On the other side of Atlantic, many countries in Europe are also in desperate need for cash. On the contrary to the US Government, the European governments believe in imposing austerity - rise taxes, lower wages, tighten the money.
So here are two opposing views from the "developed" countries to solve the same problem of uncontrollable greed. The best hope we can have, is that at least one of them is right.
Then I would ask myself: why do I bother? It is happening in the US and Europe - not in Asia, where I live. The Asian economy is growing rapidly, people are getting richer. On average, we are all earning higher income. The unemployment is low, the average age of mortality is higher than before. So what is my problem?
My problem is that while the average income per capita has grown, the income disparity between the poor and the rich has also grown. While the economy is growing, there is hardly any accountabilities on how the resources are being maintained and replenished. To put it bluntly, getting rich without giving back to the environment is like robbing from our future generation - convenient, but simply wrong. And yes, the average mortality age is higher - but for what? To continue to work for money so that we can be perpetual corporate consumers?
The Asian countries are "developing" on the same path that the US and Europe were creating during their glory days. And we are doing it at a pace and scale of more than 10 times of the western history.
In the mean time, the Asian countries combined are the biggest contributors to environmental problems - and yet we play a passive defensive role instead of a leading role. It also allows itself to be the new frontier for the old style consumerism - serving up its huge population to large corporations as the target base for them to continue to grow senselessly. It also remains the place for irresponsible exploitation, from the ultra cheap labor to the natural resources. Whenever it is in Asia, corporations can close their eyes and ears and pretends that the standard they would not accept in the west is acceptable here.
I am not blaming the western people for this. The Asian countries are home to more than one third of the world population. China, India and Indonesia are in the position where everything they do will effect the world in a grand scale. It is time for Asian countries to behave like mature contributor to the world, and not to play victims. It also means its time for Asian countries to say no to old practices that has led to a state of destruction, such as uncontrollable greed and consumerism.
