thanks again to the week of generosity from the ny times, i am able to read the columns of the lovely mr. thomas friedman (he is a sweetie to talk to anyway). he is visiting china, and i present the following concluding paragraph from today's presentation:
"China, in other words, is inevitably going to move back to the center of U.S. politics, because it crystallizes the economic challenges faced by U.S. workers in the 21st century. The big question for me is, how will President Bush and the Democratic Congress use China: as a scapegoat or a Sputnik?
Will they use it as an excuse to avoid doing the hard things, because it’s all just China’s fault, or as an excuse to rally the country — as we did after the Soviets leapt ahead of us in the space race and launched Sputnik — to make the kind of comprehensive changes in health care, portability of pensions, entitlements and lifelong learning to give America’s middle class the best tools possible to thrive? A lot of history is going to turn on that answer, because if people don’t feel they have the tools or skills to thrive in a world without walls, the pressure to put up walls, especially against China, will steadily mount."
don't start worrying yet, though. soon it will be shabbat - the chance to put all worries aside for 24 hours and concentrate instead on giving yourself and all around you a break. gut shabbes!
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