Economics Recommendation to the next President

[PHeller]

This is a final paper I've gotta write for Economics, but I thought I'd open it up for discussion to give myself some ideas.

So, what Economic changes would you recommend to the incoming President?

[JonsZX2SR]

Before going to war consider the economic as well as political ramifications. Wars do cost $$ and sometimes countries need to find other solutions. Germany lost WW1 due to economic rather than military constraints.

We need to decide whether we want to play policeman for the world, pay for it ourselves and then have almost everybody hate us.

Foreign aid costs money as well. For example food we donate has energy costs associated with it. We need to ask rich energy producing nations to donate oil earmarked for food given as foreign aid and thus become partners with the US in feeding the world. If they refuse, we need to cut back on foreign aid programs to affordable levels and have the strength to tell starving nations the rich energy producing nations are unwilling to help and due to our own economic woes can only help so much.

It helps to tell it like it is rather than get all political about things...

[SoCalZX2]

Before going to war consider the economic as well as political ramifications. Wars do cost $$ and sometimes countries need to find other solutions. Germany lost WW1 due to economic rather than military constraints.

We need to decide whether we want to play policeman for the world, pay for it ourselves and then have almost everybody hate us.

Foreign aid costs money as well. for example food we donate has energy costs associated with it. We need to ask rich energy producing nations to donate oil earmarked for food given as foreign aid and thus become partners with the US in feeding the world. if they refuse, we need to cut back on foreign aid programs and have the strength to tell starving nations the rich energy producing nations are unwilling to help and due to our own economic woes can only help so much.

It helps to tell it like it is rather than get all political about things...

Thats about as good as it gets

[JonsZX2SR]

Riots over food are already happening in Somalia...

Somalia food riots (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/05/05/somalia.riot/index.html).

Time for the US to ask the wealthy oil producing nations to help feed the starving nations... If they refuse we should make them look like the bad guys.

[JonsZX2SR]

Reviews of some of the 3 candidates proposals...

Candidates plans for the economy (http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/06/news/economy/pay_for_plans/index.htm?cnn=yes).

[RedRacer99]

i don't understand how america became the superhero of the world anyways... i don't hear a scrap of what over countries are doing so why do we have a bleeding heart?? no one came to our aid in katrina, so why should we give a shit about a tsunami? do people not realize that countries look out for themselves?

[ZetecInside]

no one came to our aid in katrina, so why should we give a shit about a tsunami?


Read the papers, son. 95 countries sent more than $1 billion in aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-09-07-katrina-world_x.htm

[JonsZX2SR]

Why is the US in a hurry to rush the navy to assist in the Myanmar cyclone disasteer...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080506/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_myanmar

...when the same rapid response was not available to help after Katrina hit New Orleans ??

I'm less concerned about the rest of the world and more concerned about why our gov't is more concerned about victims halfway around the world when we can't help our own at home ??

[CraZx2ing]

Slightly off topic:
Boo for food prices.

Rice here went from $14 a bag to about $30 a bag. Not a big deal for me considering that bumped my cost from about .50/day to $1/day which less than 1% of my daily income and is still perfectly affordable.

Then my wife talks to her mom back home in Vietnam where the price has doubled as well. It works out to be about 14% of her income, up from around 7%. Thats HUGE when you make less than $150USD/month and have a family to support and bills to pay. Things are getting ugly over there for the poor. (Her family would be considered about the same as a lower middle class family here). Luckily, locals know how to get stuff for cheap or barter so they don't starve over food prices. Only help they get is people in the States sending money over. (I know that phone call will be coming soon :) ).

[RedRacer99]

Read the papers, son. 95 countries sent more than $1 billion in aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-09-07-katrina-world_x.htm


maybe i should have clarified. the response to katrina was a joke and it's still a disaster down there last time i checked. $1 billion dollars is pocket change compared to what we chip out but i guess that's our own fault. i'm with jon on this one. why the hell are we aiding the world when we are sufferring here? i would like to know how other countries are chipping in... surely SURELY by some whim of God, we are not the only ones bending over backwards...