Comments on: An election of tit-for-tat http://jimrundle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/an-election-of-tit-for-tat/ Ramblings, rantings, and the occasional glimmer of insight. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:48:17 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Trudi Topham http://jimrundle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/an-election-of-tit-for-tat/#comment-6 Trudi Topham Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:27:46 +0000 http://jimrundle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/an-election-of-tit-for-tat/#comment-6 Funnily enough that was my thought too. Henry VIII used to keep going to war with France to keep his Lords occupied and stop them de-throning him, and it's a technique Bush seems to be using quite well. Added to the WWII and Cold War economic growth the US experienced by going to war and thus funding massive arms growth it just seemed likely they were repeating this tactic without updating it for the modern world. Funnily enough that was my thought too. Henry VIII used to keep going to war with France to keep his Lords occupied and stop them de-throning him, and it’s a technique Bush seems to be using quite well. Added to the WWII and Cold War economic growth the US experienced by going to war and thus funding massive arms growth it just seemed likely they were repeating this tactic without updating it for the modern world.

]]> By: James Rundle http://jimrundle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/an-election-of-tit-for-tat/#comment-5 James Rundle Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:29:33 +0000 http://jimrundle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/an-election-of-tit-for-tat/#comment-5 Indeed, I think it's very strange for such a populous and educated society as America's to be so incredibly repressed with regards to the deep, deep socio-ethno-economic problems that are littering almost every level of their society. I'd argue that their recent willingness to get involved in armed conflict has hearkened back to the days of the post-WW2 and Cold War eras - the idea that war is good for business, where in a modern world that simply isn't the case. What it has done instead is dump thousands of angry veterans and utterly disenfranchised ethnic minorities onto the polls and the streets - who neither have the capability nor the inclination to jumpstart the economy by injecting turnaround into it. You can't make problems go away simply by ignoring them, which it seems that successive administrations have done for a long time in the States. The problem with this economic disaster that's literally waiting to go off, in my view, lies with more fundamental issues with state capitalism and free markets, but that's a different article altogether. Indeed, I think it’s very strange for such a populous and educated society as America’s to be so incredibly repressed with regards to the deep, deep socio-ethno-economic problems that are littering almost every level of their society. I’d argue that their recent willingness to get involved in armed conflict has hearkened back to the days of the post-WW2 and Cold War eras – the idea that war is good for business, where in a modern world that simply isn’t the case. What it has done instead is dump thousands of angry veterans and utterly disenfranchised ethnic minorities onto the polls and the streets – who neither have the capability nor the inclination to jumpstart the economy by injecting turnaround into it. You can’t make problems go away simply by ignoring them, which it seems that successive administrations have done for a long time in the States.

The problem with this economic disaster that’s literally waiting to go off, in my view, lies with more fundamental issues with state capitalism and free markets, but that’s a different article altogether.

]]> By: Trudi Topham http://jimrundle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/an-election-of-tit-for-tat/#comment-4 Trudi Topham Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:12:55 +0000 http://jimrundle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/an-election-of-tit-for-tat/#comment-4 It's a strange one, isn't it? I think essentially the Democrats have realised that there's no challenge from the Republicans, so they'll have to fight one-another instead if they want public spectacle. It's a great shame. For years (particularly since 9/11) Americans have had the blinkers on with regards to the severe problems within their own society, and the Bush administration has attempted to keep it that way by starting wars all over the place and pointing overseas. Anyone who dared to say "Um, wouldn't it be good if we could look at our own problems and, maybe, think of a way of fixing them?" was accused of being un-Patriotic and shouted down. There are no problems here. Anyone who says they are hates America. With that kind of internal stonewalling it's no surprise that the USA's been sliding into recession for five years. They just refuse to admit it, so they can't halt the slide because nobody's allowed to analyse it and fix it before it goes too far. Alas the real problem is that the UK's government remained blinkered, too, so we're sailing around the US's sinkhole, waiting to get sucked in. It’s a strange one, isn’t it? I think essentially the Democrats have realised that there’s no challenge from the Republicans, so they’ll have to fight one-another instead if they want public spectacle.

It’s a great shame. For years (particularly since 9/11) Americans have had the blinkers on with regards to the severe problems within their own society, and the Bush administration has attempted to keep it that way by starting wars all over the place and pointing overseas. Anyone who dared to say “Um, wouldn’t it be good if we could look at our own problems and, maybe, think of a way of fixing them?” was accused of being un-Patriotic and shouted down.

There are no problems here. Anyone who says they are hates America.

With that kind of internal stonewalling it’s no surprise that the USA’s been sliding into recession for five years. They just refuse to admit it, so they can’t halt the slide because nobody’s allowed to analyse it and fix it before it goes too far.

Alas the real problem is that the UK’s government remained blinkered, too, so we’re sailing around the US’s sinkhole, waiting to get sucked in.

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