By CONRAD BLACK, Special to the Sun
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With the first Gulf War and the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1990 and 1991, the United States arrived at the undisputed summit of the world, with dissident students in Prague and even Moscow uplifting themselves by reading aloud the works of Lincoln and Jefferson, and with the surge of prestige that accrued to the United States as its only remaining rival crumbled.
But the United States has fumbled away its gentle overlordship of the world these last 15 years. Huge current account deficits and colossal federal budget deficits arose, and while the United Sates is generally successful in real wars, its habit of calling policy attacks on sociological problems “wars” has led to the conspicuous failures of the wars on crime, poverty and drugs.
The Canadian dollar has risen from 65¢ American to par, and Canada’s comparative standard of living has inched upwards, and its wealth is much more evenly distributed. The jagged nature of American democracy left 40 million African Americans unsegregated but still the subject of institutionalized discrimination, and 70% of people with magnificent (free) medical care and 30% with access to care but on a pretty stingy and erratic basis.
American education has become very uneven, American justice has degenerated into a turkey shoot for the benefit of a prosecutorial class that terrorizes the country and has given America 10 times the average number of incarcerated people per capita of other advanced prosperous democracies. Sixty million basic manufacturing and service jobs have been out-sourced while 20 million unskilled peasants were admitted illegally to the country, and trillions of dollars of worthless real estate-backed securities inundated the world, pumped out by Wall Street and certified as investment grade, almost asphyxiating the American financial industry while trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives were squandered in the sanguinary Quixotry of nation-building in the Middle and Near East.
And now, in an astounding demonstration of national fecklessness, a failed president is running slightly ahead in the polls of a challenger who has a real CV, unlike recent presidents, but who is so politically oafish and plastic, he makes Elmer Fudd seem charismatic. The incumbent has raised the national debt by 50% on what had accumulated in the 220 years of American independence prior to four years ago — that is $17,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States, in just four years. And Mr. Obama’s tocsin is the comprehensive assertion that: “Experts agree that my plan will reduce the deficit by $4-trillion.” These magic 13 words confirm the reduction of the deficit from $1.5-trillion annually to $1.1-trillion annually in the next ten years, in a country that four years ago had a money supply of only $900-billion.
About 70% of the American deficit is “bought” directly or through the banking system by the Treasury’s 100% subsidiary, the Federal Reserve, and the minimal interest paid on it is recycled back through the Federal Reserve to the Treasury, so the cost of borrowing is zero. It is the ultimate Ponzi scheme, the fiscal nirvana of endless, mountainous debt, rendered easily bearable because it doesn’t cost anything. It is a fraud, a mirage. It all possesses the hypnotic allure of the Gotterdammerung — as the Gods ascend to a burning Valhalla.
If this administration is re-elected, Canada, as it has for the entire mighty spectacle of the inexorable rise of the United States, will have the ring-side seat for a disaster. Prudent, hesitant Canada, ran 14 federal government surpluses in a row. We are the pigs in the brick house — it isn’t a heroic position, neither daring nor stylish, but Canadians are peering through the portals of their stout solid home, transfixed and astonished.
The fact that Willard M. Romney is still running almost even in the polls despite his demiurgic implausibility as a candidate, afflicted by a one-person pandemic of foot-in-mouth disease, illustrates the concern of the American voters. Either Romney lucks through and numerate sanity starts to return to American public life, or the most self-destructively incompetent regime since James Buchanan brought on the Civil War, will come back and stoke up a truly spectacular inferno that will purify America in a mighty economic Jonestown. There will be no more tugging at a trouser leg from Canada — either a comradely pat on the back, or a neighborly blast with a fire extinguisher, but this operatic crescendo can’t continue for one more full act.
That is not fair. Howard did the best he could but the Anglos really could not care less despite the fact that most of the people they have known in their life no longer live in Qc.
THE ANGLOS IN QUEBEC NEVER SUPPORTED HOWARD GALGANOV.
Many will say that it is because of his caustic style but THE ANGLOS IN QUEBEC NEVER SUPPORTED KEITH HENDERSON. Keith has the opposite demeanor of Howard.
THE ANGLOS OF QUEBEC ARE NOT WORTH YOUR SUPPORT.
@ Donald freyman:
@ Donald freyman: LOL STOP SHOUTING donald… LOL
I leave it up to Ted if he has time to waste with your kind to expand on my rank in the Engineering fields. If you have anything to say about the contents of my original comment, please act as a professional, and you claim to be one, (oh goody), and specify what in your limited intellect you find inaccurate. It is all published data available to anyone if Hebrew is also part of your purported training.
It is Professor SHmuel Halevi, donald. Save your time, I will not respond donald.
@ Donald freyman: I forgot this freyman. Not that we give a flying fpetunia about you idiotic comment but I thought that others should know.
We live a kilometer away from the start of the rail line in the Galilee, everyone here sees the fantastic advances by the hour. I also saw and thousands of others saw the Red Sea to Med fast cargo rail line. Your attack on Mr. Galgalov is also symptomatic freyman. Solon donald.
@ SHmuel HaLevi:
PUT UP OR SHUT UP. I CAN STATE THAT THE EARTH IS FLAT AND I AM COMPETENT SCIENTIST/ENGINEER SO MY OPINION HAS LOTS OF WEIGHT.
@ Donald freyman: I do not know about you insolent nobody, but I live in the midst of those realities, not hide away elsewhere, and I also contributed to the Israeli refineries labs and otherwise interfaced with the most advanced petroleum research facilities in the world. I do not give information to pestilent rats so GIT repugnant specimen!
@ SHmuel HaLevi:
PLEASE CITE YOUR SOURCE-OTHERWISE SHUT UP.
@ Howard Galganov:
Howard- You deserted the Montreal/Quebec Jewish community as soon as times became rough. Your credibility is as a good as a bag of filthy mud.
@ J.S.:
The world of imagined “realities” that the US and to an extent, a diminishing number of the Israeli voters live, is mesmerizing. Bottom line is that Soetoro Obama is still supported in a close race? Amazing! But that is the province of the US residents. Inimical decisions are not uncommon there.
Granted that the US is still a massive giant but at present it is a royal mess. Israel must chart courses removed from entire dependence on the present US administration.
Along those lines Israel is at the threshold of energy independence and export. Five months away to the natural gas start. Russian and China are part of the Team. China and Israel are constructing two massive rail systems bypassing the Suez Canal and moving up the mountains into the Galilee and further North and East.
Israel’s economy, while not at the peak of over 5% growth is still at 3.2%.
Israel has the means to defend its people and State. And Israel is fast switching military structures away from solely US based ones. The Military pilots training aircraft is not longer US made. Israeli designed and Italian-Israeli made.
The F-35 is a dud. I worked as a Senior Fellow Engineer US Department of Defense Military Avionics Programs on related subjects. I know the vast array of problems limiting that aircraft. Israel’s best interests would be served buying other aircraft. Drones made in Israel are a match or surpass US made ones. So far no drone made in Israel has been captured by the enemy…
We respect and care for the US people but cannot trust the elected officials there. I doubt anyone could relay on that other than extreme Islamic countries.
More significantly, days ago it was made public that the test ARROW III rocket, a co production with Boeing, was removed from its launch pad at the Israeli Test range and returned for extensive re design of its control systems. I know the extended meaning. So does the rest of the people.
The US people is now at the truth moment. Aligning with Islamic murderous regimes or with the civilized world.
Ted, release my comment please.
Our eldest son has been called for reserve duty for mid October.
I am sure he is not the only one…
Under those conditions Canada’s valiant actions cannot be more appreciated, in particular since, unknown to many, Canada could well replace the inimical US leadership and its unJewish allies in more than just one way.
The repeated actions of the US Jewish Organizations and over 50% of the Jews in there recalls the WWII Wise and Goodman era… Tragic for them and all of us.
It is not too late for them to understand that, as Mr. Galganov points out, the Jewish people they are endangering will be a guilty call on them forever.
Mr. Obama is a mortal enemy of Israel. The rest is clear to understand.
I do not believe that Obama will win reelection. But, whether he does win or does not, the damage had been done. With Romney in command, the pain to recover will be serious, but the recovery will happen.
With 4 more years of Obama, not only will the American dream become undone, America as we know it will collapse upon it’s own weight, leading to social and civil unrest.
We’ve all seen what street riots look like in America, but what will happen if Obama gets four more years will look more like a civil war than a Rodney King riot.
Obama is the worst President ever. But, he couldn’t have done all these horrible things if previous Presidents didn’t lay the groundwork. And it could not have happened if really stupid people didn’t vote for him the first time.
PS – As a staunch Secular Jewish Zionist, I want to remind all Jews to remember the words and advice of Zev Jabotinsky. Essentially – we have no one to rely upon except for ourselves, and be prepared to do what has to be done regardless of what others have to say.
As for my coreligionists who support and vote for Obama, when the worst happens because of this Israel-Hater, the blood of Jews as a result will stain your hands forever.
Best Regards . . . Howard Galganov
There are numerous economic forecasters who are warning of an impending double-dip recession (the second will be far worse than the one in 2008). I fully expect Obama will be re-elected. When his catastrophic spending spree hits the wall — no one need worry about such arcane niceties as Food Stamps, pensions, welfare, Federal disability payments, etc. — Americans will be “on their own”, no more “dependency”. On the bright side, perhaps it will also spell the end of the Democratic party ( or at least Obama will, one can hope, be unable to supply American military aid/know-how to the enemies of the West — such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Taliban.).