Re: but I am sure I read once that because a high proportion of Latinos are staunch Catholics, as a voting demographic they are pro-GOP on social questions.

And many Blacks are socially conservative Evangelicals, but it has not motivated many of them to vote GOP. Social issues are luxury issues: they are issues the white middle class can afford to let dominate. Blacks and most Hispanics have more serious things to worry about in the voting booth than who is sleeping with whom. As always, it's the economy.

Posted at January 30, 2008 3:44 PM in response to McCain and the Failure of Anti-Immigrant Politics

Re: I've often wondered the effect of economic downturns on marriage rates.

During the Great Depression marriage rates were up and divorce rates went down. Different time and different culture, although the expense of divorce is a factor today as well.

Posted at January 30, 2008 3:16 AM in response to What Will the Recession Feel Like?

Apparently my question is not to be answered: what high tech dugs/procedures/tests are not available in the US because the technology is lacking?

Posted at January 30, 2008 3:02 AM in response to America Diminished

Re: So cutting edge high end health care is on a par with the technology and sophistication of a Japan, or a France, or a Germany?
Don't think so.

Apparently we live in different universes then. Technologically there is absolutely nothing amiss with US healthcare. We have all the gee-whiz fancy gizmos, miracle drugs and high tech procedures they have anywhere else on the planet. Can you name something like that you can't get (for any price) in the US that you can get in some other country? But we do have a very big problem with the fact that far too many people are priced out our healthcare system and receive, at best, substandard care.

Posted at January 29, 2008 10:24 AM in response to America Diminished

Re: The religousity of much of our national dialogue (such as the Huckabee phenomena) also is unwelcoming to potential students and scholars

Oh good grief this is simply silly! The average American college or university (other than those church-affliated) is totally secularized, as much so as anything in Europe. Sure, you can find colleges where you have to go to chapel daily or sign a statement of theological conformity. but certainly not at Harvard, Stanford or any public university.

Posted at January 29, 2008 10:23 AM in response to America Diminished

Re: to gain economic clout and raise the bar.

I fail to see how they would gain economic clout. IMO, that they can avoid the up-front and fixed costs of creating a university system rivaling the USA's while educating their people in such a system actually provides these countries with an advantage: tyhey are getting the benefits of that education system at reduced cost. (There may also be cultural issues which hinder the development of such a system abroad-- as is certainly true in Asia, and to some extent also in Europe.)
As for "raising the bar" I'm not sure what you mean.

Posted at January 28, 2008 6:55 PM in response to Burning the Consumer

This was true of the Umayyad Caliphate, well-deserving of its enlightened reputation. It was very much not true of the later Muslim rulers in Spain, who came from rather fanatical Berber tribes. They were so fiercely intolerant that even many Muslims preferred the rule of the Christian kings (who were not particularly intolerant at that era of Spain's history-- there was no Spanish Inquisition until centuries later)

Posted at January 28, 2008 6:51 PM in response to Stereotyping Muslims

Re:

I don't think that will happen. RatherI think that the US, rather like ancient Greece for centuries after its political decline, will be the world's university and research lab. Why develop a top-notch university system (which the US clearly has, for those who can pay, including wealthy foreigners) if some other country is going to do it for you?

Posted at January 28, 2008 5:58 AM in response to Burning the Consumer

Re: Come on. 70 years ago you had America, Germany, Japan, Russia and Britain in a major strategic battle, or do we need a reminder of how that played out?

70 years ago Europe (which culturally includes both the US and Russia) was the predominant civilization of the world, still holidng vast territories as colonies. Japan, furiously aping Europe in ways both good (technology) and bad (fascism), was the only non-European power.

Posted at January 28, 2008 5:09 AM in response to America Diminished

Re: After all that gets too expensive and the Euro takes over as the world currency we go the way of Great Britain after the Empire, or we go economically the way of Argentina.

The Euro will not take over the world: it's too unstable and lacks the political apparatus a currency needs. After the dollar's reign there will be simply no dominant currency.

Posted at January 28, 2008 4:58 AM in response to Burning the Consumer