Nobel Prizes...

I've spent a good amount of time today reading articles, blog posts, and facebook comments concerning the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama. When I first heard the news, I was somewhat surprised, but then happy that an international body recognized the efforts that he has been putting in place to bring the world back from the edge of hysteria. And no, I'm not talking about his economic programs. The things that he has been doing since his inauguration to settle the rest of the world's angst at the US have been impressive. While some of them may be subtle, the point is, there is no longer a feeling that it's the US against the world. Because as much as we feel we might be able to win that battle....let me tell you, we can't. More importantly, we shouldn't want to engender that atmosphere.

Think about what it would be like if one state in the US suddenly decided it no longer wanted to have any dealings with the rest of the county. Not a big deal if it's North Dakota, but what if it's California? Suddenly the price of fruits, wine, cheese, technology, and a host of other goods would sky rocket in the rest of the country. And within California, they'd suddenly lose every good coming from the rest of the country, not to mention the funding and protection of the Federal government. Now it's obviously not quite the same thing, but like it or not, the US is just one piece of the global economic puzzle. And the sooner we realize that, the better off we'll be as a country.

Now, getting back to my point. A lot of the comments I had read were, what has Obama done to receive the honor? A good question, but those people who ask that, don't understand the reasoning behind the award. The award is meant to encourage, facilitate, and acknowledge efforts to make the world a more peaceful place. In essence it is meant as a platform to promote and further efforts already being made. In this case, it means the efforts President Obama has undergone to open up talks with nations like Iran, as well as the general switch in attitude of the rest of the world towards the US. The committee must have realized that without a healthy and popular US, the world can't fully recover. So this was their effort to help that outcome along. So all of you people who are protesting this, think about it in a bit more depth before slinging out gut reaction posts.... If you still think it's a bad call, then fine, but shouldn't you still be happy that an American President is being talked about in a positive manner by the global community instead of a negative one?

Wisconsin and Minnesota suddenly decided they did not want to conduct business with each other. Suddenly everyone who worked in the Twin Cities, but lived across the border would suddenly be without a job. Commerce would be halted.