Opinion: The Real National Security Threat

Don't buy into bullshit that's being fed to you by the media. The biggest national security threat is not terrorism, ISIS, North Korea, or even President Trump. Instead, it is the state of our economy.

It appears like Americans are divided like never before. My theory is that because so many people are struggling financially, it is causing pressure from within to divide its people. When things are going badly, it's easier to blame others for your lot in life than to look at yourself and see what needs to change. With so many people struggling, it's easy to see why so many are looking for a hand-out from the government (state and federal). It's easy to see why so many are looking to raise the minimum wage. It's easy to see why they would rather not pay back their student loans. Many of us have a lot of debt and it feels like a game that you can't win. Even if you could get rid of all of your regular debts like bank loans, mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards, you still owe taxes on your property and on your income. By the way, your student loans cannot be discharged by declaring bankruptcy.

So what's the answer? How about spending less and getting out debt? How about not borrowing money in the first place. If you don't have the money, don't buy it! This should apply to purchases as well as attending school.

Each of us should strive to save at least 20% of our net income each month. Don't spend more than you earn. It's that simple.

Institutions have to stop gambling for ever greater returns. Derivatives are crazy and the government must not bail them out for such actions again. People's lives are stake because so much of our retirement accounts are handled by these institutions. It really should be considered as a first-class national security matter.

Did you know that the US owes nearly as much as it produces? According to Wikipedia, as of March 2017, the US external debt to GDP is 97%. The government has been on a wild spending spree with multiple wars in the Middle East, bank bail outs, and social welfare. At the same time, it is unpopular for politicians to raise taxes in order to off set this spending for the fear of not getting elected or re-elected. Basically, Americans owe creditors of foreign nations like China a lot of money. Not because China somehow forced us to borrow but because we couldn't control our spending.

Meanwhile, the government keeps printing more and more money. The purchasing power of the dollar has steadily lost its value over the past decades. What you can buy for $10 today will definitely cost more in the future. The money that you have been saving into your retirement may not be enough by the time you reach old age, sorry. You really shouldn't count on Social Security unless some miracle happens.

Yes, it's all dark and gloomy and I'm not sure there's an easy way out. Until we get our act together and start cooperating, we may find ourselves doing the unspeakable.