilla in the room" no one wants to deal with.

Unfortunately, the economic problems we are seeing in the U.S. affect the entire world. The economies of almost all countries whether communist, socialist, monarchical, or capitalist are run according to this private central bank model.

That brings us to another clue: “In the words of Niall Ferguson, of the House of Rothschild:
There are now only 5 nations on the world left without a Rothschild controlled central bank [LIKE THE FEDERAL BANK]: Iran; North Korea; Sudan; Cuba; and Libya.”

We can cross Libya off that list now. What country is next?

I accuse the 1% of breaking the law. Most of them did not get rich through the design of capitalism.

For example: “Old" money was often made through monopolies, stealing patents, government back-handing, favoritism, and other kinds law-breaking (like the Kennedy’s bootlegging). That gave these so-called capitalists (who are really autocrats!) money to make even more money.

The top 1% DOES NOT TRULY CREATE; they make money from money off the backs of those who work. They especially make money when the stock market goes down. There is evidence to show that they manipulate stock market crashes. There is no legality or virtue in that. These 1% are the underbelly of capitalism.

The OWS phenomenon is not mainly about who does the most thinking; it is not really about class, about poor vs. rich. Their argument is not even about our basic system of capitalism. 

PICTURE CREDIT:  REUTERS

The argument is about the PERVERSION of capitalism! Why? Because the 1% grease palms, become bedfellows with politicians, and create unethical laws enabling them to steal money earned by the majority. Capitalism was created to be a system whereby most people could have opportunities to do well economically. However, that is no longer happening.

I hope this information clarifies my position—and perhaps the thinking of  some of the 99%.