More Nuts than Us

In a recent New York Times op-ed piece entitled One for the Country  Thomas Friedman complained about the current state of affairs in the United States. He complained about broken escalators in his DC parking garage, the poor state of American roads, the not fast “fast” train between New York and Washington and dropped cell phone calls. He complained about lousy internet service. But after all of that, he shouted Obama’s praises, and then suggested that a better choice for President might be Michael Bloomberg of New York. Really?

Not really!!! Mr. Friedman then went on to say that as an independent candidate Bloomberg could possibly stimulate the debate and put the Republican and Democratic candidates on their best behavior. Apparently Mr. Friedman has higher opinion of Mr. Bloomberg and a lesser opinion about the United States than me. So it's time for the BS test.

Michael Bloomberg for President? Puh-leez!!! This guy is a dictator with a Napoleon complex on top of a food and cigarette fetish. I want government out of my life, not some idiot who wants to measure how many grains of salt I can put on my steak if I he “allows” me to eat steak.

As for Mr. Friedman’s problems with America, it is still the greatest country in the world. Let’s see…Europe has put together a system that has institutionalized unemployment approaching 50% for those under 35. It has one currency but no “unified” monetary or fiscal policy thus making Germans who work long and hard by genetics pay for Greeks, Spanish, and Italians who don’t…also by genetics. And the Irish are still paying for the Irish miracle…and so will the rest of Europe and us.

China is still rooted in central planning building malls with no stores and entire cities with no people, and doesn’t have the political mechanism to move the folks from the countryside which is still rampant with poverty to those empty malls and cities. Its economy is based on exports rather than internal growth…thus we and the rest of the world are dumped on as they continue to amass currency rapidly becoming worthless as the world’s printing presses print paper money 24/7.

Russia is corrupt to the core. And the Indians are all moving here as we still continue to welcome immigrants to our wonderful nation contrary to Mr. Friedman’s claim that we are anti-immigrant. Meanwhile, the Scandinavians are still trying to figure out what to do with a guy who killed over 70 people and seem stunned that there is evil in the world.

Spending on public works in this country has ALWAYS been a problem, but we did manage to tear down perfectly good buildings to build new schools all over the place, and allow government employees to go on some really nice trips to Vegas. And they are rebuilding the bridges everywhere. Just drive down I 680. If they only would repave Bella Vista and Shirley Road so I don’t break an axle, I would be a happy man.

No, Mr. Friedman, notwithstanding Obama, I think I will stay here because no matter how inept or nuts we are here, I have concluded it's worse everywhere else.  I know "more nuts than us" when I see it.