Confluence Of Events

The recent earthquake in Japan is yet another real time example of how fragile and vulnerable economies can be worldwide. The Japanese people have endured what most call the lost decade starting in the 1990s as a recession, and to this day has seen little progress in the growth department since then. Today's announcement of an estimated thirty two billion dollars in needed infrastructure cost is a huge factor in Japans ballooning debt crisis. We are experiencing very similar conditions here in the United states from an economic standpoint, and hopefully will not have to deal with any earthquakes of such great magnitude in northern or southern California any time soon. But we can most certainly learn many things from this event and can apply them here in the states. The building codes they have implemented in new construction are bar none, as the limited damage to there skyscrapers in Tokyo have proved. And the damage to multiple Nuclear facility's give us a real advantage in the decision making process of Nuclear power as an energy alternative. A confluence of events worldwide should help us make more prudent future decisions in a number of different areas here in the United States.