current events

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The $2.6 billion in reconstruction aid sought by the Bush Administration will go largely to building an electrical power distribution system - only 6% of Afghans now have dependable electrical power, according to Jawad - and to constructing roads. Farmers unable to move crops to market in the cities are turning to opium growing because the harvest

Comments

[capnstamey]

Ask our fine liberal friends that question, who seem to constantly berate the current administration's intrusion into foreign affairs like Iraq, but who rage against the same government when we don't help situations like Darfur or Afghanistan.

((Shakes head))

It's all or nothing, and you know, I think it's about time we try isolationism again. We have numerous problems nationally to fix before we go off fixing other things. I think we need to fix those things and then, once secure in our own stability, we can aid nations who need aid.

It's so complicated, though.
Being a world power, the U.S. is seen as having some sort of obligation to fix all those nations that are not world powers. Who decided that? Sounds like a Robin Hood approach to me, which is stupid.

People need to fend for themselves. This doesn't mean we can ignore a problem when we see it, but there needs to be some sort of balance. The U.S. can't keep fixing the world. We're not angels, and we have internal problems that need to be dealt with before we start pouring billions of more dollars (that we really don't have) into other countries.

But again, it's just not that simple, and it never will be.

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Branching off on this international community we've grown into:

It seems odd, the complaints over outsourcing, about "Americans losing jobs" (Walmart, tech support, etc).

From an American perspective, yeah, it's better to care more for our own citizens than some dude in India. But from an International capitalistic perspective, if this dude from India will do the same job for less money, perhaps this American should make himself more useful to the world by doing something else. And if someone else will do the same job for less, then again ...

This points in the direction of education. If you are trained at something in which not many are trained (in my case, nuclear physics), then you are more valuable to the planet. I don't know if I should feel bad or not, but I don't have much sympathy for American factory workers displaced by Chinese factory workers. I've not seen many instances in USA where education wasn't available, or opportunities. Of course, going back to school can be difficult, but if you're intelligent, you'll manage.

The idea that work is available in other places other than America is one reason (of many) that Americans should learn other languages besides English...

I really don't know where I was going with this entry. Just random thoughts, I suppose.

We do have a lot of problems in our country. From obvious ones like racism (Affirmative Action, daily language) to subtle ones like macroeconomics (monopolies like Walmart and Microsoft) ...

I really am beginning to wonder if USA is expected to help other countries, or if we're volunteering the effort. I'm really beginning to think it's more the latter; I think it's one reason many think Americans are arrogant -- a "daddy knows best" complex.