(nods)
Gave me a real lift today, thanks.
Here we're totally ad idem on this .
I've posted about the relation between financial disasters and wars before
Banking Crisis 1907 --> WWI 1914
Wall Street Crash 1929 --> WWII 1939
Global Economic Crisis 2008 --> WWIII 2018?
To me this is the big picture and it seems to be we're all under pressure with our eyes off the ball arguing over details - this is mere distraction while others pursue a war-mongering agenda.
The Masters of the Universe like wars.
Wars stimulate innovation and enterprise.
Wars allow for dramatic re-positioning of global influence.
Wars wipe out old established regimes and clear the ground
War create chaotic situations that the unprincipled can exploit.
Think of the contracts with the Chinese and French that were thrown into disarray by the Iraq Invasion and the wide scale looting of priceless treasures that took place during it.
Look at how accepting people are of the current Libyan Invasion supposedly to support some cobbled together "resistance" whose claim to fame seem to be pickups with field guns on the back.
When America goes to war all the financiers pockets suddenly deepen and a massive injection of capital goes into the defense economy - this is how it will survive the disaster it has brought on the rest of us.
If America doesn't wage war and renew its indigenous industries with new technologies that others desire in the later peacetime, it will fail.
If it stays in peace it will disappear into a double dip recession and it may not recover for a generation.
Its profligate over-spending leads to war and its wars lead it to recovery.
I'm not someone who accepts that this is the only route to progress.
People are inventing all the time, but in peace time vested interests can restrict development.
Look at the antics of Microsoft in the browser wars and the subsequent anti-trust cases in America and Europe.
I'd like to find some other way besides war to
(i) inject huge amounts of capital into an economy
(ii) create new technologies and products to stimulate demand
(iii) restore jobs and consumer confidence and replace austerity with good planning.
In that regard I think Minister Howlin's initiative of bringing in change managers and starting with a blank sheet on budgets and then justifying expenditure on each item is a good proposal.
Perhaps America would try it, that is if it had and honest and accountable Dept of Defense budgeting procedure.
You can help wondering how much of their "overspend" is actually buying influence and favours in advance of WWIII.