Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!concertina!fiddler
From: fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Japan and Semiconductors
Message-ID: <38509@sun.uucp>
Date: 11 Jan 88 22:36:15 GMT
References: <9679@udenva.cair.du.edu>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Lines: 82

In article <9679@udenva.cair.du.edu>, news@udenva.cair.du.edu (netnews) writes:
> 
> The UNITED STATES is the GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD
> Do you dare to argue with me ?

Is this a trick question?
 
> semiconductors: OK, we may have lost the 1 meg market, but IBM has had
> 		4 meg DRAMS for some time now. 

Notice how much good this has done for anyone other than IBM...

> competitiveness:The United States is increasingly competitive in the world
> 		market for industrial goods. Our service industries are
> 		are unmatched world wide (do you see any competition for
> 		McDonalds ?) 

Is this another trick question?  Well-known dietary preferences of
programmers, etc. notwithstanding, if I couldn't find a better place
to eat, I'd just go home and see what I could do with refrigerator
review...

>               American financial institutions are among
> 		the largest in the world. 

The dinosaurs were pretty big, too.  Some of them...the typical
dinosaur was apparently about the size of a chicken.  Anyway, this
is unfair to dinosaurs: they were pretty well suited for their
neighborhood...until things changed and property values plummeted.

Size of a corporation doesn't always map to efficiency or "goodness".
See At&T...

>               Also, the much admired and booming
> 		Japanese stock market is NOT a reflection of their great
> 		power in the world is nothing more than a FRAUD. Japanese
> 		law virtually price fixes stock shares. (Would buy NTT
> 		stock with a 1:200 p:e ratio ? Do you have THAT much
> 		confidence ? )

Does it work?

> greatness:	It is domestically and internationally UNTENABLE, UNTHINKABLE
> 		AND OUTRAGEOUS that Japan or W. Germany could EVER be a 
> 		superpower. 

Why?  Won't we let them play?  (Better dust off your recent history
books...what?...oh...well, go down to the local public library [unless,
of course, you happen to live in Redding, CA. No :-) ] and read about
the first half of the current century.  Try the kids' section if you
need some practice at first.) My kids would be glad to show you
around.  (Some days I think I should buy stock in the local public
library. Half :-) )

>               There are only TWO countries in the Western
> 		world that are acceptable as the protectors or Freedom. 
>               They are the United States and Great Britain. 

I hope that view isn't really widespread.  There are lots of good
things about the U.S. and GB...to mention nothing of Canada, Australia,
NZ, Brazil, Holland, Ireland, France, ...  And more than enough negatives
for any and all of the above.

> Well, I apoligise for my outburst in favor of my country. I felt it was
> neccesary!

(That's apologise...)  An attitude like this, taken to extremes, could
mean things like no sushi or curry available on the open market.  To
say nothing about disappointment when your favorite nation gets blind-
sided by a foreign competitor. It would be a lot better to see what
Japan or Germany or Mauritania are doing *right*, and IMPROVE ON THAT,
rather than cry that they aren't playing fair as they pull away in
the distance. 

Find a biographical sketch of a Frenchman named Chauvin and see if
it ever did him any good.

mumble...sorry about this.  Back to computers...

	seh