We're #10! We're #10!

This is called setting the bar really, really low.

In its online edition, Newsweek described the annual World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, as a gathering of

2,000 of the world's richest and "most powerful" people, [ranging from] central bankers ... to present and past heads of state like Tony Blair and Bill Clinton ... to Hollywood stars....

On Thursday, the Forum staged its own version of a global town meeting, a plenary session to brainstorm about the values that should be part of governance. As part of that they voted on the top 12 issues of importance over the next year. Poverty came out on top, followed by "equitable globalization," global warming, and peace in the Middle East. Here's the kicker:

"Managing the United States" was No. 10, with a mere 24 percent believing that America was the world's biggest problem.

Given the abysmal reputation that the United States enjoys in Europe these days, and much of the rest of the world, that's surprising.

So we're now supposed to think it's good news - or at least be pleasantly surprised - that a "mere" 24% of "the world's richest and most powerful people," exactly the kind of people you'd think would be more likely to be on our side, that a "mere" quarter of them think the US is a bigger problem than poverty, peace in the Middle East, and global warming.

Did I say low? Damn, if they wanted to set the bar any lower they'd have to dig a ditch.

One Footnote: In a revealing detail, when the delegates ranked those challenges for 2005, terror didn't even make the list. The War on Terror^{(c)(tm)(pat.pend.)} remains for the most part an American enterprise, with others doing what they have to do to keep up appearances (and, in a number of cases, the aid flowing) while knowing that other things are just a lot more important, other problems are just a lot more serious. Even those pursuing the lifestyles of the rich and famous know it.

Another Footnote: Morgan Stanley economist Steve Roach, one of those Davos movers'n'shakers,

[f]or the first time in a decade ... has some nice things to say about Europe. He sees signs of hope in recent efforts to make the labor market more flexible, and expects to see some follow-through in productivity from investments in information technology.

The phrase "a more flexible labor market" translates to "weaker unions, fewer worker protections, givebacks, wage cuts, layoffs, and unemployment." It means, that is, increased corporate profit at worker expense. This, he says, is a good thing.

Just to put some of that "oh, we're so concerned about poverty and stuff" business in perspective.