So I'm watching the news this week and casually following the "people's revolt" in Cairo, Egypt. I noticed how jaded I (and most likely all of you) have become when it comes to horrible matters such as the developing revolution in Egypt. I casually watch in the mornings and evenings and to break up some monotany at work i might watch a 3 minute clip on You Tube while craming a cheeseburger in my mouth.
This morning, however, I became much more interested in the matter after hearing a BBC journalist reporting on the sentiment of the Egyptian people concerning The United States and Great Britain.
I know its not very credible to editorialize without specific facts like the reporter's name, but what the hell? This is a blog that 3 people follow because I begged them to!
According to reports from journalist in Cairo the Egyptian people claim to be very pleased with America when they visit here and get to experience ourgeneral lifestyle. Like most of the world many Egyptians say that they would like there country to be more like America. They want our fashion and entertainment and beleive it or not they say that they want an uncorrupt government where the people really have representation. Obviously things are bad over there if our government is an improvement. But the very same Egyptians are also saying that America should support the people of Egypt and not the allegedly corrupt leaders and government. In multiple interviews Egyptian citizens asked why America was not stepping in and taking immediate action to protect and save them from there own leaders.
I find it ironic, frustratig, and a little bit humorous that one half of the Mid-East has declared Jihad and denouncded our country for our "wys" and for policing the world. The other half is becoming upset with us because they want our ways and we are not policing the world enough!
That being said, I think our country is great! Despite the inconsistancies in our own government, struggling economy, and general arrogance this is absolutely the best place in the world to live and raise a family. In a perfect world everyone including the Egyptians would (and should) be able to live like Americans. It is not a perfect world however, and our involvment in foreign affairs is threatening the way of life that the whole world so adimantly desires or hates.
On one sid eof te fence peope agree that we should make agressive efforts to spread democracy and on the other side there are people who say it should not beour concern. I fall somewhere in the middle, but also disagree that spreading democracy is even our primary agenda when we involve ourselves in the rest of the world' business. What we are really spreading is our hands to grab and control as many valuable resources as we possibly can. The most obvious is oil, but metals, gold, and many other things are also valuable and for some reason we ignore our own resources in many cases and spend billions of dollars "spreading democracy" so we can obtain them from places outside of our borders.
For instance, we import the vast majority of our energy needs in the form of oil from placess in the middle east. Including the places that are torn by war and led by terrorist who would only be satisfied ot watch our country burn. While countries in the middle east profit billions of dollars every month on oil that we refine into gasoline they fuel their own cars with natural gas. Natural gas is more abundant in America than any other place in the world.
While our government generates small (by comparison) tax revenue off of our main (seemingly) export, entertainment China's government becomes rich by building an economy on manufacturing everything the world needs ad selling it to us. I understand that in China's case there are many other issues that inflate there booming econmy such as a state-controlled business sector, but that is another discussion.
Countries in Europe and Asia are developing new technologies that will help the world utilize energy more consistantly and without polluting yet their CEOs and bst minds come to America for education. The Chinese send there people to American universities so they can return with the resources to properly run a business.
Love us or hate us, the entire world is profiting and becoming stornger because of America's resources yet we continue to be dependent on everyone's but our own.
As a country we should regroup and assess how much we really need to depend on foreign resources. We should benfit from the world's desire to be like us and live like us. Let Iran and Iraq keep their damn
oil, let the Chinese educate themslves, let'stry to actually build a production-based economy where America is on the cutting edge of technology and manufacturing. If we dont it will only be a matter of time before thee is nothing about our great country that anyone will want to experience let alone emulate.
