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>>> this planet would be for the US economy to collapse >>> totally - pulling down the economies all the >> >> You may be correct -- and then we should all support >> Bush for re-election since is doing more to bring that >> about than anyone in my memory. ;] [...] >Besides, this is outside his control, aside from >domestic measures. Much of the US economy rests on the The domestic policy is important, As Bush pushes the US further into deficit with military spending, and takes money from the poor to give to the rich, consumption will be hitting a wall, and the US is a big market. Production also falls, and unemployment rises. There is also the problem of trade policies and tarriffs. The US is such a significant part of the world economy, and it's foreign policies so influencial -- as with the IMF, for example -- that it can do a lot of damage world-wide. >dollar's role as a reserve currency. And since it >has massive debts and a high trade deficit, it's >the world that could bring about a change for the >worse: > >If most of the world switched to the Euro as the >oil and reserve currency standard it would affect >the US economy. So would withdrawing foreign investments from the US. >Many countries are diversifying their currency >reserves away from the dollar. > >This wouldn't ruin the US, but it would curb its >ability to ruin and destroy other countries. Actually, the most effective thing other nations could do to effect the US is on the production side: a huge proportion of products the US uses is from other nations. If strikes were held there would be shortages, prices in the US would rise, and some critical materials or components could cripple even domestic production. The US has an arrogance far outstripping it's dependence on the rest of the world. This seems to be akin to the attitude of the rich industrialists who think they should be paid outragous salaries and benefits because they "provide jobs for thousands of workers" and "generate great wealth" -- never realizing that it is actually the workers who are generating the wealth and making it possible for the CEOs to skim off so much cream. They continually confuse money with wealth, and invent systems where the rich can get money by destroying wealth. At some point the fallacy of this kicks in however. One example is the last stock market bubble bursting. Another is Iraq: not only was much in Iraq destroyed, but all the resources which went into making the weapons -- which might have been used for products people could use -- were blown up with the bombs. The TV showed a picture of a truck being hit with a smart missile -- an old $20,000 truck and a million dollar bomb both up in smoke (as well as a few people): for what? To what gain? There are still people here who chant "war is good for the economy". It's absurd. In reality there is only a question of actual wealth, and time. The whole of finance is based on trying to manipulate time: the time it saves to use money instead of barter, the faith in future increased production vs investment of wealth in the present when loans are made -- borrowing from the future, depending on a better future to pay the debts incurred in the present. >But what I originally meant is that the greedy >West will have to cut back its expectations: Stop >killing and exploiting other people, and our >planet for filthy lucre. Live and let live - >or bust. Yes. With the systems in place now an illusion is woven where those in power forget that taking short term profit at the expense of long term growth can not continue indefinitely, and those profits have become a substitute for valid social esteem, human relationships, ego security, and such -- the true wealth of humanity. Now they talk about liberating the Iraqis by killing and maiming them. It's like feasting on the seed corn. It's mortgaging the future of humanity for a wild, indulgent orgy of power-lust, to be paid for by the people of other nations. The world is still paying the fearsome price of the past orgies of colonialism. Disease, starvation, civil unrest, dwindling resources, global warming, human misery; the disaster of 9/11 was just one breaking wave in a very troubled ocean. The disasterous consequences of the sanctions and war on Iraq will be with us for years to come. Virtually all of the analysis is in terms of what was rather than what might have been. It's impossible to know what was lost by the death of so many, by the destruction of Iraq, by the thwarting of the development that was occuring there before the US and UK interfered, destroyed, and killed. The current US policies of repression and greed in Iraq not only bring misery to the people, but preclude the genius of the nation from fufilling the destinies which would benefit the entire world. How many geniuses or prophets -- those who advance mankind in wonderful ways -- will have died as children or will have been abused beyond hope, and never reach their potential, to the great loss of all people? All so Bechtel can get a bit more cash! Consider what ancient Athens, for all its faults, did for mankind with a population of only some 20,000. What have we lost in Iraq?? ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. 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