Future prosperity for America?

[DesertZone]

Exactly Aaron.
Smart oldtimer, huh?

Barb

Yes he was, he escaped out Hungary or Poland in the 40's

[lucky1]

Just think of the awe-inspiring stories that will be lost when the old folks are gone.
The hardships they endured!
Just think...who today would pack up and head for another country, often not speaking that language.

Compared to that generation, few of us have done (or risked) anything noteworthy.

There are questions I wish I had asked my Dad before he passed, because Mom doesn't remember some stuff.

Barb

[DesertZone]

Just think of the awe-inspiring stories that will be lost when the old folks are gone.
The hardships they endured!
Just think...who today would pack up and head for another country, often not speaking that language.

Barb

So true, I could not even imagine what that would take.

He could not speak our language, and was starving when he got here. He put all his money on the table pointed at the menu then at his mouth.
One of the nicest people I have ever known, he was my dad's best friend. He was always worried that the US was headed towards a social path.
He did very well for him self, architect/engineer. He always let us stay in his small cabin .

[lucky1]

Incredible perseverance.
Can't imagine many folks today having the guts to do that.

...besides, the list of desirable countries is getting shorter and shorter...
Or maybe the earth is shrinking.

Barb

He was always worried that the US was headed towards a social path

My late Dad always told me to watch what was going on in Canada too.
To not let it get socialistic and, God forbid, communist.

So I do what I can to browbeat our local government into minding their own business
They've got plans to rezone lands that people are living on, and have "public walking paths" through (yes, THROUGH) people's acreages and farms.
Imagine that!
Just so urbanites can re-learn where their food comes from.
What a bunch of morons.

As though acreage owners and farmers are going to ever allow THAT!
Most landowners bought acreage to get away from the people who think like that.

Barb

[DesertZone]

As though acreage owners and farmers are going to ever allow THAT!
Most landowners bought acreage to get away from the people who think like that.

Barb

That is a big problem, people lose ownership of thier property. People always want to tell people what is best for their nieghbors, it's ok as long as it's not their property. Oh...they wont mind they have more than they need, I hate that attitude!

Gov. here can condemn your property if they need it for a project/right of way, and now the law says companies can also if it shows a benefit to the comunity. I belive property owners should have right over either one!

[lucky1]

Gov. here can condemn your property if they need it for a project/right of way, and now the law says companies can also if it shows a benefit to the comunity. icon_mad.gif I belive property owners should have right over either one!

Me too, Aaron.

Companies can do that too???? "benefit to community" ????
what...like mining or drilling for oil?
BC's "mineral rights" thingy...many people gave up/stopped paying the annual tax.
Us included...
Which "reverted" it to government ownership.
Dumb, in retrospect.
Because people had no plan to mine their properties, they just wanted their families to have the land for residential use.
H would create "scorched earth" if gov't ever wanted our place...

They can apparently expropriate land if, say, a highway is planned to go through.
But I think there's some rule of "fair market value".

So...the safest-from-government people are those who don't own land...

[DesertZone]

Companies can do that too???? "benefit to community" ????
what...like mining or drilling for oil?

They can apparently expropriate land if, say, a highway is planned to go through.
But I think there's some rule of "fair market value".

So...the safest-from-government people are those who don't own land...

Mining, drilling, a shopping mall, factory, etc...

Gov or a company must give "fair market value"... This is what happened to home owners in AZ (Bisbee). now they can't afford to get back into a home.

Agreed, property owners are the ones that take the most of the burden.

[lucky1]

Bisbee...that reminds me, are you still following those folks' RV travels?
I was for a while, then with the new computer I lost my bookmarks in the data transfer.
Or non-transfer, to be accurate.

Barb

[lucky1]

Back to international trade for a moment:
A resident wrote a letter to editor in response to a Member of Parliament's piece in the paper on trade history.

Might be of interest to folks...

"Our local MP (name) has written his own interpretation of trade history...revising information, taking it out of context, and erroneously equating a co-relationship with cause and effect.
He begins by equating trade with the increase in life expectancy of the UK when compared to China. the argument implies that bedause China did not trade with the UK in the 1600s, their life expectancy stayed very low while that of the UK doubled by the 1800s.
Statistically the numbers may be true. But in context, China in the early 1800's was riven by revolts of the Han against the Hanchu dynasty that had invaded much earlier from the north. At the same time, this was the era of European imperialism demanding access-with "gunboat diplomacy"-to open markets with China. These combined wars and imperial quests resulted in an estimated 10 million deaths, a figure that assuredly lowers life expectancy.
In Europe on the other hand, centuries of plagues and internecine Christian wars had given way to increased sanitation and an increased wealth gathered from overseas colonies by the imperial powers of the day.
As for trade with the UK, it was hardly a free liberal deal. The imperial British made sure that all trade worked in their favour, with cheap labour and resources from the colonies supporting industrial growth at home. Trade was not free, and if history is read correctly there is no country in the world that became rich without protecting its own home grown industries against incursions - military, financial, or political - from other countries.
Modern China is successful because of trade, but not with the "free" trade agreements as presented today. China is successful because it protected its major industries and when the US and other corporate nations wanted their cheap labour, the Chinese made sure they obtained advantages in technology and finance with those deals.
Modern trade agreements are essentially non-democratic rules written by corporations in collusion with politicians in order to allow the corporations to make as much profit as possible without government 'interference' (e.g. with laws protecting the environment, work and safety conditions, social services benefits) that would affect their profit margin.
The NAFTA agreement has been a disaster for Mexico and has been shown to be neutral or negative on its effects within Canada. Wages have remained stagnant. Productivity measures have declined. Well-paying work has decreased while low-wage work has increased. Social safety nets, in particular unemployment insurance benefits, have been weakened.
The member of parliament presents some wonderful economic figures for trade, and trade is indeed financially beneficial to some. However, the modern day free trade agreements (CETA, NAFTA, the proposed TPP) are designed to have corporate rules dominate sovereignty, and to permit the "race to the bottom" for wages, social services and environmental concerns.
The member of parliament ends his column arguing that these agreements "need to protect the best interests of Canadian values, the environment and the economy." In actuality, they do none of the three. "Canadian values" is just a nice sound bite; the environment is ignored and indeed downgraded; and the economy, while perhaps better for the elites, tends to remain stagnant at best or the workers.
Trade between nations is valuable, but it should be fair trade for labour, environmental protections, and social services, not as it currently exists in its "race to the bottom" formulation."

Good letter, huh, from that resident?

I'm old enough to remember when governments didn't lie through their teeth.

Barb

[DesertZone]

Bisbee...that reminds me, are you still following those folks' RV travels?
I was for a while, then with the new computer I lost my bookmarks in the data transfer.
Or non-transfer, to be accurate.

Barb

Yes, they bought a home north of Wickenburg AZ, my second favorite place in AZ.
http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

[lucky1]

Thanks Aaron, bookmarked it.