It is very simple.
1) A nation can't borrow and print its way out of a debt crisis. It destroys confidence in its currency and makes matters worse, regardless of how charismatic its president.
2) A nation's consumers can't shop their way to prosperity by buying goods they can't afford. It only compounds their debts.
3) A nation can't sell its government to the highest bidders. When that happens, not only is the treasury pillaged, so is the freedom of the people. The latter just takes a little longer.
4) A nation can't drain its resources on weapons and wars. It's the fastest way to the poor house, morally and financially, for beating people into submission doesn't work and extracts a heavy price on the souls of those who try it.
The financial collapse has already begun, but there is good news as well. The collapse will force the people to get involved with their government, rather than just casting a ballot and assuming the politician they voted for will fix the problems.
It is also a chance for the people to learn from their mistakes and build a better, more humble and compassionate nation, one that uses its resources to uplift itself and the rest of the world. For that is how one truly finds peace and prosperity.
Dick [last updated 2/8/10]
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
"Deficit to Hit All-Time High" (Wall Street Journal, 2/1/10)
This is disgusting. America's financial security is in dire straights as President Obama and Congress keep spending vast sums of money we don't have. Where in the Hell is our nation's leadership?
To start with our government has gone war crazy! U.S. military and nuclear weapons costs are equal to the next 15 nations combined. This week, President Obama called for nearly $160 billion alone for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011 and $33 billion to pay for those wars this year in addition to what has already been spent.
Mr. Obama's proposed 2011 military "budget" of $708 billion would be a new record for military spending. And that's before it gets added to throughout the year with more spending bills. Has our government gone nuts?
With all this spending, it's no wonder the U.S. Deficit will hit an all-time high. We are already completely dependent on others to loan us money or believe or not the U.S. government can no longer pay its bills.
What is the government's answer? To borrow more money. And what it can't borrow, the Fed now prints.
Republicans and some Democrats are publicly demanding something be done about it but they offer few specifics. Let's help them. In EACH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, slash military and other costs so each Congressman helps to balance the budget.
But if cutting expenses doesn't work for them, here is an alternative: raise taxes. Each Congressman could poll voters in his or her District to find out how much more they would be willing to pay.
But every man, woman and child in America already owes $40,000 and that number is rapidly rising. And for what? To bailout Wall Street? To shower money on the military-industrial complex?
The value in the U.S. dollar is based solely on the confidence people have in it. If a crisis of confidence should strike, the value could collapse. And the history of many other nations tells us that when it happens, it happens fast.
Think of it like trying to bend a steel rod. It is solid and looks impenetrable. But if enough pressure is brought to bear, over time it will bend and when it does, it will bend fast.
The U.S. is particularly vulnerable because its major creditors like China are already worried and because the U.S. finances so much of its debt short-term. All it takes is for investors to stand back and the ensuing crisis will paralyze our nation.
We allowed these soaring deficits by letting our government and the lobbyists who run it do whatever they want. Endless wars, bailouts, you name it. But we can solve it by taking back our government and demanding these Titanic size costs be slashed before it's too late.
Our creditors and the nations we occupy or would attack on a whim will thank us as will our families for saving their financial security. We as a people are far better than our government and it's long past time we assert ourselves.
Dick [updated, 2/4/10]
To start with our government has gone war crazy! U.S. military and nuclear weapons costs are equal to the next 15 nations combined. This week, President Obama called for nearly $160 billion alone for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011 and $33 billion to pay for those wars this year in addition to what has already been spent.
Mr. Obama's proposed 2011 military "budget" of $708 billion would be a new record for military spending. And that's before it gets added to throughout the year with more spending bills. Has our government gone nuts?
With all this spending, it's no wonder the U.S. Deficit will hit an all-time high. We are already completely dependent on others to loan us money or believe or not the U.S. government can no longer pay its bills.
What is the government's answer? To borrow more money. And what it can't borrow, the Fed now prints.
Republicans and some Democrats are publicly demanding something be done about it but they offer few specifics. Let's help them. In EACH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, slash military and other costs so each Congressman helps to balance the budget.
But if cutting expenses doesn't work for them, here is an alternative: raise taxes. Each Congressman could poll voters in his or her District to find out how much more they would be willing to pay.
But every man, woman and child in America already owes $40,000 and that number is rapidly rising. And for what? To bailout Wall Street? To shower money on the military-industrial complex?
The value in the U.S. dollar is based solely on the confidence people have in it. If a crisis of confidence should strike, the value could collapse. And the history of many other nations tells us that when it happens, it happens fast.
Think of it like trying to bend a steel rod. It is solid and looks impenetrable. But if enough pressure is brought to bear, over time it will bend and when it does, it will bend fast.
The U.S. is particularly vulnerable because its major creditors like China are already worried and because the U.S. finances so much of its debt short-term. All it takes is for investors to stand back and the ensuing crisis will paralyze our nation.
We allowed these soaring deficits by letting our government and the lobbyists who run it do whatever they want. Endless wars, bailouts, you name it. But we can solve it by taking back our government and demanding these Titanic size costs be slashed before it's too late.
Our creditors and the nations we occupy or would attack on a whim will thank us as will our families for saving their financial security. We as a people are far better than our government and it's long past time we assert ourselves.
Dick [updated, 2/4/10]
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A Candid Conversation With Barack Obama
"The time for change has come," declared charismatic presidential candidate Barack Obama as he spoke to our hearts and made profound promises he vowed to keep.
Mr. Obama promised to end the Iraq War in 16 months, close Guantanamo within 12 months, end our dependence on foreign oil, end "Don't ask, don't tell" for gays in the military and make affordable health care available to all.
He promised "transparency," so that we would know what is really going on with our government and he promised to end the grip lobbyists had on Washington and to get rid of "earmarks," pork barrel money Congress uses to pay off its supporters.
Now a year into his presidency, not one of these things has happened and many of Mr. Obama's supporters are disillusioned. Instead, we have the continuation of the Iraq War and the escalation of the Afghan War, costing lives and money and what is left of America's moral fiber in support of a government that fixed the election to keep itself in power.
Wall Street is doing all the horrific things it did before and there is no new oversight nor tougher rules, nor has anyone been held accountable for anything. And the staggering sized bonuses Wall Street is paying itself are "in your face." They don't care what the American people think.
We have record setting deficits, bailouts, the Fed printing money out of thin air and the U.S.'s major creditors seriously concerned about loaning us more money.
It was time to have a hypothetical talk with Mr. Obama to understand what has gone wrong. "President Obama, why have things gone so badly?"
"Because I was naive. I'd only been briefly in the Senate before I began running for president. I had no idea how entrenched the lobbyists actually were and how little they cared about my promises or even the rights of the American people.
"The big banks and insurance companies, the pharmaceutical giants, the huge oil firms and the military-industrial complex, among others, very much run the show. They own both major political parties. To them, I'm just a figure head and aside from taking their tax money the American people don't count.
"Even I got caught in their grip. When I ran for office, I took more lobbyist money than any other presidential candidate in history. I too am indebted to them."
Struck by his candor, I asked, "Why did you turn leadership over to Congress? As you pointed out, they are owned by the lobbyists and when they turned your proposed health care reform into a joke and forget most of your other ideas, it makes you look like an ineffective leader. The President is supposed to lead, not follow."
"You're right," he replied with a sigh. "I had no leadership experience when I took this office. It's one thing to be a Senator or a community organizer or a university instructor and quite another to lead people and implement a vision."
"What are you going to do about it," I asked.
"I don't know," he answered. "What I do know is I'm desperate for help. It's hard for me to admit it publicly but you could see it in my State of the Union speech and in my meeting a day or so later with the Republicans. In frustration, I actually became combative and that won't accomplish anything.
"I know if the American people don't get involved, what you see is what you'll get. Endless wars and their treasury looted. No accountability and an economy that in a few years will complete its collapse and throw us into a Depression and potential chaos."
Stunned by the severity of the situation, I asked "What do you want us to do?"
"Raise your voice," Mr. Obama answered, as he raised his. "Overwhelm the media with calls, emails and letters because they are asleep. With few exceptions, they ignore the wars and give superficial coverage to the dire financial situation.
"Most are corporate and government mouthpieces, avoiding controversy and largely reporting what they're told to report. The founders of our nation expected much more from them when they created the First Amendment, Freedom of the Press.
"And take to the streets," Mr. Obama continued. In the 1960's, Americans brought in Civil Rights through marches and demonstrations and they did it again in the late 60's and 1970's bringing the Vietnam War to an end. Despite my promises, real initiative always comes from the people who compel their government to act.
"Things are so bad, the American people must fight to take back their government or they will lose their democracy. They nearly lost it to the last president, who ruled by fiat claiming 9/11 and his "War on Terror" gave him special powers beyond those in the Constitution.
"I need the help of the American people! Together, we must succeed for the future of our country and the well-being of people all over the world depends on it. They have no reason to believe anything I say but please don't give-up on me yet."
Dick [last updated, 2/1/10]
Mr. Obama promised to end the Iraq War in 16 months, close Guantanamo within 12 months, end our dependence on foreign oil, end "Don't ask, don't tell" for gays in the military and make affordable health care available to all.
He promised "transparency," so that we would know what is really going on with our government and he promised to end the grip lobbyists had on Washington and to get rid of "earmarks," pork barrel money Congress uses to pay off its supporters.
Now a year into his presidency, not one of these things has happened and many of Mr. Obama's supporters are disillusioned. Instead, we have the continuation of the Iraq War and the escalation of the Afghan War, costing lives and money and what is left of America's moral fiber in support of a government that fixed the election to keep itself in power.
Wall Street is doing all the horrific things it did before and there is no new oversight nor tougher rules, nor has anyone been held accountable for anything. And the staggering sized bonuses Wall Street is paying itself are "in your face." They don't care what the American people think.
We have record setting deficits, bailouts, the Fed printing money out of thin air and the U.S.'s major creditors seriously concerned about loaning us more money.
It was time to have a hypothetical talk with Mr. Obama to understand what has gone wrong. "President Obama, why have things gone so badly?"
"Because I was naive. I'd only been briefly in the Senate before I began running for president. I had no idea how entrenched the lobbyists actually were and how little they cared about my promises or even the rights of the American people.
"The big banks and insurance companies, the pharmaceutical giants, the huge oil firms and the military-industrial complex, among others, very much run the show. They own both major political parties. To them, I'm just a figure head and aside from taking their tax money the American people don't count.
"Even I got caught in their grip. When I ran for office, I took more lobbyist money than any other presidential candidate in history. I too am indebted to them."
Struck by his candor, I asked, "Why did you turn leadership over to Congress? As you pointed out, they are owned by the lobbyists and when they turned your proposed health care reform into a joke and forget most of your other ideas, it makes you look like an ineffective leader. The President is supposed to lead, not follow."
"You're right," he replied with a sigh. "I had no leadership experience when I took this office. It's one thing to be a Senator or a community organizer or a university instructor and quite another to lead people and implement a vision."
"What are you going to do about it," I asked.
"I don't know," he answered. "What I do know is I'm desperate for help. It's hard for me to admit it publicly but you could see it in my State of the Union speech and in my meeting a day or so later with the Republicans. In frustration, I actually became combative and that won't accomplish anything.
"I know if the American people don't get involved, what you see is what you'll get. Endless wars and their treasury looted. No accountability and an economy that in a few years will complete its collapse and throw us into a Depression and potential chaos."
Stunned by the severity of the situation, I asked "What do you want us to do?"
"Raise your voice," Mr. Obama answered, as he raised his. "Overwhelm the media with calls, emails and letters because they are asleep. With few exceptions, they ignore the wars and give superficial coverage to the dire financial situation.
"Most are corporate and government mouthpieces, avoiding controversy and largely reporting what they're told to report. The founders of our nation expected much more from them when they created the First Amendment, Freedom of the Press.
"And take to the streets," Mr. Obama continued. In the 1960's, Americans brought in Civil Rights through marches and demonstrations and they did it again in the late 60's and 1970's bringing the Vietnam War to an end. Despite my promises, real initiative always comes from the people who compel their government to act.
"Things are so bad, the American people must fight to take back their government or they will lose their democracy. They nearly lost it to the last president, who ruled by fiat claiming 9/11 and his "War on Terror" gave him special powers beyond those in the Constitution.
"I need the help of the American people! Together, we must succeed for the future of our country and the well-being of people all over the world depends on it. They have no reason to believe anything I say but please don't give-up on me yet."
Dick [last updated, 2/1/10]
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