Despite the World Bank Argentina did it. They brought their economy back without forcing undue hardhip on their own people. Experts are surprised and of course they are saying that it was just luck. Maybe but wouldn't it be nice to think that there is a way to repair a damaged economy without hurting ordinary people.In the meantime, most retailers in the US had a disappointing Christmas. However,upscale companies like Lord and Taylor apparently did very well as did upscale automobile dealerships. It would be nice to think that our politicians from both parties would think about the repercussions of an economy that is showing serious signs of problems ahead.
The gap between the rich and the rest of the population in the US is growing as evidenced by Christmas sales. There is more and more of a "Let them eat cake" philosophy. Of course so many of the very people being hurt voted for Bush because, the theory goes, they could be rich one day. So it's ok I guess. I'm not sure how that squares with a Christian philosophy but that's just me. I don't have a problem with people spending their money anyway they deem fit but shouldn't we be worrying about the shrinking middle class? In the meantime a woman from Texas spent $50,000 to clone her cat. Once again, I know it's her money but as someone who has "rescued" a number of animals including two cats who allow us to share their home I can't help but wonder how many cats and dogs she could have helped with that money. The cat she cloned is not a special breed and is a look alike for thousands of cats. As I write this one of my "rescued cats" is nosing around my desk and finding things to play with. We lost a beloved cat in the spring - one I would call the "perfect cat" - but we took another one in and now have two cats again. Their personalities are very different from each other and from the cat we lost. I don't begrudge the Texas woman from spending $50,000 to cloner her cat but I would have liked to see her at least contribute to a shelter.