Ron’s Thoughts …

Obama has won the elections and there is rejoicing all around the world.

The stock markets climbed by 7% yesterday and crashed by 7% today.

The problems of the world do not suddenly disappear because of America’s election results.

Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, DRC, Israel, Palestine, Zimbabwe, etc are all unresolved problems.

The worldwide economic meltdown shows no sign of ending.

Can Obama turn it around ?

He will soon be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world and we all hope that ” YES WE CAN “

We have a day or two to go before we know the outcome of the US. elections.

All the polls indicate that Barack Obama will win and, if that does eventuate, it will be history in the making.

The first “black man” in the White House is a slant that I think should be dismissed as totally irrevelant.

Far more important is that Obama wants to pull the US troops out of Iraq, McCain doesn’t.

Obama want’s America to become a more Socialist country, McCain doesn’t.

Obama want’s to reduce taxes, McCain doesn’t.

Obama with his poor beginnings, (much like many South African supposedly “previously disadvantaged people”), still managed to go to Harvard.

McCain, after all these years, still seems able to present himself as a “War Hero.”

How much is genuine ?

All politicians preach from soap-boxes and these two are no different.

As an outsider looking in, I favour Obama to win, not because of his colour or his electioneering smooth talk, but because he certainly can’t do any worse than Bush has done, (the whole world is in meltdown because of American mis-management.)

John McCain and Barack Obama are both sweating, “Who will get the most votes ?”

Jacob Zuma and Mosioua Lekota are both sweating, “Who will get the most votes.”

At this time, we are waiting expectantly and we can only hope that the winners really have the country at heart, not their personal glory.

I am approaching the age of 70 and a certain life’s philosophy is becoming apparent to me.

When we die, as we surely will do, we will no longer be able to work in the garden, cook some good food, go fishing or play some games.

The flip side of the coin is that, when we become lazy and decide to stop working in the garden, stop cooking some good food or trying to catch a fish or playing some games, we surely will die.

Which do you choose to come first ?

Globally, stock markets and money markets crash by 10% in one day, recover by 5% the next day and then crash by another 10% the day after !!!

Is this real money, are these real stocks and shares, are these real people trading ?  Or is it ” My computer versus your computer and who has the fastest finger on the button ?”  Do the sellers actually own the shares they put up for sale ?  Do the buyers actually intend to ever pay for and take ownership of the shares they buy ?

I think not.

I think it is an international game of bluff where some will become obscenely rich while many millions of ordinary workers will lose their jobs and become desperately poor.

This is a dangerous game the money-manipulators are playing and the only defence we ordinary people have is to not over-extend ourselves in debt.

The government fixes the price of petrol, ( gas in American language), but Sasol gets fined a few billion for fixing the price of some minor wax bi-product.

The government fixes the price of VAT, ( value added tax ) at 14% on all goods including foodstuffs, but Tiger Brands gets fined a few billion for fixing the price of bread.

The government, ( and councils ) fix the rates of interest, income tax rates, property rates, electricity rates, motor car licence rates, etc. etc.

Who is going to fine them for price fixing ?

Who collects the lolly ?

What do they do with the lolly ?

Probably pay themselves big fat bonuses for having caught out some dastardly price-fixers.

Going back to 1994, when Nelson Mandela was released from prison and the ANC became the dominant political party in South Africa, it was already then apparent that an unholy alliance was forming.

How was it possible for ex-freedom fighters, who now wanted to form a democratic government, to agree to link up with the SACP, (a communist party), and the trade unions who had no idea of politics or the needs of running of a country but simply wanted to screw more money for themselves ?

It was obviously simply to entrench themselves into positions of power and privilege.

For that matter, how could Xhosas and Zulus form an alliance when they totally disliked each other ?

I make this statement not as a white racist but as an employer of about 80 blacks in a dairy business in the 1970’s when I found it impossible to mix the two groups.

Fast-forward to September 2008 and we have a situation where the President has resigned, the Vice-President has resigned, the Minister of Finance has resigned, and many others.

Surely the time is ripe for the formation of a new political party. One that looks beyond Zulu, Xhosa, white, black, brown, male, female, previously advantaged, previously disadvantaged ; A party that has the interests of the country and her people at heart, not the selfish interests of a powerful and privileged few.

In the past week we have seen stockmarkets all over the world crash by 10% in one day and pull back by 10% the next.

In my younger days we worried if we had 10% per YEAR.

Certainly the brokers are making lots of money.

Also certainly there are many ordinary people losing lots of money, and their houses, and their cars.

I believe that it all has to do with computers and the speed of trading on the internet.

In earlier years we had to go to the bank manager and place an order to buy or sell some shares at “best.” It took days to finalise the deal and to post certificates.

These days, at the push of a button, the speculators can win or lose millions, (who has the fastest finger?)

The oil barons make billions. Bill Gates and his computer geeks make trillions.

As we have now witnessed with the American sub-prime fiasco, there comes a time when assets are too heavily leveraged and there are no more real buyers, only computer game-players. Then, when the weak players can’t pay or play anymore,  the whole world goes into panic mode and more houses and more cars are re-possessed and more banks go belly-up.

I believe that in the end only real value will prevail :- Land, private property, water, food, housing, security, freedom, family and friends.

There was some welcome news today that England and America are going to stamp out “bear sales” or what they call ”short selling”. Hopefully that will curb this stockmarket madness.

The para-olympics are not yet over but already there are many indelible impressions in my mind that I doubt will ever be bettered.

The precision and spectacle of the Chinese in the opening and closing ceremonies of the able-bodied olympics.

The picture-perfect hostesses in their silky white dresses.

The joy on the faces of the medal winners.

The number of medals that the South African Para-athletes have already won and the fact that they are presently placed 8th in the world.

The visible and vocal support of the predominantly Chinese crowd for Natalie du Toit and Oscar Pistorius, nicknamed The Flying Fish and The Blade Runner.

Wow man !!  This is good stuff.

Britain will have a big problem to match this in 4-years time. 

Anyone who has ever read Ron’s Thoughts will surely know by now that I am passionate about sports. Most South Africans are.

The favourite among the black population is soccer while whites and coloureds prefer rugby and cricket.

Other sporting codes have a lesser degree of support. 

We have had a bad run for the past few months.

Our olympic team fared poorly. They only managed a single silver medal although they did set a few new African and South African records.

Our Bafana Bafana soccer team seldom wins anything.

Our Proteas cricket team after winning the 5-day test series against England by 2 games to 1 has now lost three consecutive games, and the series, in the 1-day format. 

Our Springbok rugby team, after winning the Webb Ellis world championship a mere 8-months ago, has now been bruised and beaten by Australia and New Zealand in the Tri-Nations series.  

But today they restored some pride by thrashing Australia 53-8 in their final game.

Well done “boytjies”, (common South African slang word pronounced “boy-keys” or “boy-cheese” and meaning “good fellows”)

We live to fight another day !