How do most people vote/protest? Typcially with their pocketbooks.

Whether you live in the US or China, human nature is often the same.  People, when they are well fed and have $ to spare, care about different issues than those that are hungry.  Now that there is a middle class in China, some people are starting to realize that money is not the answer to everything.What journalists will hopefully learn in the two weeks that they are here is that there is a LOT of money in China and it's not all tied up in 0lympic projects or "communist" work units.  While most Chinese are, at this moment, overly patriotic (and justifiably so), life will return to relative calm in the coming months and people will start to talk about politics, other countries, the slowing down of the Chinese economy and the NCAA College Football Season (OK, not so much) with a little more economic rationality and a little less flag waving.One reporter I know asked me "So why don't the Chinese people do something about their government?"  The answer is easy--most of the Chinese (middle class) people that get in the press have never had it so good!  Money, money, money--it's the global language, it reaches across cultures and it certainly makes capitalists out of red-flag waving Chinese.  Outside of some land grabs (T!bet and my fishpond, just to name two) there are at least 400 to 500 million that have little to complain about.  They have a better legal system then they've ever had.  They have more money than they've ever had.  They have the highest growth rates in the world.  They have a rapidly expanding consumer culture with increasingly more options from all over the world.  They have access to more education and information than they've ever had before; thanks to the (censored) Internet.  They have both the economic and legal (passports are an option for many/most) opportunity to travel and study abroad.  They are honestly proud of their country and have the money to spend to make their families happy.  Not everything is roses.  But on balance, it's so much better than it was 100, 50, 30, even 15 years ago.The issue in the US in the next 90 days is slowing developing into the price of gas and the economy.  But for me, it already was.  International trade, taxes and general economic policy is what the election is about, professionally.  Ditto for most investors and big business folk.  Why? Because market forces are more logical to deal with than random government policy.  Most American individuals agree: "A new Gallup Poll shows that no matter what their income or political affiliation, an overwhelming majority of Americans prefer economic growth over income redistribution as the best way to fix the economy." USA Today.So which of the two completely less-than-average presidential candidates is more likely to support trade and a strong economy?  John I-don't-know-about-economics McCain.  I just pray he doesn't learn.  His voting record in the past is very pro-trade and I've love to see 8 more years of that.  If I stay over here for the next decade and he keeps on not doing anything to change the trade policies in the US it could be a pretty inocuous vote for me this year.  (Pretty pathetic that my voting criteria is now: who will do the least amount of damage, huh?).If you are doing business overseas and will not be home for the election you should still vote.  Here's a link to an Org that is doing on-line voter registration.  DISCLAIMER: The site is really a plug for the Democrat Party (ugh!) and my mother might kill me for sending people there--but it's a very easy way to get an absentee ballot.  And no, the American Embassy is NOT easier.  Don't even get me started on American Citizen Services, a.k.a. American Citizen Abuse.  Just try to figure out that form/double envelope!So stop wondering when money is going to "change China" or even if China is going to change--it's probably not (for more on this, read this book).  Take advantage of the once in a lifetime opportunities going on here--to make money, to make a difference, to see the 0lympics, learn a bit about another country.  And remeber to vote at home.