Getting Political - Elections in America for Global Hope?
Oct 30th, 2008 by Jon Posted in Features, Nicaragua News | No Comments
After watching last night’s prime time, half-hour advertisement (which you can see in its entirety on YouTube), presidential hopeful Barack Obama has inspired me to write this post about what the American elections mean to the developing nations of the world.
Much of last night’s address was aimed squarely at one issue: tackling America’s internal problems.
- Health-care
- Job security and employment
- Education
- Middle-class tax reductions
- Increasing domestic fuel production and alternative fuels
While it’s clear that the focus in the next few years will be to focus internally and rebuild from within, those of us on the outside are wondering how it will affect the rest of us. In particular I am wondering what this means to those nations so desperately in need of humanitarian assistance.
With the economies of the world’s wealthiest nations spiraling downward, global food prices at record highs, and erratically high oil prices — poorer nations who were hurting even before are now in a more desperate situation. Countries like Nicaragua, who rely heavily on imported food and oil, are finding staples like flour and cooking oil cost more than double than a year ago. Combine this with severe unemployment and poverty, you have entire populations in dire need of help.
So what do the elections in the USA mean for these people? Regardless of who is elected to the White House, it is almost certain that expenditures on foreign aid will drop as America (along with other wealthy nations) restructures themselves.
To those citizens of the USA who visit this site and are concerned about the needs of other nations, on election day ask yourself this:
Who is the candidate most likely to restore confidence in the American economy?
Which candidate will help rebuild America’s goodwill amoung the marginalized nations of the world?
Which candidate do you see being compassionate toward the families suffering across the globe?
The whole world is watching and it’s finally time for the people of the USA to decide their destiny.
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, America, elections, developing nations, problems, food, oil, Nicaragua, unemployment, poverty, foreign aid
