I fonly we'd been cautioned to be more attentive, in the future we'll look back and see the clues were there.

Paybacks, are a bitch.

Outside of the astounding human rights violations, it (China) shouldn't care. :( I mean, was there a time when everything was kosher, and we thought it was a good time to get in bed with them?
Good Move.

I mean, whose bright idea was it to borrow a ton of money from a country that organ farms with wild abandon? You know- the country that has been caught repeatedly and intentionally poisoning the rest of the world? That one?

If this were a Marvel Comic it would like quite differently, and probably more closer to the truth than the government, media, etc. would try to portray.

I like the Chinese in general. In fact, it's their citizens I worry about. It is getting sick and sad.

If our inflation gets bad enough, the debt they are holding will be worthless.

. . . and so will our money. How is that any good?

Because we'll get raises.

Will we get wheelbarrows with those raises? :eyebrow:

Inflation. Dollar devaluation. Economics takes revenge for money games in so many different ways.

But in every case, the Chinese are worried. They thought they were being so helpful by financing American government bonds. Financing "Mission Accomplished". Only recently has the Chinese government realized the scope of "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter". Whereas in 2003 it was considered an advantage to both parties. Now neither party wants to be in this relationship.

The bills for "Mission Accomplished" are just beginning to appear. Only the first of those bonds "because deficit don't matter" are coming due. The costs for "Mission Accomplished" will get worse. Another Deja Vue Nam. Money spent by Nixon in 1968 and 1970 resulted in the massive recession that Carter confronted in 1975 and 1979.

What will we do to pay back that money? In the 1970s, the nickel became worth a penny. Yes, others lost money because they held so much American debt. AND the American standard of living went down massively. Stagflation finally meant 20% interest rates. Today's equivalent would be credit cards with 40% interest rates.

So yes, the Chinese are not happy. China has discovered how irresponsible America was throughout the 2000s. China, like everyone else, discovered Enron accounting was massive, licentious, and perverse. And virtually unknown until the market crashed.

China will do everything possible to get out from under the dollar – which is why China and so many other nations want to remove the dollar as the international trading standard. An honest American could not blame them. As Obama said when he took office, we will be paying for this for the next ten years. "Cheney proved that deficits do matter."

China is SO not my pal, to wit and viz:

1) China borrowed $50 from me "until payday." Never paid it back despite repeated promises.

2) China asked to "use the phone for a local call" Called a 900 # and stuck me with a $250. phone bill and a suspicious wad of tissues in the planter.

3) China borrowed my nice sweater and offered to clean it after vomiting all over the front, then shrank it after a hot wash and high heat dry.

4) China felt up my wife when it got drunk at my kid's 5th birthday party.

5) China told my best friend (falsely) that I was the one who pissed on the coals at the barbeque.

6) China has been stealing my newspaper every Sunday morning for the past several months and told me it was actually Estonia that was doing it.

7) China took the keys to my car when I was in the basement working and went out for a 5 hour joyride and brought the car back with an empty tank and a dent in the rear passenger door.

No, China is certainly not my pal.

China: My word is your bond. American bonds that is.

China knew exactly what they were doing. It was a no lose. They own us now.

Sssshhhhhh... the neo-cons are listening.

What exactly did the US think was going to happen when it shipped all our manufacturing and intellectual property over there? After the first, oh let's say dozen instances of Chinese companies sending knock offs into the market of proprietary technology don't you think that would have been enough warning to US companies of what kind of game China is playing?

Some of, (a lot of?) the CEOs of the so called US companies that operate in China make upwards of $25,000 per hour. They are fine and will be regardless of what happens to you and I and China's ownership of the US.

Exactly, unlike the robber barrons of years ago who didn't give a shit about just employees or customers, these asshats don't give a shit about the country, or it's future. Me, me, me, me.... :mad:

But you know what? It's easy to point the finger at these bastards, but they didn't do it alone. Yes, I'm looking at you, walmart shoppers.

It's not just walmart, comrade Bruce. My local mom and pop hardware store (true value--there's a page out of the neocon book of names) has been selling chinese made crap for the past ten years. dewalt, rockwell, vermont american, everything is made in china. I'd buy made in USA if it were available.

And after NAFTA, a pair of carhartts made in usa might actually have been made in mexico. it's the same as the usda organic label, it now has a legal definition, which may be good, but if that definition allows all kinds of untoward shit, then what good is it?

I'm not a Walmart lover, but as long as a corporation is allowed the benefits of being a US corporation then I think all their manufacturing should be done in one of the 50 states. Otherwise, they are a Chinese (or Indian, or Yugoslavian, etc) corporation with an American board and an American sounding name.

/soapbox