Remember, as Bush shipped manufacturing jobs overseas, we were told that there would be "better, higher paying" high tech jobs available. Just enroll at your local community college to qualify.

Well, in the last month (since mid-September), there have been 20,000 layoffs in the high tech sector. Among these:
Hewlett-Packard = 24,600 layoffs
Dell = 8,900
Yahoo = 1,500
eBay = 1,500

(Source:Techcrunch.com)

At a meeting with the editorial board of the New Bedford Standard Times, Rep. Barney Frank called for a 25 percent cut in military spending which, he said, would mean getting out of Iraq sooner.

It would also mean that we would be constrained from getting into any more disastrous wars (and I hope getting out of the Afghanistan morass as well), and maybe even resigning from our self-appointed position as policeman of the world.

I think we are going to win big, and I hope that leaders like Barney Frank - who seems to have a strong grasp on reality - will hold firm on (at least) a 25 percent cut in military spending.

Thanks for posting, a good read. I have thought for some time that we are at a crossroad between hyper-inflation and a deflationary depression. Kunstler logically connects the two.

For anyone interested in Kondratieff wave theory consider a conclusion by Koos van der Merwe ("Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities," November 2008): The K-wave forecasts 'that the recession will last into 2012...." I personally think that the wreckage will be on the order that Kunstler suggests with extraordinary consequences. We seem to have a whole flock of "Black Swans" flying in.

What a tragedy he has not been President for the last two terms! His Shermanesque statement: "I've already been elected and didn't serve." He is dominating the discussion with Tom Brokaw.

According to the Alliance for American Manufacturing:

The 24 states with primaries on Super Tuesday have lost 1,568,000 manufacturing jobs in the last seven years since Bush became President. (According to McCain, these jobs are gone forever.)

The Alliance for American Manufacturing is a partnership between leading domestic manufacturers and the United Steelworkers. Check their website for regular updates.

to "conservative foreign policy," and I'm left in doubt as to what that is supposed to mean. It probably means a neo-con foreign policy, i.e. interventionist, policemen of the world. On the other hand, people like Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan who are usually tagged as conservatives (at least libertarian and paleo) espouse a non-interventionist and mind-our-own-business foreign policy.

What is termed "conservative" is often a jumble that requires "multiconceptualism" to fathom.

praise what I liked in the candidates but would refrain from negative comments (the Republicans will supply enough of those as the year wears on.) So I will offer this as a general comment not directed at any particular candidate.

I don't think anyone can "bring us together." It's a nice hope but baseless - the divisions, the fissures, the antagonisms are too deep. Triangulation is essentially compromise, and the decision will have to be made whether we can compromise our way out of our present difficulties (which are compounding) or whether we need some radical surgery.

I'll make my decision when my state votes on Super Tuesday, but at the moment I'm leaning toward Edwards, because I think we will need some confrontation, and he is at least forcing some issues on the table that need to be there.

"Mrs. Clinton has just discovered the joys of protection. That is to be regretted," said Rupert Murdock to Neil Cavuto this afternoon, after praising Bill Clinton as a "free trader."

The power brokers like Murdoch have succeeded in making "protection" a dirty word while selling out the country. If Hillary Clinton has in fact discovered the "joys of protection," I congratulate her.

"Mrs. Clinton has just discovered the joys of protection. That is to be regretted," said Rupert Murdock to Neil Cavuto this afternoon, after praising Bill Clinton as a "free trader."

The power brokers like Murdoch have succeeded in making "protection" a dirty word while selling out the country. If Hillary Clinton has in fact discovered the "joys of protection," I congratulate her.

"Mrs. Clinton has just discovered the joys of protection. That is to be regretted," said Rupert Murdock to Neil Cavuto this afternoon, after praising Bill Clinton as a "free trader."

The power brokers like Murdoch have succeeded in making "protection" a dirty word while selling out the country. If Hillary Clinton has in fact discovered the "joys of protection," I congratulate her.

system. It is vital that the supply of medical personnel and facilities be increased to meet the increasing demand. That cannot be done overnight.

I hear the candidates talk about bringing more people into the system, but we also need to bring more suppliers into the system. I believe the now derided "Hillary-Care" of a decade ago addressed this problem. If it is not dealt with now, we will face a form of rationing of health care - evidenced by long waits to get appointments and crowded waiting rooms. Grady Hospital is the tip of an iceberg.

dollar; eroded manufacturing base; toxic foreign policy; threadbare military. I sometimes wonder why our Democratic candidates want to try to deal with this mountain of misery - patriotism or masochism?

be. The silver lining is that we will necessarily cease to consider ourselves to be the policemen of the world and can turn to solving our internal problems - which are many. No debt-ridden, energy dependent country can hold hegemony over the world.

According to Forbes.com, China is the world leader in air and water pollution. The World Wildlife Fund says China is the largest polluter of the Pacific Ocean. Two third of China's largest 660 cities face water shortages. Per the EPA, 25 % of the particulates hanging over Los Angeles originate in China. The Netherlands Environmental Agency says China is the world's largest contributor of carbon dioxide.

"Always low prices" come at a cost.

Al, please run!

Bush is leaving behind monumental problems. We desperately need a President who has a vision for the future, who is willing to embrace change, and who is universally respected throughout the world. We need to (re)elect Gore.