Sunday, August 22, 2004

It's high time I talk about this upcoming elections. I'll vote for Kerry. Why? He may deserve those war medals, he may not. He may be stiff and aloof. He may be hideous. I don't give a flying fuck. I'm voting for the ideology not for the man.

Which'd lead to a better country: left or right? Most northern European nations are left. Can you honestly say they're worse off than us? Comparing to our cities, theirs are more beautiful, cleaner and less crime-stricken. Their citizens have higher living standards than ours. Higher education's either free or affordable. They have more vacation days to enjoy. They even enjoy more freedom than the Americans, supposedly the torch-bearers of freedom. Also, look at Sweden. Its socialism sure didn't stop corporations from prospering there- Ikea, Saab, Volvo, Ericsson, Absolut, etc.

Now, nations more right than us? Not too many of them. Singapore may be the only major nation with economic policies more conservative than ours. There's wealth but it's also overrun by poverty and corruption. Streets are full of STD-infected prostitutes.

Yes, I still say we live in one of the best countries in the world. It's just that it could use some improvement. Here's some hard facts that may shock you.

If you don't have patience to read the whole thing:

http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/4Inequality.htm
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/6Economy.htm
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/8Comparison.htm

The way some people talk, the Reagan years were the most prosperous era in American history. In reality, Reaganomics had only one great year: 1984. Most of the rest of years were mediocre. It was during 1945-1964 that the economy was booming the loudest. The tax rate for the top income bracket? 88%! I think that's too high but it proves that trickle-down economics is pure horseshit. The economy also grew more during Clinton's years. What party did he belong to? Did he cut taxes? Refresh my memory.

While the rich got richer during the 1980s, the average salary of the middle class declined, falling from $24,520 in 1977 to $23,580 in 1990 (in 1988 dollars).

We assume we're the richest people in the world. But are we really? The richest 1% of America own 40 percent of its wealth. Keep in mind that the average salaries of Northern Europeans are very close to ours. If we eliminated the income of the top 1%, their average salaries would be likely higher than ours.

It's time to face reality: left's the right way to go. Moderate left, not communism :)