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Originally Posted by Aliantha
But even so, I'd stand behind my point anyway. It's the governments job to care for it's own citizens first. I'd expect it of my own government, and so should the citizens of the US in my opinion.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary
I so totally agree, I say fuck the rest of the world, close the borders, cut off all aid for 5 years, and lets just see where we stand.
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But this is a situation where the solution is to be found through cooperation, not selfishness. Yes, each government should care for its own citizens first, but the best way to do that is to make sure the world economy doesn't crash. Keep your trading partners healthy. "Beggar thy neighbour" policies will just mean that it will be longer before they can afford your exports again. So-called "protectionism" will hurt trade and cause more economic contraction.
Mind you, I am not convinced that these bail-out/stimulus packages will be very effective. They will have the best chance if all countries bring their stimuls packages online at around the same time. This will take trust and international cooperation. These commodities being in short supply, I have doubts.
My general point is the same one I make against strong libertarianism. Yes, each person can reasonably put their own interests first, but very often the best way to advance your own interest is to form a cooperative alliance. Selfish individualism, or selfish nationalism, is sometimes the best way to advance your interests, but often not.