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By Harris R. Sherline March 10, 2008 Page 2 of 2 Without America, the people in many of the nations that have benefited from our foreign aid would be living in far worse circumstances. We haven't solved all the problems, to be sure, and according to some critics, we don't give nearly enough, but we have and continue trying to help alleviate many of the worst problems in various parts of the world. Without America, the education of tens of thousands of foreign students who have come to America to study engineering, the sciences and medicine would not have happened. We are responsible for having produced more highly trained foreign students than any other nation in the world. And, where would the world be without them? Without America, the economies of most nations around the world would be much poorer. In 2005, the U.S. trade imbalance with China alone amounted to $202 billion. Where would the Chinese, who are beginning to challenge us for having the world's biggest economy, sell their goods and services, or the Japanese sell their cars, were it not for our markets? And India, which has another of the world's rapidly expanding economies, where would they be able to sell their goods and services without the American market being available to them? The list of trading partners who rely on our markets to sustain their own economies is very long. Two notable examples in our own hemisphere, of course, are Mexico and Canada, notwithstanding our current grievances with both of these nations. There are many other American accomplishments that have dramatically changed the world, including the example of a society based on diversity and tolerance for others, the rule of law, as exemplified by the peaceful transfer of government following elections, among others. We may be many of the things people around the world accuse us of being: arrogant, ill-mannered, spoiled, self-centered, too rich for our own good, but we are also the most generous and selfless nation on earth and the world would be a much worse place without us. Those who hate us so much might just want to give their distain of us more thought and decide if they really don't want us around. My question is, what would they do without us? Remember the admonition, "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it." -------- Harris Sherline, 79, is a retired Certified Public Accountant and executive. His diverse business background includes experience as a partner in a public accounting firm, as a principal in the restaurant industry, real estate investment, development and management, and golf course ownership. He has also served as CEO of a hospital. His conservative commentaries appear weekly in two Santa Barbara newspapers. In addition, he writes editorials for a widely read weblog, which has a world-wide following of about 200,000 readers. He has his own weblog, "Opinionfest.com." -------------------- Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA. >> Back -- Page 1 2
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