Sunday, November 14, 2010

A Harsh Reality: America Is Facing A Depression

These are the ugly facts your government and the news media don't want to discuss: The U.S. government brings in 61 cents for every dollar it spends, is fighting wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, can no longer pay its bills without borrowing and printing huge sums of money and is on the verge of financial collapse.

It shipped the most powerful manufacturing base the world had ever seen overseas and now runs record trading deficits. In America it manufactures fighter jets it doesn't need and weapons including nuclear arms it hopefully will never use. 70% of the U.S. economy is shopping, buying goods from overseas and borrowing the money to do it. While our schools, once the world's best, are sinking into mediocrity.

The U.S. has nearly 15 million unemployed and millions more underemployed or no longer counted. Fannie and Freddie have 4.4 million home foreclosures they hold hoping for a better economy and more foreclosures coming. Meanwhile, corporate thieves through their lobbyists steal every nickel they can.

So what action is our government taking to confront these problems? NONE! We are in denial. Yet the situation is so desperate the Fed launched another $600 billion stimulus so politicians can avoid facing these problems. But we are so deep in debt, instead of borrowing it, the Fed is printing the money out of thin air.

As an American who loves his country, I am disgusted. How about you? It is time for action and you and I must get involved for casting a vote is not enough. We must raise our voices, letting the news media know what we think, for politicians pay attention to them. It is also essential to speak to our politicians and attend rallies, vigils, protests and other affairs to make our presence known.

What can we do to save America's finances? We need to get out of the wars ASAP. Those wars benefit only the contractors who profit off them and we as a nation have nothing to accomplish in them nor do we have the money to waste on them.

We must also dramatically slash the Federal Budget at least 10%. And everything is on the table including Military, Medicare, Social Security, Education and ObamaCare. This is reality! We're broke and putting everything on credit cards that are being maxed out! We must make tough choices. The Republicans speak of shrinking the government, well now it's time. And by shrink, that includes the massive military contractors like Lockheed and Northrop who are little more than military extensions at taxpayer expense.

As for taxes, I don't want to pay them either but the U.S. government is desperate. All of us beyond the society's bottom rungs must pay, including Exxon Mobil, General Electric and other corporate giants who now pay little or nothing.

Don't fool yourself. The government will go broke if we don't do something now. The only question will be whether we slash spending far more radically than I'm proposing or tax ourselves more or do neither and try to print money to pay our bills which will bring staggering inflation and destroy the dollar and our savings.

But there is good news as well. America has faced tougher challenges in the past and always rose to the occasion. We as a people are resilient and willing to bear the pain as long as we have leadership that will listen to us, welcome us into the decision process, communicate honestly with us and guide us to a better future and restore the dignity and compassion of our nation.

Dick

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