The U.S. presidential candidates are beginning to take up more of the news.
My take: right now there is a lot of party posturing, but little that appeals to me personally.
Why? Because there is too much focus on "fluff" and "bluff" and not enough about what this nation needs to address. What are the issues?
Middle East - ostensibly about fighting terrorists, but more about ensuring the world's flow of oil is not disrupted. If we let Iraq fall into chaos or under the thumb of Iran, then it is an easy next step for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to follow. The U.S. could adapt.
My sense is that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans would let the Middle East fall under the thumb of an unfriendly Iran.
Total Imports of Petroleum (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day)Country Apr-07 Mar-07 YTD 2007 Apr-06 Jan - Apr 2006 CANADA 2,475 2,305 2,424 2,238 2,266 MEXICO 1,572 1,749 1,601 1,750 1,805 SAUDI ARABIA 1,485 1,244 1,378 1,595 1,443 VENEZUELA 1,412 1,285 1,311 1,393 1,485 NIGERIA 948 1,346 1,135 1,098 1,211 ALGERIA 798 727 718 543 528 IRAQ 562 523 488 531 498 RUSSIA 547 455 400 218 239 ANGOLA 526 708 571 419 463 UNITED KINGDOM 386 292 285 315 252 VIRGIN ISLANDS 322 349 353 239 283 BRAZIL 246 234 222 169 167 NORWAY 198 164 150 206 205 KOREA, SOUTH 184 164 136 106 65 ECUADOR 159 191 202 319 295
It would be tough with 20% of our imports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait, but the U.S. would work out the problems. It certainly would cause a deep recession for awhile, but we would recover.
Immigration - neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have come to grips with the real issue... law enforcement. Both parties are looking for an escape valve from the present situation. A few of the candidates have addressed this.
Energy - Related to the Middle East, but distinctly its own issue. Government interference with the marketplace has led to bad choices (for example, ethanol which is ruining the corn market) and real development of feasible alternatives. Not much discussion here... all of it focused on the red herring of global warming.
Economy - is it all sunshine and roses as the Republicans portray or the end of the U.S. working class as the Democrats say? How do we address... do we address... the massive trade imbalances and the potential for greater inflation and unemployment? Why is the housing market shot with 6% mortgages? Possibly because the jobs that provide income for people who buy houses are in China? Possibly because total economic numbers don't reflect the widening gap between economic strata?
It seems these days that more money is made from manipulation than manufacturing. [hedge funds?]I'm interested to hear more.
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