GUTIERREZ AND THE AMERICAN DREAM

ABC News reports that president Bush has appointed 51 year old Carlos Gutierrez, the head of the Kellogg's concern, as new commerce secretary. Mr Gutierrez fled from Fidel Castro's Cuba in 1960 and started working at Kellogg's as a truck driver, and has since worked his way all the way to the top. And now, he's also worked himself into the White House to help out with the revamping of the tax code that Mr Bush has announced.

I don't now much about Mr Gutierrez - neither about him personally not politically, but this appointment shows two great things. One: that it is possible to get yourself to the top with hard work and talent, and Two: that the American government isn't afraid to look for people from outside of politics and party.

This all paints a sharp contrast to how things are in Sweden, where the government punishes small growing companies (while making it easier for the large corporations) and where the only way to get a good position within the public authorities, or any other position of power, is to be a member of the Social Democratic Party. I wish our Prime Minister was also open to finding competent people with expertise in the area in which he or she is to govern. Instead we have defence ministers who feels that it will be fun to learn about new things, and finance ministers who couldn't cope with the high school mathematics.

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