MTP Republican Debate 1-7-12 National Security & Economy
Hard Questions Not Asked, Hard Answers not given
We are seeking the best way forward – we may need to let go of our prejudices – disliking the other party, dismissing people we have not listened to. We may need the facts, it may be very hard work to sort this out.
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We are in heavy debt – our manufacturing is weak, our health is weak, our education is weak
My assumption is that we have to look based on current trends – can we sustain our military – and grow our economy – or could we be endangering our Nat Sec by not contracting military expenditures for a decade or so – while building our economy
US Popularity in the world
1. The US is the strongest military in the world today
2. The US is weakening in many key economic competitiveness factors
a. The growth of non wealth creating FIRE
b. The growth of debt
c. Our Reputation in the world
i. Fear not a good trade factor
ii. The Middle East: Its not what you do its how you do it
iii. Nucleur technology: Fear of a 60 year old technology
1. Nanotech
2. Cyber War
3. Anti Missile
4. Drone
iv. ROI : War on Terror
3. Using Game theory
a. Lets suppose we are in a game where ultimately we might attack each other
i. In most games the US would have to attack immediately or cut military to invest in its human and economic resources:
ii. Manufacturing Science and Culture
4. How does the US develop its prosperity for its people, middle upper and lower ?
a. How does our military position help us?
Here are my questions for the candidates:
a. Wealth concentration : Once enough ownership of resources have been concentrated – how does freeing up money from wasteful public sector spending translate into improved health education and small business?
b. Why does the US have more prisoners than any other country?
c. Why have we effectively declared martial law against small groups of extremists, when terrorist activity is no greater than it has been since the 1960s?
d. Why do politicians want to pass laws throwing away 400 years of hard earned liberties?
e. What if an unscrupulous group come to power – who want to abuse these powers/
f. Did not the founders warn us of unchecked power in Govt?
g. How does having a military related debt equal to our entire K12 system make us safer?
h. If we can concede that non wealth creating expenditures – (things that do not feed people) sap our strength as a nation (Eisenhower) why wouldn’t we first draw down – build up our economic power – and then consider projecting US military power?
i. Will not we ultimately be defeated if we misallocate our resources?
j. The data we want to get at: What are the trends in:
a. Workforce Skill
b. R & D
c. Education
d. Health
e. Poverty
Conclusion: I would argue that our misallocation of our economy towards security is actually harming our security
What is the benefit of being the worlds military superpower – when we are declining as
State and Local Debt add an additional 3 trillion at minimum
Other factors: Steady trend towards needing less workers, outsourcing
Constant Concentration of wealth
2050
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL94BDF26CF7EFA594 Playlist of 3 part analysis series:
References:
http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/world-2050/pdf/world2050emergingeconomies.pdf http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/debt-state-governments-local-trillion-federal-rich-states-poor-states/2010/08/01/id/366260 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_future_gross_government_debt http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/ihdi/ http://www.microtopia.org/us-and-california-politics-and-policy/index/USCompetivenessII.xls?attredirects=0&d=1