Bush Feeds the Wrong Dog
There is an analogy used in explaining how to deal with personal vices that has been around for a long time. It compares a personal vice to a large, mean, black dog kept in the basement. The Golden Retriever of Virtue however, is allowed to roam freely. When we choose to act on our vices, we feed the dog in the basement, and the Retriever goes hungry. The point is simple: Stop feeding the wrong dog.
The foreign affairs Mr. Bush has focused on since the year 2000 have revolved around his own idea of what the axis of evil is. At the time he uttered the statement, that included Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.
So Mr. Bush decided that after invading Afghanistan to ostensibly capture Osama Bin Laden, and since Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, he invaded them.
Oops.
Despite the reassurance from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who sold chemical and biological weapons to Saddam Hussein during Reagan's administration, the coalition forces to date have not found any weapons of mass destruction, nor the ability to make them.
Meanwhile, North Korea claims to have enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear warheads. And Iran has stated that their non-weapons nuclear ambitions will continue regardless of United Nations sanctions.
And all this means nothing. Because recently another country of far greater importance fired a missile that took out a satellite. Now imagine the possibilities. This country could fire several of these itself, and so take out US satellites that are used to spy on countries. Or it could sell that same missile to countries like Iran. Or Venezuela. Or Egypt. Maybe even Pakistan. Another possibility is that it could do both. It could sell it as well as use it.
Now consider if this same country was owner of a significant portion of US national debt.
Consider then China.
China is the dog that Bush continues to feed with massive amounts on national borrowing and cheap labor to feed the profit hungry capitalists. And just look what they have done with all the money they have made. They demonstrate that they are capable of poking our eyes out.
Also consider that the Chinese economy, and their need for oil, dwarfs ours. And they are actively hunting for oil. They already purchase a large portion of Iran's oil. And there is talk that Venezuela might shift a large portion of their future oil contracts to China. And why not? China has the money to pay for it. America does not.
Not that this means that China is a military threat. To some extent they are. They could blind us, but that would only mean that they are interested in making an overland move on another country. The threat that China poses is economic.
Suppose China began to allow their currency it's true value compared to our debt saddled dollar? Suppose they decided to either call in the debt, or sell it off? What if they decided they wanted more for the goods they make for us? Or all of the above? Inflation would cripple our economy immediately. China is poised then to become the imminent world power, more because of the size of it's economy, and the lack of any real foe to challenge it, militarily or financially.
Here is a perfect example of how short sighted capitalism and conservatism are. If they indeed see this potential problem, they are doing nothing to stop it. Or they don't see it. Either way, we are definitely not dealing with a growing problem. And the first and best place to start correcting this problem is to start the comeback of four words.
Four words that will reassert us economically. Four words that will generate jobs. Four words that will reduce the trade imbalance. Four words that will revive the American middle class. Four words done with pride and skill. Four words that will kill the dog in the basement.
They are not "Don't feed the Dog."
They are,
"Made in the USA"
The foreign affairs Mr. Bush has focused on since the year 2000 have revolved around his own idea of what the axis of evil is. At the time he uttered the statement, that included Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.
So Mr. Bush decided that after invading Afghanistan to ostensibly capture Osama Bin Laden, and since Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, he invaded them.
Oops.
Despite the reassurance from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who sold chemical and biological weapons to Saddam Hussein during Reagan's administration, the coalition forces to date have not found any weapons of mass destruction, nor the ability to make them.
Meanwhile, North Korea claims to have enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear warheads. And Iran has stated that their non-weapons nuclear ambitions will continue regardless of United Nations sanctions.
And all this means nothing. Because recently another country of far greater importance fired a missile that took out a satellite. Now imagine the possibilities. This country could fire several of these itself, and so take out US satellites that are used to spy on countries. Or it could sell that same missile to countries like Iran. Or Venezuela. Or Egypt. Maybe even Pakistan. Another possibility is that it could do both. It could sell it as well as use it.
Now consider if this same country was owner of a significant portion of US national debt.
Consider then China.
China is the dog that Bush continues to feed with massive amounts on national borrowing and cheap labor to feed the profit hungry capitalists. And just look what they have done with all the money they have made. They demonstrate that they are capable of poking our eyes out.
Also consider that the Chinese economy, and their need for oil, dwarfs ours. And they are actively hunting for oil. They already purchase a large portion of Iran's oil. And there is talk that Venezuela might shift a large portion of their future oil contracts to China. And why not? China has the money to pay for it. America does not.
Not that this means that China is a military threat. To some extent they are. They could blind us, but that would only mean that they are interested in making an overland move on another country. The threat that China poses is economic.
Suppose China began to allow their currency it's true value compared to our debt saddled dollar? Suppose they decided to either call in the debt, or sell it off? What if they decided they wanted more for the goods they make for us? Or all of the above? Inflation would cripple our economy immediately. China is poised then to become the imminent world power, more because of the size of it's economy, and the lack of any real foe to challenge it, militarily or financially.
Here is a perfect example of how short sighted capitalism and conservatism are. If they indeed see this potential problem, they are doing nothing to stop it. Or they don't see it. Either way, we are definitely not dealing with a growing problem. And the first and best place to start correcting this problem is to start the comeback of four words.
Four words that will reassert us economically. Four words that will generate jobs. Four words that will reduce the trade imbalance. Four words that will revive the American middle class. Four words done with pride and skill. Four words that will kill the dog in the basement.
They are not "Don't feed the Dog."
They are,
"Made in the USA"
posted by Gonzo at 20:34
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