Keeping Our Heads Above Water: A Second Appraisal

Earlier in the year in the midst of the Republican Primaries I evaluated Mitt Romney's plan for the economy and then gave my own two cents. In the article, I outlined a plan centered on raising tariffs. While I still believe that in this situation, it would be advisable to increase these taxes on imports, I've realized that too much taxation would result in a crippling surge of prices and inflation. In addition, raising tariffs would also hurt foreign countries that have brought jobs and invested money in America, such as the several American Toyota factories. And so instead, the taxes of American businesses, particularly industrial businesses, businesses associated with IT, and other kinds that outsource, should be partially based on the percent of Americans they employ and their production assets, such as factories, in America compared to those world-wide. Providing a smoother transition to a more economically stable and independent nation, this revised plan would encourage the growth of strong, industrial-based jobs for Americans, while still allowing the government to increase their "income", without increasing the income tax.

Why Hillary Stayed in the Race

As Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House ended two days ago when Barack Obama collected the needed delegates, many still wondered why she had even campaigned that long. Let me begin by saying that Hillary Rodham-Clinton is not dumb. She did not stay in this race to deplete the Democratic Party's funds or create a rift in the party. However, people continue to comment on how futile and just plain bad Hilary's long campaign was. Nevertheless, these people look only at the present for an explanation of Hilary's persistence. When she runs for the nomination again (which is what I strongly believe), she will be remembered as the candidate who won the delegates of California, Massuchusetts, and even Puerto Rico.
Simply put - Hilary is campaigning for 2012. She's building a base of support and a strong reputation.

Talking with Iran

This past week, Obama has received criticism from McCain for his willingness to talk to countries with leaders such as Iran with Ahmadinejad. However, there are two advantages that can derived from speaking with such tyrants:

1. As the wise Sun-tzu said, "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Ahmadinejad may be some horrible man, but the last we thing should do is to leave him alone and come to find out that he's been making an Atomic bomb. Also, by negotiating for peace with and even giving foreign aid to Iran, we would not only be keeping tabs on Iran, but also improving our image as a country to the people of Iran.
2. In addition, no matter how crazy, rascist, or prejudice something a man like Ahmadinejad might say, we should always listen. While people may be rascist or prejudice, many times what they say and believe can linked to problems they have. Hitler, for instance, is considered one the worst human beings in history, but America should have seen that his horrible rants against Judaisim were due to the absolutely horrible economy that Germany was experiencing. If America had given more support to Germany following WWI and the economy improved, it's doubtful Hitler could have even come to power.

In conclusion, while negotiating with tyrants and dictators isn't nearly as easy as speaking to the prime minister of Canada, it is a proactive action that maintains our intelligence on foreign countries and that helps us understand the situation in countries.