A paragraph in a Financial Times article titled “Iceland’s president welcomes Chinese interest” about the Chinese purchase of a huge swath of barren land caught our eye:
“Some Icelandic politicians and business leaders are concerned the project could be a cover for China’s strategic interest in the country as global warming opens up the nearby Arctic to oil exploration and shipping.”
Ever since China’s opening to capitalism a couple of decades ago, it has run economic circles around the Western world and especially the USA in growth and preparing for the future. For example, through foreign business ventures and alliances, they have gained monopolies on some critical materials and have been positioning themselves to be in a preferred position to acquire commodities and likely scarce resources in the years to come.
But here we are in the USA, bogged down by partisan challenges, most recently led by Texas governor Rick Perry who has recently questioned whether “global warming” actually is taking place.
Some have hypothesized that American antipathy for factual information stems from the historic need to rationalize slavery and our unique penchant for anti-scientific fundamentalist religious beliefs. US draconian and senseless policy concerning marijuana and many other illegal drugs has led to the corruption throughout the world of governments and economies and the undermining of democracy from Afghanistan to Mexico. (Not to suggest the USA is exempt. The drug trade is larger than the auto industry.)
Defense of the lowest tax rate on the rich; resistance to a stimulus package to generate jobs to get us out of the depression; opposition to heath care reform (especially national health insurance) are other examples of a mindset that repels facts. We bleed from ignorance and obstinacy. Our children are left without jobs and a decent future. And our nation spirals into decline.
We elected a president who understood what needed to be done but then conservatives pulled out all stops to resist and defeat every initiative to the point where Barack Obama is inhibited from espousing his critically needed original agenda.
But even the mediocre can survive if they follow the examples of those who are successful. The point: We can learn much from China.
