RMC3: No. It’s not our problem. Is he a ruthless dictator? Yes. Has he misappropriated billions of dollars of the Syrian peoples’ money? Yes. Is he killing his own people? Yes. Do we know that the ‘freedom fighters’ are the good guys? No. Do we know that the ‘freedom fighters’ aren’t actually terrorists? No. This is the whole Libya situation all over again. At this point, he poses no clear and present danger to the United States or our allies. If the ‘freedom fighters’ aren’t able to get the job done, that’s their problem. No need for us to get involved in any additional Middle Eastern adventures. Continue reading
Symposium 2012: Will Egypt revert to a dictatorship
Cartwright: Hasn’t it already? Look, here’s the reality. Many people in many countries throughout the world have been ruled by kings or pharos or dictators for much of known history. These people don’t know democracy, and while it’s an admirable goal to spread democracy, it just isn’t feasible. These people can’t handle it. They need the strong arm of a ruler. We’re seeing that in many places. Continue reading
Symposium 2012: What hope do students graduating today have for finding employment sufficient to pay off their student loans? Is there a better way forward?
RMC3: I certainly wouldn’t want to be a kid graduating in this economic climate. It must be pretty daunting and demoralizing to get a degree that put you tens of thousands of dollars in debt only to find yourself either unemployed or else working at a minimum wage job. It’s no secret that the job market sucks, but having said that, there are going to be jobs for those students who excelled in college. Continue reading
Symposium 2012: Can America ever achieve energy independence?
Cartwright: Not as long as Americans are obsessed with driving their cars and aren’t willing to make sacrifices. Hell, they bitch when the price of gas goes up ten or fifteen cents. The way we’re going there is absolutely no hope of achieving energy independence. Continue reading
Symposium 2012: Is it time to legalize drugs here in America?
Michigan: Maybe. People will lie, cheat, steal and kill for drugs. Would this all stop? How much is it costing the taxpayer for health care and to house all the addicts and dealers in prison. Would this all stop? Anyone can buy the drug called alcohol. Look at the lives and expense this drug costs. How many deaths and millions of dollars can be contributed to this legal drug? I guess my answer is NO. Continue reading
Symposium 2012: Has America lost its role as a superpower?
RMC3: If we’re not a superpower then who is? Russia? China? France? Germany? We’re the only game in town. We’re it. We are the world’s superpower. We have been for a long time and I hope we will be for a long time to come but I’m not too sure about that. We have the world’s most sophisticated military. We found Saddam Hussein in a spider hole in the middle of Iraq. It took us a while, but we finally got the man believed to be Osama bin Laden. We have the best military might in the world, no doubt about that in my mind. Continue reading
Symposium 2012: What are your thoughts on the Congress and the job it is doing?
RMC3: Let’s see. The Senate hasn’t passed a budget in years, and the House keeps giving Obama everything he wants. The House was ready to take one for the team in this whole fiscal cliff debate. So, I’d say they’re an abject failure just like the last Congress. They’re all up there on Capitol Hill doing their little dog and pony show but it’s all just PR. They’re not going to do anything about spending. They haven’t done anything about the spending over the last couple years except get us deeper and deeper in debt. They haven’t done anything about entitlement reform that we’ve needed for decades. There’s more partisan bickering than ever before, so I’m hard pressed to have a favorable opinion of the Congress at this point. Continue reading
Symposium 2012: What criteria should the U.S. use in assessing military intervention in other countries?
RMC3: Is there an identifiable and imminent threat to the United States or our overseas interests or our allies? We could also extend this to include if there is an imminent threat to the world. If there’s no threat to us directly or our interests, why should we be involved? Continue reading
Symposium 2012: Is a trade war with China looming on the horizon?
Cartwright: A trade war with China would be the worst thing we could do. I’m tired of hearing everyone bitch and moan about how China is taking jobs from America. The simple fact is that we can’t compete with their low wage labor. They’re producing goods with every bit as much quality or even better than what we can produce here in America, and they’re doing this at a fraction of the cost. American workers aren’t willing to work for $2 an hour. Besides, we’ve got a minimum wage law that sets wages at levels that make us less competitive than manufacturers in other countries. Continue reading
Symposium 2012: Is a strong Europe in the best interests of America? Should the U.S. be involved in stabilizing Europe’s economy?
Michigan: We have hundreds of U.S. corporations operating in Europe. For this reason, we may need to be concerned with the economy in Europe. Should we bail out countries in Europe? I don’t feel that we should. I am old school. If I can’t pay my bills how can I expect to pay the bills of someone else. On the other hand, if the economy of Europe goes south maybe these U.S. companies will come back here and contribute to the tax base and help increase employment. Continue reading
Thinking Outside The Boxe 