I just did a test on preference with my dog “Scooter”. He’s 42 years old in dog years. I set down a bowl with “Mighty Dog” dog food and a bowl filled with 20s (USD). I will tell you this, Scooter was all over the Mighty Dog – he totally ignored the money. Should the US start trading with cans of Mighty Dog?

In regards to your posting for Mr. Torres, it is rude to post blogs in a foreign language, I know you intended it just for Mr. Torres, but I am going to comment on some of your statements.

1. I am in leveraged buyouts (I suppose that it is a part of “the Yankee system”), not the manger of a textile factory.
2. Apparently you feel that, since Mr. Torres is Hispanic he should side with you in hating America and calling its policies (economic and political) are evil and imperialistic.
3. There are too many things for me to go through, but I will make a closing statement. I was right about you from the beginning. You are an old-line anti-American European socialist committed to the “social justice” (you used those words in your blog). You do not understand economics and espouse some hard line mix of Marxism and Keynesianism (which was quite popular with the Nazis). You want to blame America for every problem in the world. Mexico and every other third world nation have no one but themselves to blame for their poverty. I do not wish to offend you or to castigate you, only to enlighten you. Any nation that pursue a course of free markets, free trade, limited government, no social welfare, and general economic freedom will enter and stay in the ranks of the first world. You call these view “rightwing”, but they are self evident truths, again, look at the only two nations that have entered the first world since 1965. When America is gone and the Asian economies have taken its place, will you then blame the Asian for the poverty of the third world?
4. I don’t know what to tell you Mr. Rozzoa. I will be in Italy next year on business, perhaps we could meet and I could re-educate you?

P.S.

What is your problem with Gringos (anglos)? You are aware that they make-up less than 10% of the American population?

Oyeme, Eduardito, yo puedo terminar mis aportaciones al Blog como me de mi regalada gana, asi que si quiero terminar con un Adio, en lugar de un Adios, o Hasta luego, o Nos vemos güey, lo puedo hacer, no? Yo soy de Monterrey, Mexico, para que lo sepas.

With that out of the way, I guess I did not see the alleged connection between Dali and Franco and Dali’s seemingly fake surrealism, but I find such facts irrelevant since I am not quite a Salvador Dali’s fan. I do not agree with Mr. Falksmen’s opinion of Pinochet; I am more of the opinion that the man was a lef-wing nut in his own right, even though not a communist, there is no difference between one and a fascist. But I do not agree with you, Mr. Rozza, that Mr. Falksmen’s remarks represent a fascist agenda.

Cheers, adios, hasta luego, nos vemos güey, te portas bien y si no me invitas.
Francisco Torres

I cannot understand what the hell your are saying (broken English), but if you are implying my statements where of a fascist nature, they where not. Points 1-6 where simple facts and point 7 was my opinion (based on actual standards of living -not just GDP per capita- and general economic freedom). As for “dirty gringo de mierda.” there is no need to call me an Anglo sh*t, one, I am not Anglo and two, if you have a point to make please present data rather then resort to childish name calling. Your an old man Mr. Rozza, I don’t want you to have a heart attack.

I cannot understand what the hell your are saying (broken English), but if you are implying my statements where of a fascist nature, they where not. Points 1-6 where simple facts and point 7 was my opinion (based on actual standards of living -not just GDP per capita- and general economic freedom). As for “dirty gringo de mierda.” there is no need to call me an Anglo sh*t, one, I am not Anglo and two, if you have a point to make please present data rather then resort to childish name calling. Your an old man Mr. Rozza, I don’t want you to have a heart attack.

How can something that is surrealistic be “accurate”?

“Adiòs, dirty gringo de mierda.”

So much for civilized conversation. I hope you have a good life as well, Mr. Rozza, even if your intelligence does not span beyond such remarks.

Adio,
Francisco Torres

Canada has a lot of oil, but not much of what’s left is cheaply extracted. The federal government seems determined to raise the taxes on oil and on oil-burning industries in the name of the idiocy that is the Kyoto Accord. At the same time, it has poured billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money into oil and gas development. Economic freedom and private property rights have not been a priority of Canada’s socialist politicians for the last 40 years or so. So if Canadians are to become rich off their oil and gas, I suppose it will be “rich” in the way that the average Venezuelan is rich.

“This may offset the loss of fishing grounds to an increasingly militant US.”

Canadians took care of this contingency already, by wiping out their greatest fish resources through the magic of the Commons Tragedy. Take that, Yankees!

1. I come to the mises site to enjoy papers of economic analysis, not to read anti-American garbage.

2. My point was not that American power benefits the whole world, only that America reserves for itself the right to act unilaterally anywhere in the world. This has been the behavior of great powers in the past and it will be the behavior of great powers in the future.

3. If you are looking for socialism in Europe, you don’t have to look far. In all European countries we find government stipends for the unemployed, government ran health care, and government ran unfunded pension systems (excluding Slovenia), is that not socialism? Keep in mind I said socialism and not communism. Moreover, Blair, Schroeder, and Zapatero are all socialist because they support the policies of the social welfare state.

4. Whatever the reason you take a deem view of the United State, I simply don’t care. Moral or immoral, it is safe to say the majority of Americans don’t care either. The idea that Americans should be concerned by the way they are perceived aboard simply does not appeal to them.

5. As for you attack on the free market, if you don’t believe that free trade, free markets, and sound money create wealth and stability for a nation/ places and are the only way to REAL growth, then WHAT HELL ARE YOU DOING READING MISES? You’re a man his late 60s, it is doubtful that you are going to change any of your positions. However, I do advice you to take a look at the only two countries since 1965 to reach first world status (defined as per Capita GDP of $20,000.00USD) Hong Kong and Singapore, they both developed by opening their market, restricting labour movements, operating stable monetary policy, and avoiding a European style welfare state. Today they have a high GDP per Capita than your native Italy.

6. Lastly, Latin Americans have no one to blame for their problems but themselves. It is not the United States that makes Latin American politicians destroy their economy with high taxation and massive borrowing, then steal 10% of it and waste the rest on social programs. Once more, they end-up defaulting on their loans. Anyway, who supplied weapons to the Latin American dictatorships in the 80s; it was your fellow socialist nation France. During the Falklands War, every British troop killed was killed with a French Weapon. As for paying back bondholders, I am referring to the most recent default in 1997, those where democratically elected government, the general population is now responsible for paying the national debt. For the record I have always felt that Pinochet was a great man who had too little time to complete his work, he was better then that communist bastard Salvador Allende. If you must call me by the name of an elderly political leader, I would prefer Lee Kuan Yew.

7. For all of Americas faults, on its worst day it is still better than any European nation on its best day (exclude Monaco, Luxemburg, and Liechtenstein).

Steve,

Italy and Spain may be more willing to consider deregulation, but they already have more regulation than Northern Europe. Moreover, they are only willing to commit to tacit reforms.

The future of western Europe is not particularly great either. The European Union did lower inter-European transaction costs, but the larger players in the union do not feel particularly compelled to be fiscally responsible and the European union seems all to ready to subsidize education, research, and agriculture. Interestingly, Italy and Spain are more interested in deregulation than their northern cousins that seem to have forgotten that economic freedom and property rights are key preconditions to prosperity. Unfortunately, these countries are now roped into a European Union that likes to pride itself on its socialistic policies.
I predict that western European airlines may overtake American airline companies because of a lower security burden.

I also forsee small, independent countries such as Singapore, Chile, Ireland, Iceland, and South Korea continuing to do well. Canada will win as a result of rising crude oil prices that will make exploitation of large parts of their country economically viable. This may offset the loss of fishing grounds to an increasingly militant US.

I would say you have gone insane, but I don’t know if you where ever sane. You are obviously filled with bitterness toward America for one reason or another, and in true American fashion, I frankly don’t care how you perceive me or the USA.
Moreover, Socialism is alive and well in Europe. The Europeans have yet to trough off their massive unfunded pension systems, state ran health care, and bloated/ decaying bureaucracy. It is true that in the future, the Europeans will be unable to pay for all of the benefits they currently provide, but the attachment to them is so strong the likelihood of the elected officials voting to remove them is marginal. By ageing population, I meant those persons who are now in their 40s (who make up the bulk of the European population) and have another forty years to live; they will be expecting a pension.
America is decaying, but that is the legacy of our willingness to accept parts of Socialism and ever expanding government bureaucracy. It is not our “decadence” that makes the global economy pursue the American market, but rather our relative lesser degree of socialism and protectionism that allows our population excess income to spend. You are correct, there are new economic stars rising, like China (I would not include India their pro-rural, democracy, and socialist movements will prevent them form ever amounting to much), but they also have the problem of being reliant on the American market.
Europe will not be strengthened by a declining America, first of all trade is not a zero sum game, if America goes, who will buy their exports. Had you done your homework before making an ass of yourself, you would know that, all European economies are heavily export oriented, the largest consumer (out-side of Europe) is the United States.
As for American militarism, it is a natural part of being the most powerful economy on earth, take into consideration that the United States behaves only slightly better then Great Britain a hundred years ago, when they where the largest economy on Earth. Do you really think that when China is the most powerful nation on earth they will not behave in the same way?
Lastly, Latin America is destined to stay poor and backward as long as it is populated with people who think like you (I know you are an Italian). Latin Americans have been behind the curve of Western development since the 1860s and all they have done about it is criticize those who have been successful and reaffirm their commitment to “The Social Struggle”. Even when the Europeans lend them billions to develop, they waste the money on social programs and default on their debt, that has been going on since the 1880s (Argentina).

P.S.

I would hardly call wages in Europe at “starvation levels” (they are of course less in Italy then in Northern Europe), it is the taxes needed for your beloved welfare state that reduces your take home pay.