I totally agree that the purchase/retention of assets that are strategically important to national security should be financed by the US government (somehow).
The problem though, mate, is where to get the money. I understand that the US currently has a $805bn deficit, which I gather is largely because of: 1) a high US dollar; 2) many more import purchases to satisfy US consumer demand for (cheaper or better) imported goods, including oil; and 3) the growing need for the US to finance this deficit with money from abroad (which is why a lot of companies are starting to buy into the US.
We can't really devalue the currency because of inflationary pressures, but we need to get people to buy more locally made goods - which means we probably need a 25% increase in overall manufacturing capacity over the next few years. Plus if the currency drops it'll help our export industry but it'll make our interest payments to foreign lenders that much more expensive - and someone's going to have to fork out that money (probably us, the taxpayers).
Basically, we're in a really shyte situation because we buy heaps more than we sell, and this is growing and growing and growing.
Amazing how easy it sounds when we say we'll fix it...somehow, eh.
You can tell I've gotten to my Macroeconomic Policy stream at Babson, eh. What I've learned so far is the US is basically up kak creek without a paddle, pardon the French. Just another thing Geedubya and Congress have stuffed up, eh. That's why their politically motivated rhetoric these last couple of weeks sounded particularly hollow to me, even if the intent was good.
[ 03-20-2006, 12:06 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]