I have discovered the power to understand our social predicament through a so-called ‘system dynamics’ perspective, that is a perspective related to our cyclical and historical understanding of our social events, which is disassociated from fads and ideologies of the time. I have also discovered the power to create scenarios for our social future with this ‘system dynamics’ perspective of this world. In fact, we can create our future for the better by fundamentally changing our mental models, that is we must re-learn how to look after our sustainable well being rather than fall deeper into the present fallacy to look after the instant gratification of material whims.

I have been continuously shaking my head as I have been watching Lou Dobbs’s program ‘Exporting America’ on CNN. Lou Dobbs contends that American CEOs are exporting IT and manufacturing American jobs. But what really is happening instead is that the greedy unilateralism of the Free Market peddled by the United States, along with their pre-emptive foreign policies of regime changes, and the exporting of both budget and trade deficits are the real culprits for the exporting of American jobs. Aware of a system dynamics perspective of the economy, former Secretary Treasurer Robert Rubin has co-authored a paper in which he states that

"substantial ongoing deficits may severely and adversely affect expectations and confidence, which in turn can generate a self-reinforcing negative cycle among the underlying fiscal deficit, financial markets, and the real economy… The potential costs and fallout from such fiscal and financial disarray provide perhaps the strongest motivation for avoiding substantial, ongoing budget deficits."

The stock market rebounded in the year 2003 but there was no improvement in American employment. Is this the so-called good American economic time touted by president Bush?

I remember when the economic gurus were peddling the American dollarization of the Canadian economy as the Canadian dollar was losing its relative value. I wonder now what kind of economic trash these same gurus are peddling as the Canadian dollar has been going up against the American dollar by some 22 per cent for the year 2003.

I also remember when the economic gurus were preaching smaller governments by cutting taxes and reducing the debt. Oh, I forgot, now we have the new definition of terrorism, a definition which means anything to the Bushes of this world. Yes, we can now have bigger governments, bigger privatisation of education and health care, bigger tax cuts, and never ending wars in the name of combating terrorism.

References

Pertinent articles published in Ensign

Krugman, Paul Our So-Called Boom December 30, 2003 The New York Times, http://www.pkarchive.org/column/123003.html

Sanchez, Julian Lou's Blues: Lou Dobbs and the new mercantilism October 30, 2003 Reason, http://www.reason.com/links/links103003.shtml

CNN "Exporting America" - Global Outsourcing - This video clip is an excerpt from the CNN/Lou Dobbs Moneyline show that aired on September 22, 2003. (time: 4:52) http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/Media/RAM/CNN_LouDobbs_20030922_256K.ram

Fingleton, Eamonn American trade: hurtling towards the tipping point November 18, 2003 http://www.unsustainable.org/view_art_un.asp?AID=291

Krugman, Paul Rubin Gets Shrill January 6, 2004 The New York Times, http://www.pkarchive.org/column/010604.html

Krugman, Paul The Death of Horatio Alger December 23, 2003 The Nation, http://alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17452

Atcheson, John On the rebound? December 24, 2003 The Baltimore Sun, http://www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.badeconomy24dec24,0,3292091.story?coll=bal-oped-headlines

Gumbel, Andrew How the War Machine is Driving the US Economy: Military Keynsianism Might get Bush Re-elected, But it is Starting to Worry Economists , January 6, 2004 the lndependent/UK, http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0106-12.htm