kyoto protocols, and rating agencies

They say that Austria most likely will not be able to fulfill the Kyoto protocols limit, even if we try very hard: too little time left for that. Our honoured Environmental Minister obviously prefers to spend millions on fines, rather than investing them in our ecological infrastructure: bravo, mister Berlakovich, I'm a fan of yours!*)

(*) That was irony, in case you haven't noticed.)

Other big news are rating agencies ruling the world, which is as ridiculous as it can get. Why, the US is in debt far deeper than Europe, the US of A in fact is almost bankrupt, but guess if any of US rating agencies will change the triple-A for them? Not in our lifetimes surely.

The system is perverted really: you give some countries bad ratings, in order that other countries can claim more interest when lending them money, which will increase their debts through interest alone, which will be bad for ratings, and even worse for interest quotes, of which other countries lending money to them will profit even more.
One is tempted to claim that rating agencies are paid by creditors to downrate debitors. And the system works, obviously.*)

(*) That, of course, again was irony,**) in case you haven't noticed.)
(**) Or sarcasm, rather?)


So to conclude: mankind, it seems, is working very efficiently to even increase the speed of self-destruction.
(Sorry for the rant, but I think this is the right time for it.)