Why is it, do you think, that America spends so much money and effort fighting drugs that it has declared illegal, such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin and yet the two most dangerous drugs are ignored?
The two most dangerous drugs? Sugar and debt.
Americans consume vast quantities of both. Indeed the abuse of the former, because it leads to great obesity and a strain on medical systems, inevitably increase the need for the latter - a vicious circle of addiction.
I suppose that there might be something to be said for de-criminalising the currently illegal drugs and taxing them, so that tax dollars on prevention could be saved and revenue raised. I am not really sure where I stand on the argument - the 'war on drugs' seems to be a guerrilla-type one where the US gains some occasional small victories but the 'enemy' is too entrenched to actually be defeated. All I have managed to come to know of the effects of drug use clearly demonstrate the very negative side-effects of such abuse but........
Anyway back to America's drugs of choice.
Americans now consume, on a per capita basis, more than 34 Kg (75lbs) of sugar in one form or another, each year. The number 34 might be some kind of 'mystical' one as that is also the percentage of adult Americans that are classed as obese! It seems that much of this consumption comes via so called,'soft drinks' - fizzy colas and such - rather than through refined sugar being ladled onto breakfast cereal or stirred into coffee or tea. What's the common denominator when eating out in the US? Some restaurants will have steak and other meats on the menu, some will just have vegetables, some pizza but not pasta etc., but all will offer soft fizzy drinks, which are loaded with sugar.
Oh and don't think I am excusing the Europeans from this addiction, like with the other drug of choice, debt, the European Union members are mimicking the abuse seen in America but today's topic is America.
Think of what that level of sugar intake is doing to America's health and consequently it's economy. All those emergency room visits for heart attacks - that isn't cocaine or heroin, that's sugar and it's consequential obesity. All those large gas guzzling cars - that's the size vehicle that is needed to transport these larger people around. Here's a visual for you. Think of a small compact car - a Mini or a Micra or a Fiat 500. Now think of trying to fit four average Americans inside. Not working? Brain can't get there? Try two average Americans, maybe now you get a fuzzy outline of a picture? You get my point, anyway.
Now we move on to the other addiction - debt. Quick pop quiz for you. How many zeros in a trillion? Don't know or can't guess? Go on try, there's 6 in million and 9 in a (US) billion so....... You got it, 12.
Another question, what was the US debt level in 1980? Less than $1T (I can't be bothered with all those zeros!). 2006 level? $8T. Currently it is north of $17T. Think about that for a moment. By 1980, America had accumulated, in its 204 years of independence, debt of $1T, 15 years later it had 8 times that level of debt, then during the Obama presidency, the amount has more than doubled again! Think of that in an addicts frame of mind. In 1980 you were smoking one joint or doing one line of cocaine a day but now you are smoking 17 joints or doing 17 lines of coke, a day!
Americans are hooked on debt and as with most addicts (or at least how they are always portrayed), once hooked, just want evermore!
An American colleague tells me that when you add in the unfunded liabilities like Medicaid and pensions, then the debt level rises to $60T, even if that is only half right, that is truly scary.
Without concerted action to wean America off of it's debt addiction, Americans, for generations to come, will be paying the price for today's bingeing.
And please don't tell me that America is on the road to addiction-recovery. The anemic spending reductions that have been put in place will still cause the debt to rise to $25T by 2023 - yes, in 10 years, the debt ceiling will increase by a further 50%.
And that is actually a conservative estimate. Conservative because it pre-supposes that America can continue to export its inflation to the rest of the world and can continue to offload Treasury paper. What happens though if over, say, the next ten years, the US Dollar starts to lose it's position as the world's reserve currency? It isn't such a far-fetched idea. China is starting to flex it's financial muscle. Imagine if the Chinese, the world's largest producer and purchaser of gold, decided to back their Renminbi currency with gold and to make it freely tradeable. The latter might be a way off but suppose you were a Middle Eastern government oil company and you were offered gold-backed currency rather than being paid in US$ which continue to lose value? Not a difficult choice, is it? Can't happen? Check out who are the largest investors in Iraq's oilfields. Clue, it isn't those US oil companies that supposedly pushed Bush to go to war for oil, in 2003. Nor is it the British oil companies that perhaps led Tony Blair and his Labour party to produce the so called 'dodgy dossier'.
Maybe then, that's the solution. Since America won't confront it's addiction problem, the rest of the world will need to do it for them. To send America into 'rehab' by not buying it's debt or trading in it's devaluing currency and thereby forcing America to face the grim reality of a it's addiction. Could be a win/win situation - America reduces government spending and, in the process the 'hardship' that ensues makes the average American reduce their soft drinks intake, simply because they cannot afford it.
Maybe but don't hold your breath. There seem to be so few US politicians with the courage to hold-up a mirror and say, 'America take a good look, you are obese and you are getting worse and doing it on other people's money. This cannot continue.' There may be some honest politicians but I do not discern any with the courage required to deliver the needed message.
Oh, again! the same applies to Europe though, as with so much in the 20th century, Europe lags behind the US but, is on the same downward spiral!
Apologies for being so depressing! Who knows, maybe mirror manufacturing will lead to a revival of America's economy and prospects!
The two most dangerous drugs? Sugar and debt.
Americans consume vast quantities of both. Indeed the abuse of the former, because it leads to great obesity and a strain on medical systems, inevitably increase the need for the latter - a vicious circle of addiction.
I suppose that there might be something to be said for de-criminalising the currently illegal drugs and taxing them, so that tax dollars on prevention could be saved and revenue raised. I am not really sure where I stand on the argument - the 'war on drugs' seems to be a guerrilla-type one where the US gains some occasional small victories but the 'enemy' is too entrenched to actually be defeated. All I have managed to come to know of the effects of drug use clearly demonstrate the very negative side-effects of such abuse but........
Anyway back to America's drugs of choice.
Americans now consume, on a per capita basis, more than 34 Kg (75lbs) of sugar in one form or another, each year. The number 34 might be some kind of 'mystical' one as that is also the percentage of adult Americans that are classed as obese! It seems that much of this consumption comes via so called,'soft drinks' - fizzy colas and such - rather than through refined sugar being ladled onto breakfast cereal or stirred into coffee or tea. What's the common denominator when eating out in the US? Some restaurants will have steak and other meats on the menu, some will just have vegetables, some pizza but not pasta etc., but all will offer soft fizzy drinks, which are loaded with sugar.
Oh and don't think I am excusing the Europeans from this addiction, like with the other drug of choice, debt, the European Union members are mimicking the abuse seen in America but today's topic is America.
Think of what that level of sugar intake is doing to America's health and consequently it's economy. All those emergency room visits for heart attacks - that isn't cocaine or heroin, that's sugar and it's consequential obesity. All those large gas guzzling cars - that's the size vehicle that is needed to transport these larger people around. Here's a visual for you. Think of a small compact car - a Mini or a Micra or a Fiat 500. Now think of trying to fit four average Americans inside. Not working? Brain can't get there? Try two average Americans, maybe now you get a fuzzy outline of a picture? You get my point, anyway.
Now we move on to the other addiction - debt. Quick pop quiz for you. How many zeros in a trillion? Don't know or can't guess? Go on try, there's 6 in million and 9 in a (US) billion so....... You got it, 12.
Another question, what was the US debt level in 1980? Less than $1T (I can't be bothered with all those zeros!). 2006 level? $8T. Currently it is north of $17T. Think about that for a moment. By 1980, America had accumulated, in its 204 years of independence, debt of $1T, 15 years later it had 8 times that level of debt, then during the Obama presidency, the amount has more than doubled again! Think of that in an addicts frame of mind. In 1980 you were smoking one joint or doing one line of cocaine a day but now you are smoking 17 joints or doing 17 lines of coke, a day!
Americans are hooked on debt and as with most addicts (or at least how they are always portrayed), once hooked, just want evermore!
An American colleague tells me that when you add in the unfunded liabilities like Medicaid and pensions, then the debt level rises to $60T, even if that is only half right, that is truly scary.
Without concerted action to wean America off of it's debt addiction, Americans, for generations to come, will be paying the price for today's bingeing.
And please don't tell me that America is on the road to addiction-recovery. The anemic spending reductions that have been put in place will still cause the debt to rise to $25T by 2023 - yes, in 10 years, the debt ceiling will increase by a further 50%.
And that is actually a conservative estimate. Conservative because it pre-supposes that America can continue to export its inflation to the rest of the world and can continue to offload Treasury paper. What happens though if over, say, the next ten years, the US Dollar starts to lose it's position as the world's reserve currency? It isn't such a far-fetched idea. China is starting to flex it's financial muscle. Imagine if the Chinese, the world's largest producer and purchaser of gold, decided to back their Renminbi currency with gold and to make it freely tradeable. The latter might be a way off but suppose you were a Middle Eastern government oil company and you were offered gold-backed currency rather than being paid in US$ which continue to lose value? Not a difficult choice, is it? Can't happen? Check out who are the largest investors in Iraq's oilfields. Clue, it isn't those US oil companies that supposedly pushed Bush to go to war for oil, in 2003. Nor is it the British oil companies that perhaps led Tony Blair and his Labour party to produce the so called 'dodgy dossier'.
Maybe then, that's the solution. Since America won't confront it's addiction problem, the rest of the world will need to do it for them. To send America into 'rehab' by not buying it's debt or trading in it's devaluing currency and thereby forcing America to face the grim reality of a it's addiction. Could be a win/win situation - America reduces government spending and, in the process the 'hardship' that ensues makes the average American reduce their soft drinks intake, simply because they cannot afford it.
Maybe but don't hold your breath. There seem to be so few US politicians with the courage to hold-up a mirror and say, 'America take a good look, you are obese and you are getting worse and doing it on other people's money. This cannot continue.' There may be some honest politicians but I do not discern any with the courage required to deliver the needed message.
Oh, again! the same applies to Europe though, as with so much in the 20th century, Europe lags behind the US but, is on the same downward spiral!
Apologies for being so depressing! Who knows, maybe mirror manufacturing will lead to a revival of America's economy and prospects!
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