Economic Downturn & Defectors
Uh. Oh.
This bloke is going to make waves. Politically dissedent, Chinese consul officer Chen Yonglin. He's applied for political asylum (rejected) and is waiting on word about a protection visa. He's being hunted, in Australia, by Chinese intelligence agents.
Chen alleges that China's intelligence forces are operating in Australia and kidnapping people. He's been helping people bring democracy to China - not so smooth of a move. He's saying a lot of things, and he's a defector, trying to escape persecution of his native land.
Why we're in a bind. If we stick up for him and grant him a protection visa, and take him under our wings, we risk relations with China. China is a massive economic power, and a trade partner. Think of the issues of the Oil Crisis. People already feel the bite of prices in excess of $1.00 a litre - from personal commuters to transport companies. That price is not going to go down. Ever.
China is a massive economy. They'll soak up massive amounts of oil from the market place, pushing the costs for us even higher. China is a good customer to the oil producers of the world. If we can't get a hold of oil, because China is pissed at us for fucking with them, we're going to be starved out.
Look at the housing market. A friend of mine and his brother just invested $380,000 in a first home. What? That's insane! Yeah, but it's the norm. Prices need to crash. Badly. They will, we're stabler than we used to be, but if you're handing out a chunk of chump change that big, plus paying exhorbitant prices for oil, food, and services and products that rely on oil (uh, all of them), what's going to happen? You have to work longer. You save less. You die a pennyless old git. You have a maxed out credit card and can't get ahead. You're utterly fucked.
That's more or less what my ex girlfriend is: she can't keep hold of her money and she is burned, badly, for it. It's not her fault, she's just lacking in sense/cents. If she can't survive, an otherwise normal average joe, how well does that bode for the rest of us?
On the other hand, there are many worse off in the world than we lucky few. We can't turn them away, or detain them, as we have been doing. It makes you feel wrong in the pit of your stomach, if nothing else. If we do not grant this fellow protection and save him from probable execution, we, as a nation, should feel shamed.
Hell, if we can be so bent out of shape about Schapelle Corby getting life for being in possesion of vast amounts of weed, surely we can get bent out of shape about governments murdering people who seek aslyum here.
Can't we?
This bloke is going to make waves. Politically dissedent, Chinese consul officer Chen Yonglin. He's applied for political asylum (rejected) and is waiting on word about a protection visa. He's being hunted, in Australia, by Chinese intelligence agents.
Chen alleges that China's intelligence forces are operating in Australia and kidnapping people. He's been helping people bring democracy to China - not so smooth of a move. He's saying a lot of things, and he's a defector, trying to escape persecution of his native land.
Why we're in a bind. If we stick up for him and grant him a protection visa, and take him under our wings, we risk relations with China. China is a massive economic power, and a trade partner. Think of the issues of the Oil Crisis. People already feel the bite of prices in excess of $1.00 a litre - from personal commuters to transport companies. That price is not going to go down. Ever.
China is a massive economy. They'll soak up massive amounts of oil from the market place, pushing the costs for us even higher. China is a good customer to the oil producers of the world. If we can't get a hold of oil, because China is pissed at us for fucking with them, we're going to be starved out.
Look at the housing market. A friend of mine and his brother just invested $380,000 in a first home. What? That's insane! Yeah, but it's the norm. Prices need to crash. Badly. They will, we're stabler than we used to be, but if you're handing out a chunk of chump change that big, plus paying exhorbitant prices for oil, food, and services and products that rely on oil (uh, all of them), what's going to happen? You have to work longer. You save less. You die a pennyless old git. You have a maxed out credit card and can't get ahead. You're utterly fucked.
That's more or less what my ex girlfriend is: she can't keep hold of her money and she is burned, badly, for it. It's not her fault, she's just lacking in sense/cents. If she can't survive, an otherwise normal average joe, how well does that bode for the rest of us?
On the other hand, there are many worse off in the world than we lucky few. We can't turn them away, or detain them, as we have been doing. It makes you feel wrong in the pit of your stomach, if nothing else. If we do not grant this fellow protection and save him from probable execution, we, as a nation, should feel shamed.
Hell, if we can be so bent out of shape about Schapelle Corby getting life for being in possesion of vast amounts of weed, surely we can get bent out of shape about governments murdering people who seek aslyum here.
Can't we?
posted by Dan at 2:16 AM
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