World Cup fever

Blogging like likely to be light to non-existent for a while, basically because of the World Cup. However, I did notice this article today:

Renewed worries over the outlook for U.S. interest rates sent global markets tumbling again on Tuesday, with the Japanese stock market plunging more than 4 percent, its biggest one-day loss in two years.

...Investors across Asia dumped stocks on speculation that the U.S. Federal Reserve might raise interest rates later this month, stoking fears of an economic slowdown in the U.S., the biggest export market for many Asian countries.

Think about that: the U.S. contains only about 5 percent of the world's population but exerts such an enormous influence on the global economy. The prosperity of numerous other countries is closely linked to our own. Pro-growth capialist policies not only benefit ourselves, but act as the engine that help pull along other countries down the road to prosperity.

And then I think how much more prosperous the world could be if the Europeans would get their act together and kick-start their own economies. It would improve the lot of not only their own citizens, but the entire world.