I made a mistake in a previous column. I said that Iraq was costing $150 million a day. Untrue. It is costing $300 million a day, or $8 billion a month. Now, do you happen to know or realize just how much $8 billion is? These figures are thrown around by the media and government endlessly, as though they meant nothing, and there’s nothing to worry about. Bill Gates is the richest man in the world, and all his wealth wouldn’t pay for Iraq more than a few months. Here’s what a billion dollars is:
A billion dollar bills placed end to end, would stretch 4.5 times around the earth, or 31,500 times across the USA, coast to coast.
Is this real money, or pieces of paper fluttering down from the presses of the Government Printing Office on 14th St, in D.C.?
The largest crimes in history were facilitated by paper money, which was un-backed, and printed without limits. Nations have fallen because of this, and America is repeating history not only of itself, but of practically every other nation which has fallen, even before the printing press. When governments produce “fiat’ money, or fake money to embellish its politicians and itself, the citizenry always suffers, not the politicians who either do this or permit it to happen. They have to do this, because they have voted for the permissiveness which made printing press money necessary. Taxes never cover spending, so they resort to the presses, in order to get re-elected. If they didn’t promise more than they take in, they would lose to the politician or candidate who promised it. In other words, perhaps what we need is not ’democracy,’ but what? I have no idea. Democracy, which we don’t really have, is about the worst form of government…other than all the rest. Is there really a sound way to run a nation without politicians voting “earmarks,” (15,000 of late), so they can get re-elected, and at the same time bankrupt the citizenry who voted them into office? Is there a possible solution to this? YES, but it’ll never happen. The way is to rid America of Washington D.C. and the entire federal government, except possibly a few small branches, which the Constitution allows. I waste endless hours and minutes writing this drivel, knowing all I advocate will never happen. 99% of America watches TV, and dumbs down their brains. Probably 95% of America never reads a book, never thinks, has no sense of logic, and watches TV. The world watches America, and America watches TV. They wonder who Donald Trump will fire, or who will be the next “Idol.” I have never watched these shows, and can only hope I am correct in my assumptions. I am glad I am 72, but fear for the world in which my grandchildren will have to live. See? I don’t end sentences with prepositions, but I understand that this rule has been abandoned, and that “ain’t,” plus a few other slang words are now in the dictionaries, and are acceptable. The Sunday news shows are becoming less and less interesting to me, because all they talk about is the D.C. Gang, and what they are up to of late. Why doesn’t someone figure out how to get rid of them?