yitwail wrote:pachelbel wrote:Funny that the bottom line appears to be the almighty dollar, as usual, that is causing the most concern, and I quote from the article from Reuters:
"American companies should care about America's standing in the world, first of all, because sooner or later anti-Americanism is bad for business," BDA President Keith Reinhard said at the Washington meeting. "Corporate America needs a world that welcomes and values American brands. Unfortunately, this is becoming less and less true."
That holds true even for the United States as a travel destination. "A direct consequence of the decline of America's reputation in the world," according to Reinhard,
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you got a problem with that? if a profit motive results in a better US foreign policy, i'd be delighted. it's not as though the present policy was designed to wreck american business--although it may favor a few sectors, such as oil interests & defense contractors, over the majority. it's Clinton, who i presume was more popular abroad than Bush, who's associated with the remark, "it's the economy, stupid."
I find it pathetically amusing that the US sees most things in terms of dollars. Perhaps a major reason for the decline in US tourism is the low opinion that much of the world has about the US; its involvement with Iraq, its threats to Iran and N. Korea & its policy of no interference when a terrorist state such as Israel gets away, literally, with murder - and nothing is done. If any other country was doing what Israel is doing there would be at least sanctions.
I seriously doubt that the hand-shaking BS will make the world think better of you, as you sit and watch Israel murder people. Of course, they are 'the chosen people' -anything they do is directed by God. Or is it?
Hitler thought he was directed by God too. Ditto Bush.
US involvement with Afganistan doesn't have anything to do with the opium trade, of course.
Iraqi oil doesn't interest the US, either. They're only interested in spreading democracy. How altruistic of them.
Lebanon's Hezbollah and Sierra Leone's black market diamonds don't, of course, influence the US either
Criminal businesses flourish under the cover of conflict. Believing that the US is involved in spreading democracy and peace is pure BS.
They are, and have always been, furthering their own selfish interests. Too bad it doesn't benefit the general populace. The gap between rich and poor is spreading.
Americans need to look at themselves realistically. How you see yourselves is not how the world sees you. But you wouldn't know that, would you, since you only seek news sources which solidify your narrow opinion.
You have become what you fought against in the Revolutionary War: imperialists.
If you want to be isolationists then do so. You can't be imperialists and isolationists at the same time.
But hey, we all know war is profitable. For some.
The point being, we still have a lot of immigrants to this country -- both legal and illegal -- which is something your article failed to mention. 