While our
government was shut down Chinese Communist party leaders convened a four-day study
session which ended with a senior official telling participants to get read to
deal with major risks.
“We should
strengthen our sense of responsibility [they can’t blame another political party because
there is none] and purpose [make China number one in the world] and go out and
fend off and defuse major risks.” No
mention of their border walls!
At the start of
their meeting their nation’s President said that China must be vigilant about “Black
swans” – improbable events with severe consequences – and “Gray Rhinos,” or
threats that have been ignored. Again,
no mention of border walls.
He did warn against
of “unpredictable international developments and a complicated and sensitive
external environment” perhaps eluding to trade problems, but again no mention
of walls.
China is facing an
economic slowdown from weakened demand a home and an ongoing trade war that could
diminish earnings but they and are willing to admit there are risks ahead. The
head of their Trade and Economic Cooperation [an un American word – look it up]
Institute stated, “We are willing to have talks, but we don’t compromise on
matters of principle.”
Anyone serious
about predicting the future success of any trade or economic policy must first
find out what principle(s) they are talking about. Are the fundamental ‘self-evident’
principles that only a fool would argue with?
Or are they alternative principles invented by political leaders that may
sound good on first glance but inevitably fail in the long run because they incorporate
business principles instead of incorporating the “laws of Nature and Nature’s
Law” into their development schemes.
A Heritage Foundation
speaking yesterday at the 25th anniversary of their Economic Freedom
Index said, “There are no problems that can’t be solved by free market
solutions”. He obviously wasn’t thinking about the opioid
crisis, the immediate consequences of our loss of our antibiotic arsenal, the
spread of Ebola, cyber threats, or a non-ending arms race between competing nations
that will break the US economy before China’s.
The problem with limiting
one’s thinking regarding money and freedom is the habitually lethal disconnect
from the consequences of irresponsible freedom. Both biology and the laws of Nature’s God”
require attention the needs of the poor.
While increased economic growth as a result of free trade has cut poverty
related deaths by 2/3rds, more than 12,000 children still die each day from
easily preventable malnutrition and infectious diseases, and the greater loss
of life from poverty is the rise of communicable diseases as a result of cheap
and abundant food largely unfit for healthy human consumption. With
no consideration of the Laws of Nature (biology, physics and chemistry…) all
problems will not be solved by the free market or improved economies.
Some may call economics a science (Economic Science defined
as: the application of
mathematics and statistics to the study of economic and financial
data. the branch of economics that studies the management of money and other
assets. the branch of economics that studies the overall working of a national
economy.] but the origin of the word “economics” is literally "rules of the house” we assume are for
good management. But few economists consider the fact that our
home planet requires good management itself.
With many of its natural resources, systems, and structures profoundly
undervalued in dollar terms. Primarily
because most political systems relies more on money than votes or the health of
people. Short sighted economists valuing profits more
than people or the planet see limited value/profit in maintaining the healthy biofilm
that we all thrive in and require for our health, future prosperity and ultimately our very survival.
At the
end of the Chinese leader meeting their Party’s Trade and Economic expert said “We
must boost risk prevention consciousness in preparation for the worst-case scenarios;
Take the initiative and stay at the ready.” Prevention appears to be an un-American
word. Our reactionary government is essentially
dysfunctional and destined for economic collapse due to an ever increasing debt
that will not stop without investments in prevention measures at home and in
our foreign policy.
The
People’s Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper urges its readers that “All
of us should keep the warrior spirit and stay active and responsible.” There’s that third ‘un-American’ word “responsible’. American
leaders always put our “freedom’ and our “security” at the top of their verbal
agenda. But they rarely stress that freedom
can only be maintained by responsible words and behavior. And then we wonder why both our cherished freedom
and essential security is increasingly threatened in this entirely interdependent
world.
2019
will be the “The Year of the Pig” an animal that finds it hard to control its instinctual
over consumption that is more relevant to American life than life in China. The
year 2019 also refers to China’s upcoming lunar year. American’s can only hope our 2019 Looney tune
of irresponsibly shutting down our own government to waste money on a wall that
will do virtually nothing to make American’s freer or more secure. And then irresponsibly expect that Mexico pay
for it.
Unless our government can learn the value of words like
“prevention” and “responsibility” our two-party system may go the way of the
DoDo bird.
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