"And, as for defining the future, the country that showed the world how to pull together to put a man on the moon and defeat Nazism and Communism, today broadcasts a politics dominated by three phrases: 'You can’t do that,' 'It’s off the table' and 'The president didn’t know.' A Singaporean official who has been going to America for decades expressed shock to me at being in Washington during the government shutdown and how old and emotionally depressed the city felt."
So did the US put a man on the moon? Absolutely.
And did the US defeat Nazism? Yes, with more than a little help from the UK and the Soviet Union.
But did the US defeat Communism? Actually, that has yet to be decided.
You see, Communist China currently holds some $1.3 trillion of US debt, and they are plainly worried by America's languid economy (see: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/get-your-fiscal-house-in-order-china-warns-us-as-asia-expresses-concern-for-13tn-of-investments-8864935.html). Should China lose faith in the US dollar and move its nest egg elsewhere, Friedman could well be forced to reassess his view of world history.
Well, one of those "Don't get me started."
ReplyDeleteOK, let's go.
Briefly, I hit the ceiling when I hear "We defeating Nazism."
Few things seem to be more indecent than ignoring the sacrifices of Soviet men and women, all tens of millions of them.
Few things seem to be more idiotic than depriving the population of education, including history. It isn't surprising that because history taught the way the Friedmans want, almost half of the population think that our allies during WWII were ... the Germans.
"We defeated Communism." This is questionable too, for a variety of reasons, including the fact that "we" have no universal health care and "we" have illiterate population. I think I would exchange gladly this man on the moon for universal health care and educated society.
I can we send Friedman to the Moon? Mars? the Soviet Union? Anywhere?