Help me with the major domestic & international issues facing the US

[flamin lib]

I've come up with these, in no particular order. What have I missed?

----Major domestic issues: ----

Consumer credit/banking

Health care/insurance/drugs/medicare/medicaid

Military/veterans

Government corruption

Civil Rights

Education

Press ownership consolidation

Environment/global warming/climate change

Deficit spending

Diminishing middle class


-------Major international issues--------

Iraq war/Kurdistan

Iran run-up to war

Israel Palestine conflict

North Korea nuclear development

Chinese buying US debt

Russian aggressiveness

Afghanistan war/taliban

Pakistan

Nuclear proliferation

[John Q. Citizen]

1. You have missed the number one issue of the day, both domestically and abroad.

The conversion of our constitutional democratic republic to an empire and the loss of all checks and balances inherant to a democratic republic.

All the rest of the issues are secondary to this, because those issues will or won't be dealt with based on who is emporer, not based on the will of the people.

[flamin lib]

4. I kinda thought Governement corruption and civil rights covered that.nt

[John Q. Citizen]

6. I read Governemt corruption to mean bribes or earmarks for lobbiests

and civil rights to mean do we allow gays to marry, or minorities to have voting rights no matter the precinct.

What I'm talking about is the over throw of our contitutional democratic republic in favor of empire.

You know, defacto dictatorship vs self rule.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Throw "Chinese buying US debt" off the list. It isn't an issue. In fact, it's a good thing.

It isn't an issue because Japan buys more than China and England buys more than Japan. US Citizens buy more than those three put together.

It's a good thing because it shows confidence in the US economy. When they STOP buying, THAT'S when it will be a major concern.

[flamin lib]

3. Good point. My concern is the financing of US debt by a

potentially unfriendly government. Not to mention the size of the debt itself.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. The size of the debt is MOST CERTAINLY an issue

and personally, i think it fits in both of your categories above. It is a domestic as well as an international issue.

I have said this before but it bears repeating:
US Treasury securities are seen by the international investing community as one of the, if not THE safest investments available. The reason for that is simple. It is because Americans get up in the morning, go to work and willingly pay taxes on their wages. It is also recognized that the US Congress has virtually unlimited taxing power (which they do) in order to satisfy the financial obligations Congress incurs. When compared to the rest of the world, the US financial markets are deep, highly regulated. very liquid, transparent and probably most important of all, politically stable. The US Government is seen as being politically stable as well. With certain arguable exceptions aside, there has never been a violent Coup d'etat in the United States, the transfers of power happen regularly and peacefully and the citizens do not riot in front of the Capitol building protesting taxation on a regular basis.

That is why US Treasuries are seen as a good investment. There is a point, however where the maximum sustainable debt is reached. We aren't there yet, but this administration seems hellbent on reaching it as fast as possible. If that happens and the world financial markets begin to see treasuries as having any risk at all, the US economy and that of the rest of the world will suffer dramatically. Let's hope we get some sound fiscal policymakers in place before that happens.