A solution for the Mexican election dispute--should also work for the U.S.!

Mexico's contentious election has been fraught with allegations of voting irregularities & electoral fraud, and the race is so close that neither side is willing to concede defeat without a major legal battle. Whew, it's a good thing we Americans have never had to go through something like that!

Well, I've got a solution for Mexico that should also work for the US: have a poly-presidency. Everyone who votes for the conservative guy, gets ruled by the conservative guy. Everyone who votes for the liberal, gets ruled by the liberal guy. The only catch is, any laws passed by either president only apply to those who voted for him.

If we did that here, every conservative could have a Big Brother camera in every room of their house, and a warrentless tap on every phone (yes, even cell phones!). Each conservative family will have its very own personal gov't spook to monitor their financial transactions, their library records, their bedroom relations, make sure they're attending the "right" church (it's the one gov't will be endorsing), and also ensure that no conservative ever burns a flag, joins an Islamic terror cell (Christian ones are still OK though), or marries someone of the same gender.

Every liberal, in turn, will finally get their own full-fledged universal healthcare--paid for entirely by other liberals. They'll be able to see any doctor the gov't chooses, in as little as 6 months (4 months for critical emergencies). Additional taxes to pay for this new deal should be modest (by liberal standards), costing only about an additional 30 or 40% of your paycheck...assuming no one ever gets sick or injured. Liberals will also have their very own "living wage" rate, set at a nice, comfy $20/hour (about $6/hour after taxes & union dues). Those high taxes will be put to good use supporting the 25%+ of liberals who will become quickly unemployed by that same living wage. Finally, shopping at Wal-Mart and other Evil Capitalist Corporations® will be strictly prohibited, unless a liberal can show proof of residence in a trailer park.

Of course, democracy & politics aren't about choosing what system of gov't you want to live under; it's about choosing what system of gov't you want to force everyone ELSE to live under. A minor technicality, but one which I'm sure could be worked out.

George W. Bush: Worst President in History

It's official, Dubya is the Emperor Nero of the U.S. So says Rolling Stone, a magazine I normally wouldn't consider for in-depth political commentary, but in this case they make a pretty good argument.

Proving that neocons have little in common with "traditional" conservatives, Bush has abandoned all semblance of fiscal responsibility and small gov't. He entered office with the biggest budget surplus in American history; he's turned it into the biggest deficit in our history.

If one needs further evidence that he is pissing away this country's future, consider this. Every president in the history of this country, thru and including Clinton, has borrowed a sum total of $1.01 trillion for gov't financing. Bush, to date, has borrowed a total of $1.05 trillion--more than all previous presidents combined. This is big, big money that will have to be repaid by all future generations. The yearly interest on it alone will have a noticeable dampening effect on our economy.

Bush fiddles while America burns--and to boot, he's the arsonist.

Good news on China

Up-and-coming economic superpower China continues its evolution into a market-based economy and away from the stagnation of communism. The above article details two good pieces of news. First, China's move to a market economy is further along than we thought it was. Market reforms are also spreading from the eastern coastal areas inland and to the west.

Second, China's environmental conditions are improving, not degrading, with their increased market capitalism. Furthermore, the best environmental conditions are to be found in the areas with the most private enterprise.

This latter point is not all that surprising to those of us who know a thing or two about economics & environmentalism. It's been well-established for some time now, that the more capitalist a country is, the better its record on environmental issues like pollution. Conversely, the worst environmental degradation can be found in areas with the highest levels of state-owned enterprises.

This is true in the U.S.; the federal gov't creates about three times more pollution than all private industry combined. As the above article points out, it is also true in China; treated waste-water is highest in those areas with the most private industry, lowest in areas with the most state-owned industry. And it's true pretty much everywhere else in the world. The worst environments can be found in places like the former East Germany and former Soviet republics, while the cleanest can be found in the U.S., Japan, Canada, & western Europe.

The reasons for this are twofold. First, being environmentally clean is expensive, and non-capitalist societies often simply can't afford to run cleanly. For-profit, market-based economies have much more (albeit still limited) of a monetary cushion to absorb those extra costs. Second and perhaps more importantly is the issue of personal accountability. While private industries' pollution is constrained both by market forces and by environmental laws, state industries have neither of these constraints. As a function of the gov't they exercise sovereign immunity, meaning that any enviro laws passed simply do not apply to them. Also, as they are usually monopolies, they have no accountability to their customer base. Their customers have no ability to demand green products & manufacturing methods, since the state industry is the only supplier.

But, getting back to China, the above article is good news for all of us. A more economically developed China will be a boon to the world economy as a whole, as they will be demanding more and more products and services from abroad. Increased trade relations have always been good for peace as well; with both sides benefitting greatly from trade, neither will feel inclined to "kill the goose that lays the golden eggs" by starting some silly war.

While China still could use more improvement on the state of their environment, and their communist leaders are still trying to run the country with an iron fist in the civil liberties and human rights areas, overall they have progressed stupendously in the past few years. It was only about 3 decades ago that millions were starving to death under dictator Mao's retarded economic and agricultural fantasies. I think China's progression toward more economic freedom will continue; their current leaders know a good thing when they see it. This, in turn, will be a boon both to the U.S. and the rest of the world.