RattlerGator Blog

America, Again

While racing through some of the morning papers and websites, I ran across this article in the London Telegraph, World Power Swings Back to America. Here's a representative sampling:

As Cleveland Fed chief Sandra Pianalto said last week, US manufacturing is "very competitive" at the current dollar exchange rate. Whether intended or not, the Fed's zero rates and $2.3 trillion printing blitz have brought matters to an abrupt head for China.

Fed actions confronted Beijing with a Morton's Fork of ugly choices: revalue the yuan, or hang onto the mercantilist dollar peg and import a US monetary policy that is far too loose for a red-hot economy at the top of the cycle. Either choice erodes China's wage advantage. The Communist Party chose inflation.

Foreign exchange effects are subtle. They take a long to time play out as old plant slowly runs down, and fresh investment goes elsewhere. Yet you can see the damage to Europe from an over-strong euro in foreign direct investment (FDI) data.

Flows into the EU collapsed by 63 [percent] from 2007 to 2010 (UNCTAD data), and fell by 77 [percent] in Italy. Flows into the US rose by 5 [percent].

The current China fixation is the "Japan, Inc." phenomenon from the 1980s all over again with a major, extended worldwide recession thrown in right now, rather than looming on the horizon. I haven't been able to watch this video (embedding of the video has been disallowed) from one of the authors of the book that serves as much of the basis for the article, The American Phoenix: And Why China and Europe Will Struggle After the Coming Slump, but I'm sure it's an interesting five minutes.

Rarely is it a good bet to wager against the United States of America. However, as the article concludes:

The switch in advantage to the US is relative. It does not imply a healthy US recovery. The global depression will grind on as much of the Western world tightens fiscal policy and slowly purges debt, and as China deflates its credit bubble.

Yet America retains a pack of trump cards, and not just in sixteen of the world’s top twenty universities.

It is almost the only economic power with a fertility rate above 2.0 - and therefore the ability to outgrow debt - in sharp contrast to the demographic decay awaiting Japan, China, Korea, Germany, Italy, and Russia.

Europe's EMU soap opera has shown why it matters that America is a genuine nation, forged by shared language and the ancestral chords of memory over two centuries, with institutions that ultimately work and a real central bank able to back-stop the system.

The 21st Century may be American after all, just like the last.

Hubba Hubba !!!

Big Kid from Big Duval Delivers

Tim made history yesterday in his 18-15 win; not only did he win his first start of the season but according to Elias Sports Bureau, no team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 had ever been down as many as 15 points with less than 3 minutes remaining and won.

History.

Yes, he was brutal early and often. Yes, he was obviously nervous. Who wouldn't be? But he was also handcuffed early and often. They -- Denver -- need to just go ahead and allow Tim to be Tim. He has started four NFL games, and today is the cover image on the NFL.com website:

He has eight touchdowns and three interceptions in his NFL career; three TDs and zero INTs this season. Amidst all the talking head talk yesterday and this early morning about how horrible he was early and often in this game, he had no interceptions. A bad performance with interceptions would be horrible. This kid had to overcome his coaching staff, his first start jitters, his coming back to Florida at *the* story of the day in a League hoping like hell you will fail . . . and he did overcome all of that.

Kudos to you, Timmy.

Somehow Philip Rivers can take beaucoup snaps out of the shotgun and no one says a damn thing, but the idea of Tim Tebow back in the shotgun on a regular basis is used as proof that he can't be an NFL quarterback. John Fox, put the man in the shotgun and let him work his magic. Allow him to get in his rhythm, his flow, then do more under-the-center stuff. Damn! Don't shackle the kid.

The Late, Great Freddie Scott

With the Florida-Georgia game approaching, and the Gators not quite looking ready this year for the clash, I find myself dreading actually thinking about the game but loving the thought of home and days gone by. Especially our great 20-year run over the Dawgs.

At some point today thoughts of northeast Florida brought to mind the music of the late, great Freddie Scott. A Providence, Rhode Island native, he's a little bit before my time but I remember often hearing some of his songs as a kid. In this post I want to present two of my favorites. Later this week I hope to do a post on the songwriter that Freddie Scott's most associated with, a songwriter that died far too early and has thus received far too little recognition for his great work in the 1960s.

First up, an iconic song that has never received its' proper due. As a Jacksonville kid, I'm biased of course, but this is a truly great R&B song:

And now, a really catchy song that I also love that served as the sample hook for Biz Markie on one of his big hits. Naturally, Freddie Scott's original is far, far better (Biz Markie's is funny stupid, if you know what I mean, but . . . damn):

Great, great music!

Allen West on the Campaigner-in-Chief

Congressman Allen West released this statement yesterday on the news that Barack Obama was ending America's military campaign in Iraq:

(WASHINGTON)--- Congressman Allen West (FL-22) released this statement today:

“Today, the President announced the withdrawal of all combat forces from Iraq by the end of the year.

As a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom who served during the initial battles of this conflict, I am proud to be among the more than one million Americans who served in Iraq. What my fellow comrades in arms achieved in Iraq is nothing short of historic. Together, we defeated one of history’s most tyrannical dictatorships and replaced it with a free and democratic government. American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines fought and defeated a radical Islamic insurgency, and helped create an ally and partner in freedom.

I will never forget those who I served with, and those who served after I left. I will never forget the sacrifice borne by so many of our service members and their families.

However, I must question the motives of President Barack Obama for this sudden announcement. Why now? Did the President consult with any of our American Generals on the ground before making this decision? What kind of message will this send to our allies, the Kurds, in the Northern part of Iraq, and will they feel abandoned? My fear is that political expediency drove this decision, not recommendations by the Military’s leadership.

Much is at stake and many questions are yet to be answered. I fear that our President is acting as “Campaigner in Chief” rather than “Commander in Chief,” thus putting the entire Middle East at risk.

Right now, the American people deserve answers.”

It has been a long engagement; it has also had historically low casualties -- something rarely reported. I would feel much better about this exit if this President wasn't driving the train but it is what it is. We've gained tremendous assets, both from a person-to-person contact perspective and from a culture-to-culture perspective, from this war. These contacts will serve us well as America moves forward in the 21st century.

Questions will be asked, as Congressman West has shown, and they should be. Vigorously. More important to me is how do we move forward in that region? How do we honor the sacrifice that America has made there? And the naive person who made an incredibly ignorant World Apology Tour as his presidency began a few short years ago had better not piss me the hell off this time around.

Natural Beauty

This is not America. This is Chile. 

Do you know why this could not be America? 

via cobb.typepad.com

[Friday, October 21st RattlerGator comment using Android phone while trying, and failing, to figure out how to post from said phone] Not quite sure what Cobb is getting at in his post but I wanted to use this as a test of Typepad's re-bogging tool using my Android phone. Gorgeous photo, setting might run into trouble with American environmentalists.

[Saturday, October 22nd comment using my laptop] Checking Cobb's comment after the post, I was correct. That concrete and steel jutting out into the Pacific would be supremely problematic, I suspect. Coastal development is a flash point for controversy. The push would have been to have it set well back from the ocean.

Forecast today for Cavancha Beach in Iquique, Chile -- 65 for a high, 58 for a low, and partly cloudy skies.