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RE: .An uncontrolled fiscal crisis.. America.s futureunder George Bush.


From: "Dennis Henderson" <hendo () hendohome com>
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2005 07:20:55 -0600

<Spraying Full can of Bullshit Repellent on this>.

Total crap.. 

If you believe any of this, you probably day-trade your 401k...

Move on people... Nothing to see here... 

-----Original Message-----
From: J.A. Terranson [mailto:measl () mfn org] 
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2005 2:26 AM
To: Full-Disclosure
Subject: [Full-disclosure] .An uncontrolled fiscal crisis.. 
America.s futureunder George Bush.


While we're debunking George...


http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Apr05/Whitney0411.htm

 The Economic Tsunami: Sooner Than You Think by Mike Whitney 
www.dissidentvoice.org April 11, 2005

Send this page to a friend! (click here)






.If the world's central bankers accumulate fewer dollars, the 
result would be an unrelenting American need to borrow in the 
face of an ever weaker dollar -- a recipe for higher interest 
rates and higher prices. The economic repercussions could 
unfold gradually, resulting in a long, slow decline in living 
standards. Or there could be a quick unraveling, with the 
hallmarks of an uncontrolled fiscal crisis..

-- New York Times editorial, 4/2/05

It seems that there are a growing number of people who 
believe, as I do, that the economic tsunami planned by the 
Bush administration is probably only months away. In just 
five short years the national debt has increased by nearly $3 
trillion while the dollar has continued its precipitous 
decline. The dollar has fallen a whopping 38% since Bush took 
office, due largely to the massive $450 billion per year tax 
cuts. At the same time, numerous laws have been passed 
(Patriot Act, Intelligence Reform Bill, Homeland Security 
Bill, National ID, Passport requirements etc) anticipating 
the need for greater repression when the economy takes its 
inevitable nosedive. Regrettably, that nosedive looks to be 
coming sooner rather than later.

The administration is currently putting as much pressure as 
possible on OPEC to ratchet up the flow of oil another 1 
million barrels per day (well over capacity) to settle down 
nervous markets and buy time for the planned bombing of Iran 
in June. Like Fed Chief Alan Greenspan.s artificially low 
interest rates, the manipulation of oil production is a way 
of concealing how dire the situation really is. Rising prices 
at the pump signal an upcoming recession (depression?) so the 
administration is pulling out all the stops to meet the 
short-term demand and maintain the illusion that things are 
still okay. (Bush would rather avoid massive popular unrest 
until his battle plans for Iran are carried out)

But, of course, things are not okay. The country has been 
intentionally plundered and will eventually wind up in the 
hands of its creditors as Bush and his lieutenants planned 
from the very beginning. Those who don.t believe this should 
note the methodical way that the deficits have been produced 
at (around) $450 billion per year; a systematic and orderly 
siphoning off of the nation.s future. The value of the dollar 
and the increasing national debt follow exactly the same 
(deliberate) downward trajectory.

This same Ponzi scheme has been carried out repeatedly by the 
IMF and World Bank throughout the world; Argentina being the 
last dramatic illustration. (Argentina.s economic collapse 
occurred when its trade deficit was running at 4%; right now 
ours is at an unprecedented 6%.) Bankruptcy is a fairly 
straightforward way of delivering valuable public assets and 
resources to collaborative industries, and of annihilating 
national sovereignty. After a nation is successfully driven 
to destitution, public policy decisions are made by creditors 
and not by representatives of the people. (Enter Paul Wolfowitz)

Did Americans really believe they could avoid a similar fate?

If so, they.d better forget about it, because the hammer is 
about to come down big-time, and the collateral damage will be huge.

The Bush administration is mainly comprised of 
internationalists. That doesn.t mean that they .hate 
America,. simply that they are committed to bringing America 
into line with the .new world order. and an economic regime 
that has been approved by corporate and financial elites alike.
Their patriotism extends no further than the garish 
tri-colored flag on their lapel. The catastrophe that middle 
class Americans face is what these elites breezily refer to 
as .shock therapy.: a sudden jolt, followed by fundamental 
changes to the system. In the near future we can expect tax 
reform, fiscal discipline, deregulation, free capital flows, 
lowered tariffs, reduced public services, and privatization. 
In other words, a society entirely designed to service the 
needs of corporations.

There are a number of signs that the economy is close to 
meltdown-stage.
Even with cheap energy, low interest rates and $450 billion 
in borrowed revenue pumped into the system each year, the 
economy is still barely treading water. This has a lot to due 
with the colossal shifting of wealth brought on by the tax 
cuts. Supply side, trickle down theories have been widely 
discredited and Bush.s tax cuts have done nothing to 
stimulate the economy as promised. Now, with oil tilting 
towards $60 per barrel, the economic landscape is changing 
quickly, and shock waves are already being felt throughout 
the country.

The Iraq war has contributed considerably to our current 
dilemma. The conflict has taken nearly one million barrels of 
Iraqi oil per day off line (the exact amount that the 
administration is trying to replace by pressuring OPEC). In 
other words, the astronomical prices at the pump are the 
direct result of Bush.s war. The media has failed to report 
on the negative affects the war has had on oil production, 
just as they have obscured the incredibly successful 
insurgent strategy of destroying pipelines. This isn.t a 
storyline that plays well to the American public, who 
expected that Iraq would be paying for its own reconstruction by now.
Instead, the resistance is striking back at the empire.s 
Achilles heel (America.s need for massive amounts of cheap 
oil) and it's having a damaging affect on the US economy.

Just as the economy cannot float along with sharp increases 
in oil prices, so too Bush.s profligate deficits threaten the 
dollar.s status as the world.s reserve currency. This is much 
more serious than a simple decline in the value of the 
dollar. If the major oil producers convert from the dollar to 
the euro, the American economy will sink almost overnight. If 
oil is traded in euros then central banks around the world 
would be compelled to follow and America will be required to 
pay off its enormous
$8 trillion debt. That, of course, would be doomsday for the 
American economy. But, a recent report indicates that 
two-thirds of the world.s 65 central banks have already 
.begun to move from dollars to euros.. The Bush plan to 
savage the dollar has been telegraphed around the world and, 
as the New York Times says, .the greenback has nowhere to go 
but down..
There.s only one thing that the administration can do to 
ensure that energy dealers keep trading in dollars.control 
the flow of oil. That means that an attack on Iran is nearly 
a certainty.

The difficulties facing both the dollar and the economy are 
not insurmountable. The world has been more than willing to 
compensate for America.s wasteful spending as long as America 
shows itself to be a responsible steward of the global 
economy. However, the administration.s military and economic 
recklessness suggests that some of the key players on the 
world stage (particularly Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Germany, 
France, China, Brazil) are collaborating on an alternate 
plan, a contingency plan.
If Iran is bombed in an unprovoked act of aggression, we will 
certainly see this plan activated. The most likely scenario 
would be a quick switch to the euro that would have grave 
implications for the American economy (Russia has already 
indicated that it will do this). For Iran, an attack would 
justify arming disparate terrorist organizations with the 
weaponry they need to attack American and Israeli interests 
wherever they may be.
In any event, an unprovoked attack will dispel the remaining 
illusions about Bush.s war against terror and confirm to 
everyone that we are engaged in a new world war; a conflict 
for global domination.
Tough Years Ahead

The neoliberal chickens have come home to roost. America has 
become the latest staging ground for the eccentric economic 
policies of the Washington Consensus. The towering national 
debt coupled with the staggering trade deficits have put the 
nation on a precipice and a seismic shift in the fortunes of 
middle-class Americans is looking more likely all the time. 
The New York Times summarized the country.s prospects like this:

.The economic repercussions could unfold gradually, resulting 
in a long, slow decline in living standards. Or there could 
be a quick unraveling, with the hallmarks of an uncontrolled 
fiscal crisis..

.An uncontrolled fiscal crisis.. America.s future under George Bush.

We are facing years of collective struggle ahead. If there.s 
a quick fix, I have no idea what it might be.

Mike Whitney lives in Washington state, and can be reached at:
fergiewhitney () msn com.



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