Hi, Claywoman:

 

People stand in different positions, so they look at the same world from different perspectives.

 

Those on the left look at things from the left, whereas those on the right (usually regarded as the conservatives) look at things from the right. Understandably, these two groups come to completely different conclusions and so totally disagree with each other.

 

Since you don't seem to "totally disagree" with the political left, I hope you'll not mind my listing some of the views of the political left below:

 

(1) "Bush has endangered America" by invading Afghanistan and Iraq, because it has intensified anti-U.S. sentiments in the Muslim world. Therefore, he should have let Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein stay in business and should have left al-Qaeda's Afghan training camps intact and Iraq's WMD programs, terrorist ties, and anti-U.S. propaganda operations intact, because they were harmless to U.S. national security.  

(2) U.S. intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq is not "what the people actually want". Why? Because "the people" there were happy with Osama bin Laden's terrorist training camps and Saddam Hussein's torture rooms and mass graves.

 

(3) Diplomacy is the only right way to make America safe. Why? Because Osama bin Laden wouldn't have attacked the U.S. on 9/11 if diplomatic efforts had been made to change his heart.

 

(4) Diplomacy alone could have made Saddam Hussein comply with U.N. resolutions and the terms and conditions of his surrender. Anyway, non-complaince was no big deal. We are sure Saddam Hussein didn't have WMD programs, and even if he had them, he should have been allowed to keep them. 

 

(5) We are angry with Bush because he ordered military action to oust Saddam Hussein. We hate Bush, not Saddam Hussein, not Osama bin Laden. We need a "regime change" in the White House, not in Iraq. Bush is the enemy, not Saddam Hussein.

 

(6) We don't like big business. We don't see any "trickle-down" at all.

 

(7) Besides, we don't want "trickle-down"; we want much more. We believe we are entitled to everything. But we are not going to pay for everything we want because we can't afford to. Those who can afford have a responsibility to pay for us.  

 

Well, it's hard for me to agree with the views listed above. What about you? As to China, big business, and "trickle-down", I guess I know something.

 

First, it is true China continues to have a one-party system and human rights issues. But since the radical left wing of the ruling Communist Party was ousted in 1976, things have improved a lot. Please note I'm not saying things are perfect.

 

Since 1979 when the leader of the pro-business moderate faction of China's ruling party (Deng Xiaoping) launched his capitalistic market-oriented reforms, people's lives have improved, in part because Western corporations (especially big business) have made huge investments in China, creating many jobs for Chinese workers.

 

So, money has been trickling down from big business to Chinese workers. You don't see "trickle-down" from where you stand. I do from where I stand.

 

As to why I am in the Free World, the answer is simple: because I believe in the free-enterprise system of the Free World. 

 

I have no quarrel with big business, because big business is one of the most important pillars of the Free World and its capitalist economy. I see money trickle down from big business to the rest of society, though I also see homeless people who need government help.

 

The issue is not whether government should help homeless people or not. Of course, it should. But wealth has to be created by big business (and small business) before it can be taxed and distributed by government.

 

Crush big business and you'll see America quickly become like Communist China in the leftist Mao era.

 

To tell you the truth, during China's leftist Cultural Revolution (1966-76), I bumped into a few female left-wing activists in Shanghai, whose political rhetoric strangely comes back to my mind when I read your messages. If you ever read my novel "Shanghai Escapist", they might spring out from the pages.

 

Sincerely,

 

Robert M. Liu