complex has been growing uncontrollably since the day that President Eisenhower warned U.S. citizens of its lust for power. Our country’s nation-building efforts have drained troop morale and drastically increased our debts. Presently, America has over 700 military bases in more than 120 nations — over half of the world’s nations! The American obsession with maintaining global hegemonic power through military force is justified in the name of protecting the important causes of freedom, democracy, and justice worldwide. Or as former President William McKinley put it, “The American flag has not been planted in foreign soil to acquire more territory but for humanity’s sake.”3 However, acting as the ever-vigilant and omnipresent global policeman requires an annual budget of over $550 billion.4
• That is five times larger than China’s $92 billion annual military budget5
• Nine times larger than Russia’s $63 billion6
• And 55 times larger than Iran’s $11 billion7
In fact, funding the American military machine costs almost as much as the rest of the world’s military expenses — combined. And while these exorbitant costs spent to maintain militaristic dominance are typical of an empire, they are clearly unsustainable.
Wars Conducted without Constitutional Authority: The U.S. Constitution requires a declaration of war to be made by Congress prior to a military action. However, the last war that was officially declared by Congress was World War II. This dereliction of duty by our national leaders is shameful and it demonstrates the clear disregard that both political parties have for our nation’s own guiding principles and ideals.
Wars Conducted Without an Appeal to National Sacrifice: America’s modern wars are fought without an appeal to national sacrifice. Instead, massive capital inflows from foreign creditors help fund America’s military machine. Put simply, America could not afford its current lifestyle of overconsumption and conquest without the kindness (and money) of strangers.
America’s Borders Are Not Secure: As U.S. taxpayers are forced to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to protect national borders halfway around the world, our own borders remain porous and insecure. Our national priorities are clearly backward.
Excessive Foreign Aid Dollars Extracted from America’s Middle Class: Every year, Washington takes money from the working poor and middle class in order to give it away to leaders of corrupt countries in the form of foreign aid. This practice enriches the ruling class at the expense of average working Americans.
The Coming Breakdown of the Petrodollar System: In this book, you will come face to face with the system that will lead to the collapse of the U.S. dollar. It is known as the petrodollar system. The shocking details of how this system works will be revealed in an upcoming chapter.
Dependence upon Foreign Oil Supplies: U.S. and global demand for energy resources are increasing at a rapid rate. Unfortunately, projected global energy production will not be able to keep pace with global demand. A growing depletion of cheap energy resources, coupled with a threatened petrodollar system, will more than likely force America into becoming militarily aggressive in future resource wars with other growing nations (i.e., China, India, etc.).
Lack of a Sound Energy Policy: No country can maintain its position in the global economy without developing a sustainable strategy for meeting its own energy needs. Sadly, instead of allowing the free markets to dictate our energy supplies, the federal government has intervened with massive subsidies, taxes, and burdensome regulations that create distortions in the market price of energy. Federal drilling restrictions serve as roadblocks to domestic energy exploration. Unless true leadership can emerge to give our nation a sound energy policy, we face increasing danger to our economy in the months and years ahead.
As the hard facts above demonstrate, the American economy represents nothing more than a feeble house of cards completely vulnerable to the inevitable external forces that await every declining empire.
The Life Cycle of Democracies
Consider how the Scottish historian Alexander Tyler documented the typical life cycle of a democracy:
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.
Tyler continues with this amazing statement:
The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.8
Does this sequence sound familiar? In which stage of the life cycle do you believe America is currently?
In summary:
• The purchasing power of our U.S. dollar is declining in value.
• The U.S. government continues to print more money.
• We are engaged in an expensive and endless global war on terror.
• American jobs are being exported to foreign nations.
• Americans are spending too much and saving too little.
• We have requested little, if any, economic “sacrifice” on the part of our citizenry.
• Our trade deficit and budgetary deficits are at all-time highs.
• Our national debt is at an all-time high and growing exponentially.
• We are completely dependent upon foreign nations to fund our overconsumption through the sale of our debts.
As long as foreign countries continue to finance our way of life, perhaps we can extend this madness. But what happens if foreign countries begin to decrease their funding of our debts?
The truth is, the American public is living in massive monetary deception. The direction that the American economy is heading is extremely difficult to swallow. However, if our aim is truth, then we will willingly embrace the facts and take the necessary steps needed to shelter ourselves, our families, and our finances. While it may be hard to believe right now, the message of this book is one of great hope. Our hope is in knowing which direction the trends are taking us. It is in this knowledge that you will be able to protect and shelter whatever wealth you have already accumulated, and in addition profit from the greatest financial crisis that the world has ever witnessed. As you read the following chapters of this book, be of good cheer. Despite man’s best efforts, God is still in control. And with God, the end is only the beginning.
Warning: Spiritual Discernment Used in this Book
In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you up front that I am a follower of Christ. However, allow me to quickly add that I have not reached the ranks of the “spiritually arrogant.” I view my faith as the most humbling aspect of my existence. And I can think of nothing that turns me off more than spiritual smugness and self-righteousness. The world would be a better place without the crusaders who become obsessed about the speck of dust in someone else’s eye while ignoring the enormous log in their own eye. So, expect no fiery pronouncements to be issued from my pen. I have made my share of mistakes and do not view my role to be as a judge of others and their shortcomings. The reason for my upfront candidness on this matter is because I believe that you, as the reader, have a right to know