The debate going on about the Iraq stupidity is a debate that should be fought but what about the larger issue. The tenacles of Empire that U.S. politicans dream about in their sleep. Since the end of WW II the Empire has spent hundreds of billions ot dollars potecting the world from itself. What has been the return on our investment? The death of how many American men and women. A total debt burden of how many trillions of dollars. Debt that will never be repaid. The borrower is servant to the lender. We as a nation have become servants to nations like China and Japan. Government debt does not promoted long term growth within an economy but slows growth as the savings are used to promoted government growth instead of economic growth. Savings is the key to long term growth.

What keeps people from saving? Government taxation and consumerism has destroyed savings in this nation. People are cashing in their 401k's to pay off debt, creating a future crisis when retirement comes along. I have learned many years ago that the best way to save is by taking the money out before I see it. The reason the 401k is such a great idea is because you never see the money. The problem with the 401k is that people are not trained in investing. Everyone is a genius in a bull market. Very few people are genius in flat markets. The problem I have with most investment books is that they are based on the premise that you can get unrealistic returns for long periods of time. Usually when people get unrealistic returns on investments the bubble will usually bursts causing wailing and nashing of teeth.

So what is the long term solution to the Empire's problems. First, bring the troops home. Stop being the protector of the world. The world doesn't want your protection. Begin to dismantle the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about. Second, eliminate the income tax and replace it with sales tax on all finsihed goods. This would encourage savings instead of spending. No nation can maintain and grow an economy based on consumerism. Savings allows a nation to build it's industrial base by investing the money into research and development of new equipment and products for export. Third, begin the dismantling of the welfare state of all kinds. A nation on welfare is a nation enslaved.