Ron Paul: "The U.S. Government Must Admit It Is Bankrupt"

The US government can declare dollars into existence. Let there be dollars... and *poof* enough dollars exist to service an infinite amount of debt.

Debt is not issued to finance the Federal Government. In fact the government can continue to deficit spend without issuing debt at all. Why is debt issued? It's a government service to provide the private sector with a RISK FREE rate of return. It's a price anchor and monterary policy tool, and above all a way to meet the needs of rent seeking financial institutions.

Now at this point it's usually conceded that the government can't go bankrupt and the debate shifts to inflation...

 

Obama also has veto powers. Why is Obama not reversing Bush's decision for past 2 years? George Bush had veto power for 1 or 2 months only (end of his term).

The 2 most important decision for USA is multi-trillion bailouts and USA army in Afghanistan.

The cost of a gallon of fuel/gas delivered to USA units in Afghanistan has risen to $800. Eighty percent of the supplies of the US-led forces in Afghanistan come up this long, difficult route. Along the way, the USA pays large bribes to Pakistani officials, local warlords, and to Taliban.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis208.html

USA debts has reached $60 Trillion to $200 Trillion.

http://www.blacklistednews.com/?news_id=10626

Killing each Taliban soldier costs $50 Million

Killing 20 Taliban costs $1 Billion / Killing all the Taliban would cost $1.7 Trillion.

The Pentagon will not tell the public what it costs to locate, target and kill a single Taliban soldier because the price-tag is so scandalously high that it makes the Taliban appear to be Super-Soldiers. As set out in this article, the estimated cost to kill each Taliban is as high as $100 million, with a conservative estimate being $50 million. A public discussion should be taking place in the United States regarding whether the Taliban have become too expensive an enemy to defeat.

Each month the Pentagon generates a ream of dubious statistics designed to create the illusion of progress in Afghanistan. In response this author decided to compile his own statistics. As the goal of any war is to kill the enemy, the idea was to calculate what it actually costs to kill just one of the enemy. The obstacles encountered in generating such a statistic are formidable. The problem is that the Pentagon continues to illegally classify all negative war news and embarrassing information. Regardless, some information has been collected from independent sources. Here is what we know in summary and round numbers:

1. Taliban Field Strength: 35,000 troops

2. Taliban Killed Per Year by Coalition forces: 2,000 (best available information)

3. Pentagon Direct Costs for Afghan War for 2010: $100 billion

4. Pentagon Indirect Costs for Afghan War for 2010: $100 billion

Using the fact that 2,000 Taliban are being killed each year and that the Pentagon spends $200 billion per year on the war in Afghanistan, one simply has to divide one number into the other. That calculation reveals that $100 million is being spent to kill each Taliban soldier. In order to be conservative, the author decided to double the number of Taliban being killed each year by U.S. and NATO forces (although the likelihood of such being true is unlikely). This reduces the cost to kill each Taliban to $50 million, which is the title of this article. The final number is outrageously high regardless of how one calculates it.

To put this information another way, using the conservative estimate of $50 million to kill each Taliban:

It costs the American taxpayers $1 billion to kill 20 Taliban

As the U.S. military estimates there to be 35,000 hard-core Taliban and assuming that no reinforcements and replacements will arrive from Pakistan and Iran:

Just killing the existing Taliban would cost $1.75 Trillion

The reason for these exorbitant costs is that United States has the world’s most mechanized, computerized, weaponized and synchronized military, not to mention the most pampered (at least at Forward Operating Bases). An estimated 150,000 civilian contractors support, protect, feed and cater to the American personnel in Afghanistan, which is an astonishing number. The Americans enjoy such perks and distinctions in part because no other country is willing to pay (waste) so much money on their military.

The ponderous American war machine is a logistics nightmare and a maintenance train wreck. It is also part-myth. This author served at a senior level within the U.S. Air Force. Air Force “smart” bombs are no way near as consistently accurate as the Pentagon boasts; Army mortars remain inaccurate; even standard American field rifles are frequently outmatched by Taliban weapons, which have a longer range. The American public would pale if it actually learned the full story about the poor quality of the weapons and equipment that are being purchased with its tax dollars. The Taliban’s best ally within the United States may be the Pentagon, whose contempt for fiscal responsibility and accountability may force a premature U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Americans cannot continue to fund these Pentagon excesses.

If President Obama refuses to drastically reform the Pentagon’s inefficient way of making war, he may conclude that the Taliban is simply too expensive an enemy to fight. He would then have little choice but to abandon the Afghan people to the Taliban’s “Super-Soldiers.” That would be an intolerable disgrace.
The problem is not simply within the Pentagon.

The hapless U.S. State Department is equally to blame. It:

1. Continues to sit on the sidelines of this war;

2. Refused for nine years to deploy an adequate number of civilian experts;

3. Continues to hire abusive and disreputable security contractors;

4. Failed to fight for the needs of Afghan civilians; and

5. Has made little effort to win their hearts and minds.

A crucial statistic that demonstrates this is to compare military and security expenditures by the United States in Afghanistan with expenditures for civilian aid, such as reconstruction. That statistic is as follows:

Money spent on Military/Security: $365 billion Money spent on Afghan civilians: $8.5 billion

This latter number spells out “FAILURE.” U.S. diplomats and USAID officials have failed to improve the lives of ordinary Afghans and as a result they have accomplished the impossible. Their lack of resolve and interest has made an increasing number of disillusioned Afghans view Taliban rule as potentially an improvement.

bring all our boys home waste of time money and lives.

[link to kabulpress.org]

USA is fighting a losing battle in Afghanistan. USA should learn from Russia and withdraw all their soldiers from Afghanistan and bring them back home. If Russia could not win in Afghanistan so will USA not win in Afghanistan.

 

USA is fighting a losing battle in Afghanistan:

First you'r a typical idiot who speaks only from what you read in papers. You have no clue about Afghanistan. Second, you sound like one of those life long liberal idiots who stay in academics all their life because they can't make money in the world of "Financial Markets".

With that said. There is a influx of billions of dollars for capital investment into Kabul. I, have raised well over 50 million that is directly tied to a Hotel and "Freight Forwarding Business" for the private sector.

There are over 3 trillion in natural resources and a good friends Private Equity firm outa Singapore is the one securing investment dollars from China to start mining. China along with some top US mining Companies are partnering up to harvest said resources.

From a Private Equity standpoint....Afghanistan is scene as a huge opportunity even with the "Security threat". In fact, the main region of Industry and business in Afghanistan is Secured. Just like in Israel, you will have the Terrorist attack a public place. That is the main risk.

The Talaban have been forced into Pakistan and into the mountains of Afghanistan. But the "Urban areas" are far more safer and business is on a huge expansion.


So pull you liberal head outa your ass, wait that is probably hard for you to do, stop reading your Liberal Press. Talk to people who know what the hell is going on over there.

 

Afghanistan people have lived without money for many decades. They do not need dollars. They need sheeps and goats.

 

If you want to earn money from Afghanistan then provide for your own security. Why are money people killing USA army in Afghanistan?

I think money people who want to earn profits from Afghanistan are not allowing withdrawal of USA army.

Afghanistan can get multi-billion dollars from Saudi Arabia and other rich muslim countries if they want. They do not need others help.

If there is $3 Trillion natural resources in Afghanistan, why did Russia leave Afghanistan in 1989? There is nothing in Afghanistan. Only beautiful mountains.

 

When the US went into the First Gulf War the Trilateral Commish analysts were talking about all the rebuilding contracts that would come out of winning; contracts to rebuild Kuwait, Iraq, develop new oil pipelines, all that good s%^t... so after the war they gave the contracts to Japanese firms!! why the US has to be the suckers with the armies all over the world I'll never know... it's all sucker bait, the right wing propaganda and the left wing bullshit, the US is so screwed right now and it's largely from Socialism, which I personally think sucks at the huge level it's done at, but a large part is from deploying our military all over the world for bullshit that doesn't buy us anything... it's a joke, our military is in the ME and all over the world and the southern border of the US is controlled by MS13!

 

ok..but how exactly american public will benefit from all this? i mean AMERICAN PUBLIC,the people,who paying for this nonsense...not few private contractors. i saw enough of this already.. halliburton did ok in iraq,black water did ok in iraq..but what about average joe? what he got for his hard earned tax dollars?$4 for gallon of gas and few trillions of his taxes pissed away... fucking awesome!

 

There is $3 Trillion in Afghanistan but the cost of killing the taliban is $1.7 Trillion. Also the Afghan $3 Trillion will shared between many countries after many years. What will USA earn/profit?

If China and other countries want to profit from Afghanistan then tell China to send their army to Afghanistan. USA army should withdraw from Afghanistan.

If there is $3 Trillion in Afghanistan then Russia can again invade Afghanistan in 2011. Russia had invaded Afghanistan in the past and they can do it again if they want to. Now there is no USA to stop Russia.

 

While this is true, fact is that Kabul has always been open for business, before, during and after America invaded.

Russians/Chinese do lots of business there, though probably not on behalf of the state, I'm sure.

I do concede that the pace is probably picking up, but don't think the American war had much to do with it. Perhaps American companies get a bigger piece of the pie now, but that's not the same thing.

 

i agree, just another scam to suck the money out of the little guy.