by James Glaser
May 13, 2003

We won! We have had no parades or celebrations. In fact our government has acted like the Cold War never ended. We continue to spend more and more money on materials needed to make War. Every year the gap widens between our ability to destroy other nations and what those nations are spending on defense.

It has been reported that we now use over fifty percent of our discretionary spending on our military. No country in history has been as afraid of the rest of the world as America is today. So many countries are seen as potential enemies, that America is in a constant state of readiness. Other nations need to spend nothing on defense as just posturing with old weapons drives America into a terrible state of anxiety. America's fear is so intense that nations spending one three hundredth of what we do on weapons, scares us into attacking them. (Think Iraq)

James Madison, the principal architect of the U.S. Constitution, noted in 1795:

"Of all the enemies of public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies. From these proceed debts and taxes. And armies, debts and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the dominion of the few. . . . No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."

America has been in almost a continual state of war since World War 2. Little wars here and there, some not even reported to the American people. Read, "And Just How Many Countries Have We Attacked?" at, http://www.james-glaser.com/2002/p20021015.html

You will find 67 wars since WW2 and that does not include this last war with Iraq. Just as James Madison wrote, we have debts and taxes now because of our wars. This month Congress must raise our Debt Ceiling so that Washington can borrow even more money.

As of May 12th 2003 the United States of America owes $6,481,451,044,208.69. That means that each of us has a personal debt of $22,276.82 or we can pass that and its interest on to our grandchildren.

Some wonder how every other industrialized country can afford universal health care. It is simple if you are not borrowing to build tanks and planes. Many people worry that Social security won't be there for them, well it costs lots for new bombs and keeping troops in over a hundred foreign countries. Washington will tell you they had to spend that Social Security money.

For many years the Soviet Union spent dollar for dollar with us on their military and it broke them. It broke us too, but we didn't quit spending. Today the Russians spend about 16% of what we do on troops and weapons. There is little doubt that we are more powerful than the rest of the world combined, but for those in Washington, that is not enough.

We now have groups of people committing mass suicide because of their fear and hate of us, but still we build more and develop new weapons to attack other countries. America and those in Washington are in a constant fear of attacks from the rest of the world, but still they will not ask why others are against us. After all we are a good country, not hurting anyone.

Thousands and thousands of senior citizens make choices every day between medicine and food or other of lifes necessities. We talk about a Prescription Drug Benefit for these Americans, but we can't afford that and Bunker Buster Bombs too.

It is true that billions of people all over this globe hate the American Government and as long as they do, we have a threat. Building more weapons, occupying more and more countries will not make us safer. Spending every penny we have on weapons will not change the hate people feel for our Foreign policies.

We have to make some new choices soon, we can't keep spending on the military to the detriment of our Citizens. Just how long can America live in fear of the rest of the world?