Seeing the Round Corners

December 3, 2018

HOW HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

There’s that old cliché in the fashion industry about not throwing anything away, just save it and it will come back in fashion. Unfortunately, it’s not amusing when we are talking about America’s economy. The worst recession since the Great Depression started in 2008, give or take a bit, just a short ten years ago.

The economy has grown at an incredible pace under the Trump Administration, that is until the 2018 election. The Democrats have sought to wreck the economy since President Trump took office, only to be knocked on their behinds as unemployment declined to its lowest level in decades and the stock market at its highest level, quickly rebounding phenomenally even with a 610-point drop experienced recently, defying the experts who hide behind the cliché it’s time for market adjustment..

Does anyone have to ask about the timing of the recent General Motors news to close plants and end the jobs of more than 14,000 workers? Is it difficult to imagine the glee Democrats felt when that news hit?

Remember, the Great Recession of 2008 took place with Democrats in charge, giving pause for them to then gloat over the bailouts given to companies such as General Motors. Democrats have vowed to investigate Trump and all connected to him when they retake the house which seems to be a heads up that they will be otherwise engaged with no intention of dealing with the economy. The threat of re-opening the Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation was promised by California’s Dianne Feinstein.

It will be interesting to see how the anti-Trump media will deal with effect the General Motors shutdowns will have on the economy – hopefully it will finally be put in a position to have to report UNBIASED on the Democrat’s disastrous history on the economy.

Now for a re-play for a column from this writer’s archives.

August 8, 2011

THE REAL WASTE OF GOVERNMENT 

The naysayers have done it again – defeated the economic recovery and talked the country into a double-dip recession. 

In all the volumes of rhetoric from both sides of the aisle about the debt limit, the blame of America’s situation boils down to entitlements. It is never about the waste of dollars thrown away needlessly in foreign countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, for the benefit of U. S. contractors with the right connections. 

It is disillusioning to this writer to see American citizens, some considered the most vulnerable, being targeted as the cause of America’s economic situation and the horrendous deficit the country is facing. 

The war in Iraq was started on false/fraudulent information that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The world was eventually told none could be found. As the war in Iraq seems to have run its course, American soldiers now find themselves being sacrificed in Afghanistan, a place even Russia finally gave up on.   To this day, can anyone really justify to the American people the reason for fighting a war in Afghanistan? Al-Qaeda? While terrorism is no doubt a worldwide threat, a war such as is being fought in Afghanistan seems an inept way to deal with such a threat. 

Believe it or not, there are federal auditors and special inspectors whose job it is to keep tabs on the massive programs U. S. agencies undertake as part of the “war effort” in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The American people are pretty much kept in the dark about the massive amounts of U.S. dollars spent in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, money that is spent in attempts to gain or maintain them as allies. Little attention is paid to detail such as once the U. S. leaves the country, is there qualified personnel to operate the facilities.

Overbuilding means billions of U. S. dollars to U. S. contractors without consideration given to sophisticated facilities such as power plants and can the local people operate them. A scenario is created and perpetuated that necessitates leaving behind independent contractors to operate grossly-overbuilt facilities, paid for with U. S. dollars to those having the connections to get the contracts. 

A complex in Kandahar, Afghanistan built by the U. S. is loosely described as administrative and training buildings, a vehicle maintenance shop, warehouses and barracks at a cost of “about $45 million” that is way above the available abilities of the locals to operate. The cost of those independent contractors? “About $800 million over a ten-year period.” 

Federal auditors also criticized overall planning in Afghanistan where a police barracks was constructed adjacent to an armory putting police personnel at risk should the armory become a target of terrorists. 

American taxpayers pay a heavy price for such colonialism all over the world on such a broad scale that it is nearly impossible to place a dollar figure on it or determine just how much of America’s deficit is attributable to such wasteful programS. Would the deficit be at the present level were it not for the billions of dollars spent in Iraq and Afghanistan?  Remember, billions “morph” into a trillion(s)! 

Think of Pakistan as the place Osama Bin Laden was found living and had been for so many years. Yet, Pakistan receives billions of American dollars annually. 

But, here at home on American soil, those who have worked a lifetime, paid their fair share in taxes (yes, Social Security, Medicare) are looked on and blamed for being a burden to the system, even accused of it being welfare by some elitists.

WHAT A COUNTRY!

The mission of Seeing the Round Corners is to evoke a thought process and interest in becoming better informed and to be skeptical of the headline-grabbing purveyors of information. This writer is a member of the
Society of Professional Journalists.

The reader's comments or questions are always welcome. E-mail me at doris@dorisbeaver.com.