Article: America's Death by a Thousand Cuts

Have you ever cut your finger while slicing an onion? How about a scrape on your elbow when you fell? Ever suffer sunburn? What happened when you suffered a bloody nose?

Today, America bleeds to death by a thousand cuts. We bleed from every sector of our society. At some point, the United States of America cannot and will not survive the bleeding. Why? Take a look.

Each day, Americans burn 20 million barrels (42 gallons per drum) of oil in their cars, but we import over half of that oil from other countries. Therefore, that's $2.50 per gallon X 42=$105.00 X 10,000,000 barrels, which equals $1,050,000,000.00 we pay other countries daily. That's money that never returns to America. It's like America cutting its wrist. Meanwhile, we have NO energy conservation policy in America.

Last year, the trade deficit totaled $618 billion according to the New York Times. It's expected to exceed $700 billion in 2007. That's money going out that isn't coming into America.

Brian Williams of NBC stated that the federal deficit will grow another $383 billon in 2007. Do you feel your pocketbook bleeding?

What about American enterprise? Recently, General Motors and Ford workers suffered the loss of 60,000 jobs. Ironically, China's Yuan is undervalued because it's tied to the American dollar, but the Yuan will jump when it is ultimately pegged to the Euro. Soon, the Euro will become the new standard for exchange as it displaces the dollar on the international money markets. But, if GM and Ford collapse, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois will become basket cases because most of their jobs involve the auto industry.

In the high tech jobs arena, the H-1B, H-2B and L-1 visas were given to over 1,000,000 foreigners to displace American workers. Who is responsible? Your congressman and senators! Go to www.numbersusa.com and check out the report card on your senators or congressman and you'll mostly see F's.

The hemorrhaging accelerates when you realize that ourfederal debt stands at $8.4 trillion. We pay over $400 million a day in interest payments. Bush bumped the debt ceiling last year while borrowing $1.6 billion daily from foreign investors. Their interest rates bleed us further. Is the fabulously wealthy George Bush paying that interest? No, you are! The rich get richer and you get poorer. Further, you, the average American with a credit card carry an average of $9,149.00 balance (debt) on your credit card. (Source: Brian Williams at NBC Nightly News) That equals $2.0 trillion in consumer debt according to CBS News. Added to that bleeding, you're paying 18 percent APR on that debt credit card debt.

Home foreclosures and personal bankruptcies stand at an all time high for American citizens. How about the $80 billion annual price for the ongoing 30 year "War on Drugs" that has solved nothing? What about the price of a home today that has doubled in 20 years? How about the $128 billion in cash leaving the USA annually to pay for the drugs coming across the Mexican border? How about $789 billion for the Iraq War?

In the meantime, this Congress and president promote outsourcing, insourcing and offshoring of millions of jobs out of the America in a bloodbath that is cutting the Middle Class in the jugular. America's working poor can't find a job at a living wage-so-what happens? They stand in welfare lines and beg for food stamps. Feel the financial bloody laceration?

Additionally, legal and illegal immigrants send over $56 billion back to their home countries each year. They slash and slice the Golden Goose. Over $15 billion bleeds to Mexico, $25 billion to South America and $16 billion to Asia.

Last year, America suffered a $230 billion trade deficit with China. Right now, China licks its chops as they sell us billions in goods but buy nothing from us in return. Why? Because we've lost our manufacturing base which means we have nothing to sell. In fact, China aims to surpass Japan in total manufacturing output by 2015. By that time, the United States won't have anything to sell anyone in the world. How long do we keep spending money we don't have?

Where does that leave you and me? How about boiling to death in a caldron that melts down our ability to function as a society? We're adding SUCH insane debt, we can't pay it off. We're on the edge of a financial cliff with no safety net. We're playing with fire that will burn us. Our "Middle Class" degrades to the new "Low Class." Our working poor head for welfare lines. How long can we allow our leaders to take us down this path to self destruction?

America is in deep trouble on many fronts. We need to replace Congress and the presidency with leaders that work for Americans. If we don't change the captain and crew, we'll end up like the Titanic.