I wish that was my president!
Wow, I just got home from a lecture by former German Chancellor Gerhard Scrhoder, and I must say I was thoroughly impressed. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but all I can say is that I wish he was our president! No talk about terrorism as a big threat and all that BS that comes out of the White House, but a completely opposite approach to the way things are prioritized in this country. If you care to find out more, I'll try to get a hold of the transcript, and if there is one I'll post a link to it. Keep reading for a brief summary, or otherwise jump to my more mundane stories about Wine Festivals and political rallies below this post.
In Schroder's opinion, the three most pressing issues the world must deal with today are:
1) Global Warming: He advocates environmentally responsible policies, implementation of the Kyoto Treaty, and recognition that global warming is a human-made phenomenon.
2) Fair Trade: In contrast to the notion of free trade, the chancellor strongly believes that it is in our best interest that less developed countries trully get to enjoy the benefits of a global economy. He believes in a fair redistribution of wealth via international trade, and opposes the ever increasing power of multi-national corporations.
3) Security: However, not security tied to "terrorism" and all that BS. He is concerned with the allocation of basic resources such as water, food, health, education, and energy. He points out that it is our responsibility to make sure that less developed economies have access to all these if we are to have a secure world and expect to enjoy peaceful coexistance. Schroder ties fanatism and fundamentalism to the lack of access to resources, which in turn fuels hatred and resentment towards oppressing developed and imperialistic nations.
Germany has gone a long way since Hitler and WWII. But fortunately they learned their lesson. How I wish our leaders would follow their advice...(or read a chapter of two from a world history book)...
In Schroder's opinion, the three most pressing issues the world must deal with today are:
1) Global Warming: He advocates environmentally responsible policies, implementation of the Kyoto Treaty, and recognition that global warming is a human-made phenomenon.
2) Fair Trade: In contrast to the notion of free trade, the chancellor strongly believes that it is in our best interest that less developed countries trully get to enjoy the benefits of a global economy. He believes in a fair redistribution of wealth via international trade, and opposes the ever increasing power of multi-national corporations.
3) Security: However, not security tied to "terrorism" and all that BS. He is concerned with the allocation of basic resources such as water, food, health, education, and energy. He points out that it is our responsibility to make sure that less developed economies have access to all these if we are to have a secure world and expect to enjoy peaceful coexistance. Schroder ties fanatism and fundamentalism to the lack of access to resources, which in turn fuels hatred and resentment towards oppressing developed and imperialistic nations.
Germany has gone a long way since Hitler and WWII. But fortunately they learned their lesson. How I wish our leaders would follow their advice...(or read a chapter of two from a world history book)...
Labels: Politics
posted by Juan Pablo at 9:26 PM
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