"There's not much hope for America's future", Paul Krugman writes

Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times about health care terror by big-money interest with a stake in the present system:

The only things standing in the way of universal health care are the fear-mongering and influence-buying of interest groups. If we can't overcome those forces here, there's not much hope for America's future.

Source: truthout.org

Well, I don't see Americans ever overcoming those forces. Ergo, am I wrong to give up hope for America's future??

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Tags: Care | fear-mongering | Heath | influence buying | New York Times | terror | Universal Health Care

"There's not much hope for America's future", Paul Krugman writes

Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times about health care terror by big-money interest with a stake in the present system:

The only things standing in the way of universal health care are the fear-mongering and influence-buying of interest groups. If we can't overcome those forces here, there's not much hope for America's future.

Source: truthout.org

Well, I don't see Americans ever overcoming those forces. Ergo, am I wrong to give up hope for America's future??

NowPublic

Tags: Care | fear-mongering | Heath | influence buying | New York Times | terror | Universal Health Care

Beautiful Man-Made Britain, Beautiful Natural America: Comments by Bill Bryson

In a speech made by best-selling American-born writer, Bill Bryson says:

Where I come from [USA], when the landscape is stunning it's because nature made it that way. In Britain when it's stunning, it is, more often than not, because people made it that way. Of Britain's 27 World Heritage sites, only four are natural formations. The rest are monuments and landscapes built by humans.

Source: environment.guardian.co.uk

I agree. The natural beauty of the US is unparalleled in the world. So why is it, whenever anything is touched by the hand of man in the US, it instantly becomes an eyesore? Strip malls, McMansions, box superstores, Las Vegas, suburban housing tracts, urban decay and blight, fast-food outlets, etc., etc. No wonder national parks in the US are overrun, they are some of the few places one can go to to avoid hurting one's eyes.

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Tags: America | best-selling writer | Bill Bryson | campaign | Dales | england | glorious | keeping | president | rural | TRICK

US$7.65 a Gallon for Gasoline

I am frankly tired of hearing complaining Americans moaning about the price of gasoline. What do you pay? $3...maybe at most $4 dollars a gallon. How about $7.65 a gallon? Now that is expensive. That is what British motorists are to pay when petrol breaks through one pound a litre.

The start of the summer holiday season will see petrol break through

the £1 a litre barrier after oil prices surged to their highest level

in almost a year, petrol retailers warned tonight.

As the

global cost of crude came within striking distance of last year's

record high of $78.65 amid fears of a disruptive US hurricane season,

the AA said motorists could see petrol prices rising steadily over the

next two or three weeks.

Source: business.guardian.co.uk

There are $2.02 a pound and 3.7854 litres in a US gallon = $7.65. So the next time you Yanks moan, think about your cousins in the UK paying twice what you pay.

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Tags: Business | guardian | litre | PETROL | prices | unlimited

What's the Best Thing About America, ABC News Asks

ABC News asked people what's the best thing about America. Well, the usual platitudes about freedoms and free speech (as if other countries don't have freedom of speech) came out of course. But if they were to ask me, I would say that without a doubt the best thing about America is its natural beauty. There cannot be a more ecologically diverse or beautiful county in the world to rival the natural wonders of the US. UNFORTUNATELY, they are masked and marred by the horrendously ugly man-made environment of strip malls and McMansions. It's horrible what humans have done to a once beautiful land. But the visual pollution doesn't stop at the built environment, it exits in the slovenly nature of much too casual dress among the natives. Outside a few blocks of Manhattan, the US is made up of some of worst dressed people around. I remember Tracy Ullman was on the Tonight Show in the 80s and asked, 'What is it about Americans? They are the richest people in the world, yet they dress like Czechoslovakians (this was at the height of the Cold War and Communism in that once unified country). I think she was being much much too unfair -- to the Czechoslovakians!

And I don't even want to get started with the Fiat 500-sized wide asses. I'll leave that for another time.

Too bad the best thing about American is obscured by so much visual pollution.
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**I love Tracy Ullman**

The United States of Africa

In a BBC story, Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi says there is no future for individual African states and is pressing ahead with plans for a single African
government.

I think it is an idea that's time has come.

The nay-sayers may say that Africa is so different with so many
cultures and languages. But the same can be said about India and China.
But as India and China both have over a billion people, they hold a
lot of sway on the international scene.

Some may say there are more than 50 individual states in Africa-- how can they get along? But the US has 50 states and each state has its own laws and culture. Think how
different people are in Texas versus Vermont!

A federation of Africa states, with a population of 600 million people
would be hard to ignore on the world stage. It would make the United
States of Africa the world's third largest country.

A single market of the USA would bring down many inefficient tariffs
and bring on the benefits of a large market and economies of scale.

And with a federal government lording over local governments, civil wars and genocide would be more unlikely to happen.

Finally, many if not most African states today are artificial creations
anyway. Local cultures would be no more diluted under a huge superstate
than they are now. In fact, they may better preserved.

There is certainly room for more than one USA in this world. It is an idea that's time has come.

The Dominion of America: Why the US Needs a Non-Executive Head of State

Now I know from the get-go this is not going to be very popular
among the 'Mericans' out there but I truly believe our system of
government to be too antiquated to work properly.

To celebrate Independence Day, I came across a column written in the Guardian by Ian Williams titled: George III or George W?.

Basically, Williams makes the case that many of the things the founding
father's complained about in regard to King George III, are the same
things that George W is guilty of. Not much has changed.

This comes as no suprise to me as the founding fathers modeled the
office of president of the US on the 18th century British monarchy. While
the UK, Canada, NZ, Australia and Ireland are modeled on the powerless
role of the British crown from the 19th century -- where the power of
the executive is vested in the leader of the majority party of the
lower house -- a far more democratic -- and I may add -- accountable
form of government.

A head of state should be a likable unifier with no real powers. The
problem with the US system is that the head of government (the one with
the power) is combined with the head of state to create an aura of
deference that does not exist with prime ministers -- who are seen as
servants of the people.

I will never forget some people I saw interviewed on TV before the Iraq
invasion saying: "Well, I am not sure if I agree with Bush but he is MY
president, so he has my support." That kind of deference was also seen
among the media when you compare the way they treated Bush versus how they
treated Blair before the invasion.

That deference of the US president extends to the lack of real questioning any head of government needs to justify policy to the country. Imagine Mr. Bush being questioned once a week like the PMs of most parliamentary systems. He couldn't do it.

A parliamentary system is more accountable as heads of departments are
members of parliament not cronies to the head of state -- having all
been voted in by the people.

If the US was a parliamentary system, George Bush would be long gone -- kicked out by his party. Like Blair, and Thatcher before him, leaders go when they are too unpopular to keep around.

Most industrialised countries are run on parliamentary principles where
the power of the executive is separate from the position of head of
state. Some examples: UK, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Canada,
NZ, Australia, Japan, Ireland, Denmark, Israel, Sweden, and Norway.
They are all prosperous free countries with accountable heads of
government and flowing democracy.

Thomas Jefferson thought the constitution should be rewritten every generation...maybe that time has come?