Barack Obama for President
September 13, 2008 – 1:17 pmAlthough this is more of a China blog, today I want to do some blatant advertising for my hero in the upcoming US elections. I support Barack Obama!
In the past two presidential periods we saw quite some funny or not so funny moments. I hope this will Change with Barack Obama as the president of the USA. A quick look at Barack’s homepage clearly shows us where this is going. Barack Obama has posted a lot of answers to the questions that keep people awake at night:
The economic future of the USA
Barack Obama has some good ideas to boos economic growth in the USA and ensure a stable world economy. Here is Barack Obama’s opinion on pressing economic issues:
- Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families
- Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class US citizens
- Invest in our Next Generation Innovators and Job Creators
- Invest In A Clean Energy Economy And Create 5 Million New Green Jobs
- Provide Tax Relief for Small Businesses and Start Up Companies
Source: Barack Obama on economic issues
How will Barack Obama better education in the USA?
Barack Obama wants to put the US schools up to a world class level. Everyone should have the chance to get a solid school education to be prepared for the future working world. The do this he is looking forward to a number of measures:
- Affordable, High-Quality Child Care with the “Zero to Five Plan”
- Make Math and Science Education a National Priority
- Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities
- Recruit more teachers
- Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid
Source: Barack Obama’s ideas to improve education in the US
What can be done against global warming?
Barack Obama on global warming in short:
- Provide Short-term Relief to American Families
- Create Millions of New Green Jobs
- Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
- Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
Source: Barack Obama’s opinion on global warming
What about Asia?
Barack Obama also noted that he wants to get in close talks with Asian countries to foster economic relationships. He wants change in the Asian – US relations and more cooperation. At the moment the US – Asian relationship is fine I guess, but further improvement is always fine. If Barack Obama makes a Chinese friendly policy we can see China rising stronger and making it worth to learn Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese.
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16 Responses to “Barack Obama for President”
My HERO as well. Ever since I first heard him speak as an unknown in 2004! I was lucky to hear him speak live in 2007 and HE IS THE MAN I BELIEVE can change the state of this country!
NICE POST!
By SabineM on Sep 13, 2008
I agree with you that Barak Obama would probably be a great president, and a better choice than John McCain, especially for the American economy. But if you want to advertise your hero, I think you should focus on what Obama can do for America – not what he can do for China! This is an American election after all. :-p
By justrecently on Sep 17, 2008
Isn’t really strange. Outside the US most people like the democrats and Barack Obama. However inside the US both parties are pretty much equal. That’s probably because most of the local people there never left their country before and like the backward comments of the republicans. We should give free out of USA vacations to everyone 0_o
By Junjie on Sep 18, 2008
Hehe – your suggestion is sorta mean. Besides, let’s face it, the US of A get collective hysterics about something every 30 years or so, but they always sort it out by themselves, too. As far as Iraq is concerned, I believe that McCain might even be slightly more successful than Obama. But the main concern of a president should be the competitiveness of his own country – and you can’t maintain a big military without a successful economy. Not in the long run, anyway.
Should Europe, Australia, Japan etc. create institutions like the American Fulbright Scholar Exchange? Hm… American scholars seem to favor the Dems anyway, and besides, they have the Peace Corps already, for those who care to go abroad.
By justrecently on Sep 18, 2008
While I totally agree with Obama’s education policy as well as his readiness to face the energy problems of the present and the future.
But his ideas about economy, especialy his neo-keynesianism are antiquated and won’t solve America’s problems. Here I must say I prefer old McCain’s supply-side economics…
By Aremonus on Sep 23, 2008
What makes supply-side economics better than Keynesianism? The mere fact that neither Reagan nor his predecessors ever applied the latter, and that Reagan turned to the Friedman theories? No pure theory will answer the questions the American economy (and the global economy along with it) are facing now. I don’t expect Obama’s “Keynesianism” to go beyond Bill Clinton’s. Do you?
By justrecently on Sep 24, 2008
According to his approach towards tax-cuts and the current (bad, half-keynesianistic) economy policy by George Bush (who’s actually a republican) I must say: I can’t say what economic desasters America will have to suffer from in the next few years.
But most of economists nowadays prefer a supply-sided economy policy – and it seems to work:
Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, Hongkong, Singapore: Why are they so rich and getting richer? Why is China growing so fast?
It’s their attractiveness for companies to settle down there and for investors to invest there:
If one place is more attractive than another, money will flow there – if one girl is hotter than another, guys will follow here
By Aremonus on Sep 24, 2008
Monaco, Hong Kong, Singapore: All of them are extremely small states. The cost for infrastructure is almost non existent. Territorial states (states that have a lot of rural space between their cities) have to spend a lot of money to connect these cities by infrastructure like streets, power lines, etc..
Being so small these states can focus on high tech and banking industries by issuing laws that favour this kind of industries. Then these cities serve as a hub for just that industry for the whole area and suck in all revenues.
Switzerland is another country that has rich natural resources. Would You rather make holiday in a flat countryside like in eastern Europe, or stay in a hotel in the swiss alpes to view several thousand meter high mountains in front of Your window. Also Switzerland is a financial harbour.
I’m not sure about Ireland.
China is another case. The population there is breaking itself in exchange for money. People are dying in the factories every day to make money. The environment is polluted just to save money and stay competitive. Shanghai has a nice facade. Leave the big cities and have a look at some factories in the rural backcountry. It only works for a while. It did work in Europe during industrialization. But it doesn’t work anymore in the Western world.
Money is flowing to China… and the Chinese people pay it’s price. Look at the beggars on the street that have lost hand and feets. By the way China is exactly doing the same what Japan did in the 60s and 70s.
City states are not comparable to territorial states at all. I’ll look at Ireland soon to see what’s happening there.
By Junjie on Sep 25, 2008
In Europe, people used to be very poor and have terrible working circumstances too 100 years ago when we were on China’s level – so that’s a flimsy excuse.
Tourism in Switzerland only produces 4% of the BIP, very few – but financial markets produce around 30% indeed. But why do these companies invest in Swizerland and not in Texas?
A government has a huge influence on the attractiveness of an environment, and this attractiveness makes companies go there and generate wealth. A company always invests where they expect highest benefits – so a goverment should provide this environment – and there we end up at supply-sided economy policy.
Now what Obama does, is certainly good: he stabilizes the country with a less aggressive foreign policy and provides a better environment by educating more people – but to be perfect for me, he’d also have to make a good economy policy.
McCain on the other hand makes a good economy policy – but that’s it already.
I’d probably vote for Obama, too – but nevertheles I want him to prevent american economy from crashing down, as it is important to Europe, especially UK, too. And american economy now is in a terrible condition, as it has high debts and the gov a wide deficit…
By Aremonus on Sep 25, 2008
Switzerland vs. Texas, this example is indeed much better indeed. I put some thought into but I can only come up with the idea that these political structures have been built over centuries. As far as I know Switzerland is pretty liberal (correct me if I’m wrong). Here is my idea: The Swiss people are liberal and put the individual’s right above the community’s. That’s why they have a banking law which is pretty private and helps the individual. Now everyone wants to invest there.
In Germany there is some tradition that the individual is stupid and corrupt and therefore the state has to ensure no one avoids tax etc. So Germany has a banking law that helps the state and the police. Who wants to invest there?
So why doesn’t Germany change? People are afraid of change. Small changes are fine, but major changes are rare and peope are scared of them. Many people stick with their job even if it’s so-so. Only few quit and seek for something better. Those are the people who have (financial) success in their live. And the same is true for politics.
Aremonus, You have been in China, right? How many people do You know who would never go to China? I don’t have to look far, here is a quote of my dad: “I would die of hunger in China.” People are seriously scared of change. Countries that have a tradition of good politics have a real advantage.
I need to read a book about economical systems. Any recommendations?
By Junjie on Sep 25, 2008
I’d find it hard to quantify the numbers of economists who favor the current (still rather) supply-sided policies of most OECD countries (Germany included, actually) and those who want to redeploy some more Keynesianism. For sure, the number of those who advocate more of the latter isn’t small. The critical bit is about making sure that deficit-spending is for bad times – not for boom years. That is an aspect of Keynesianism that everyday politicians (especially those who have to stand in free elections) liked and like to ignore.
Then again, if buying rotten credits valued around 700 bn US dollars isn’t driving demand, dunno what would be.
As for Germany, I hope we will get a government that picks up Gerhard Schroeder’s domestic reform policies, and continues Angela Merkel’s foreign policies.
As for China’s economy, I see it this way: history doesn’t simply repeat itself. Some people are becoming rich indeed. But it won’t trickle down – neither within the coastal provinces, nor to the hinterland (which will stay pretty far away from the global economy, with some exceptions like Hunan Province or Chongqing, which are situated along a pretty big river). China will be an ageing society soon – but no society of golden elders.
By justrecently on Sep 25, 2008
Book recommendation, Junjie? Hehe, I’d suggest Peter Bofinger see a list here. And some stuff by Stiglitz, maybe. I’ll try to get there between xmas and new year. Haven’t read much myself recently, and even less about economics…
By justrecently on Sep 25, 2008
You might have guessed already, I try to explain things by psychology…
but I want to understand the economic viewpoint better. Thanks for the recommendations, I will look into 1 or 2 books.
By Junjie on Sep 26, 2008
I don’t know anyone who would never go to China except for my grandparents – but they don’t go anywhere that’s more than 10 km away…
Buying the credits is pure keynesianism, that’s true – but I don’t know what would be the best solution here – the mistakes had been made 8 years ago, it’s probably too late to solve them without making new mistakes. The US admins just wanted to prevent the turmoils from spreading to other countries (here Europe would be first in line) and other sectors. Of course they actually can’t afford it.
By Aremonus on Sep 26, 2008
The US Dollar being the leading world currency they were always able to export their debts as most things are sold in $US.
With the rise of the Euro this is changing.
By Junjie on Sep 26, 2008
Can´t disagree with you about the – possible – need to make new mistakes, i.e. I can´t tell if leaving the crisis to itself or buying rotten credits is the lesser evil. That said, in the case of a doubt I would leave the crisis to itself. It doesn´t help American bonds or the Dollar that the government starts eating shit. Besides, having their head firmly in the sand (as they had up to now, despite numerous warnings) was Keynesianism, too. It was pretty obvious that the government was going to face this crisis sooner or later. Fair enough that it happens before the presidential elections.
Actually, I think both Germany´s and China´s governments & economies, plus many other countries, were tacit accomplices here. Did we mind an America that kept buying from us, well beyond its means?
By justrecently on Sep 26, 2008