This is a truly brilliant post by a brilliant man. Rodger Malcolm Mitchell of Chicago over at his blog Monetary Sovereignty. Because its so perfect, I am just going to copy and paste it here in its entirety here. Don't worry, I asked him and he said it would be fine. Here's the link to the original article, enjoy!
http://mythfighter.com/...
How can al Qaeda destroy America?
Not by crashing airplanes into two New York skyscrapers. That killed four thousand people out a total of 300 million. (It also resulted in drones killing lots of al Quada. Not a good net result for a terrorist.)
Not by planting the occasional bomb, for instance at the finish line of a marathon. That’s not going to destroy the most powerful nation in world history. And, not with sarin gas or anthrax. Those would be mere pinpricks on an elephant’s tail.
The heart of America is the American economy. To destroy America, al Qaeda must destroy the American economy. How should they do that?
1. Al Qaeda could tell Americans the economy’s money source — the federal deficit — should be shut down.
Al Qaeda could help brainwash the populace into believing falsely, that federal finances are like personal finances, in which debt is a danger. People must not be allowed to understand that federal deficits are the government’s method for growing the economy, and that taxpayers do not pay for those deficits.
Above all, do not allow Americans to understand: GDP = Federal Spending + Non-federal Spending + Net Exports.
2. Al Qaeda should turn Americans against each other. Spread the myth that the poor are “takers” and that the rich are “makers.”
Tell the populace that people without health insurance are at fault for their own misery, as are the unemployed, the ill-educated, the ill-housed and the ill-fed.
Al Qaeda should tell Americans the BIG LIE, that federally supported health care, unemployment insurance, food stamps, food and drug regulation, bank and financial market regulation, and most other federal spending are unaffordable, encourage sloth, discourage self-reliance, and must be paid for by American children.
Fool the people into supporting “debt ceilings,” increased FICA, “broadening” the tax base, the sequester, elimination of the Affordable Care Act, reduced Social Security benefits, reduced aid to education and reduced aid to the poor and “Go Big” (one deficit reduction).
Tell people to ignore the words of William Dudley, President of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, who on September 23, 2013, said:
In particular, it is still hard for those who are unemployed to find jobs. Currently, there are three unemployed workers per job opening, as opposed to an average of two during the period from 2003 to 2007.
Al Qaeda should hide the fact that not only is American unemployment still near highs, but low-paying, part-time work is well above record highs.
monetary sovereignty
(None of this paints a picture of a lazy workforce, looking for government freebies, rather than working. Instead, it is a picture of economic desperation — former executives as Walmart greeters — exactly what al Quada should support.
3. By turning Americans against each other, and by widening the gap between the rich and the rest, al Qaeda could foment civil disobedience, which when met with resistance, even could devolve into revolution (God willing), with Americans killing Americans. (They could name it the “American spring.”)
4. Al Qaeda should help arm Americans, to make it easier for us to kill each other. Mischaracterize the 2nd Amendment, which specifically refers to a “well-regulated militia” and was written at a time of muskets and swords, to mean that every American should carry high powered guns with large ammo clips, everywhere we go.
In this way, Americans will do what al Qaeda wants done, but has been unable to do: Kill thousands upon thousands of Americans. And as the killing increases, more Americans will be persuaded to carry even more lethal guns for “self-defense,” in an unending, upward helix of murder, defense and more murder.
5. Al Qaeda should support the radical ideas promulgated by The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the Club for Growth, the National Rifle Association, the Koch Brothers, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, Pete Peterson and other right-wingers who favor activities helpful to al Qaeda’s goals.
Instead of working alone, al Qaeda should seek out those already helping to destroy America, and work with them. The first step might be to contact U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Just a thought.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty