The perversity of the American debt....best I've read...long..

topstuf

This is the best summary I've read to date. If you're one of the geeks who follow stuff like this, it's a must read. Debt, dollar, oil.....other boring stuff.

The article

mhammerman

I'm sure this is a very astute article, but it's a little sophisticated for the lay palate.

topstuf

I know. That's why I put the warning there. But....."lay palates" can become less lay with information.

maybe.

BlindedByEgo

<< <i>I'm sure this is a very astute article, but it's a little sophisticated for the lay palate. >>



"Lay palate"... Sounds either kinky or French, possibly both.

topstuf

Hey, whut about Ponchus Palate?

huh?

mhammerman

Don't get me wrong...it is a very good article and interesting to read. In reflecting, I just couldn't fathom what it means. Though these games are played way above our heads, we get to listen to the prognosticators prior to the game, we sometimes get the play-by-play, and we get the score after the game...I just don't know what it all means, hell, I can't even tell who won.

AgMe

The article is silly, the US enjoyed the greatest economic time (dot com era) when the US military was in a state of complete disarray... if economic might is determined by the power of one's army, then everything would be quoted in Rubles; the US has the reserve currency because of our ideas/lifestyle, it's the talent that has attracted capital.

Military power is not the source of wealth, it only consumes it.

Freak1c

Topstuff,

Very good reading. This information is, IMO, very accurate. You have a choice, either you do things our way (US) or you will do things our way, Ok ? Good ! Unfortunately, this type of bullying has been the problem all along (the American way). This is why we went to Iraq, this is why we are going to Iran, and this is why we are going to... Norway ??? WOW, that is the first I have heard of this. Most people here in America believe the world loves America because of what we have done FOR them. When in reality the world is pissed for what we DID to them. Of course, you will not here this on CNN, FOX, or any other news channels. It does come down to money/control and we the American people are seen as the devil.



<< <i>US defense outlays will reach an official, staggering level of $663 billion in the current Fiscal 2007 year. The combined EU spending amounts to a mere $75 billion, with tendency declining, in part owing to ECB Maastricht deficit pressures on its governments. >>



This is staggering ! Although we need to have a strong defense, look at the cost. IMO, we create fear among the people, convince them that we need to spend to save lives from our enemies, but, who will rise and save us from ourselves ? We are on a witch hunt.

Freak

topstuf

The conundrum is that we haven't figured this out on our own case in Iraq yet.

This is WHY the Iraq war is such a morass.

The US can not figure out how to use military superiority (unquestioned) against an enemy that does not care if he dies.

An Abrams tank is ....paper.... to a determined and convinced adversary .... ON FOOT.... with 100 pounds of C-4 strapped to him yellin "Allah Akhbar."

We can NOT ....ever.... "win" a war against such tactics. As we SHOULD have remembered from our scrap with England.

NO military equipment can beat a conviction.

never.

mhammerman

This whole discussion is OT and soon the forum dogs will be on our heels so we must hurry!

This is a good article and thanks. There does seem to be a concern over the schism between US policies/power, and well meaning intentions of the US citizens. Actually, it's more than a schism...it's a total disconnect. This article is about money and power, projecting it, protecting it, and making sure we control it. American people have little desire for war anymore...many of us still live with the memories of VN war and the nightly visits by Gen. Westmoreland coming into our living room and telling us we have to kick the Commies out of VN today or they will bury us tomorrow so we must send more people, now. We, as individuals have little desire to project our power or policies on anyone anymore. We really don't care what happens in most of the God forsaken corners of the world that we have never heard of, particularly the non-christian world except perhaps we kind of like the Buddhists for some reason...probably because they openly preach peace and they threaten no one. It is unfortunate that we have this dichotomy of peaceful intent v.s. hostile action, be it financial or military; however; that is where we find ourselves. Regardless, we still have to compete at the global level for our piece of the pie, and after all, we have earned it. Our piece of the pie has been fully bought and paid for.

All most folks here want to do is make our house note, take care of our kids and have a nice job (and maybe collect a few coins)...life is good! We are at the least, a very generous people...the first thing we do when there is a problem or somebody in trouble is offer to help...it's just our nature, be it in the US, or in Indonesia, or even North Korea, we love to help and offer something to comfort troubled people. We want to share our prosperity, at the individual level...everyone here just loves to help out. But...we have this schism. How we see ourselves, and what people see us as are truly two different visions.

But, I have a solution...give everyone a voucher, a piece of the pie, a share of the US. The only question is how do you do this...give everyone a stake in peace and prosperity through power and dominance? Now, there's a 21st century question.


Uriah Heep

topstuf

Not OT.....

Knowledge of economic matters is inseparable from numismatics.

BESIDES..... making it easier to steer a course that will allow one to afford some COINS.

BlindedByEgo

<< <i>This whole discussion is OT and soon the forum dogs will be on our heels so we must hurry!

>>



Probably does belong in the OF, so I'll post a photo of the solution:

oreville

Justinian I (AD 527-565) of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire in the 6th century saw Constanople (Istanbul) at its greatest military might since the Roman Empire (Constantine) in the early 4th century.



Justinian was one of the first emperors to be depicted wielding the cross on the obverse of a coin.

Yet, right after Justinian I, the empire fell into serious disrepair.

This awaits our fate. I expect, the US will end up having to close 80% of our world wide bases after we are economically forced to leave Iraq. The same thing happened to Great Britain in WWII followed by the 1969-1971 era of humble pie.

AndyNC2005

What I gathered was that a deal was worked that Oil would be paid for in dollars and we would not object to the huge price increase. The countries would then invest those dollars in our economy.

PS.

The Russian Military was never as good as ours. They were very good at deception and misinformation.