We are a nation damned.
There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. We are past being able
to
pretend otherwise, no matter what comfort might be found in the deception.
The United States has invaded and conquered a foreign nation under false
pretexts. President Bush and his cronies lied us all into a war.
pretend otherwise, no matter what comfort might be found in the deception.
The United States has invaded and conquered a foreign nation under false
pretexts. President Bush and his cronies lied us all into a war.
But that is not why we are damned.
The culmination of decades of accumulated overspending by the government
has
created an aggregate debt for the United States federal and state
governments of $14 trillion dollars. That's fourteen million million
dollars. Or, to put it in a more personal scale, more than $48,000 for every
single living human being in the United States, plus the accumulating
interest.
created an aggregate debt for the United States federal and state
governments of $14 trillion dollars. That's fourteen million million
dollars. Or, to put it in a more personal scale, more than $48,000 for every
single living human being in the United States, plus the accumulating
interest.
The interest on that government debt now exceeds all the personal income
tax
collected by that government. That means that the government isn't keeping
up with the interest on the debt, let alone able to pay down the principle.
Even before the wars started with lies, the US Government was sinking deeper
into debt by one third of a trillion dollars every year. With Bush's war,
the debt is increasing at another half trillion every year just at the
Federal level. And because the federal Government, struggling with payments
on past debts, is sending less money back to the states, the states are
sinking deeper into debt as well.
collected by that government. That means that the government isn't keeping
up with the interest on the debt, let alone able to pay down the principle.
Even before the wars started with lies, the US Government was sinking deeper
into debt by one third of a trillion dollars every year. With Bush's war,
the debt is increasing at another half trillion every year just at the
Federal level. And because the federal Government, struggling with payments
on past debts, is sending less money back to the states, the states are
sinking deeper into debt as well.
But that is not why we are damned.
The national fiscal crisis is accelerating because of soaring
unemployment,
and the forced migration of workers from higher paying jobs to lower paying
ones. This is occurring for two reasons. The first is that as tax revenues
falter, the cash-strapped government raises tax rates. This increases the
cost of products and services inside the United States without increasing
their quality or desirability. Indeed American companies, struggling to keep
prices competitive, are forced to sacrifice quality.
and the forced migration of workers from higher paying jobs to lower paying
ones. This is occurring for two reasons. The first is that as tax revenues
falter, the cash-strapped government raises tax rates. This increases the
cost of products and services inside the United States without increasing
their quality or desirability. Indeed American companies, struggling to keep
prices competitive, are forced to sacrifice quality.
As an inevitable result, American companies have either been driven out
of
business by foreign competition able to sell superior products at lower
prices, or been forced to outsource their own operations to regions with
lower tax burdens.
business by foreign competition able to sell superior products at lower
prices, or been forced to outsource their own operations to regions with
lower tax burdens.
The US Government attempted to conceal this loss of manufacturing with
the
so-called "Service Economy", the ludicrous notion that one can prosper a
nation by doing each other's laundry for a fee. But while the moving of cash
back and forth for services created more opportunities for taxation, fewer
and fewer products were being made within the United States for sales to
foreign countries. All the while, Americans were buying foreign-made
products because they were of better quality and lower price than American
products. Indeed many products needed for every day life are simply not made
in the USA any more. When Ampex invented the VCR, they did not even bother
approaching American manufacturers but licensed directly to the Japanese.
When Seymour Cray was building his supercomputers, the chips he needed were
only available from Japanese manufacturers.
so-called "Service Economy", the ludicrous notion that one can prosper a
nation by doing each other's laundry for a fee. But while the moving of cash
back and forth for services created more opportunities for taxation, fewer
and fewer products were being made within the United States for sales to
foreign countries. All the while, Americans were buying foreign-made
products because they were of better quality and lower price than American
products. Indeed many products needed for every day life are simply not made
in the USA any more. When Ampex invented the VCR, they did not even bother
approaching American manufacturers but licensed directly to the Japanese.
When Seymour Cray was building his supercomputers, the chips he needed were
only available from Japanese manufacturers.
Money is flowing out of the country at a billion and a half dollars per
day.
And as government debt drives taxes higher, the situation can only get
worse.
And as government debt drives taxes higher, the situation can only get
worse.
But that is not why we are damned.
Despite the huge government debt, despite the loss of manufacturing over
the
last 30 years, despite soaring unemployment, despite American women and
children sleeping in alleys and eating out of trash cans, the United States
government hands out trillions of dollars as gifts to their friends (who
used to be their enemies) and to make war on their enemies (who used to be
their friends).
last 30 years, despite soaring unemployment, despite American women and
children sleeping in alleys and eating out of trash cans, the United States
government hands out trillions of dollars as gifts to their friends (who
used to be their enemies) and to make war on their enemies (who used to be
their friends).
But that is not why we are damned.
Maybe the problem is the Congress. Congress is supposed to represent
the
people, but a body composed of millionaires and lawyers can hardly be
expected to understand how to actually make things work. Maybe Congress
would better serve the people if it were made up of teachers, doctors, road
engineers, factory workers, bakers, people who actually know how to make a
nation function, build an infrastructure, and know what it is like to have
to live paycheck to paycheck in a nation where the government makes more
money off of your work than you do and is always asking for more.
people, but a body composed of millionaires and lawyers can hardly be
expected to understand how to actually make things work. Maybe Congress
would better serve the people if it were made up of teachers, doctors, road
engineers, factory workers, bakers, people who actually know how to make a
nation function, build an infrastructure, and know what it is like to have
to live paycheck to paycheck in a nation where the government makes more
money off of your work than you do and is always asking for more.
But that is not why we are damned.
We are damned because we know all the above and do nothing. Like the
Germans
of 1930s Germany we see Der Fuhrer trying to distract the populace from the
self-serving choices the government makes by creating a war with lies and
deceptions, yet stay silent, less we be accused of being traitors to the
national security. We voice our outrage when a rock star bares her breast at
a sporting event, because rock stars cannot after all hurt us, raise our
taxes, or conscript our children to be crippled or killed in wars. But we
remain silent, or at best speak in hushed tones with a trusted few of our
concerns about the government, which does hurt us, which does raise our
taxes, and which has and continues to conscript our children to be crippled
or killed in wars.
of 1930s Germany we see Der Fuhrer trying to distract the populace from the
self-serving choices the government makes by creating a war with lies and
deceptions, yet stay silent, less we be accused of being traitors to the
national security. We voice our outrage when a rock star bares her breast at
a sporting event, because rock stars cannot after all hurt us, raise our
taxes, or conscript our children to be crippled or killed in wars. But we
remain silent, or at best speak in hushed tones with a trusted few of our
concerns about the government, which does hurt us, which does raise our
taxes, and which has and continues to conscript our children to be crippled
or killed in wars.
We are damned by our silence. We are damned by our inaction. We are
damned
by our fear to speak out. We are damned by our weakness. We are damned by
being sheep under a government of wolves.
by our fear to speak out. We are damned by our weakness. We are damned by
being sheep under a government of wolves.
We are damned unless and until you realize that your anger and outrage
must
be targeted where it is needed, not just where it is harmless. We are damned
by our willingness to be angry with those who cannot affect our lives, while
remaining too afraid to be angry with those who can. We are damned because
individuals who refuse to obey the law morally offend us, but we remain
enablers of a government that refuses to obey the Constitution. We are
damned until WE THE PEOPLE remember that we ARE a people, and that this
nation is US.
be targeted where it is needed, not just where it is harmless. We are damned
by our willingness to be angry with those who cannot affect our lives, while
remaining too afraid to be angry with those who can. We are damned because
individuals who refuse to obey the law morally offend us, but we remain
enablers of a government that refuses to obey the Constitution. We are
damned until WE THE PEOPLE remember that we ARE a people, and that this
nation is US.
The President is not the nation. The media is not the nation. The
selfish
desires of a powerful few are not the nation. The Congress is not the
nation.
desires of a powerful few are not the nation. The Congress is not the
nation.
This nation is 288 million teachers, doctors, bricklayers, road
layers,
bridging engineers, railroad workers, bakers, grocers, and thousands of
others who actually make the nation work. But we seem to have forgotten that
simple truth, that wisdom conveyed in those first three words to the
Preamble to the Constitution, "We The People".
bridging engineers, railroad workers, bakers, grocers, and thousands of
others who actually make the nation work. But we seem to have forgotten that
simple truth, that wisdom conveyed in those first three words to the
Preamble to the Constitution, "We The People".
The Constitution makes it clear that the nation is the people, and
the
government only a temporary custodian of our national sovereignty that rules
by and only by the leave of the people.
government only a temporary custodian of our national sovereignty that rules
by and only by the leave of the people.
We are damned because we have forgotten that the government is the
employee
of the people, and that like any employee the government is required to obey
orders, not to give them.
of the people, and that like any employee the government is required to obey
orders, not to give them.
We are damned because we have forgotten that as the employers of
the
government, we have the right to decide what our employees can do and more
importantly, what they cannot.
government, we have the right to decide what our employees can do and more
importantly, what they cannot.
We are damned because we have forgotten who is really supposed to be
in
charge.
charge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
