Charlie Rose

JohnGelles  05/24/2011 04:40 AM Report

Some of our unsolved global threats of economic insecurity viewed as part of the reason for political instability that can contribute to terrorism and tragic deaths for no good reason now or later in this decade is captured by Remant in his comment blaming IT on us -- which is his style in these commentaries on life and the CR shows in general:

..... " I doubt [that] any blame [will be] accepted [by Americans] for having flooded the world with potentially devastating inflation."

Holding this thought in his head, REMant may be attracted to Gold Standard 2012. I recommend you Google for it.

The gist of their program to prevent global hyper inflation -- and especially a precipitous fall of the US dollar -- is to guarantee some limited form of convertibility of the dollar into gold by named categories of dollar-holders at a promised future price for a reasonably short period of time.

Such a guarantee would not be a return to a gold standard capable of too great a drain on America's gold reserves. It would give the world a signal that we were serious about austerity and not fully committed to Keynesian stimuli forever. A signal -- not all our gold.

If we examine such a guarantee closely, we see its intention is to protect the purchasing power of the dollar for time enough to out-produce inflation and fill the shelves at the end of critical supply chains.

There is a more direct way to accomplish the same result. It is to copy the example of inflation protected securities (bonds) issued by the US Treasury.

Specifically, we would encourage savings by a fully employed workforce in inflation protected savings accounts. Those who saved until shelves were full and the price in dollars was right, would be rewarded. Those who did not, would shun dollars for goods and services ASAP.

REMant sees our past and present attempts to rescue capitalism with its money supply, as blameworthy for some of the instability we see around us. It is a charge that ignores the opportunity for all other nations to compete with us for finding a currency global markets love better than ours. Why does he ignore this? Because he is blind to it.

The hyperinflation of the past is up against hyper-production in current global markets.

This is not to say that money enough for five billion people to buy whatever they want is a possible prescription for production of all that is missing from such an impossible dream. Obviously, Bernanke's and my own belief in Keynesian production remedies, is based on slower growth than such a nutty dream.

We only want supply chains to grow as fast as possible to end poverty and unemployment as soon as possible.

REMant is fast to blame America for nature's shortages of merchandise and surpluses of unmet desires. He is manifestly unfair in his criticism and attitude.

robdverity  05/21/2011 06:51 PM Report

Spot on hari. Bibi cited the shifting of demographics since 1967. Apparently referring to the settlements stolen from the Pals. Demographics long term may not be as useful to him.

Bibi (brain) threw Obama under the bus. The 67 border start-point is not a new idea. The most vacuous oxymoron presented was a demilitarized sovereign state for the Pals. The most murderous state should be the one without killing instruments - and it's not the Pals.

And despite this Bibi (brain) petulance we will still give the murderers their annual $2.0 billion MILITARY grant; despite our bankruptcy, which wont bother our "ally" one damn bit.

hari  05/21/2011 06:22 AM Report

I think for Bibi and his rightist regime in Israel, they are fixed on one simple but dogmatic assumption that POTUS has a middle-name *Hussein*. I say this because I read Haretz and Jerusalem Post weekly and try to follow what's going on inside Israeli politics. It's a good example of GWB trying to avoid in his WH hearing about negatives and/or different policy altgernatives, etc.

In principle, some 186 or more nations of UN will recognize PLA as legitimate representive of state of Palestine. It will give them de jure recognition - Israel will try to avoid admitting, as such, but if UK and France go ahead and do what they're saying now. It will become a faita compli and perhaps create a snow ball effect in international relations with Palestine.

For Israel to survive as a Jewish state in its (current) geopolitical ME centre, it must learn to compromise and avoid orthodoxy of the faith which might eventually envelop its own existential status.

robdverity  05/20/2011 04:37 PM Report

Bibi is exposing his Jewish bellicosity and the tribes rush to combatitiveness, so endearing around the world, quarreling with established 1967 borders starting point (with ignomious swaps).

With friends like Israel (our support of which caused 9/11), who the hell needs enemies. Go home Bibbi, take all Zionists with you - of all religions.

JohnGelles  05/19/2011 08:32 PM Report

IF Jewish and Christian Zionists ...

JohnGelles  05/19/2011 08:28 PM Report

The possibility that the Arab Spring will result in new democracies in the ME and Mediteranean Africa, where making a living is the real objective of Muslims and hatred for a sovereign Jewish people abates, is a long shot. But long shots do on occasion win. I Jewish and Christian Zionists remain political allies I'd bet on the long shot. If they do not, the long headache Harry Truman feared has less than 50 years left to go. By 2048 we may have found ways for peace to come to Jerusalem just as it has come to Europe and America when people stopped fighting with deadly force and accepted more rational forms of competition.

JohnGelles  05/19/2011 08:14 PM Report

It's Thursday -- and the President has already spoken. commentators on his speech and the nature of the two-state solution have also spoken.

One bright comment repeated Harry Truman: the Jews and Arabs represent a hundred year world headache -- starting in 1948.

This is better than a hundred year local or world war. But all this remains to be seen.

The President said Israel's security must be preserved in any two-state solution -- and it must be defined as Israeli defense forces capable of going it alone PLUS a de-militarised state of Palestine.

All of this boils down to treaties between Israel and all nations with whom it remains at war (from 1948) and with any new state of Palestine. These treaties must echo the President's view or the issues must be settled by war.

If Israel loses such war, it could threaten the whole region. If not, it will take until at least 2048 for the headache to subside.

robdverity  05/19/2011 05:22 PM Report

Obama has been following Geo. W on war and finance, so why not the ME? Like Geo., let em both stew in their own juices.

ShalomFreedman  05/19/2011 03:32 PM Report

How can the one- sided unfair presentation made by Rami Khouri go unchallenged and unquestioned by Charlie Rose? Khouri totally misrepresents the history of the Israeli- Arab conflict. The Palestinians have been offered a state six- times and always refused it. Their continuing incitement against Israel, the long history of Terror and Violence , their refusal to accept and live in Peace with Israel has defined the conflict from the beginning.

REMant  05/19/2011 11:21 AM Report

I'm happy to see this discussed reasonably, instead of like the Post editorial dept, blaming it all on Syria. There have been some stories along this line, even in the same paper, looking beyond AIPAC et al, and also noting that peaceful protests by the Palestinians are Israel's nightmare as much as Syria's and the others, as well as, about the problem of American hypocrisy. There has been a lot of criticism of our silence on Bahrain and the Saudis. To be consistent either we have to go with self-determination, or find some acceptable reason for not doing so, which likely will not sit well there. Your guess is as good as mine how Obama will juggle this. Perhaps by simple omission. Israel is sticking with the line that there's too much uncertainty to make any decisions toward peace. But it needs to be said that admin's policy aims at nothing less than the elimination of all forms monarchy and ideas of law it has historically led to. We have three choices only in this world with respect to law and polity: 1. one which retrains behavior by fear of retribution; 2. one which replaces that fear by an adherence to ideals of truth and justice; or, 3. one that attempts to replace it with fear of ostracism. It is the latter with so many of its citizens under lock and key that is the American idea of democracy. It has nothing to do with justice.

What we haven't done up to this point is acknowledge any complicity in bringing about these uprisings. A senior, but unamed, admin official, came close when he told reporters in advance of the speech yesterday "We think it's important to note that some of the protests in the region are deeply rooted in a lack of individual opportunity and economic growth, as well as a suppression of political rights." It is reported the president will accordingly announce cancellation of roughly $1 billion of the $3.5 billion owed the US by Egypt, and offer them another $1 billion in new loan guarantees to support infrastructure development. Cairo, which had sought forgiveness of the entire amount, spends $350 million annually to service its US debt and $1 billion for its $9 billion EU debt. And there may be other pie-in-the-sky proposals and mandates, but I doubt any blame accepted for having flooded the world with potentially devastating inflation.