Don't you find it even a little bit worrying 309, that
you can visit almost any country in the World and see
the same makes and types of aeroplanes, cars, motorcycles
and almost any other manufactured goods. Cars are sometimes
re-badged to pander to local markets, e.g. General
Motors cars are Chryslers in the US, Opels in Europe,
Vauxhalls in the UK and Holdens in Australia, but they
are still basically the same vehicle. Gives you an
illusion of choice I suppose!

In the UK it is getting quite difficult to buy goods
that are NOT made in China or Eastern Europe. Maybe
Germany, the US and Japan if they are a bit more upmarket.
Isn't there an argument that workers are also consumers
and that consumers earn the money to consume by working.
We will all disappear up our own exhaust pipes if we
go on the way we are.

Hope you get soon good soaring this year 309.

Del Copeland

At 14:24 13 June 2006, 309 wrote:

Derek Copeland wrote:
The US seems to play Monopoly with the whole
World, not helped by corrupt and on-the-make politicians
and stock market investors after a quick buck. Take-overs
and mergers often provide that quick buck.

Hmm, the US does? One of the companies that I used
to work for (in the
US) was gobbled up by a small (corrupt?) company from
'England,'
perhaps you've heard of a US Company named Tracor?
Or a 'UK' company
named BAe? Look in the mirror.

I think that we need to reform our political and financial
institutions so they are less weighted towards the
big multi-national corporations, and more towards
small
companies and genuine entrepreneurs.

What of small companies lile Columbia (Lancair), Van's
RV aircraft, and
such? One needs to remember that when a small company
becomes
successful, really successful, it becomes a large corporation
-- which
can still be an entepreneurial endeavor, say Broadcom,
Microsoft (once
upon a time) are examples. Your logic might pull these
successful
companies into pieces...despite the good they do...and
then the
incentive to be enteprenuerial is now gone...

By the way, I understand that the USA donates less
in charity as a percentage of its GNP than many smaller
and less rich countries.

What data is that??? Please let me know -- I'll be
happy to be less
charitible to the thankless globe so I can apply my
good graces to tow
and winch costs. If you're referring only to the charity
doled out by
the US government, let's not forget the charitable
donations from
private citizens, corporations, churches, rotary clubs...
I happen to
work for that 'subsidized' tiny little company called
Boeing (by way of
merger and aquisition). As one would expect from a
large company, its
employees fund the largest corporate employee charity
source, and for
the tsunami victims gave over $3 million.

Another fine Canadian put it quite aptly, you'll miss
US, if we're not
around. It's so easy to pick on the big guy -- even
if he's nice to
you.

Enough from me. Back to Soaring...or at least thinking
about it.