2/22/10 - Session 9 - Dube - China 1976 to Present and Conclusion

In the last session, Dube concluded his notes on the prevailing points: Social Dislocation, Environmental Degradation, and Health Care.. In response to health care, recently in the LA times, there was a sad article about people in China who wait for days and months to secure an appointment to visit a doctor or health facility.. People wait days, in the hospital waiting rooms, and often are "cut in line" by someone who pays for someone to sit in line! I was appalled, sounds like someone scalping tickets for a show.. if you have money, you can afford to pay for this convenience, but those who can't .. their stuck waiting another day for better luck getting to see a doctor. WOW!

It's hard to imagine growing up and living in a country without a democratic government and elections. For as many problems as we have here, they seem minimal when comparing to some of these other historical moments. I can't even imagine living in a place subject to martial law.

Although I have lived in and been well served under a socialized medicine situation, this could happen especially when a program is implemented in a large country. I fear this could happen here. The West often hears about how China has free health care for everyone, but they do not hear many stories like this.

I totally agree with Kelli regarding Mao's comments. I, too, am surprised by this, for we believe reading equals knowledge. I think Mao's control over the people was about his obsession to be an omnipresence in their lives, editing out the rest of the world.

One of the greatest fears from the U.S. and Western democracies during the Cold War was the strength the Soviets would have if they developed a strong relationship with China. Two huge nations geographically connected with ballistic missiles and nukes was a real fear. It was a main reason Nixon finally decided to make "nice" with China when he had the opportunity. If a relationship could be established this would weaken the Soviet position. As it turned out it was one of the best things Nixon did during his presidency. Most of us remember his mistakes better.

AIG news story

On my way into work, I heard this story on NPR. AIG is selling their Asian branches to Prudential. It seems so strange to hear this now that I know our seminar is funded by the descendants of the AIG founder who built his business empire in Asia. It's a very difficult economy, but this still surprised me.
It's unfortunate that we didn't get quite up to the present day with the seminar. Does anyone know how badly the world economic crisis is hitting China and the rest of Asia? I've heard Korea has lost a lot of jobs, and a growing segment of the population is currently underemployed.

I still remember the day when I heard the broadcast announcing that China and the U. S. established diplomatic relations. (Back then, whenever there was a big breaking news, it was broadcasted all over China. You could hear it anywhere even working in the field. ) I was on my way home from my elementary school. The news was a shock to everybody: what we learned from school and heard from the radio before that day was that U. S. and the Soviet Union were the two biggest enemies of China. All of a sudden, Mao met Nixon and shook hands with him! Unbelievable!

Mao was the only person in the position to make the move from China's side in his time