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The White House
Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release March 17, 2017 Joint Press Conference with President Trump and German Chancellor Merkel East Room 2:09 P.M. EDT PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Chancellor Merkel, it is a great honor to welcome you to the People’s House, the White House. Our two nations share much in common, including our desire for security, prosperity and peace. We just concluded a productive meeting with the German and American companies to discuss workforce development and vocational training -- very important words. Germany has done an incredible job training the employees and future employees, and employing its manufacturing and industrial workforce. It’s crucial that we provide our American workers with a really great employment outlook, and that includes making sure that we harness the full potential of women in our economy. My administration is in the process of rebuilding the American industrial base. A stronger America is in the interests, believe me, of the world as a whole. I reiterated to Chancellor Merkel my strong support for NATO, as well as the need for our NATO allies to pay their fair share for the cost of defense. Many nations owe vast sums of money from past years, and it is very unfair to the United States. These nations must pay what they owe. During our meeting, I thanked Chancellor Merkel for the German government’s commitment to increase defense spending and work toward contributing at least 2 percent of GDP. I want to thank the Chancellor for her leadership in supporting NATO and its efforts in Afghanistan. This has come at significant cost, including the lives of over 50 German soldiers, whose sacrifice we greatly honor. I also appreciate Chancellor Merkel’s leadership, along with the French President, to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, where we ideally seek a peaceful solution. Most importantly, our two countries must continue to work together to protect our people from radical Islamic terrorism and to defeat ISIS. I applaud Chancellor Merkel for Germany’s contributions, both civilian and military, as a counter-ISIS coalition member. We also recognize that immigration security is national security. We must protect our citizens from those who seek to spread terrorism, extremism and violence inside our borders. Immigration is a privilege, not a right, and the safety of our citizens must always come first, without question. Over lunch, the Chancellor and I will talk about our economic partnership. We must work together towards fair and reciprocal trade policies that benefit both of our peoples. Millions of hardworking U.S. citizens have been left behind by international commerce, and together, we can shape a future where all of our citizens have a path to financial security. The United States will respect historic institutions, and we will also recognize the right of free people to manage their own destiny. The close friendship between America and Germany is built on our shared value. We cherish individual rights, we uphold the rule of law, and we seek peace among nations. Our alliance is a symbol of strength and cooperation to the world. It is the foundation of a very, very hopeful future. Thank you. CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (As interpreted.) Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure and privilege to be here today in the White House, together with President Donald Trump, and have a first personal, one-on-one meeting and an exchange of views. In the period leading up to this visit, I’ve always said it’s much, much better to talk to one another and not about one another, and I think our conversation proved this. We talked about the international situation. We talked about also apprenticeship programs when we met with CEOs and apprentices around a roundtable, as regards the shared interests that we have. Let me look back into the past. We, the Germans, owe a lot to the United States of America, particularly as regards the economic rise of Germany. This was primarily due to the help through the Marshall Plan. We were also able to regain German unity after decades of the United States standing up for this, together with other allies, and standing by our side during the period of the Cold War. And we are very gratified to know that today we can live in peace and freedom as a unified country due to that. I was gratified to know that the President had aligned how important he thinks NATO is. NATO is of prime importance for us, and it was not without very good reason that we said during our summit meeting in Wales that also Germany needs to increase expenditure. We committed to this 2-percent goal until 2024. Last year we increased our defense spending by 8 percent, and we’re going to work together again and again on this. And we said that, obviously, defense and security has a lot of different assets and facets to it. One the one hand, it’s supporting missions in Africa, for example. It’s also promoting development assistance, but it’s also helping mission in Africa, for example, in trying to stand up for their own safety and security. We continue to be in conversation. What was important for us today was that we were able to talk about Afghanistan, talk about, as the President quite rightly said, the continuing mission of Germany in Afghanistan. I am very glad that the United States are intending to continue to commit to the Afghan mission as well. Together, we fight against Islamist terrorism. Germany is going to step up its work and is going to continue its work in Afghanistan and also in Syria. We’re going to monitor the situation there very closely. We’re going to work on political solutions in Syria, but also in Libya -- what we talked about. I am very gratified to know that the American administration and also the President, personally, commits himself to the Minsk process. We need to come to a solution of this problem. There has to be a safe and secure solution for Ukraine, but the relationship with Russia has to be improved, as well, once the situation there on the ground is clarified. Minsk is a good basis, but, unfortunately, we haven’t made yet the headway that we want to. But we are going to work together with our experts in the next few months to come on this issue. I am also here in my capacity as G20 president. You know that we will be hosting the G20 visit -- the G20 Summit -- sorry -- this year, and I’m very pleased that the President has committed to attending this summit. We’re going to talk at some length over lunch about the issues. We say trade has to be rendered fairer, there has to be a win-win situation. We can talk about the details of that. We’ve already seen today when we had an exchange with our CEOs and also with our apprentices what sort of potential we can tap, what sort our potential our two economies have. It’s very moving to see, particularly meeting with these young people, what sort of work towards the future is being done by our companies there. So, particularly in this period where we are transiting from traditional manufacturing to industry -- capacity-building skills are so important, incidentally, not only for young people, but also for those who maybe have lost their jobs and need to be reskilled in order to find a job again. And that is an issue I know is very important for you here in the United States, but it’s also important for us in Germany. So I can say there are a number of issues where we will continue to cooperate very closely on the level of our experts, but also on our level. We had a very good first exchange of views, so I’m very much looking forward to the talks we will have over lunch. Thank you. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. We’ll do a couple of questions. Mark Halperin. Q Mr. President, thank you. A lot of Americans have anxiety, like eight years ago, regarding (inaudible) healthcare. So I'm wondering if you can tell people what your bottom lines are (inaudible.) INTERPRETOR: The gentleman needs to use a microphone. Q Chancellor Merkel, President Trump has got a different style than most recent, past U.S. Presidents. I'm wondering what you think of that style, if you think it's good for the world or do you have reservations (inaudible.) PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you, Mark. We just have a really wonderful group of people meeting later. We met with 12 pretty much “no’s” in Congress -- you saw that a little while ago -- and they went from all “no’s” to all “yeses” and we have a lot of “yeses” coming in. It's all coming together. We're going to have great healthcare. It's going to be passed, I believe, I think substantially, pretty quickly. It's coming together beautifully. You have conservative groups, you have other groups. Everybody wants certain things. In the end, we're going to have a great healthcare plan. Now, I have to tell you that Obamacare is a disaster. It's failing. I was in Tennessee -- we had a tremendous crowd the other night, and they have -- half of the state is uncovered. The insurance companies have left, and the other half has one insurance company and that will probably be bailing out pretty soon also. They’ll have nobody. You have many states where they have one. You have a lot of places now where they’ll have none. Obamacare will fail. It will fold. It will close up very, very soon if something isn't done. I've often said politically, the best thing I can do is absolutely nothing. Wait one year and then even the Democrats will come say, please, please, you got to help us. But it's not the right thing to do for the people. We have a great plan. We have a plan that’s getting more and more popular with the Republican base, with the conservative base, and with people, generally. The press has covered it very inaccurately. People are truly covered well, and I think it's going to be something that's going to be a model to be looked upon. Q (Inaudible.) PRESIDENT TRUMP: I'll tell you after we're finished. (Laughter.) CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (As interpreted.) Thank you very much. Well, I'm here as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. I represent German interests. I speak with the President of the United States, who stands up for, as is right, American interests. That is our task, respectively. And I must say that I was very gratified to know the very warm and gracious hospitality with which I have been received here. We held a conversation where we were trying to address also those areas where we disagree, but to try to bring people together, try to show what is our vantage point, what is the American vantage point, and then try to find a compromise which is good for both sides. Because we need to be fair with each other. Each and every one is expecting for his or her leader that something good comes out of it for their own people. For Germany, I can say, well, people are different. People have different abilities, have different traits of character, have different origins, have found their way into politics along different pathways. All that is diversity, which is good. Sometimes it's difficult to find compromises, but that's what we've been elected for. If everything just went like that and without problem, we wouldn't need politicians to do these jobs. Q -- from the German Press Agency. Madam Chancellor, given the experience of the GDR, you are always saying that you are so confident that walls can fall also. How dangerous do you think this isolationist policy of the U.S. President is? What was the import of terrorists that he plans? And also, with the fact that he doesn’t think that the EU -- doesn’t deal with the EU in a very respectful way? And then, Mr. President, America First -- don't you think that this is going to weaken also the European Union? And why are you so scared of diversity? In the news and in the media, you speak so awful of fake news and that things, also, cannot be proven. For example, the fact that you have been wiretapped by Mr. Obama. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Nice, friendly reporter. (Laughter.) First of all, I don't believe in an isolationist policy, but I also believe a policy of trade should be a fair policy. And the United States has been treated very, very unfairly by many countries over the years. And that's going to stop. But I'm not an isolationist. I'm a free trader, but I'm also a fair trader. And free trade has led to a lot of bad things happening -- you look at the deficits that we have and you look at all of the accumulation of debt. We're a very powerful company -- country. We're a very strong, very strong country. We'll soon be at a level that we perhaps have never been before. Our military is going to be strengthened -- it's been depleted. But I am a trader. I am a fair trader. I am a trader that wants to see good for everybody, worldwide. But I am not an isolationist by any stretch of the imagination. So I don't know what newspaper you're reading, but I guess that would be another example of, as you say, fake news. CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (As interpreted.) Well, allow me, if I may, to project in the following terms. We haven't yet had time to talk at great length about economic issues, but I would say that the success of Germany in the economic area, but also on security and peace -- that the success of Germans have always been one where the German success is one side of the coin, and the other side of the coin has been European unity and European integration. That's something of which I'm deeply convinced. And I'm not only saying this back home, I'm saying this here. I'm saying it in the United States and also here in Washington in my talks with the President. Secondly, I believe that globalization ought to be shaped in an open-minded way, but also in a very fair way. Freedom of movement within the European Union, for example, is a very important element of our economic progress, of peace; has been for many, many decades. The European countries for many, many centuries waged wars against each other. We have to protect our external borders because -- and there we have to work on the basis of mutual interests with our neighbors. Migration, immigration, integration has to be worked on, obviously. Traffickers have to be stopped. But this has to be done while looking at the refugees as well, giving them opportunities to shape their own lives where they are; help countries who right now are not in an ability to do so -- sometimes because they have civil war. I think that’s the right way of going about it. And this is obviously what we have an exchange of views about, but my position is the one that I have just set out for you. PRESIDENT TRUMP: I might add that we have many plants and factories coming back into the United States. Many jobs are coming back to Michigan, to Ohio, to Pennsylvania, to a lot of places where they were losing jobs. And we will have a different policy, but it’s going to be a great policy for not only the United States but a great policy worldwide, and I look very much forward to it. Kevin Cirilli. Q Yes, Mr. President, (inaudible) healthcare -- what exactly does the (inaudible)? And then, for Chancellor Merkel, what do you anticipate could be a concession you would be willing to give to the administration (inaudible)? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, Kevin, I think we have a very unified Republican Party. After all, we have the presidency, we have the House, we have the Senate. And we’re getting along very well, I will tell you. And if you were at the meeting that I just attended where we took 12 “no’s” or semi-“no’s” -- no “yeses” -- and within a short period of time, everybody was very much on board, and a commitment to vote yes. I think we have a very unified party. I think we're actually more unified than even the election. You see -- when they talk about me, I seem to be very popular, at least this week, within the party because we have our highest numbers -- the highest numbers that I’ve ever had in the party. So I think there’s a great unification. Now, healthcare is a very, very difficult subject, it’s a very complex subject, and it’s a subject that goes both ways. You do something for one side and the other side doesn’t like it. But it’s really something that’s come together very well, and I think it’s going to be very, very popular -- extremely popular. On trade with Germany, I think we’re going to do fantastically well. Right now, I would say that the negotiators for Germany have done a far better job than the negotiators for the United States. But hopefully we can even it out. We don’t want victory, we want fairness. All I want is fairness. Germany has done very well in its trade deals with the United States, and I give them credit for it, but -- and I can speak to many other countries. I mean, you look at China, you look at virtually any country that we do business with. It’s not exactly what you call good for our workers. You look at the horrible NAFTA transaction -- NAFTA has been a disaster for the United States. It’s been a disaster for companies, and in particular, it’s been a disaster for the workers. A lot of the companies just moved, but the workers are screwed. And it’s probably the reason I’m standing here, maybe number one -- that and maybe the military -- building up our military, which we will do, and we will be stronger than ever before -- and hopefully not have to use it. But we will be stronger, and perhaps far stronger than ever before. But it’s probably the reason I’m here, is when you talk about trade. So I think that we are going to be a very different country. I think we’re going to be -- we’re going to have great values. But in terms of our military, it’s going to be much stronger. And our trade deals are going to be good, solid deals. Not deals that lead to closing plants and tremendous unemployment. Okay? Thank you. CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (As interpreted.) When we speak about trade agreements, and the European Union is negotiating those agreements for all of the member states of the European Union, but obviously there’s also input by the member states -- they bring to the table what’s important to them. We have underlined as a German industry, German business community, and have made the experience that any kind of agreement that we have concluded -- for example, at the very latest with South Korea -- brought us more jobs, actually. People were very much concerned about losing jobs -- for example, the automotive industry -- but in the end, it turned out -- particularly as it regards South Korea -- in the end it turned out that both sides benefitted. And I think it’s only fair. That’s the purpose of concluding agreements -- that both sides win. And that is the sort of spirit, I think, in which we ought to be guided in negotiating any agreement between the United States of America and the EU. I hope that we can resume the agreement that we started. We have just now concluded our agreement with Canada, and I hope that we will come back to the table and talk about the agreement between EU and the U.S. again. Q Madam Chancellor, a question addressed to you. Today we're talking about trade. The President, in the past, always said that he doesn’t like multinational trade agreements but he does bilateral trade agreements. Do you think from the EU’s point of view, T-TIP is a bilateral agreement with Washington on one side, the EU the other side? Now, is the problem that America, the President of the United States, and the Europeans have a basically different understanding of what the EU is all about? That’s my question addressed to you. And Mr. President, my question addressed to you, if I may -- rejected White House claims, is that the alleged wiretapping on you, on the Trump Tower, on Trump organization, or on members of your campaign was -- that British intelligence was either responsible for it or involved in it? After these claims are rejected, what is your take on that? Are there other suspects, or do you think it was a mistake to blame British intelligence for this. And by the way, my second question, are there, from time to time, tweets that you regret in hindsight -- PRESIDENT TRUMP: Very seldom. Q Very seldom. So you never would have wished not to have -- PRESIDENT TRUMP: Very seldom. Probably wouldn’t be here right now -- but very seldom. We have a tremendous group of people that listen, and I can get around the media when the media doesn’t tell the truth, so I like that. As far as wiretapping, I guess, by this past administration, at least we have something in common perhaps. (Laughter.) And just to finish your question, we said nothing. All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didn’t make an opinion on it. That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox. And so you shouldn’t be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox, okay? Q Thank you. CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (As interpreted.) Well, I believe that the President has clearly set out his philosophy as to what trade agreements have to bring about for the American side as well. I personally don’t think that Germany needs to negotiate and not the European Union. We’ve devolved our competences to the European Union, so the European Union, or rather the Commission negotiates on behalf of the member states, so that’s not going to prevent us from concluding agreements. Indeed, this would be then qualify as a bilateral agreement between the EU and the United States if we had it. But the question is, will it be of benefit to both countries or not, and let me be very honest, very candid -- a free trade agreement with the United States of America has not always been all that popular in Germany either. There have been less demonstrations against this free trade agreements in the United States that in Europe, and also in Germany. So I am very glad to note that apparently the perspective on that has changed a little bit at least in Germany, too. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Great honor. Thank you. Thank you. END 2:36 P.M. EDT Reference: The White House 
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release March 17, 2017 Remarks by President Trump in Roundtable Discussion on Vocational Training with U.S. and German Business Leaders Cabinet Room 12:58 P.M. EDT PRESIDENT TRUMP: Chancellor, thank you very much. Such a great honor to get to know you, to be with you. I want to thank all of the business leaders who have joined us to discuss a subject that’s very important to me -- training our workforce for the 21st century, especially with respect to manufacturing jobs. We’re working every day to bring back jobs to our country, and thousands and thousands are already coming back. You’re seeing it, you’re reading about it in the papers every single day. We want to make sure that we have the workforce development programs we need to ensure these jobs are being filled by American workers. Germany and the United States have incredible opportunity to deepen our partnership as we continue to develop a strong workforce in both of our countries. Both Germany and the United States are pioneering job-training programs. Here in the United States, companies have created revolutionary high-tech and online courses. And, of course, for decades, Germany has been a model for highly successful apprenticeship -- that’s a name I like, "apprentice" -- apprenticeship programs. As a result, Germany’s youth unemployment rate is much lower than many of the other countries, especially the EU countries. I welcome collaboration between our two countries and our industry leaders. We have some of our great industry leaders here, as you know, Chancellor. Great people. We must embrace new and effective job-training approaches, including online courses, high school curriculums, and private-sector investment that prepare people for trade, manufacturing, technology, and other really well-paying jobs and careers. These kinds of options can be a positive alternative to a four-year degree. So many people go to college, four years, they don’t like it, they’re not necessarily good at it, but they’re good at other things, like fixing engines and building things. I see it all the time, and I’ve seen it -- when I went to school, I saw it. I sat next to people that weren’t necessarily good students but they could take an engine apart blindfolded. Companies across the country have a chance to develop vocational training programs that will meet their growing needs and to help us achieve greater prosperity. The German apprenticeship model is one of the proven programs to developing a highly skilled workforce. Germany has been amazing at this, and I’m glad that the leaders of so many companies represented today have recently launched successful programs right here in the United States. And we need that because we’re training people as the jobs are pouring back in -- and they are coming back in big league. I believe that both countries will be stronger if we continue to deepen our bilateral cooperation on vocational training as we build off the best ideas, create the greatest opportunity for growth, and improve the lives of so many workers. I want to thank everybody in the room. I want to thank my daughter Ivanka, who’s with us today. And mostly -- and most of all, I want to thank -- Chancellor, I want to thank you very much. It’s a great honor to have you in the White House. It’s a great honor to have you in the United States. And I look forward to spending time with you. Thank you. CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (Speaks German.) PRESIDENT TRUMP: Maybe before the press leaves I’d like to ask some of the folks around -- the great leaders of industry and business to introduce themselves, say a couple of words. And then we’ll get onto a little bit more private meeting, okay? Ginni. MS. ROMETTY: Okay. I’m Ginni Rometty with IBM. And we’re going to talk about two programs. One is a certification program, which, Mr. President, today, we’re going to announce 2,000 veterans that we’re certifying in cybersecurity to be employed. And then the second is something called P-TECH, a public-private partnership. Think of it as a six-year high school, but the graduates come out with an associate degree and with a curriculum that business will hire. And we will have 100 schools by the end of the year. And you’ll meet one of our recent graduates. In a second, Janiel Richards will introduce herself and tell you about herself -- trained at the intersection of business and technology. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Great job. PARTICIPANT: We’ve found that a lot of the private-sector companies have done a great job trying to train the workforce for the jobs that they need, the jobs of the future. In a lot of cases in America, we’re finding that we don’t have enough qualified applicants for the jobs that we have available, so in working with the private sector -- and Ginni has been a great leader of that -- the White House has been trying to get behind a lot of these programs that can help make sure we’re training the American people for the jobs that we’re hopefully going to be producing in the future. SECRETARY ROSS: Our hope is that, today, we really come with a way forward, some specific programs where we can interact between the educational community, the business community, and the government. Because this is a monumental problem that needs a monumental solution. MS. RICHARDS: Thank you for the introduction. Good afternoon, all. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. It is both an honor and a pleasure to be here today. As mentioned, my name is Janiel Richards. In am 19 years old, and I am from (inaudible). Enrolling in IBM’s P-TECH school was the best decision for me personally and professionally. I did not fully realize the weight of the opportunity I was given; however, looking back, it was a life chance. P-TECH strengthened my confidence and provided me with mentors who helped me strive. I learned the importance of understanding computers, and gained new skills in both coding and programming. I graduated the program in four and a half years -- relatively early -- and I graduated with my high school diploma and associate’s degree in computer science, as well as internship experience at IBM. I learned that technology is omnipresent and opens endless doors. I am now a digital commerce design developer at IBM, where I use my skills to create website pages and checkout pages for the marketplace. I’m also pursuing my bachelor’s degree at Early College. Without the support of P-TECH and IBM, I would not be where I am today. I believe that every student should be offered this chance. Thank you all. PRESIDENT TRUMP: That’s a great job. Thank you very much. Great job. Wow. Who wants to follow that? (Laughter.) MR. KAESER: Mr. President, Chancellor, Vice President, my name is Joe Kaeser, and I work for Siemens. It's a company which has been in this great country for more than 160 years. We produce revenues and services worth $24 billion ever year, and 60 manufacturing sites in all 50 states in the country. So thank you for what you’re doing. (Inaudible) in that aspect we brought the apprenticeship to the country, which has, in the meantime, also (inaudible) Department of Labor, so we roll it out everywhere in the community. And I feel very honored today to be part of an initiative that brings not only the apprenticeship and the training for the current manufacturing into play, but also the next generation of manufacturing going forward so we combine the present and the future for our great America and great manufacturing. PRESIDENT TRUMP: Great job. Great company too, by the way. Great company. Marc. MR. BENIOFF: Well, thank you very much, Mr. President, I am delighted to be here, and great to see you and the Vice President as well. Salesforce, as you know, is the fastest-growing of the top five software companies in the world today, and we’re on a path to create 2 million jobs and add 200 GDP to the world economy through our platform. Our software, as you know, 90 percent is engineered here in the United States, and, as the Vice President knows, handmade in Indianapolis and in San Francisco, where I’m from. And I’ll tell you, as we have kind of created these jobs all over the world, I see a great opportunity right here in the United States to create apprenticeships. And we’d love to encourage you to take a moonshot goal to create 5 million apprenticeships in the next five years. And I think the key is, is that we see all these great programs and all these great companies doing workforce development. But if we all came together, if we all unified and created a great program with your leadership, I think we could create this 5 million extra jobs in the U.S. And you know, our companies are some of the greatest universities in the world. We shape these employees, we train them, we educate them, we bring them in, and I think we can do this. I think this is really exciting. THE PRESIDENT: Well, congratulations, and you’re going an incredible job. And nice to know you. And really, what you’ve done is just amazing. And let’s do that, let’s go for that 5 million. Okay? (Laughter.) Very good. Ivanka, go ahead. Say something. MS. TRUMP: Thank you. And welcome, Chancellor, and to the many U.S. and German CEOs who are here today to discuss vocational education and workforce development. I applaud my father’s commitment to creating millions of jobs, and specifically making sure that all Americans have the skills required and necessary to fill the jobs both of today and of the future. As many of us realize, ingenuity, creativity often comes from the determination of the private sector, so it’s great to have such great private sector leaders here to share their thoughts and best practices with us today. And thank you for being here. THE PRESIDENT: Klaus. MR. ROSENFELD: Mr. President, Madam Chancellor, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Klaus Rosenfeld. I am the CEO of Schaeffler. Schaeffler is a global automotive and industrial supplier with more than $14 billion U.S. sales, around 87,000 people globally and 75 clients. We manufacture bearings and other high-precision components and systems for a broad variety of applications and sectors. Our products are everywhere where things turn, be it in cars, machines, airplanes, trucks, or even in washing machines. The company is family-owned, so we place great value on a culture where we think long-term and focus on quality, technology, and innovation. For us, the employee has always been critical, and will always be critical. We have started business in 1969 in South Carolina. Since then, the Schaeffler family has invested more than a billion in the Palmetto State. We have grown through acquisitions. We’re about to finish multimillion expansions in Ohio and South Carolina. For us, the U.S. is critical. We have started our first program here in the ‘80s -- 1980 in Wooster, Ohio -- and since then we have spent a lot of money in vocational dual training. Thank you very much, Mr. President. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, Klaus, very much. MR. KRÜGER: Thank you, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President. From my side, thank you for inviting us. Yeah, it’s a great pleasure for us, for me. I would like to explain why, at BMW, we call the United States of America our second home. I’m proud to be here because we were -- nearly 25 years ago we were founding our biggest plant in the BMW Group network in South Carolina. We created 9,000 jobs, and we know that in the area around South Carolina, I know we created an additional 4 to 5 to 6, 7 jobs -- the 9,000 people we employ at BMW in South Carolina. We have invested heavily in the further education and training and vocational training. It was around about $200 million in the last five years, and I can commit that we will invest another $200 million into training in the next five years. We are proud, as we are the biggest net exporter of vehicles in the United States. We have an annual net (inaudible) of $10 billion -- exported from South Carolina. Seventy percent of our production is being exported. And I’m proud to be here because we have one apprentice who’s with us from -- we have two main programs at Spartanburg, a BMW Scholar Program, which was founded in 2011 and has around about 100 people in the program, and they graduate and create -- get a great job at BMW. We are very proud on the skillset -- we need them for maintenance jobs. And I would like to talk about as well employment of skilled veterans, which we are setting up with our dealers in the United States to have their highly qualified veterans working for BMW dealers in the future. THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’ve seen your plant in South Carolina. It is incredible. And congratulations, that’s really great. Thank you. MR. KRÜGER: Thank you. May I invite you for the 25th anniversary in June? (Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: I know I shouldn’t have said that. (Laughter.) You know what, if I can, I will do it. MR.KRÜGER: Thank you very much. THE PRESIDENT: I wish I could, but if I can I’ll do it. Absolutely. MS. DAVIS: Mr. President, Madam Chancellor, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Marie Davis, and I work at Schaeffler’s Automotive and Industrial Plant in Cheraw, South Carolina. Cheraw is a small town with a population of 5,800, and is nicknamed “The Prettiest Town in Dixie.” It is a great honor for me to be here today along with my peers -- apprentice Chad Robinson with Siemens Gas Turbine Plant of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Maria Puckett with BMW, from BMW plant Spartanburg, South Carolina -- and to be able to share my experiences with you regarding the Schaeffler apprenticeship program. BMW and Siemens also have very similar programs. I joined the Air Force after high school and served for four years. After returning home, I applied to and was accepted into the Schaeffler apprenticeship program. This is a very unique three-year program of classroom and hands-on experience, completed in conjunction with Northeastern Technical College, which provided me with special skills for my career. As part of the program, I also received an associate’s degree in machine tool technology and a Department of Labor certificate as a certified journeyman apprentice. After completing my apprenticeship, I worked as a CNC operator, was then promoted to (inaudible) leader, and am now planned maintenance supervisor. I am very glad that such an apprenticeship program existed in Cheraw, which allowed me to start and build my career with Schaeffler. I hope that more companies will follow BMW, Siemens, and Schaeffler and offer apprenticeship programs to develop skills that will allow for more manufacturing in the United States. It is an incredible privilege to be invited here today. Thank you so much for listening to me. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Great job. Thank you. Very nice. I know this one. (Laughter.) MR. LIVERIS: Mr. President and Madame Chancellor, what an honor it is for me to be here. I’m Andrew Liveris from Dow Chemical. I feel like Germany is our home, to match my BMW colleague’s point about the U.S. being home. We have been in Germany, and in fact the Chancellor’s backyard of former Eastern Germany for a long time. And the Chancellor graced us with a visit to our apprenticeship program there which -- Mr. President, the two things I want to talk about today is in fact apprenticeship, and -- there’s a book here that I can show which has DOW and Siemens’ name on it. And just to let you know that we are working already together as two collaborators across the Atlantic to actually scale up programs like the one that was mentioned by the young lady to my right. So I want to talk about that and how we can scale it up through this great leadership that you’re showing. And I also want to talk about veterans and displaced workers, especially in places like Michigan, where we are based. We have community college work called Fast Start, which is taking displaced workers and reskilling them. When new tech meets industrial tech, as Madame Chancellor says, opportunity is there. But we’ve got to create it by scaling right. So I want to also talk about that. And my last comment is, a big thank you for lending us or giving us Ivanka and Jared. They’ve been a tremendous duo in making this program real in very short weeks. Thank you. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Mr. Vice President. VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: Thank you, Mr. President. Let me just express my appreciation, along with the President, for the participants in this important conversation. All the businesses that are gathered here from across the United States and across Germany are an inspiration, and the innovation that you’re bringing to career and technical and vocational education and to apprenticeship. I’m especially impressed, Mr. President, with Janiel, and I don’t know that I’ve seen a more inspiring debut at the Cabinet table than anyone. (Laughter.) Let me also express my appreciation to the Chancellor for suggesting that we bring together, across the Atlantic, business leaders who have really been breaking new ground in this area, for which Germany is so celebrated. We’re grateful for your leadership and look forward to sharing ideas about how we can strengthen the workforce in both of our countries. And lastly, let me just thank the President. As a former governor from a great manufacturing state, I can tell you that one of our very first conversations was about the innovation that Indiana was bringing to career and technical and vocational education. I can assure you that the passion that you see at this table today by the President is authentic, and at his direction, we’re going to work as an administration to strengthen the opportunities from secondary education on forward to open the doors for more vocational education, more technical education, and more apprenticeships across the United States to the betterment of the people of this country. And we look forward to working with our international partners to drive greater opportunities for Americans. So thank you, Mr. President. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Mike. Appreciate it. Okay, thank you folks. END 1:18 P.M. EDT Reference: The White House
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Donald Trump พูดกล่าวหา และตำหนิ ว่า Chancellor (นายกรัฐมนตรี) Angela Merkel แห่งเยอรมนี ไว้มากมาย ครั้งที่อยู่ในช่วงหาเสียง เช่น กล่าวหาว่าท่านนำความพินาศเสียหายมาสู่เยอรมนีด้วยนโยบายรับผู้อพยพจาก Syria เข้าประเทศเยอรมนีมากมายจนเป็นปัญหาการก่อคดีอาชญากรรมต่างๆ ต่อว่าด่าทอท่านไว้มาก มาคราวนี้ Trump ได้เป็นประธานาธิบดีแล้ว จำเป็นต้องต้อนรับ นาง Angela Merkel ซึ่งเดินทางมาเยี่ยมพร้อมประชุมหารือเรื่องธุรกิจการลงทุน การฝึกอบรมคนงานในโรงงานอุตสาหกรรมที่เยอรมนีลงทุนในอเมริกา เช่นโรงงานผลิตรถยนต์ BMW การแถลงร่วมระหว่าง Donald Trump และ Angela Merkel ที่ทำเนียบขาว (ตามข้อความต้นฉบับทั้งหมดด้านซ้ายมือ) สะท้อนความสุขุม คมคาย และแยบยลลึกซึ้งในการแสดงออกและคำพูดของผู้นำเยอรมนี ซึ่ง ณ เวลานี้ถือว่ามีศักดิ์ศรีเป็นผู้นำโลก เพราะประสบกาารณ์ในตำแหน่ง และความเจริงญมั่นคงทางเศรษฐกิจของเยอรมนี เหนือกว่า Trump มากจนสำนักข่าวบางแห่ง (POLITICO) ในสหรัฐฯ ยกย่อง Merkel เป็นผู้นำโลกเสรี (Leader of the Free World) แทนประธานาธิบดีสหรัฐฯไปแล้ว ทั้งๆที่ใครก็ตาม ในอดีต ที่ได้มารับตำแหน่งประธานาธิบดีสหรัฐ องค์ประกอบแวดล้อมทุกตัวแปรทำให้สามารถเรียกประธานาธิบดีสหรัฐทุกคนได้ว่าเป็น 'Leader of the Free World' มาถึงสมัยของ Donald Trump ก็มิอาจจะ เรียกโดยอัตโนมัติได้แล้ว เพราะ Trump เป็นคนคุณภาพการเป็นผู้นำต่ำมาก เช่นชอบโกหกเป็นสันดาน ขาดความรู้ ไม่สนใจการศึกษาเรื่องการต่างประเทศ หรือเรื่องงานบริหารอื่นใด ชอบดูข่าวทีวีแล้วทึกทักเอาว่าเป็นความจริง ชอบส่งข้อความตามอารมณ์ทาง Twitter จะพูดจะทำอะไรก็ไม่ไตร่ตรองให้รอบคอบก่อน มักพูดผิด และส่งข้อความ Tweets ผิดๆจนเกิดความเสียหายเสมอ ทั้งในระดับชาติ และระดับนานาชาติ แต่เขาก็ไม่ใส่ใจจะขอโทษที่พูดผิด หรือแก้คำผิด แต่กลับพูดผิดแก้เกี้ยวขยายความผิดต่อๆไป
ในแถลงร่วมที่ทำเนียบขาวเมื่อวันศุกร์ที่ 17 มีนาคม 2017 พบร่องรอยของความเป็นคนไม่สมกับการเป็นผู้นำของ Donald Trump อยู่ทั่วไป HEALTHCARE:
AMERICA vs. THAILAND The American system is complicated while the Thai counterpart is kept simple and almost free. But both are politicized beyond the cure of medical science. American healthcare system is complicated, so complicated it’s become the most serious political issue. In Thailand, on the contrary, we simply provide almost free state-run hospital healthcare to everyone, rich or poor. For developing countries to be able to provide free healthcare to their citizens they must have enough state-run hospitals and keep drug cost down. For any country to be able to provide good healthcare system to its citizens, drug, doctor, and hospital service cost must be kept down to respectable minimum level. Medical science education in Thailand produces doctors and nurses who go on working in state-run and private hospitals around the countries. Those Thai doctors and nurses who are educated abroad usually return home to work in both private and state-run hospitals. It’s normal to find doctors from Thai state-run hospitals working double shifts at private hospitals. By medical science qualification, healthcare and hospital facilities in Thailand, state-run or private, are world-standard, if not world-class. In Thailand, those who can afford and prefer private hospitals do so out of want for luxury and convenience, not solely for the quality of care. Both private and state-run hospital facilities in Thailand provide basically good quality-services., regardless of the difference in hospital bills. Thailand has for many years been among the world's top destination for medical tourism, many from the Middle East, Japan, Europe, and even America. However, the best healthcare, to me, is personal healthcare. I keep myself healthy by living and eating moderately, and a regular exercise. At 68 I have been healthy all along with no serious health issues. But accidents could not be avoided at any age. Healthcare plan is still important. I once had an eye operation at Phaya Thai 2, a private hospital, by a doctor from Raj Vithee Hospital, a government-run hospital. Over 18 months ago I survived a serious road accident. My broken bones operation at Vibhavadi Hospital was performed by in-house Vibhavadi doctors together with some experts from an army hospital. This is a living proof that best doctors in private hospitals in Thailand are usually students of doctor-professors at state hospitals - Chulalongkorn, Siri Raj, Mahidol, Pra Mongkut, etc. In a 'so-called' free and democratic society like America, doctors (and lawyers) fees play an important role in keeping society so unequal and less democratic. Doctors and lawyers of America can rise up and unite, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN by lowering their fees - just kidding! Somkiat Onwimon 15 May 2017 'ORIENTALS'
เป็นคำหยามหมิ่นคนเชียในอเมริกา 'ORIENTALS' สำหรับคนอเมริกัน ถือเป็นคำหยามหมิ่นและเหยียดผิว เมื่อต้นปีที่แล้วจึงออกกฎหมายมีผลย้อนหลังห้ามใช้คำนี้ในเอกสารรัฐการ ผมคิดว่า 'Orientals' เป็นคำน่ารัก สะท้อนความงดงามของวัฒนธรรมเอเชียตะวันออก. เมื่อปี 2016 Grace Meng, ส.ส.อเมริกันเชื้อจีน, เห็นว่า "Orientals" เป็นคำไม่เหมาะสม ไม่สมควรจะใช้ในกฎหมายใดๆของสหรัฐฯ เพราะเป็นคำที่แสดงอาการดูถูกคนเอเชีย และคนอเมริกันเชื้อสายเอเชีย จึงเสนอกฎหมายให้ยกเลิกการใช้คำว่า "Orientals" นี้ อย่างเป็นทางการ กฎหมายผ่านรัฐสภา และมีผลบังคับใช้เมื่อปี 2016 โดยให้ใช้คำว่า 'Asian American' แทน ทำนองเดียวกับการใช้คำว่า 'African American' แทนคำว่า 'Negro' เมื่อวันที่ 4 กุมภาพันธ์ 2017 Mike Bost, สมาชิกสภาผู้แทนสหรัฐอเมริกา แห่งรัฐ Illinois, พูดว่า “You know the cleansing that the Orientals used to do where you’d put one person out in front and 900 people yell at them?” เป็นการพูดแสดงความไม่พอใจที่เวลาไปประชุมพบประชาชนที่หอประชุมท้องถิ่นแล้วมีคนมายืนตะโกนต่อว่ากันมากในระนี้ที่การเมืองสหรัฐฯกำลังแบ่งข้างชัดเจน เขาจึงเปรียบการระดมคนไปสร้างปัญหาด่าว่าผู้บรรยายในที่ประชุมนั้นเหมือนกัยที่จีนคอมมิวนิตส์ทำสมัยหนึ่ง พอพูดเสร็จแล้ว ส.ส. Bost พูดเสร็จแล้วนึกขึ้นมาได้ว่าการใช้คำว่า ‘Orientals’ เป็นเรื่องไม่เหมาะสม เพราะคนอเมริกันเชื้อสายเอเชีย โดยเฉพาะคนจีนรู้สึกว่าคำว่า ‘Orientals’ เป็นคำดูถูกเหยียดผิวคนเชื้อสายจีนหรือเอเชียในอเมริกา เพราะเมื่อปี 2016 มีกฎหมายห้ามใช้คำว่า ‘Orientals’ ในกฎหมายต่างๆทั้งหมดแล้ว ส.ส.ผู้นี้เลยต้องกลับมาขอโทษประชาชนที่ใช้คำว่า 'Orientals' โดยเหตุที่ว่าชาวอเมริกันส่วนหนึ่งถือเป็นคำไม่สุภาพและเหยียดหยามคน 'Asian Americans' เหมือนกับการใช้คำว่า 'Negro' กับคนผิวดำ คนอเมริกันเข้าใจไปอย่างนี้ได้อย่างไร ว่าคำว่า 'Oriental' ไม่สุภาพและเป็นอาการเหยียดหยามคนเชื้อสายจีน วรรณกรรมในอดีต ใช้คำว่า 'Oriental' เป็นคำงดงาม สุนทรีย์ romantic คำใช้ในงานวรรณกรรมในอดีตสะท้อนความ อัศจจรย์ เป็นเอกลักษณ์ของชาวเอเชียตะวันออก โดยเฉพาะชาวจีน "Orient" ใช้เป็นชื่อนาฬิกาชั้นดีของญี่ปุ่น และเป็นชื่อสายการบินในเอเชีย และ ชื่อโรงแรม 'The Oriental' ยังเป็นชื่อที่ยิ่งใหญ่ของโรงแรมระดับนำของโลกที่กรุงเทพฯ เป็นเรื่องของการซึมซับรับรู้ทางประวัติศาสตร์วัฒนธรรมและประสบการณ์ของต่างบริบทสังคม คนอเมริกันเชื้อสายจีนมีประสบการณ์ชีวิตที่ต่างไปจากคนเอเชียตะวันออกที่เกิดและเติบโตที่ The Orient มิได้จากบ้านเกิดไปตั้งรกรากใหม่ที่ไหน ___________________ Asian Americans think 'Orientals' is an offensive word. This is puzzling to me. 'Oriental', in many classic literatures, has been used as a romantic term describing the exotic East. 'The Orient' refers to the colorful people and culture of East Asia, China in particular. The word 'Orient' and 'Oriental' have positive connotation throughout Asia even today. By classic definition, any place east of Istanbul is the Orient. Marco Polo traveled to the orient to serve Kublai Khan also by way of Istanbul. The Orient Express connects Europe with Istanbul, where Europe meets the Orient, and on which a murder was committed - thanks to Agatha Christie who made the word 'Orient' so thrilling. We now can fly Orient Air to Japan and buy an Orient watch. Then fly back to Bangkok for a few night stay at 'The Oriental', the best hotel in the world, where Joseph Conrad frequented during his time of 'Lord Jim', and other famous novels. They even named a room after him. Get your orientation right and you will love the Orient and the Orientals. No matter what Asian Americans think of their place in American cultural context, I still feel that the word 'Oriental' is exotically romantic. Somkiat Onwimon 5 March 2017 
Democracy Dies in Darkness
The Washington Post When freedom is killed 'Democracy Dies in Darkness' 'ประชาธิปไตย ตาย ในความมืด' เมื่อเสรีภาพถูกทำลาย หนังสือพิมพ์ The Washington Post พิมพ์ 'คำเสียขวัญ' ด้านล่างของหัวหนังสือพิมพ์ว่า 'Democracy Dies in Darkness' / 'ประชาธิปไตย ตาย ในความมืด' สะท้อนความตกต่ำของประชาธิปไตย อันได้รับผลกระทบจากความคิดทางการเมืองของ Donald Trump ที่กำลังปิดกั้น, ทำลายเสรีภาพ, และจำกัดบทบาทหน้าที่ของสื่อมวลชนในการสร้างสังคมประชาธิปไตยในอเมริกา เวลาที่มีข่าวที่เขาไม่ชอบ Trump จะกล่าวหาสื่อมวลชนเสมอว่าเป็น 'fake news' รายงานข่าวปลอม โกหก เป็นพวกเลวร้ายที่สุดในโลก ที่รุนแรงที่สุด คือการที่ Trump กล่าวว่า "สื่อมวลชนคือศัตรูของประชาชนชาวอเมริกัน" และล่าสุดเมื่อสัปดาห์ที่ผ่านมา Trump สั่งห้ามสื่อมวลชนสำคัญของสหรัฐฯหลายองต์กร เช่น CNN, BBC, New York Times, Bloomberg, Huffington Post รวมทั้ง BBC ของอังกฤษ ไม่ให้เข้าฟังการชี้แจงข่าวที่ทำเนียบขาว ส่วนสำนักข่าว AP ทั้งๆที่ได้รับเชิญ แต่ก็ประท้วงไม่ไป เพื่อแสดงความสนับสนุนเพื่อนสื่อมวลชนที่ถูกห้ามเข้าทำเนียบขาว สงครามระหว่าง Donald Trump กับเสรีภาพ รุนแรงหนักขึ้น ดังที่หนังสือพิมพ์ The Washington Post ตอกย้ำกับสังคมอเมริกันถึงความสำคัญของเสรีภาพของสื่อมวลชน ตามข้อความที่ลงในเนื้อที่สำหรับคำขวัญและปรัชญาขององค์กร แต่คราวนี้เป็น 'คำเสียขวัญ' ประกาศไว้อาลัยต่อประชาธิปไตยในอเมริกา ว่า 'Democracy Dies in Darkness' / 'ประชาธิปไตย ตาย ในความมืด' สมเกียรติ อ่อนวิมล 26 กุมภาพันธ์ 2560 
ปัจจุบันนี้เรียกชื่อว่า "ทะเลจีนใต้" แต่จากนี้ต่อไป,
เพื่อความถูกต้องเหมะสมตามลักษณะทางภูมิศาสตร์, ทะเลแห่งความตึงเครียดนี้สมควรจะเรียกชื่อใหม่ว่า "ทะเลแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้" หรือ "South-East Asian Sea" (SEAS) ในความเห็นของผม / IN MY OPINION ▶️ Currently known as the South China Sea, this body of contentious water shall, from now on, be geographically-correctly called "THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN SEA" (SEAS). It's located south of China and surrounded by Southeast Asian countries. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) recognizes 12 nautical miles off the furthest shore as national territorial water, and the exclusive economic zone 200 nautical miles further away. Countries of Southeast Asia surrounding this marginal sea west of the Pacific Ocean should have equal rights to administer their respective maritime territories and economic zones in accordance with UNCLOS. China has no right to claim the whole of SEAS as their own by merit of history and its namesake. The namesake "South China Sea" does not signify automatic China's ownership, otherwise Thailand could claim the whole of Gulf of Siam. Likewise, India and Bangladesh can start a war for the Bay of Bengal. History belongs to the past and the present is today. The world today lives by international treaty, convention, and agreement. China must learn to abide by international rules. The South China Sea, therefore, is an irrelevant name and a ghost of the past. This body of peaceful water of South East Asia, from today onwards, shall be called "THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN SEA" (SEAS). China must relinquish all claims and withdraw from all the islands within SEAS. ASEAN negotiation process should continue with full cooperation from China. Somkiat Onwimon 21 February 2017 
AMERICA FIRST?
It's a kind of a race where one competitor goes first before the starting gun just because he cannot compete fair and square under the same rule but still wants to win. If America comes first it will surely go first. The rest of the world will remain competing in a level-playing-field. Everybody wins some, loses some, and comes out a happy and proud member of the world trade community. America will not lose nor will it win. It does not join the competition. I must be a lonely place to live. 
สหรัฐออกคำสั่งห้ามคนเข้าเมืองฉบับใหม่ 🌎 Trump's New Visa Ban Excludes Iraq
Donald Trump ออกคำสั่งใหม่ ว่าด้วยการห้ามคนเข้าเมือง โดยต่างไปจากเดิมดังนี้:
▸ ประเทศต้องห้ามชั่วคราว 90 วัน เหลือ 6 ประเทศเดิม คือ Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan และ Yemen ▸ Iraq ถูกถอนชื่อออกจากบัญชีต้องห้าม โดยเห็นว่า Iraq มีกระบวนงานการเข้าเมืองที่ละเอียดรอบคอบดีและแบ่งปันข้อมูลกับสหรัฐดีมากขึ้น ▸ ผู้อพยพที่ได้รับอนุมัติก่อนหน้าแล้วจะไม่กระทบกระเทือน ยังคงเข้าเมืองได้ตามเดิม ▸ ผู้อพยพจาก Syria จะถูกห้ามเป็นการชั่วคราวเท่านั้น ไม่มีการห้ามถาวรตลอดกาล ▸ ไม่กระทบผู้ถือบัตรเขียว (Green Card holder) ▸ ไม่จัดการแยกพิเศษใดๆกับผู้นับถือศาสนาส่วนน้อย BBC NEWS THE WASHINGTON POST 
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President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order placing a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations. Trump signs new travel-ban directive. What is different about the new order? ▸ Citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, the other six countries on the original 27 January order, will once more be subject to a 90-day travel ban. ▸ Iraq has been taken off the banned list because its government has boosted visa screening and data sharing, White House officials said. ▸ The new directive says refugees already approved by the State Department can enter the US. It also lifts an indefinite ban on all Syrian refugees. ▸ Green Card holders (legal permanent residents of the US) from the named countries will not be affected. ▸ The new order does not give priority to religious minorities, unlike the previous directive. BBC NEWS THE WASHINGTON POST 
‘The cleansing’ by ‘the Orientals’: Lawmaker uses offensive term to describe raucous town halls
คนอเมริกันเข้าใจไปอย่างนี้ได้อย่างไร ว่าคำว่า 'Oriental' ไม่สุภาพและเป็นอาการเหยียดหยามคนเชื้อสายจีน. 'Oriental' เป็นคำงดงาม สุนทรีย์ romantics ใช้ในงานวรรณกรรมในอดีตสะท้อนความ อัศจจรย์ เป็นเอกลักษณ์ของชาวเอเชียตะวันออก โดยเฉพาะชาวจีน เชิญอ่าน The Washington Post ▶️ บทความจากวารสาร Foreign Affairs:
A World Without Borders: Richer, Fairer, and More Free โลกไร้พรมแดน: มั่งคั่งขึ้น, ยุติธรรมขึ้น, และเสรีขึ้นกว่าเดิม โดย By Nathan Smith บทความคิดท้าทายมนุษยชาติ ในยุคที่มนุษย์แบ่งเขตรัฐชาติ กีดกันคนเข้าเมือง ต่างไปจากสมัยโบราณที่มนุษย์สามารถเดินทางไปไหนๆได้โดยไร้พรมแดนรัฐขวางกั้น (ไม่มีใครต้องใช้วีซ่าในสมัยอาณาจักรสุโขทัย หรือ สมัยกรุงศรีอยุธยา) การปล่อยให้มนุษย์ข้ามพรมแดนอย่างเสรีได้อีกครั้งเหมือนสมัยโบราณ คาดว่าจะมีคนทั่วโลกต้องการอพยพย้ายถิ่นไปอยู่ดินแดนอื่นประมาณอย่างน้อย 640 ล้านคน การปล่อยให้มนุษย์อพยพโดยเสรีในสมัยใหม่นี้ จะช่วยแก้ปัญหาความยากจนในโลก ช่วยสร้างความเติบโตทางเศรษฐกิจให้กับประเทศที่รับผู้อพยพ และดินแดนเดิมที่ปล่อยพลเมืองอพยพออกไปก็จะจัดการปัญหาเศรษฐกิจของตนได้ดีขึ้น เชิญอ่าน FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
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❉ LIBRARY CLASSICS ❉
'Utopia' แปลว่า 'Nowhere', 'ไม่รู้ว่าอยู่ที่ไหน' แต่มีคนไปมาแล้วกลับมาเล่าให้ฟังว่าเหมือนเมืองในฝัน ในจินตนาการ อุดมสมบูรณ์ เสรี เป็นมิตร สันติสุข เป็นประชาธิปไตยแบบที่ไม่รู้ว่าอยู่ที่ไหน อยากไปอีก แต่ก็ไปไม่ถูก เพราะเป็นดินแดนแห่งความงดงามในวิถีชีวิต ที่มนุษย์สร้างไม่เป็น
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บทสนทนาเรื่อง Atlantis ทวีปที่ล่มสลายในอดีตกาล
จนผู้คนในโลกปัจจุบันคิดว่า Atlantis นั้นมีอยู่จริงในสมัยโบราณ แต่ไม่รู้ว่าอยู่ที่ไหย ล่มสลายไปอย่างไร และตรงไหน ทุกวันนี้ก็ยังตามต้นหา Atlantis กันอยู่ Plato เป็นคนเดียวที่พูดถึง Atlantis ที่ได้ยินมา พูดไว้สั้นๆ ไม่จบความ เลยทำให้โลกฉงนมาจนทุกวันนี้ |
หนังสืออมตะ สังเกตประชาธิปไตยแบบรากหญ้าที่ทรงอิทธิพลต่อความคิดของคนอเมริกันและยุโรปในศตวรรษที่ 19 ผลงานการเดินทางเรียนรู้วิเคราะห์ประชาธิปไตยในอเมริกา ในปี 1831-1832 เป็นหนังสือได้รับความนิยมในอเมริกาเป็นอย่างสูง โดยเฉพาะในอมู่นักคิด นักการเมือง และนักศึกษารัฐศาสตร์
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สัตวาธิปไตย..สัตว์ทุกตัวเท่าเทียมกัน เพียงแต่ว่ามีสัตว์บางตัวเท่าเทียมมากกว่าตัวอื่น เท่านั้นเอง วรรณกรรมการเมืองแบบสังคมนิยมประชาธิปไตยของ George Orwell นักเขียนชาวอังกฤษ ผู้เตือนโลกได้ล่วงหน้าเสมอถึงสิ่งที่จะเกิดในอนาคต ในฟาร์มสัตว์ เมื่อสรรพสัตว์ได้ประชาธิปไตย โดยการครองอำนาจการปกครองตนเองแล้ว ประชาธิปไตยจึงเริ่มไม่เป็นประชาธิปไตย
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งานวรรณกรรมการเมืองอีดเรื่อง โดย Goerge Orwell หลอกหลอนนักการเมือง และนักอำนาจนิยมมาถึงวันนี้ โดยเฉพาะในอเมริกา ยุคที่ Donald Trump หาเสียงปั้นน้ำให้เป็นตัว สร้างความหวาดกลัวในหมู่ประชาชน จนประสพความสำเร็จได้รับเลือกตั้ง ประชาชนโง่เขลา และอ่อนแอ เสมอถ้าเกิดความหวาดกลัว
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ปรัชญาการเมืองจากมหาตมะ คานธี เรื่องพลังแห่งความจริง และการไม่ใช้ความรุนแรง มหาตมคานธี ไม่ใช่นักปรัชญาแรกเริ่ม แต่นำแนวคิดจากโลกตะวันมาผสมผสานกับปรัชญาโลกตะวันออก ยังผลให้เกิดเป็นพลังนำการต่อสู้ทางการเมือง จนได้รับความชื่นชมยกย่อง หลักอหิงสา และ สัตยเคราะห์ ที่ท่านหล่อหลอมและนำมาใช้เป็นเครื่องมือการต่อสู้ทางการเมือง เป็นความจริงอันอมตะ
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หนังสือเก่าที่ไม่ล้าสมัยคู่มือการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษซึ่งเป็นที่นิยมของนักศึก ษาและชาวอเมริกันทั่วไป ชาวต่างชาติมีไว้พกติดตัวปรับปรุงการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษของตนด้วยก็ยิ่งดี สั้น กระชับ อ่านง่าย เขียนโดยอาจารย์มหาวิทยาลัย Cornell University แนะนำการใช้ภาษาอังกฤษที่ถูกต้อง อ่านแล้วจะพบว่าคนอเมริกันทุกวันนี้ใช้ภาษาอังกฤษกันอย่างผิดๆมากมาย
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หนังสือที่อ่าน อ่านแล้วเห็นประโยชน์เชื่อมโยงกับชีวิต นำมาแนะนำเล่าสู่กันฟังต่อ นี่เป็นหนังสื่อเล่มแรกของผม ที่รวมหนังสือที่ผมอ่านไว้กลุ่มแรก ที่อ่านเพื่อพยายามค้นหาประเทศไทยที่กำลังหลงทาง ทั้งกลุ่มผู้นำเอง และประชาชนพลเมือง อ่านแล้วรู้ว่าหนทางที่ถูกต้องเป็นอย่างไร แต่เมื่อผู้นำไม่อ่านหนังสือ ผู้ตามไม่สนใจหนังสือ สังคมก็ย่ำประวัติศาสตร์ ณ รอยเดิม
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