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Victor Davis Hanson: America Compared to What?
realclearpolitics.com ^ | October 30, 2008 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 10/30/2008 5:27:40 AM PDT by kellynla

After the September financial meltdown, many abroad, and some at home, immediately -- and with undisguised glee -- blamed America's problems on cowboy excess and forecast the end of American global influence.

But while those opportunistic critics had a point that reckless Americans had taken on far more debt than they should, the growing global economic downturn may well hurt others far more than the United States.

We got into this mess not because the American political system was flawed or because its free market system was stagnant. The problem was that after some six years of uninterrupted growth, human greed drove us to demand even more than we had earned.

Republicans let fast-talking Wall Street gurus gamble their firms into oblivion. Democrats allowed politically correct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bureaucrats to siphon off bonuses while guaranteeing loans to millions who had no business taking out a mortgage.

We, the people, ran up credit cards, borrowed for overpriced houses and drove gas-guzzling cars fueled by high-priced imported fuel. The result was a national-debt flu -- but not a depression cancer -- that sickened an otherwise healthy host.

Why then would America in recession still be in better shape than others?

(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: debt; oil; vdh; victordavishanson; war
" Four times as many Americans were murdered just in the city of Chicago at peace in July than all those Americans who were killed in Iraq at war in the same period."

Ouch! Better put some ice on that.
1 posted on 10/30/2008 5:27:41 AM PDT by kellynla
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To: Tolik

I thought I’d help you out today.
Great article by VDH!


2 posted on 10/30/2008 5:29:05 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: kellynla

“But as we return to American fundamentals ...”

There won’t be much return to American fundamentals if Obama and the Democrats control all branches of government...


3 posted on 10/30/2008 5:39:46 AM PDT by DB
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To: kellynla
Great article. However, if Obama is elected, we will achieve third world status within months. Every single one of Obama’s policies, from gutting the military, to government control of health-care and education, are the antithesis of what makes this country strong and resilient. He must be defeated, and then we can help our fellow Americans purge the Pelosi, Reed, Shumer, Frank, Dodd, and especially Howard Dean's from the political landscape.
4 posted on 10/30/2008 5:42:21 AM PDT by bitterohiogunclinger (Never argue with an idiot, they always wear you down and beat you with experience)
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To: DB

If we get Hussein and he gets 66 votes in the Senate we could have USSA (United soviet Socialist America) in a year and with that an economy in relentless decline. Hussein O’Bama is The Revolution finally in the Capitalist Bastion. Trotsky was right. A society has to reach the Capitalist pinnacle before the Revolution! can bring permanent Socialist Utopia. That’s because Capitalism has to build first a society that can and does support a high percentage of drones, a “poor” underclass that doesn’t have to be productive because the society supports it in what would be luxury in much of the rest of the world, and an intellectual class that does no real work and spends its time and energy dreaming up ways for the productive part of society to be expropriated for the benefit of the intellectual class and their hobby of building Utopia.When that class has captured the Educational institutions and the bureaucracy of the Capitalist society, then the Revolution can occur and there is no one outside the society to resist it in the world.


5 posted on 10/30/2008 5:53:10 AM PDT by arthurus (Old age and guile beats youth and enthusiasm.)
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To: arthurus
“USSA (United soviet Socialist America)”

Soviets will include:
America
Canada
Mexico
Venezuela
Brazil
Columbia
Peru
Argentina
Ecuador
El Salvador
Panama
etc.

6 posted on 10/30/2008 6:31:38 AM PDT by ryan71 (Be on GOD's side)
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To: kellynla

Thanks. You know, pessimists always sound more sober and thoughtful, and their unfulfilled dire predictions are usually soon forgotten. Optimists are accused as being Pollyannish, lightweight, etc, and their mistakes are long remembered.

Nevertheless, I like Hanson’s optimism. American resilience was underestimated countless times. We will overcome...


7 posted on 10/30/2008 7:19:06 AM PDT by Tolik (2008: Maverick/Barracuda vs. Messiah/Mouth or The Hero vs. the Zero and "Our mama beats your Obama")
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To: kellynla; neverdem; Lando Lincoln; quidnunc; .cnI redruM; SJackson; dennisw; monkeyshine; ...


    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

       Let me know if you want in or out.

Links:    FR Index of his articles:  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=victordavishanson
                His website: http://victorhanson.com/
                NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp
                Pajamasmedia:
   http://victordavishanson.pajamasmedia.com/

8 posted on 10/30/2008 7:19:55 AM PDT by Tolik (2008: Maverick/Barracuda vs. Messiah/Mouth or The Hero vs. the Zero and "Our mama beats your Obama")
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To: Tolik
“We will overcome”

with the help of God!

but, man do we have one hell-of-a-mess to clean up...
between the muzzies, illegals, gang-bangers, illegal drugs and with half the population dependent on some kind of government assistance, not to mention the Socialist/Marxist/Leninist/Liberals indoctrinating our children in colleges & universities throughout the country for the past fifty years and with a federal government inundated with career politicians who are only interested in getting reelected;
what America needs is an enema!

9 posted on 10/30/2008 8:02:08 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: Tolik; Travis McGee; Freee-dame
...the dollar, meanwhile, is climbing against the Euro.

^^^^^^

But you won't hear this on the "news." The US dollar was almost on a par with the Canadian dollar when Oil was over $100/barrel. Now it takes $1.35 to buy a US dollar. You won't hear that on the "news" either.

10 posted on 10/30/2008 8:41:48 AM PDT by maica (Barack Obama is a Weathermen Project.)
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To: Tolik

VDH’s optimism must be tempered by the possibility of an Obamanation win in the polls. All of us want to share in Professor Hanson’s optimism; remember to vote for America not Amerika.


11 posted on 10/30/2008 11:09:09 AM PDT by afnamvet (COUNTRY FIRST! McCain / Palin 08)
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To: arthurus

Ouch. One of the better posts I’ve seen lately. Unfortunately.


12 posted on 10/30/2008 12:17:19 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Obama: Carter's only chance to avoid going down in history as the worst U.S. president ever.)
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To: Tolik; kellynla

Agree on the optimism. I need a great big dose today. VDH’s brand always seems grounded in reason and history.

“The cost of deploying American troops in Iraq is nearing the expense to station them elsewhere abroad.”

Wow, I never here the Obamanation say this. How’s he going to balance the budget now?


13 posted on 10/30/2008 3:37:54 PM PDT by dervish (Acorn,Ayers, Rezko,Wright,Farakhan,Khalidi. America wake up!)
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To: kellynla; Freee-dame

A Saturday bump

From the article:

Just A Reminder

The U.S. military remains far stronger — and more battle-hardened — than the rest of the world’s armed forces combined. Rogue nations and terrorists try to take advantage of economic uncertainty, but America remains the best-defended democracy in the world.

The current financial crisis has startled America from a hypnotic trance of self-indulgence and irresponsibility. But as we return to American fundamentals, we may discover that our political, social and economic system — despite all the current election-cycle hysteria — is still by far the most resilient in the world.

How odd that it took a financial catastrophe to remind us of that.


14 posted on 11/01/2008 5:17:45 AM PDT by maica (Barack Obama is a Weathermen Project.)
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