Glenn E. says:

Well if this is going to turn into a discussion about economics. I believe the US being the world’s Policeman (or Mercenary) is an awful drain on the economy. The nation’s defense budget is one of the biggest items, that only manages to get bigger each year. And printing more money, that is collected by taxing, to pay for it. Keeps reducing the value of the nation currency. And thus raises prices for everything, thru inflation. But it’s the defense industry, in the US, that refuses and resists any kind of belt tightening. Or budget cutting. So sooner is it tried, another excuse to fight a war somewhere is manufactured. Like Iraq, and now Afghanistan. Before those, we had Somalia. Remember the “peace dividend” the US was suppose to get by pulling troops out of eastern Europe? It got spent pretty fast.

As long as the US devotes so much of its GDP to fighting wars, and protecting the rest of the world. It’s doomed to end up like Russia. With it’s economic collapse, the result of runaway military spending. Soldiering and weapons making, is just about the only jobs the US doesn’t outsource to other countries. And that’s by law. But the return on the monetary investment, isn’t good. War is not a positive and productive venture.

Except if you’re one of the lucky rich bastards who run the defense corporations. Or who are of the high ranking military, who stand to be employed by them, after retiring. That includes ex-astronauts, who become aerospace VPs. Eisenhower warned us, in his speech, before leaving office. But it’s not been heeded much, all this time. I’m sure it will finally be heeded, once there is no more economy left.

Grandpa says:

“No problem officer. But please speak English. I’m old and haven’t learned Spanish yet.”

I think if I can practically strip to ride a plane, I can and will happily furnish proof of citizenship. Anyone got a better solution to the problem? It won’t go away by ignoring it.