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elfsIt is without surprise that, as Giuliani drops out of the race and into obscurity, he leaves behind his blessing with John McCain. As he exited the race, Giuliani said that he was giving his blessing to McCain because "He, like I do, has a clear vision about the challenges facing our nation."
If you go look at the challenge that faces our nation, it is an economic challenge. It is an intellectual challenge. China and Europe are the rising superpowers, and both of them are mature states of the age. While we play in our sandbox named Iraq, they're striding the world, making deal, cementing relationships, establishing markets, and ensuring their dominance for the next decade.
If we are unwilling as a nation to encourage our poorest to emulate the poor of those nations and work 16 hour days doing piecemeal crappy jobs, then we have to create a nation that is the hub of intellectual and scientific research. PNG uncharitably characterized this as "tricking them"; I don't think we have to trick them; I think we have to make this country the most attractive place, both in terms of personal liberty and academic acumen, to the brilliant minds of the world. Guiliani (and according to him, McCain) don't understand this. They think the real threat is bombs and stuff. Bombs and stuff kill people. A few here, a few there. In one dramatic case, three thousand people.
Xenophobia, on the other hand, kills nations.
If you go look at the challenge that faces our nation, it is an economic challenge. It is an intellectual challenge. China and Europe are the rising superpowers, and both of them are mature states of the age. While we play in our sandbox named Iraq, they're striding the world, making deal, cementing relationships, establishing markets, and ensuring their dominance for the next decade.
If we are unwilling as a nation to encourage our poorest to emulate the poor of those nations and work 16 hour days doing piecemeal crappy jobs, then we have to create a nation that is the hub of intellectual and scientific research. PNG uncharitably characterized this as "tricking them"; I don't think we have to trick them; I think we have to make this country the most attractive place, both in terms of personal liberty and academic acumen, to the brilliant minds of the world. Guiliani (and according to him, McCain) don't understand this. They think the real threat is bombs and stuff. Bombs and stuff kill people. A few here, a few there. In one dramatic case, three thousand people.
Xenophobia, on the other hand, kills nations.
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Uh, "PNG"?
Date: 2008-01-31 05:49 am (UTC). png
no subject
Date: 2008-01-31 06:02 am (UTC)Encouraging instead of squelching our role as the hub would be good--the UW has run into trouble of late getting some guest researchers and speakers from overseas. It's embarrassing, among other things.
Re: Uh, "PNG"?
Date: 2008-01-31 05:18 pm (UTC)I believe that was my point. We prosper by exploiting brilliant foreigners. But the brilliant ones only come here because here is the best place to be exploited: the best place, the one with both the most intellectual acumen and the most academic freedom. Right now we're lacking in both.
This is the big reason I'm so concerned. Europe gets this. And the EU is doing what it should have done all along: creating centers of learning that are so compelling its citizens are no longer leaving to come to the US. We simply aren't going to be a global player in 20 years at the rate we're going.