Over the weekend, former President Jimmy Carter relayed to the public a
conversation he’d recently had with President Trump, during which Trump
repeatedly worried that “China is getting ahead of us,” and would pass
the US as world’s strongest economy as soon as 2030.
Carter had a simple explanation for China’s economic strength, saying it
has been a combination of sensible investment and peace. Carter says he
pointed out that since 1979, China has not been at war with anybody, ad that the US has virtually “stayed at war.”
Carter added that the US has only had 16 years of peace in its entire
242-year history, saying the US is the “most warlike nation in the
history of the world,” while China invested money in high-speed rail
instead of military spending.
“If you take $3 trillion and put in in American infrastructure you’d
probably have $2 trillion leftover,” Carter noted, “we’d have high speed
railroad. We’d have bridges that aren’t collapsing, we’d have roads
that are maintained properly. Out education system would be as good as
say South Korea or Hong Kong.”
Trump phoned Carter about the matter Friday, but it seems this was all something he already knew. Earlier this month, Trump suggested the US, China, and Russia reach a mutual deal on military spending limits, saying the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Despite this, Trump appears loathe to consider the idea of the US not
being in several wars at once, and his spending proposals for the
military are just continuing to rise, cutting US domestic spending more
to keep casting revenue into the black hole of wars.
Trump the buffoon. Has Carter said anything he nor anyone else shouldn’t already know? He ran on peace, but as with Assange, he seems to disavow all knowledge of it.
Preparation for war is expensive, but fighting wars is far more expensive. If we take the % GDP typically of an arming state, and compare it to the economic mobilization for war, the difference is more than 10x.
Of course the US has not mobilized its economy for total war. However, it is fighting both multiple small wars AND preparing for “the Big One.” Wars are a massive drain, even small wars, and especially so when they are done in multiples while the major re-armament for bigger war proceeds anyway.
Roughly, each soldier in Afghanistan costs $1 million/year. That has been true consistently for 16 years.
Carter is the best ex-president in our history. Unfortunately he also contributed to our current mess while in office. But, still, try to imagine what Trump will do when he becomes an ex-president and it would be a safe bet to say it will pale in comparison to the good Carter has done since he left office.
Wars are expensive and profitable.
Politicians like Marco Rubio are cheap.
This is amazing, the truth is staring Trump and all of the Ghouls of DC,,right in their disgusting faces,,,and still they do nothing!!!! Our only hope, the 2nd and TRUE patriots. 🙂
The truth of what Carter says is obvious to anyone who takes a second to listen and learn. However, the vast taxing/borrowing Moloch of the federal government has been more responsive to the military industrial complex than to the internal contractor/infrastructure interests who would actually improve life in the USA.
Being the #1 Empire on the globe is a huge glittering temptation for any world power. Ancient Rome became corrupt with this disease. Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin and Tojo all fell prey to this thinking. There is more money and glory in a victory triumphal march over a weak enemy than ribbon cutting a shiny new high speed rail line. So far the Chinese have outsmarted the Americans. Trump talks a good game but is reluctant to take off the emperor’s laurel wreath and pursue peace.
Don’t worry Jimmy, U.S will strike a WW3 to reset history and start on a new rail.
God bless Jimmy Carter. Terrible president. Wonderful human being.
There is a simpler explanation:
Chinese–smart
Americans–not so much
Chines–believe Confucius
Americans–worship Jesus (or so they say)
🙁