America: Who is driving good ship Lollipop?

"You are going the wrong way. You are driving the wrong way. You are going to kill someone!"

Some of you may recognize the lines. You may even remember the movie scene. Those words are practically synonymous with the comedy, 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Moreover, that sentence introduced the film's near denouement. The joy ride of two unlikely travel mates, salesman Del Griffith (John Candy) and New York ad executive, Neil Page (Steve Martin) was about to end; and in tragedy. Thrown together by fate, the two men combine their wits and resources to journey home in time for the U.S.'s Thanksgiving. In their haste to make the traditional Thursday family celebration, they take a wrong turn. Their rental car is headed the wrong way on the Interstate. On the horizon two massive semi-trucks in either lane are barreling down on them. Hence, the two concerned motorists travelling the right way on an adjacent road sounded the alarm.

Fate intervened again

As expected from Hollywood, fate intervened again. Human tragedy was avoided. Other than frayed nerves and a compressed car whose scrapes and dents could be easily 'buffed out', the two inept travelers emerged unscathed. Such a good result only happens in the movies though. Can we apply that same 'lucked out' experience to real life? How about on an aggregate national scale? Does that kind of good fortune happen in the global sense? You know the answer.

World history is replete with examples of nationalistic military 'misadventures'. Since time immemorial, millions, if not hundreds of millions of innocent peoples were killed through incessant warfare; all because miscreant leaders ignored the caveats of earlier civilization's prior hubris and subsequent need for conquest of new territory in the aggressor's search of much needed scant resources.

A preponderance of evidence suggests that the same misguided thinking dominates our modern world. Take America, for example. The U.S. is on top of the wealth heap. Been that way for quite some time. Many Americans have enjoyed the 'good life' for at least a century. Homegrown pundits declare that the 21st Century is all America's. In it, life will be even better. Americans will have more of the same: cheap consumer goods and technology, plenty of raunchy entertainment, rising securities and housing markets and 'free credit (for the first six months) to be had up to their eyeballs.

The Koolaid message

That is the Koolaid message their MSM keeps harping on them. The U.S. government seconds the 'good news'. According to the Obama Administration, the economy and job creation have turned the corner. Both are on the up and up. Not so fast! Independent sources reveal that the rosy scenario that Obama spews is far from reality. For many citizens America's economy has tanked: sunk to the bottomless depths. Just ask anyone of the 94 million unemployed.

What about the rest of the world? What do they say? How do Europe, Asia and elsewhere view Washington's pronouncement of 'Trust us. You are all better off with American democracy'? For sure, Russia and Red China both take umbrage to America's assurances. Albeit the Chinese, thanks to 'capitalism' and its foreign investment approach is America's brand new supply-side toy factory. With a stack of U.S. treasuries when stretched out would reach the moon, the Chinese are not only well-heeled but wiser for their partnership; they use the U.S. government bond toilet paper roll as financial leverage. Today, Beijing's vast stash of Dollar holdings has also translated into military advantage. Chinese fire power now challenges for hegemony in the Asia Pacific region.

NATO, America's vassal stooge

Russia, a late comer to the Western capitalistic business party model is not so lucky. The Federation is surrounded. America's vassal stooge, NATO with its military buildup, is threatening Russia's very borders and national security. Add illegal economic sanctions to the mix and it should be clear why Russia distrusts anything that Washington proposes as a 'thaw'. Russia need only comply with Obama's dictates; and then the situation would change. It would be business as usual; but only for America. That last frontier with its vast expanse of natural resources is ripe for the taking. The spoils of conquest are immense; worth hundreds of billions in dollars.

Who is driving the good ship Lollipop? That is one question all Americans should ask. Better question: Which direction is the country headed? The fact that presidential hopeful Hillary 'Del' Clinton has vowed to continue the same failed policies as Barack 'Neil' Obama portends more trouble ahead. In re, America's bubble economy is much more likely headed off the fiscal cliff. More macabre, the specter of war looms larger; a nuclear WWW III is almost a certainty if Killery wins the general election. No wonder the silent majority shouts now ever louder: "America, you're going the wrong way! You will get us all killed!" Nothing to laugh about....

Montresor