Japan and Foreigners

This article provides an interesting look at the Japanese government's take on foreign labor, and how short-sighted its priorities are. Mind you, this has nothing to do with my personal experience here, but I find it quite relevant to the future of Japan and the global community. Countries like the US, Japan, and the EU member states really need to get their acts together and start looking at long-term policies that will foster growth and stability in their respective economies in the decades to come. The way things are going now - policy-wise, demographics-wise, ideology-wise - many countries are heading for colossal problems that are easily foreseeable. 

In Japan's case, eventually its going to be forced to dillute its largely homogeneous culture with immigrants. Why? Because Japanese people aren't having babies. When you can't sustain your population, you either import people or your economy suffocates and then your country collapses.

Update:

Read this one, as well. Thanks for the link, Ben.

What, told you so?

You know, I think this is a sign that I've really come a true skeptic. So Senator McCain was right on spending - big deal. I mean, you know how I feel about the job Mr. Obama is doing, but I just can't help thinking McCain would have broken his campaign promises, also. Maybe not on this issue, but it's purely speculative to say he would be doing a better job than Obama right now. So yes, McCain was right on spending and the deficit. He still lost, though, so what does it matter?

Bravo Mr. Hannan

Watch as Daniel Hannan, a member of the European Parliment, blasts British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. I wish someone would give a similar speech to Mr. Obama. However, he's new in office and it's going to take the American public some time, I'm afraid, to realize what's going on. Pay attention to Mr. Hannan as he speaks of squeezing the productive bit of the economy to fund the unproductive, and the foolishness of trying to "spend your way our of recession or borrow your way out of debt." Sounds a lot like what we're doing, doesn't it?

"Doing a good job"

Apparently the stimulus package is "doing a good job" stimulating the US economy, according to Mr.  Obama.  I'm not surprised at his claim, but I don't see that he's right.  I don't see that the value of the dollar has changed much, and the stock market is still plummeting.  

As someone pointed out, in the past 50 days of "stimulus" and bailout spending, not even taking the ridiculous new government budgets into account, we're spending about $1 billion an hour, and this is money we don't have.  I know we elected these people to spend (by "we" I mean the majority of the country, not everyone), but come on.  Someone's gotta see reason soon or we're going to sink.

Obamedia starting to waver..

I'm sure there are those people who will never admit that Obama can do any wrong, or those who will be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until his term runs out, then assert that although he wasn't perfect, it was mostly due to problems inheritted from Bush.  However, it is starting to dawn on at least some in the media that Mr. Obama isn't exactly the bringer of hope and change that he claimed to be.  In fact, he looks awefully like another run-of-the-mill lying, special-interest-pandering politician.  And he is a radical, not a moderate.

Here's Chris Matthews, of all people, chewing him out for not controlling earmarks as he said he would.  Who's next, Olbermann?  I'm not holding my breath, but it's possible.

And here's Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money.  Cramer is not a conservative guy, and he is calling this "the greatest wealth destruction I've ever seen by a president."

Obama had better get his act together.  Our country got into this mess because people were spending money that they didn't have and borrowing what they couldn't pay back.  So Obama wants to correct the problem by...spending tax money that the government doesn't have?  Oi.