1: Barack Obama

The economy needs to be rebalanced. Developed countries like the USA cannot have unconditional free trade with developing countries like China, Mexico and India without it lowering the standard of living for the average citizen in the developed country.

When the middle class of a nation get screwed over by the elites that is when revolution and unrest occur. The poor are usually too disorganized to do anything.

those of us who are real capitalists don't need a savior-politician; we do it ourselves.

real capitalists don't need "the one." they need their own good judgment and honesty to prosper.

keevan d. morgan, chicago

Absolutely he can.Just look at all of the many accomplishments in his...ahem...public life.A snap

Question is "Does he even want to?".

Socialism for the rich = current American capitalism.

But, Obama does not want to save Capitalism! He seems to want to have the Government provide a dirigiste system which picks winners and losers, and to extend and expand government controls into every detail of the economy. He has said he will use the authority given to regulate the CO2 emissions, and thereby energy use, to bankrupt coal producers and electrical utilities that use coal.

This power, to regulate the emissions of CO2 emissions, means the government can indeed destroy whole industries, control the profitability of companies, and pick winners and losers. In addition, it seems he wants his first act to sign into law a financial rescue package which gives him the funds to be able to ignore future Congressional hearings and proceed to do exactly what he wants to do in terms of hiring millions of new government employees, setting up his civilian force equal in size to the Defense Department, and buying into corporations under his own authority. He has also said he wants to control salaries of executives, and to use the tax code to ensure ???fairness.??? He is saying he will re-distribute wealth and ???spread it around.??? So, those who produce wealth with their efforts, will not be able to keep their earnings and capital gains, instead, they will be forced to share it with others ??? even more than it is now.

In addition, he has said he will appoint Supreme Court and other Justices who will not necessarily follow the law or the Constitution, but, instead will favor the disadvantaged, the minorities, and others against the moneyed interests of corporations.

RE: The next step is to give people a sense that the financial system is stable and predictable. Swensen, who after Warren Buffett is perhaps the most successful investor in recent decades, argues that this has been the crucial flaw in the Bush administration's actions. "Markets need certainty and predictability," he says.
This is why the entire system is flawed because "certainty and predictability" regarding any human system is a fiction that we buy into. Change is the only constant. Those in power would have us believe that what is today will only increase in value and never decrease. People are "tricked" willingly into believing that home values or anything else for that matter will only rise and never fall. There are no guarantees other than the fact that what exists today will not be the same tomorrow.

The next step is to give people a sense that the financial system is stable and predictable. Swensen, who after Warren Buffett is perhaps the most successful investor in recent decades, argues that this has been the crucial flaw in the Bush administration's actions. "Markets need certainty and predictability," he says.
This is why the entire system is flawed because "certainty and predictability" regarding any human system is a fiction that we buy into. Change is the only constant. Those in power would have us believe that what is today will only increase in value and never decrease. People are "tricked" into believing that home values will only rise and never fall. There are no guarantees other than the fact that what exists today will not be the same tomorrow.

Problem is, The Obamanation doesn't want to save Capitalism.....he wants Socialism for all (except for himself). He will try and destroy our free market system, initiate redistribution of wealth and enormous taxes on ALL Americans. He will go down as one of the most disasterous Presidents of all times....mark my words!

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The problem is, just what you mean by capitalism.
If you go to Wikipedia and search "Capitalism" there are 24 variants, none of which make a clear reference to free enterprise which is what has gone missing in America.
Free enterprise is what set America apart from all other systems in the world and is the most glaring difference between Communism and what we now are calling Capitalism.
Until the free enterprise system is allowed to flourish again not much will change. The tax laws are still written to encourage startup business but a dysfunctional IRS that will continue to prevent anyone doing so.

Smaller business with their lower over head can compete with even China or India if for no other reason than the costs of shipping, brokerage fees and the huge salary the CEO's take for selling Chinese goods.
As of this moment even Obama has not addressed that issue.
And while it doesn't take a change in the laws it does take a change in attitude of the government specifically the IRS thought process. because they target starup business while ignoreing the likes of an Enron or Maddoff and many others.

It???s not ???Capitalism??? that needs saving; it???s America that needs to be saved from the so-called pundits of Capitalism who propagated greed, excesses and conspicuous consumption in the name of Capitalism for decades. Result? A nation addicted to greed, excesses and conspicuous consumption. That said, it would do a world of good to all the countries of the world to understand that just as Communism has been cremated in the economic graveyard of Russia and all the other erstwhile Communist countries, Capitalism in its American avatar needs to be put to sleep. Forever. A middle-of-the-road solution has to be sought. Perhaps, Barack Obama could enlist the experience and wisdom of economists from other democracies of the world that have survived the onslaught of Americanisation of the world. Perhaps, he could look to Indian economists for solutions. We may not be firing on all cylinders at this point in time (thanks to the America???s financial mess that has spilled all over the world), but we are better off than many nations who are wearily battling the after-effects of America suffering economic diarrhea. So, Mr. President, are you listening? Kanan Divecha, Mumbai, India

We are assuming, of course, that capitalism is worth saving.

Big assumption. From where I sit, it doesn't work, and hasn't worked, for a long time. Why try so hard to save it?

And to state that the US is still the most important country in the world is the epitome of arrogance. What we are is the most consumptive country, and therefore the most influential in the world - very different than important. Ask the rest of the world, however, if they think our influence is a good or a bad one, and many Americans would be surprised by the answer.

America was an experiment in democracy, an attempt to cobble together 13 territories based on dubious boundaries for protection and survival, but at it's inception, it was an agrarian society, based more on the barter system and land ownership than on a hard currency basis. Capitalism came later.

We can forgo capitalism (an economic system) and still remain a democracy (a political system). The two do not have to be joined at the hip.

The real measure of Barack Obama as a president will be whether or not he can save democracy. Capitalism is optional.

Fareed you must be joking, right? As the messiah throws down his $800 billion marker combined with Bush's current $700 billion plus we are all about to be show a trillion more reasons the government has produced abject failure over a long period in areas ranging from education to mail delivery. You cats in the media need to rise up off your knees, its unseemly. Even Monica is blushing

Fareed you must be joking, right? As the messiah throws down his $800 billion marker combined with Bush's current $700 billion plus we are all about to be show a trillion more reasons the government has produced abject failure over a long period in areas ranging from education to mail delivery. You cats in the media need to rise up off your knees, its unseemly.

i really think it was so ignorant of clinton to argue that 12 million kashmiris be sacrificed for the rest of sub continent as if 12 millions people are cockroaches
i am a muslim kashmiri and i expect obama to do something quick and decent if he expects to bring any change anywhere
kashmir has waited too long and it is now 60 years since independence for rest of indo-pak ,

kashmir has been in chains for 150 years since it was sold by the brits to the maharaja for cash like a piece of meat in a CONSUMER MARKET

We all are waiting for Obama and we will see how he truely full fills his commitments. People of America are true and with out dirt, that is why they wanna change.

Time will witness how much change is gonna to come to America and the people in general. Obama were talking abt the change which will first gets its birth in USA and then spread all over the world.

Obama's commitment to solve the issue of kashmir with due respect and according to the aspirations of people of Kashmir. We will also see that change.

We the people of Kashmir is whixhing him best of luck and requesting him to not to forget us, as we are most torned people around the world.

Now we can't bear we wanna to live and it is our right oto live and spread peace all ove r the world.

We the student of Kashmir is somly requesting Mr Omaba to make us free from misree and injustice.

Regards

Dear Fareed Zakaria, I m namely Shabir Gilkar resident of Kashmir (Indian Occupied Kashmir). I m very much interested to receive your articles into my mail box. May i know the procedure to receive all articles written by u.

Regards

Shabir Gilkar