The Yen's strength is due entirely to currency speculation. Japan has been trying to deflate the Yen for years, interest rates have been effectively at zero here since the turn of the century and they keep applying expansionary policies, the problem is that investors are determined to believe that once the crisis is over, they can make a killing if they sell off Yen assets right before the dollar/Pound/Euro begin appreciating again (sell 75 million yen for 1 million dollars, but then see that million grow to a higher value comparatively)

The Yen simply has nowhere to go, because interest rates are alread at zero. The dollar, however, is fixed for a turnaround.

The Euro will likely continue to be in trouble

"Win and go home" is an impossibly naive way to look at war, and few wars in modern American history have been conducted that way, and those that were with fairly bad consequences (like how we didn't contribute to Post WWI-Europe. America likely could have been the moderating force against endless punishments on Germany, alleviating the problems in that country somewhat and preventing the rise of Hitler).

Countries that you need to fight wars against are criminals like any other. Punishment will simply lead to an angry person who is disconnected from society. Rehabilitation is needed with countries as it is with people. If you don't want a bad country to be a problem again, your options are either genocide or an extensive re-development effort. Otherwise you'll just keep fighting the same country every 20-30 years, as a new angry generation replaces the generation that got their asses kicked in the last war (again, think WWI-WWII Germany)

i'm from America, and both political parties are stupid, but the RNC are the stupidest. that hunger and grasp for power that they continue to feel a need to have. i said it before they control of congress, and i'm saying it now.

it should scare you to see republicans be so desperate, to push their broken agenda on the U.S. as they plan to take down the global economy using those same broken polices.

that is all.

um, Ron Paul isn't going to get rid of the public schools, he wants the FEDERAL government out of the schools. It is unconsistutional for the federal government to be involved.

It is constitutional for state governments to run public schools, it is actually unconsitutional to ban state governments from running public schools without an ammendment to the constitution.


Another thing, the idea that the housing market is recovering is a total joke, there is still a bubble there because the interest rates are below 4%.

The difference between us and other great empires is that in reality, the businesses are the wealth and money holders in America, not the "empire". Compounded with the national sentiments and underdog "we will not be defeated" attitude, when push comes to shove, the American people will prop up "the empire" because they love the country so much.

Secondly, while being dedicated to the constitution is certainly noble, The constitution is an outdated relic of a time when things were much different. If the Constitution was so great, there wouldn't be amendments. Let's look at some, shall we?

"Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime"

"Prohibits the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude"

"Establishes women's suffrage"

"Establishes the official voting age to be 18 years old."

All of these amendments were put in place for the specific reason that people were being taken advantage of and not protected by the constitution. Clean environment, for example, should be an amendment, but it's not. It is so very difficult to pass amendments that it takes so much movement to create one. Ron Paul wants to completely remove the EPA, and remove the limitations on corporations, while at the same time allowing for unchecked oil drilling anywhere in the states. Just very recently, one oil company, ruined, nay, COMPLETELY ANNIHILATED an entire ecosystem, destroying hundreds of local businesses, if not thousands. Sure, they were paid back, but the fact is that BP will still earn billions upon billions from this well eventually. It will be a net gain for them, while for everyone else, it will be a net loss.

Americans are also not entitled to clean air, or to see the sun, or many many things that we consider American nowadays.  Safe food; honest labelling, etc etc etc. In the growing age where, especially, the very basis of advertising is creating a problem in order to provide you with the solution, we need to ensure that these problems are not actually created. And it happens. All. The. Time.

Face it man, regulation is a necessity in this day and age, and I for one, will not vote for someone who is willing to give companies the go-ahead to rape the environment for a few bucks.

Amen. Sweden has raised self hatred to an art form. Even as a non-Swede, I find it incredibly distressing to watch sometimes.

Really? How have you noticed it from America?

Hard to say when I first became aware of it, but after years of participating in political forums, reading Swedish papers, and talking with Swedish friends, I've become more well versed in it than I could ever have hoped.

I've been in America for about 12 years now, as much as I admire this country (I wish my country had had founding father with similiar passion and intelligence), it is absolutely undeniable that our crisis only tend to get worse. The best we can do is prepare ourselves for the worst. And people who think we can keep a currency that is a derivative of debt for too long are just dreaming. Check history people. Well, at least in my country things tend to get better for next 10 or 20 years I believe.

Interesting. But sad at the same time.