What I’m getting at is that last March Hoover Institute scholar Robert
Higgs wrote a piece entitled, “The Trillion-Dollar Defense Budget Is
Already Here.” http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1941

His point is that the public is continually deceived about how much
the govt really spends on defense. It’s much, much more than we’re
told. Apart from what we spend on Afghanistan and Iraq, and “Homeland
Security,” last year the total was about $1 Trillion. Add in the wars
and the costs for the “Department of Homeland Security,” and “The
Surge,” and it’s not unreasonable to believe that we’re spending about
$1.5 Trillion, total. That’s about $10,000 for every working man in
the USA, and ~11% of the GDP. And why not?

While we may cut Medicare and Social Security, and throwing out the
weak and poor I believe is a idea whose time is coming, we sure as
hell won’t be cutting defense outlays. [Who would survive politically
if known for cutting the defense of our fatherland?]

There are, by some estimates, 4,000 military bases in the USA and 740
military bases in foreign countries. Oodles of money is being made to
arm, equip, staff and run them. Every call to close them is met by an
angry claque of both libs and conservatives pols whose oxen would be
gored if the useless bases were shut. And so we still have “forts” to
defend the Oklahoma territories from possible attacks by indians!

Relatedly, defense contractors have facilities in all congressional
districts. Any attempt to cut defense outlays similarly threatens
“patriotic workers,” and so faces a similar claque.

It’s a perfect recipe for those of us who invest in death, I mean,
invest in the “military industrial complex.” The poor will be thrown
overboard way before we seriously challenge our policy of bankrupting
the country by overspending on warring.

America no longer makes much of anything anyone actually wants to buy
- except for one thing: armaments. Since it’s arguably the only
preeminent industry we still have, and since it’s so lavishly funded
by the public, it makes perfect sense to invest “patriotically.” For
that way, we can profit as America goes bankrupt while continuing its
endless search of enemies to destroy.

And the best part of all is that you can say that you remained true to
the defense of your threatened country throughout its demise!

Looked at this way, even “bad” news can actually turn out to be good.
For example, today’s NY Times headline, “Pakistanis Deal Severe Defeat
to Musharraf in Election,” can only mean one thing: We’re gonna have
to spend more on defense if our pivotal ally in the pivotal state of
Pakistan is rejected. While “America” as a whole may lose here, smart
investors may still come out victorious.

I should think Lockheed Martin (LMT), Boing (BA), General Dynamics
(GD), General Electric (GE- I know: it’s been a slow grind; but it’s
got a decent dividend, it’s well connected politically, and so it may
have legs), and a few others are worth taking a peek at. That is, if
you *really* love America.

http://chiasmos.uchicago.edu/media/david_harvey.mp3

The Russians, even if they liberated Poland (and were kept themselves there by force rather than calm “diplomacy”) finally decided to leave. They didn’t have to – as Patrick Buchanan prominently wrote not that long time ago. Same happened for Austria, Czechoslovakia…the Russians left, and this is going to start the cycle of remembering Russians for some good things, after the bad ones.

Korans, as population – want Americans out. Alas, USA is dealing always with the goverments, autocrats etc. – disregarding the democratic wishes of the lowly masses. How ironic, for the “beacon of World Democracy”!

George

The best and brightest my ass.