America after 9/11 lashed out to get even with the perpetrators that caused the harm to America. The leadership who lead that retaliation was not only incompetent, but also ignorant of the cost of their mindless attacks. If America put half as much time and half as much planning into the retaliation for 9/11 as the terrorists who committed the atrocities, revenge would have been successful long ago. That is not the case though. America pursued its usual method of swatting flies with sledge hammers that accomplishes little, other than pissing off the flies.
Had America taken the time researched and planned a methodical retaliation with spies and planning as thorough as the attackers. Osama bin Laden would have woke up dead long ago. America could have opted for the big impression and dropped a massive nuclear bomb. It was the perfect place for such a retaliation. It was remote, it was isolated and had minimal human occupation. It would have sent a clear message and America could have saved billions and billions of dollars.
A lesser but just as effective way would have been to take the time to infiltrate al Quada. Then after having pinpointed bin Laden's exact location, without warning or any notification of foreign powers. America could have unleashed a rain of Cruise missiles and carpet bombing that might have had a far better chance of succeeding than the method finally employed by the military.
However the administration incharge at the time, and that is using the term "in charge" very loosely, had other objectives that had nothing to do with the attack on 9/11. Their focus was on a percieved threat that had nothing to do with al Qaeda and everything to do with the dollar and its relationship to the lifeblood of America, oil.
Fidel Castro of Cuba and all the other Axis of Evil countries had started a program that threatened America far worse than al Qaeda. They were converting their currencies to Euros and buying and selling in Euros. Saddam Hussein was selling his oil to Europe for Euros instead of dollars. Thanks to the UN. This threatened the dominance of the dollar on world markets. They can argue all the reasons they want for the Market Collapse, in 2008, but it was all triggered by the price of oil and its price against the dollar on world markets. Simply following the price of oil from 2003 to 2008 will reveal the significance of the price of gas in causing the overall collapse.
As world markets heal and other countries start buying more oil the pressure will be put on the dollar again. The dollar has to compete with the Euro in world oil markets. With America's sick economy many of the speculators will tend to bail out to safer markets and it starts another run. The combined instability in the Middle East and uncertainty of the American economy are creating uncertainty in the markets and investors are looking for safer ground. The price of Gold is a very good indicator of how unsure the markets are. All it will take is one good hiccup to bring down the whole house of cards. The American people do not want to hear of bailing out nobody and especially no banks or business that profits from its incompetence.
America's politicians keep talking and arguing about the long term cost. It is the here and now that is the problem that has to be dealt with. The Republicans have not got a clue how to deal with the problem. Spending has to be cut they are sure of that and that is a good step in the right direction, but the only way to eliminate debt is to pay it down and that takes money. Money comes from taxes. Yes, believe it or not somebody actually has to pay real money to get rid of debt. You can not spend your war out of it. America needs a jobs program to rebuild infrastructure, it can be done with a real gas tax. Nobody wants to hear a dollar a gallon, but they will like the alternative even less. America needs to get off the roller coaster and be able to tell countries that hate us to take a hike. A gas tax is real money that is not borrowed and does not increase the national debt and most important goes straight to the states and the Fed can not touch it. A real tax increase needs to be phased in across the board and yes those who make more need to pay more. All the loopholes and deductions need to be eliminated and every person and corportion needs to pay their fair share. When a company like GE makes billions and pays nothing, there is a problem and it needs fixed and it needs fixed now. Not tomorrow, not next month or next year. It needs to be addressed now. Inflation is already at hand. The government can deny it and say it does not exist, but when I check out at the grocery store or buy a tank of gas my wallet says they are full of hot air.
They can have all the panels, studies and surveys they like. The problem is real and needs to be addressed now. They spent us into this mess and unfortunately the gutless jerks are the same ones who have to get America out of this abyss they have gotten the country into. My personal feeling is that with fourteen million people unemployed and ready to fall off unemployment the slide to the bottom is imminent if not already beyond hope of stopping.
In the Great Depression unemployment hit 25%. The market fell 89% from its high to its low. That would be a market level of about 1490 in this day and age. If unemployment hits 25% the government will be severely short of money. They can print as much as they like, but it will become like Germany in the 1930's depression era. It would take a whole wheelbarrow of money to buy a loaf of bread. That is when society becomes a bartering and trading system. That is gloom and doom, but my grandparents said that is how they survived. People in big cities are really in for hard times. The thing that will hurt worst in this day and time is the lack of Christian values. People will start taking what they want or need. Back in the recession of 81 to 83 farmers around where I live had cows stolen right out of their fields at night. We are probably not as far from that as I would like to hope. If something is not done soon it will make the Great Depression look like a cake walk. The only thing that will carry most people through a severe depression is being debt free. If you are debt free you can use what you have as you need to. So tighten your belt and hold on, it may be a wild ride.
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