The Current State of the Federal Government

[Alex Franke]

Just curious - is it vinegar base? mustard base? tomato base?
Personally, I like vinegar base.

Usually vinegar, but sometimes just the pork -- or maybe just a hint of sauce. I often add a little more... That was the people that make the vinegar can pay back their prostitutes, too. :lol:

[Slik Geek]

Actually there's nothing scary about this story. That's how the economy works. Basically it's only a matter of perception.
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Then afterwards pay for the rebuilding of Japan and Europe, enter a cold war, an arms race?
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Bottom line, we went from the national poverty of the 30's to become overwhelming weathy through the 50's, 60's, 70's, etc. So, where did the money come from????
CWS

The money came from the rest of the world - not in the form of loans, but in purchases.

One major thing has changed from then to now. After WWII, much of the industrialized world was in shambles due to bombing and the loss of skilled labor (battle casualties and prison deaths). The United States, on the other hand, had a completely intact and expanded manufacturing base. U.S. casualties were the smallest by percentage for any of the major participants, in most instances significantly lower. The U.S. industrial machine had been running full tilt to support the war effort, exporting arms to allies (often times on credit). Hence, the United States was poised for world economic domination.

Practically the entire world came to the U.S. for its industrial output. The U.S. had plenty of skilled workers, manufacturing experience and facilities ready to meet that need. This resulted in trade surpluses, which lasted until the mid-1970s (Bureau of Census data). It's not coincidental that you listed 50s-70s for the wealthy period of time.

Fast forward to today. The United States imports about double what it exports, and the deficit is increasing (on average). No longer does the United States have a surplus of exports to fund payment of its debts.

[gjat]

The story is the sad Government/Socialist understanding of Economics and is quite scary. Not a single person is better able to feed or clothe themselves next week unless they lived in a capitalist economy.
Rich Tourist pays $100 to Proprietor for a room.
Prop pays $75 to Butcher and keeps $25.
Butcher pays Farmer $60 for pigs and chickens and keeps $15
Farmer pays Feed Store $50 and keeps $10
Feed store pays $40 to Hired Worker and keeps $10
The Hired Worker brings home $30 to his wife who's a part-time prostitute
Wife spends $25 at the SuperMarket and sells hot-dogs at the side of the road while she's wearing a bikini.

Propietor, Farmer, Butcher, Feed Store Manager, and 10 Tourists stop by the next day spending $3 each for a total of $42.

And so, the process continues. What was $100 in the local economy, is now $130 because it was used to generate added value with $53 still as liquid assets plus the $30 brought in from the additional Tourists. The Wife can stop being a Prostitute and the other business owners have cause to expand businesses.