Notes - The Economist, September 29th - October 5th 2018 (1)

in theeconomist •  6 years ago  (edited)

More on the Chinese-American relations - "China postponed military talks with America and denied a request for an American warship to make a port call in Hong Kong. Tension between the two countries has risen since America decided to impose sanctions on China for buying jets and missiles from Russia."


On what to do with Venezuelan tyrants to push them to do right by their people - "The United States Treasury imposed sanctions on Cilia Fores, the wife of Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, and three other members of his inner circle. The sanctions bar American citizens from doing business with them and subject any assets they have in America to seizure. America has imposed sanctions on dozens of members of Venezuela's dictatorial regime." Venezuela's leaders have taken advantage of the general population for their personal gain. This took Venezuela's finances to the floor. The only solution I can think of is a complete reboot of its economic system. Nevertheless, people like Nicolas Maduro keep holding Venezuela hostage. I do not see an economic recovery coming unless Venezuela's economy is given a chance to fully crash and reboot.


On how garbage disposal systems are cheaper than burning the trash - "One study found that burning, dumping or discharging rubbish into waterways costs south Asian economies $375 per tonne in pollution and disease. Basic disposal systems would cost only $50-100 per tonne. Morocco's government reckons the $300m it has recently invested in sanitary landfills has already averted $440m in damage. Such spending makes sense even when budgets are tight." Yet another proof that when you do things right, there is no need of doing them twice.


On a controversial topic, the selling of passports - "Citizenship- and residence-for-sale schemes, typically charging between $100,000 and $2m, are booming [...]. More than a dozen of countries sell passports and around 100 sell residence. An industry of lawyers, bankers, accountants, consultants, and estate agents has sprouted up to serve well-heeled 'investment migrants'." When I first heard that you could buy passports of other countries, I was very upset. To me, nationality is supposed to represent way more than just economic status. Nevertheless, since globalization exploded, economic status seems to have gained importance in determining your identity. What do you think about passports being sold?


On why Trump did not withdraw Kavanaugh's nomination - "Some have wondered why Mr Trump does not withdraw Mr Kavanaugh's nomination in favour of an equally conservative judge, such as Amy Coney Barrett. But to ask that is to misunderstand contemporary Republican politics which, under Mr Trump's leadership, has become less about ideals than about power and dominance. Withdrawing Mr Kavanaugh would mean admitting that historical accusations of sexual assault can be disqualifying, which leads back to the president."


When writing this, I noticed I am quite behind on my readings! I have been programming like crazy. Hopefully, this week I will be able to catch up. This short posts are just meant to be food for thought and trigger your own analysis and research.

Best,

@capatazche

Authors get paid when people like you upvote their post.
If you enjoyed what you read here, create your account today and start earning FREE STEEM!
Sort Order:  

Some controversial comments from me this time @capatazche :) Venezuela needs regime change. Citizenship given to those that will contribute to their new country is a good idea. Not necessary selling citizenship but some qualifications on assets or education or intention to start a business, similar to Canada is good. This should be in addition to humanitarian and asylum. Trump did not withdraw Kavanaugh because any "equally conservative judge" would have been subjected to the same type of attack campaign. Maybe with different accusations against the new nominee but it is clear the left does not believe any conservative judge should be seated and will fight any and every way possible.

These short pieces are meant to be controversial! Yes, a system like Canada's can work.

Posted using Partiko Android

YOU JUST GOT UPVOTED

Congratulations,
you just received a 13.91% upvote from @steemhq - Community Bot!

Wanna join and receive free upvotes yourself?
Vote for steemhq.witness on Steemit or directly on SteemConnect and join the Community Witness.

This service was brought to you by SteemHQ.com

Congratulations @capatazche! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You made more than 4000 upvotes. Your next target is to reach 5000 upvotes.

Click here to view your Board of Honor
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Support SteemitBoard's project! Vote for its witness and get one more award!

Congratulations @capatazche! You received a personal award!

Happy Birthday! - You are on the Steem blockchain for 2 years!

You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking

Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!