Mumbai Terror

Another round of terror at Mumbai is finally over.

The security forces have finally overcome the terrorists who wreaked havoc in India's financial capital. It took them almost 2.5 days (almost 59 hours) to quench the terror attacks that began late on Wednesday night.

According to reports available on television, the intruders were all youngsters in the range of 20-25 years old. I am just shocked to imagine how much hatred must have been filled into their heads that made them to take such a step.

They surely must have known that they would not be able to return alive from this "terror" mission of their's, yet they came to spread terror. They just went about spraying bullets and killing anybody and everybody who came in their sights and in the process they gave up their own lives just to spread "terror", to scare the ordinary common man.

• Why?
• What were they trying to say?
• Who is making dreaded terrorists out of these youngsters?
• Who is filling the heads of these youngsters with so much hatred that they undertake such drastic suicide missions?
• Why is anybody engaged in spreading hatred?
• Why do they want to kill innocent people?
• What do they hope to gain out of this sensless killing?

I am willing to bet that most of those who died did not even know why these terrorists shot them. I would like plead to all stop the game of hatred.

Nothing can be gained out of hatred.

Please stop!

What do you expect in your elected representative?

I just had this interesting thought...

What do you expect from your elected representatives?

Elections are a common thing in today's democratic world.

United States just completed its general elections Barack Obama has won.

Out here in Chhattisgarh, India we have just completed the polls for the state representatives - results are still awaited. Five other states in India are presently going through the poll process. Somewhere down the line within the next three to four months, the nation will vote to select the central government.

What should be criteria to vote for a representative? I am on the look out for some options and suggestions?

Please add your suggestions through comments to this post.

State Elections in 6 Indian States

State elections are currently under way in 6 Indian states.

Chhattisgarh state has already completed its first phase of polling on 14 November 2008. The second phase is scheduled for 20 November 2008. Before that, the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) will be casting votes on 17th November for the 1st phase in that state. J&K elections are scheduled to be completed in 5 phases.

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Mizoram are the other states where the MLAs will be elected and installed before the end of the calender year 2008.

The chosen representatives have so many resources and so much power that they can really do wonders for the masses at large if they put their minds to it, but sadly, it does not happen that way.

Today, in this country rarely we come across leaders who are interested in doing any good for the masses. Elections often end up as an exercise to select the less bad leader. Despite knowing this, we still hope that we get a good leader who will devote at least some of his energies working for the betterment of the people.

We can only pray that we get a good leader.

Is Bailout a sustainable solution? No!

Bailout is not and can never be a feasible sustainable solution to the economic turmoil the world is facing.

The American economy has always been looked up on as a free trade economy where performance pays and sloppiness is brutally punished. The economy of this great country was doomed the day government started interfering with fair market forces.

Bailout packages can and must be used only has stop-gap emergency mechanism to handle sudden collapse due to unforeseen events. It is completely unfair to the taxpayer to use his hard earned money to fill the pockets of industrialists and executives who did not have the vision or guts to face the changing market conditions.

History is showing that each time economy was supported with bailout packages it has risen only fall harder the next time.

This happens because the manufacturers have been producing more than what the market needs or can consume. Due to this, competition has become so stiff that manufacturers are falling head over heals to please the consumer. Companies are working on wafer thing margins that make vulnerable to the slightest tremble in the market.

Take automobile industry for example. For years sales was proped by providing its customers with easy financing options. The consumers have so much credit on their hands that they is unable to meet their obligations. As a result, the finance companies are in a mess. Today, a major company like General Motors is at a position where sales have fallen so miserably that the automobile giant is in on the verge of a collapse and government is mulling another bailout package to salvage this company.

Bailout packages may revive sales in the short run, but it will not be able to sustain the recovery in the long term. For a long term solution to the crisis - according to me - there is an immediate need to reduce production capacities to level where the consumer must have to make an effort to get his needs fulfilled.

The basic rule of capitalism - Survival of the Fittest - is the one and only law that will decide the outcome. Bailout packages can and will only delay the fall of the weaker companies.