By David Stockman
If you want to know why we have a $19 trillion national debt and a fiscal structure that will take that already staggering figure to $35 trillion and 140% of GDP within a decade, just consider the latest campaign fracas. That is, the shrieks of disbelief in response to Donald Trump’s sensible suggestion that the Europeans pay for their own defense.
The fact is, NATO has been an obsolete waste for 25 years. Yet the denizens of the Imperial City cannot even seem to grasp that the 4 million Red Army is no more; and that the Soviet Empire, which enslaved 410 million souls to its economic and military service, vanished from the pages of history in December 1991.
What is left is a pitiful remnant—–145 million aging, Vodka-besotted Russians who subsist in what is essentially a failing third world economy. Its larcenous oligarchy of Putin and friends appeared to live high on the hog and to spread a veneer of glitz around Moscow and St. Petersburg. But that was all based on the world’s one-time boom in oil, gas, nickel, aluminum, fertilizer, steel and other commodities and processed industrial materials.
Stated differently, the Russian economy is a glorified oil patch and mining town with a GDP the equivalent of the NYC metropolitan area. And that’s its devastating Achilles Heel.
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Trump is 100% correct.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe NATO has proven itself to be completely inefficient and apathetic to the world's woes, Trump has suggested they start paying their fair share.
ReplyDeleteSee the deal is this: Whenever other countries are attacked, the US is supposed to rush to their aid and wipe out their nemesis. (Using OUR taxpayer monies.) However, if the US is attacked, well, all we get is well-wishing and sad face emojis on Facebook! NATO doesn't do anything for the US but we do everything for everyone else in NATO.
Get the picture?
Perhaps it's time we started using the DC methodology with NATO like they do with so much within our corrupt career politician age. After all, Congress and the Senate are so good at that game as we've seen throughout the last thirty years. Perhaps they should start using back scratching to help America rather than merely stealing from taxpayers in order to maintain their power base and income streams.
65 % of NATO countries don't believe in fighting for other countries FACT so screw them.
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