The end of 2011
While 2011 will be remembered for many things, I have to agree with Michael Bloomberg who called it the year of the "fist." Despite the fact that, worldwide, the human race has never been healthier, more educated and more civilized, the threads of discontent found their way through the fabric of our society and many others around the globe.
Since 1981, when half the world lived in poverty, we have seen this number shrink to just under 20%. Most of this growth took place in China although it's own government reports over 180,000 civil riots in the last year alone. China accounted for 40% of the economic growth since 2008. A number that is expected to shrink to just 8% by 2012.
A pew research poll revealed that 77% of all Americans think corporations have too much power and those with money are directing the economic polices to their benefit. Surprisingly, 53% of republicans polled agree with this. Coming to the defense of the "haves" was none other than Michelle Bachman who proclaimed "Americans, and Occupy Wall Street in particular, need to wake up and stop blaming job creators for the failures created by selfish politicians." Leading the target list of the OWS movement is Charlotte based Bank of America. BOA announced last month it plans to lay-off as much as 30% of its workforce or 50,000 jobs... 20,000 of which will be here in North Carolina, my personal back yard.
This next year, Russia, China and France will choose new leaders. This will undoubtedly be eclipsed by our own election that will take center stage; not just here, but around the world.
In the end, we have seen a power shift, especially in the middle east where, much to the dismay of the American Right Wing, the power has shifted to independent forces from global super powers like us.
Back home we are complaining about our 18 % youth unemployment rate while Egypt struggles with 25%, Greece 40% and yet we have made massive strikes against education funding and we have raised college tuitions across the board.
If there is one point I want to transcend with this article, it's that everything is relative. In years to come we have a choice. Either we look optimistically toward the future and plan accordingly with education, health and wellbeing, or look around the globe and say "That used to be us."
Since 1981, when half the world lived in poverty, we have seen this number shrink to just under 20%. Most of this growth took place in China although it's own government reports over 180,000 civil riots in the last year alone. China accounted for 40% of the economic growth since 2008. A number that is expected to shrink to just 8% by 2012.
A pew research poll revealed that 77% of all Americans think corporations have too much power and those with money are directing the economic polices to their benefit. Surprisingly, 53% of republicans polled agree with this. Coming to the defense of the "haves" was none other than Michelle Bachman who proclaimed "Americans, and Occupy Wall Street in particular, need to wake up and stop blaming job creators for the failures created by selfish politicians." Leading the target list of the OWS movement is Charlotte based Bank of America. BOA announced last month it plans to lay-off as much as 30% of its workforce or 50,000 jobs... 20,000 of which will be here in North Carolina, my personal back yard.
This next year, Russia, China and France will choose new leaders. This will undoubtedly be eclipsed by our own election that will take center stage; not just here, but around the world.
In the end, we have seen a power shift, especially in the middle east where, much to the dismay of the American Right Wing, the power has shifted to independent forces from global super powers like us.
Back home we are complaining about our 18 % youth unemployment rate while Egypt struggles with 25%, Greece 40% and yet we have made massive strikes against education funding and we have raised college tuitions across the board.
If there is one point I want to transcend with this article, it's that everything is relative. In years to come we have a choice. Either we look optimistically toward the future and plan accordingly with education, health and wellbeing, or look around the globe and say "That used to be us."
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