TheBanyanTree: Almanac Rant

[Tom Smith]

WARNING: the following is a political commentary and not
uplifting.  Perhaps screaming will make a reader feel better
and I genuinely hope so.  I can only offer by way
explanation that it is my own, that it sprang from the
recent experience of browsing through a Christmas present. 
I've read several political rants here, so I figure it's
allowed..  For all deeply beloved non-U.S. tree dwellers
please forgive my use of "we" and "our."
  

A surprise Christmas present for me this year was a 2007 
World Almanac.  One remarkable statement I found under the 
heading "Surpising Facts" was: "U.S. defense spending of 465
billion in 2004 was more than 3 times the combined estimate 
of spending by Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Syria." 

Rough interpreting that..  The best spin I can put on it is
that if defense-spending buys safety, we're the safest
country on earth.  We certainly must be the most paranoid. 

Our current national debt ceiling was raised last year to 9 
trillion.  The interest on that debt is now 405 billion, not
far behind that mind-boggling 2004 defense spending.  The
per capita U.S. national debt is currently $29,000.  Double
that for our 2-member household share.  To make this
meaningful, imagine giving up $58K in personal assets.  What
would you part with?    Total outstanding U.S. consumer
credit outstanding is less than 3 billion, a drop in the
bucket by comparison. 

Our creditors are not going to hold onto debt and have it
dissolved by inflation, they are going to buy U.S. assets.
9 trillion will buy a chunk of monstrous proportions, and
the control that goes along with ownership.  We should know
how that goes; for the total trifle of 32 million, we
puchased Alaska, Arizona and more than 2/3 of the land west
of the Mississippi.     
   
We have the best government money can buy and it is for
sale.  If a significant amount of influence is bought by
creditors for laws and policy favorable to them, it's a safe
bet our debt will not be going away.  

Whining away,
Tom

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