Re: can you hear the bells ringing

Washington DC

Description

Your post was very well written and I agree with 90% of it; however, I think you missed the point in one area. The USA is a waring nation. We are not the peaceful nation we like to represent to the world. Since 1915,we've been at war in one way or another, more than any other country on the planet. Instead of taking over our enemies, we chose the option to retain a military presence that, in many ways, stimulated the economies of the countries we battled and our presence allowed us to control many aspects of the developing world. It allowed us to establish the dollar as the most common and trusted currency on the planet. Because our money is sought after on a global scale, it has a higher value and there's more of it in circulation. That alone has bolstered our economy 10 fold beyond what it would have been if our economy was based solely on the value of what we can produce. We are a small population of 330+ million competing with two nations that have 3 to 4 times our population. I hate that we spend so much money on our military and I believe we could cut back on that funding: however, at the end of the day, the only way we can retain our high standard of living, based on a strong dollar, is to continue to maintain overseas relationships and military prowess. Keep in mind, there are some 3rd world nations where the average citizen only make the equivalent of 2-4 dollars a day. You could work here for two years, take your savings and retire in one of those nations and never work again. That's how good we have it. Albeit, you might not wish to live in those conditions. If the republicans are successful in tearing down our democratic principles, like they tried on 1/6, that's when I think you'll hear the bells, because once our elections are no longer trusted and our leaders are considered illegitimate, then we will have lost the trust we currently possess on a global scale and the value of the dollar will plummet. The Yen or the Euro will likely take over as the world currency. Since there will be no national trust, our allies will form alliances without us and we will become alienated just like Russia, China and N. Korea. We will lose our leverage in trade agreements that we enjoy due to a strong dollar. The dollar will no longer be the trusted world currency and inflation will run rampant like it did in Venezuela several years ago when their main revenue, oil, dropped in price and they had no domestic products sufficient to support their economy. If that happens, then you'll hear the bells. Keep in mind, money makes the world go round and paper money is an illusion. In and of itself, it's worthless. It's just a piece of paper. It's perceived value is based solely on that which the masses choose to place upon it. When you start messing with 250 years of trusted democratic principles, those perceptions of monetary value can be turned upside down. If the country is to be destroyed, then it will be the extreme right that initiates the fall.