Last November President Bush said in a Fox New's interview that," We have a strong dollar policy, and it's important for the world to know that.  And if people will look at the strength of our economy, they'd realize  why I believe the dollar will be stronger!"  Since this announcement the struggling dollar, which has been slumping against foreign currencies for years, hit new lows last week.   For some strange reason Fox News, and George Bush will not acknowledge we are in a recession?
      Many believe that the negative perception of the dollar reflects the world's collective verdict on the United States - businesses, individuals, the government,and the Federal Reserve - to manage the global financial system and the world's largest economy.  How can that be good? 
     "International financiers are unnerved by the toxic combination of: "misplaced assumptions about housing (Republican Alan Greenspan was not only asleep at the wheel, but created the framework for the housing collapse), a lack of necessary regulation, and irresponsible use of debt with sophisticated financial instruments," said Ashraf Laidi (currency strategist at CMC Markets).
      Until recently American's ability to manage complex systems has been the competitive advantage. It has allowed the United States to enjoy high growth and low inflation. But today, thanks to widespread incompetence, America management is on its way to becoming an international laughing stock!
     Carl Icahn, the 80's corporate raider recently complained to Lesley Stahl about the incompetence of American management. "I see our country going off a cliff, and I feel bad about it." Icahn is crying all the way to the bank!  The market's recognition of management failures gives him the opportunity to acquire companies on the cheap. But for those of us who are not billionaire corporate raiders - which is to say pretty much all of us - must manage through this management crisis on our own.
     As long as the President, the Republican Congress, and Fox News continue their disinformation campaigns by playing on unfounded fears, and distracting the public from the "real issues" such as the economy and the war by continually re-iterating nonsense like: "We're fighting the terrorist there so we don't have to fight them at home, anyone who questions us is unpatriotic, we have to fear anti-christian fundamentalist secular progressive that don't wear flag lapel pins," and other ridiculous fear mongering tactics dished out by this administration and Fox News,  when it comes to the possibility for competent management of our current economy, we don't have a prayer...  The Fox is in the hen house!
     28 Years of Reaganomics have taken us from the largest creditor nation to the largest debtor nation. As long as we allow Republicans, Fox News, and  members of Congress beholden to Lobbyist and Special Interest Groups the dollar, and our country's well being is in jeopardy.  If we continue to run from our shadows, our fears will define us, and we risk economically becoming a third world country. 
     Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly supported Social Security being privatized, as did this administration, now that Bear Stearns has collapsed and our economy has fallen into a recession...why isn't Fox News still defending privatization of our Social Security system?   

(Some of the information here was gathered from Daniel Gross's article in Newsweek 3/24/2008)