| I have been reading, World Economic Situation and | | | | mentioned, at least that I am aware of. Mainly, the |
| Prospects 2009. It is a joint product of the | | | | effect of transferring trillions of dollars from the |
| Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the | | | | advanced industrial nations to oil exporting nations. Its |
| United Nations Conference on Trade and | | | | almost like another battle in the war on terror. These |
| Development and the five United Nations regional | | | | civilizations are clashing because they are coming |
| commissions. It is an assessment of the global | | | | together. We are all interdependent, individually, |
| economy for 2009. I consider this report in the | | | | nationally and globally. |
| context of the evolution of human civilization that I | | | | The report mentions that the Millennium Development |
| have been studying for many years. | | | | Goals are far less likely to be accomplished because |
| The report seems to be saying that the financial | | | | of the slowing economy. Another aspect of the |
| infrastructure set up at the Bretton Woods | | | | story is the food crisis. The increasing fuel prices |
| conference in 1944, including the IMF and the World | | | | drove the price of food higher which has had a |
| Bank, is essentially bankrupt beyond repair, and that | | | | considerably harmful effect on the poorest people on |
| we are working on developing a new alternative | | | | earth. |
| international banking system. The United Nations is | | | | The UN is responding aggressively and we are |
| developing a multi-polar economy, that includes all | | | | developing a new global financial infrastructure. It is |
| nations and several currencies, instead of the US$ | | | | based in the UN rather than the G-8 or even the |
| based economy set up at the end of WWII. | | | | G-20. We want all nations to participate in our |
| While the whole world economy is grinding to a halt, | | | | economic consultations. We are also increasingly |
| China and OPEC seem to be the nations with the | | | | universal in scale, rather than national. This way the |
| most ... savings to invest in economic stimulus | | | | nations can work in concert with one another, |
| spending. The USA is spending trillions of borrowed | | | | instead of a haphazard response at best, a |
| dollars to stimulate its economy. The EU is also | | | | competitive response at worse. |
| spending borrowed money. India seems to be | | | | We can not afford to allow this childish fighting over |
| working in the black, but doesn't have the mountains | | | | the earth's resources to continue. There are plenty |
| of cash like China and OPEC. The UN is working on | | | | of resources for everyone to live comfortably. These |
| developing a coordinated response to the global crisis. | | | | periodic shortages and economic upheavals that we |
| I can remember fuel prices spiking a couple of years | | | | have been experiencing during my lifetime are totally |
| ago. Oil was $140/bbl and fuel was more than $4/gal. | | | | artificial. We can no longer allow a tiny minority of |
| Just as suddenly as it shot up, the prices collapsed. | | | | earth's inhabitants to fight over the material |
| Now, a few months later the whole world economy | | | | prosperity of human civilization. |
| is coming unglued and spiraling into the worst | | | | We are rapidly developing a global financial and |
| economy since the 1930s. The World Economic | | | | economic infrastructure that will be cooperative, |
| Situation and Prospects 2009 says the corruption in | | | | transparent and function in harmony with earth's |
| the US banking system is the original impulse that has | | | | biosphere. We are establishing a more perfect union, |
| caused the economy to unravel. The real estate first, | | | | a universal federation of nations. We are all |
| and then the entire credit industry and now the | | | | responsible for this. Human civilization is whatever we |
| whole world economy is crumbling. | | | | make it. Every single human being alive on earth is |
| I suspect that the corruption in the US economy was | | | | responsible for making the world a better place, for |
| definitely a factor contributing to this recession, | | | | creating a safe, clean and decent society. |
| however, there are other factors that are not being | | | | Be kind, friendly and polite. |