So here we are, at the end point of Reagan's folly, with his kitchen cabinet of whining millionaires. The credit card binge that the US never recovered from, attributed to breaking the backs of the Soviet Union, finally breaking the back of the US. I think it was that last aircraft carrier that they thought they would be so clever with, budgeting only the boat, but leaving the planes as a hole for the next administration to deal with. But there were many such excesses along the way.

They still sneer at Jimmy Carter. I wish it felt better, sneering at them back.

The only lucky part is that history is so much sped up these days. Just as empires come and go in less than decades, the recovery from all this will not have to be so extended as from the Great Depression, or rely upon war writ large to recreate a newly balanced system. 10 years from now, the US will be back, hopefully embracing wise state control of entities best served by that, and 800 fewer military bases around the world. Of course, Yellowstone and Yosemite will have been sold off for debt financing as well, but what's a few mountains and rivers?

Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.

Frank Delaney ~ Ireland