Can The US Economy Be Fixed?

Can The US Economy Be Fixed?

Newly Re-Elected President Obama Is Expected To Fix The Multiple Problems Ailing The US Economy Jeffrey Sachs, American Economist and Director of the Earth Institute writes in The Economist in his article “Obama has four years to fix the economy:” The modern president must therefore not be the overseer of aggregate demand but the conductor of deep-seated structural changes. He should be the convener of governors, mayors, university presidents, CEOs, healthcare providers and scientists to clear the obstacles from investment programmes in energy, education, infrastructure, health and skills. Mr Obama’s legacy should be to foster the overhaul of the US economy.” It is widely accepted that the newly re-elected President should be presiding over a structural reform of the economy, but most probably not in the way the writer suggests. What Is The Main Problem With The US Economy? As the global crisis exemplifies, despite occasional revivals,  the constant quantitative growth economic model is unsustainable, as it is unnatural. This model is built on excessive overproduction and over consumption of mostly unnecessary (by certain statistics over 90% of what is produced is obsolete), and many times harmful products. This model is progressively exhausting both the natural and human resources, causing increasing social inequality and tension, jeopardizing food and water supplies within the very short future. As a result, human beings themselves are becoming increasing sick and depressed, the family unit and the social network is breaking, basically all human built institutions are in crisis. The human society within nations and internationally is strained and threatened with conflicts all over the globe, and humanity in general is at war with...
The Need For The Development Of Analog/Integral Education

The Need For The Development Of Analog/Integral Education

Linear: involving a single dimension.” Analog: of, relating to, or being a mechanism in which data is represented by continuously variable physical quantities.” Integral: essential to completeness.” – Merriam-Webster The Problems Of The Modern World When we think about the modern problems that afflict man, whether it be in regards to the individual or  to society, we have a modern affliction. It is the product of poor education which has not kept up with a continually changing world. Fundamentally, the world has gradually switched from a linear path of development to an analog path of development. For instance, on the level of resource production, it was once that a town or village was self-sustaining. It produced the goods and services which were needed in order for it to continue its survival. Now, it can be argued that even this is not linear, since a community needs the input of all of its members, in one form or another, for it to continue its existence. Nevertheless, this type of development is relatively linear when compared to global society today which requires the input of the entire world in order for existence to be maintained. The development of cities was a significant indicator of this direction because cities, due to the nature of their construction, are not self-sustaining. They need to have outside resources continually imported in order for the city to continue to function. For instance, the city of New York, a heightened example of this structure, practically consumes the amount of food that is imported to her on a daily basis. Therefore if imports were to somehow be halted,...
The Movie Prometheus Meets Hurricane Sandy

The Movie Prometheus Meets Hurricane Sandy

The recent hurricane causing havoc in New Jersey, New York and the rest of the East Coast of the US generated significant media interest, and also ignited discussions about human responsibility, direct or indirect involvement in natural catastrophes and weather pattern changes. The relatively recently released film Prometheus also tries to find answers to questions on the relationship in between humanity and the natural environment. Is it possible to draw conclusions, parallels between the two? The Movie: Prometheus In the film Prometheus a group of scientists, bankrolled by a dying billionaire trying to find answers to eternity, trace the origins of prototype humanoids to a faraway planet, which was identified from thousands of years old cave wall paintings from many different cultures. The scientists suspect that these prototype humanoids “engineered” the present humanity, and are anxious to meet them to get answers to questions like “What is the purpose of life?” “How can we make life better?” and so on. As they arrive to the suspected location they truly find a base where the prototype humanoids are stationed, but they find that almost all died with signs of a horrible and violent death. They also find huge quantities of a biological weapons, used to colonize planets by wiping them clean first and then terraforming on them later. But what comes to light is that the biological weapon as a result of accident was released on themselves causing their violent demise. There are also signs that before their unexpected end the prototype humanoids were ready to head for the Earth again, planning to wipe it clean and start again. Indeed as soon...
Hurricane Sandy’s Wake Up Call: What Will It Take To Bring People Into Balance With Nature?

Hurricane Sandy’s Wake Up Call: What Will It Take To Bring People Into Balance With Nature?

Instinctive Human Nature Tries To Exploit Even The Most Horrendous Catastrophes For Self Gain The article “The politics of Hurricane Sandy” on the pages of The Economist, analyzes the election campaign consequences of the devastating Hurricane sweeping the US East Coast: Is Hurricane Sandy capable of altering the election result? The presidential candidates are hunkering down and trying to avoid looking partisan as this big, wet storm heads for the eastern seaboard. But any number of calculations are being made by the campaigns. Plausible arguments are flying, explaining why this storm is bad news, or is it good news, for both sides.” The instinctive behavior of politicians immediately thinking how they can benefit or lose as a result of a natural catastrophe is a very typical human reaction, since people’s subjective perception assesses things from the “What is in it for me?” vantage point. In truth this behavior is completely the opposite to how we should be looking at the current events. Many people would say that humans have nothing to do with these storms, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. Every time there is a debate about global warming, or other man-made affects on the environment,  many people, including leaders and scientists try everything they can do to prove that humanity, human behavior has nothing to do with these “cyclical natural” changes. Instead Of The Subjective Examination & The Denial Of Human Involvement In Natural, Environmental Changes, People Need To Examine The “Human Effect” In The Earth’s Living Ecosystem A step by step examination, looking at the world in terms of the dynamics of living ecosystems, might suggest a different picture,...
In Response To Natural Catastrophes: Self Examination & Decision Time

In Response To Natural Catastrophes: Self Examination & Decision Time

A natural catastrophe always raises the uncomfortable question about human involvement. Some will say that such horrible events have nothing to do with human behavior, while others will link them to climate change and our effect on the planet. In a recent Project Syndicate article titled “Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change,” Professors J. Marshall Shepherd (Director of the Atmospheric Sciences program) and John Knox (receiver of the National Weather Association’s highest research award) of Georgia University, write the following: There is growing evidence of links between climate change and sea-level rise, heat waves, droughts, and rainfall intensity, and, although scientific research on hurricanes and tornadoes is not as conclusive, that may be changing. Indeed, recent reports by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other scientific literature suggest that the intensity of hurricanes will increase as a result of warmer waters. And our atmosphere and oceans are, indeed, warming…” Thinking we might be contributors to the devastation brought upon us by Sandy is indeed startling, and as the professors say, “the scientific research needed to prove or disprove such a connection must still be conducted.” But while scientists are hesitant to give us a definite answer, Sandy serves as a grim reminder that regardless of how well we understand it, we are all little pieces within the bigger puzzle of nature. And we all depend on nature. In modern times, we have grown accustomed to seeing ourselves as a separate and superior part of nature. We feel we are entitled to use, consume and manipulate natural systems to satisfy our needs and serve our desires. Those...