eh, where do I start. I think you both would do good to read some Locke - I think you'd enjoy it even if in the end it will give you a better platform to argue against me. Just try understand that when Locke uses the word 'property' he is referring to a wide range of things ( durable goods, money, pocket lint..) and not solely the land under your feet.
also please try to understand that on many levels I agree with you .. the media is there just to entertain the masses, and it has for a very long time. I always liked how in the former Soviet Union the government was very honest about how it owned and ran the media - here the line is much less defined - both the government and the media are probably at the whim of much larger corporations... Call it funding, lobbying, bribery or outright buying, these things are for sale. Not too mention how our system is treating us more like 'items' than people - we're just units to be managed in their eyes it seems - not contributing feeling thinking individuals.
But we're digressing. The issue at hand is the North American Free Trade Agreement, larger highways and the departure from the US dollar.
To take on the first and last item to begin with, a couple of observations. In second half of last century those living in the former USSR did not have the freedom to move about the country, and the trade and distribution of goods was tightly controlled by the Government. Imports were restricted. While between the 50 states of the USA we don't suffer from this, on the global scale things aren't so different from the micro scale in communist Russia. For example, in the former USSR if we had wanted to move outside of our district we would need countless obscure and obtuse government documents - this is exactly the system we have if you replace 'district' with country.
Perhaps for you your district (er country) is fine and affords you enough places where you might want to live. I'm sure in the former USSR many people felt the same way about their situation.
So what is it that you want? Do you want the USA to be some island where nobody leaves or goes to? Is it that scary that there are other people out there, who might think differently, who might have different values? I guess I just fail to understand why it is people need the assurances provided by having people who aren't part of your tribe.
But back to the NAFTA and the dollar. If you haven't noticed recently, the dollar is plunging like a rock. For those not paying attention OPEC nations have been dumping the dollar for the last 6 years, not to mention China bleeding us dry while lying about the value of their currency. A quick glance at the currency exchange rates should be unsettling, a longer evaluation of the currency trends should be horrifying. If you think things are going to magically turn around, or somehow work out - I have news for you. China owns all of our forex. OPEC is going to stop taking our money at a preferred rate. Manufacturing is failing at an alarming rate - take a drive through lower michigan and whiteness the disaster. People are taking out loans for property that isn't worth half of what they're paying for it (the 350sq studio condos going for $130,000 next door to my 900sq 1bedroom for $700/mo?). We're in a dire economic situation. I know the Mexican peso pretty much sucks, but the Canadian dollar has been holding better against the Euro than we have. However each of these currencies are in a much better position than we are - Mexico largely just owes money to us (oil developments in the 70s that were basically tabled after OPEC agreed to play nice again), and Canada's only failing is that we're their largest trading partner. Merging the three currencies makes quite a bit of sense in terms of insulating the USA from the forex/OPEC issues. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind if the proposed currency does that crap that Mexico does with the bill sizes being all different. That shit drives me nuts.
As for the freeway - yeah I dunno what's wrong with people - just put that crap on a train. As for property - sigh - this has already been a long post, and there's probably enough material above for you to nail me to the ground for
One planet, one tribe. Isolationism in a world with instantaneous global communication is foolish.
