Parallel between USA and Kerala

Happy Birthday Kerala!

Today is 1st November, 2008. Kerala as a State came into existence same day in 1956.

Sadly, 52 years down the line, it is difficult to make my wish come true for the Keralites.

The State, that was once hailed as an ideal model for development is in shambles.

There are parallels between USA and Kerala, which is not very flattering to say the least;

Both have no manufacturing base, agricultural base or even Services base. They survive only because they are good consuming economies. While US depends on money inflow from other developed nations from Japan and Europe to support its profligacy, it is the foreign remittance from Keralites in Gulf that is sustaining Kerala and the spendthrift nature of its people.

Both US and Kerala take the high moral ground at the drop of a hat and preaches to the outsiders how to run their life. But they dont practice what they preach in their own territory.

USA depends on imported goods from China basically and from other parts of the World. Ditto for Kerala. Everything has to come from Tamil Nadu or Andhra, including rice, milk, paultry and vegetables.

There is enough and more crime in US, both at the lower level and at the higer level. There are crooks in downtown Manhattan who kill and maim, and there are bigger crooks in the Wallstreet, swindling billions of Dollars. We, in Kerala, are not far behind. We have our Goondas, political criminals and petty criminals who kill and maim. We also have the upper end criminals who make money by running finance companies to swindle the common man, the Congress and CPI(M) who have amassed wealth, the liquor barons, the lottery barons and those politicians and real estate builders who sell the State to fill their pockets.

US is a safe heaven for terrorists. Many get trained there, despite claims to the contrary by the Government. In Kerala, we don't even assume terrorists are under control. We do everything to encouraging them, turning a blind eye to their operations for years and even making some of them part of the Government.

USA depends on expatriate low cost labourers and clerical workers to run their companies and to do menial job. The Americans feel it is beneath their dignity to drive a cab or work in a restaurant. These are taken over by the Africans, Latin Americans and the Asians. Well, we are not far behind in Kerala. We depend on Tamilians and Assamese to do the menial work.

Finally, USA has an idiot as the President surrounded by cronies who are bigger idiots, between the lot of them, they have contrived to destroy the economy, make millions homeless and jobless. We are not far behind. We too have a geriatric obstinate dogmatic Chief Minister who is hemmed by a bunch of downright rascals, who go by the name Partymen. Between them, they have destroyed the economy, thrown productivity to the winds through constant calls for bandh, destroyed the education system, damaged the once hailed Public Distribution System etc. The list is endless.

There is a whiff of fresh air in USA through the coming up of Barak Obama (though we need to wait and watch how he will deliver on his promise of change) as a Presidential Candidate, who wants to take the system head on. But no such thing is likely in the near future in Kerala.

We can but hope!