Quote (bloodgore1 @ Feb 6 2014 02:39am)
Certainly it's worked in China but it's come at a steep cost. Last I checked the Gini Index per world statistics was highest in China in the world. So it's a slave-like system where the rich get wealthier every day. It's called a communist regime however, they have more hard cut throat capitalistic ideas in their country than the U.S. that prides itself on capitalism. We've been deviating more towards a socialistic model which may not be the worst thing as constant changes in the world require change. I'm not sure that the current changes have been made for the better of the country but I would be one to agree that some socialistic principles can be integrated within the U.S. for the better of everyone. (very specific ideas)
On a side rant, look at our universities... all asians. I'm not talking undergraduate students. The economics PHD programs at my university (top 25 in nation) are primarily Chinese who are exporting intellectual capital and causing a brain drain within the U.S. It's gotten to the point where the TAs for undergraduates are primarily asians who don't speak english but are brilliant in manipulation of graphs and statistics.
Concerning our debt to china... well those bastards are gonna own the U.S. if nothing is done. American industries are beginning to be owned by overseas ventures utilizing the debt the U.S. owes. Furthermore, China's government is responsible for maintaining their low currency exchange rate. Typically, there's a balance of trades that goes into figuring out how much someone's currency is worth on the open market. Foreign currency can be used as securities instead of money instruments... Rant aside China keeps their exchange rate unnaturally low to increase the amount of goods they export. Cheap currency = low customer prices effectively cutting out industries in the U.S. Before U.S. industries could compete with a higher marginal rate of productivity making up for the difference in currency. Nowadays that gap is closing and China is draining our educational system and taking our American industries while increasing their productivity within their own country all while increasing our debt owned to them.
The reckoning is coming sooner than most would like to believe. I could rant on about the subject for pages but will open it up to PMs if you wanna chat about it as it's an area of interest that I spent a couple semesters studying while I was an undergraduate. And well it's not so much basketball related...
Adding in Yao Ming to make this basketball related!
I would say our economy is related to basketball and China has a basketball league and this thread is for anything so we can bitch about our government all we want!
I feel the same way about the reckoning coming. I have been nervous for years that our government will fail during my early lifetime. Similar to the great depression but worse. There wont be a great war to pull us out of it.
I have also heard a great deal of complaints about our higher education system also. I waited to go to college for a few years and am about 5 weeks from getting my BS in IT so I havnt even given thought to more school yet. But I have heard many stories that the MBA programs and the PhD programs are filled with non english speaking teachers, TAs and students.
It makes me very nervous. Why would we not change things to make shit like that cost less for Americans and more for others to try to bridge the gap.
Also with my skillset being as far away from politics and money as humanly possible I try to steer clear of arguing it because I dont know all the facts. I read shit people say and it makes no sense from a logical standpoint so I dont go anywhere near it.
I will always enjoy a decent discussion though