What is the importance of the war in Iraq  relative to other current issues?  This is a question I am often asked, especially as Americans continue to become increasingly aware that something is very wrong with the economy.   The difficulty with the way the question is often asked relates to the perception that we are somehow able to divide such issues, or to isolate the cost of war into arbitrarily defined areas such as national security or international relations.

War is an all-encompassing governmental activity.  The impact of war on our ability to defend ourselves from future attack, and upon America ‘s standing in the world, is only a mere fraction of the total overall effect that war has on our nation and the policies of its government.

The cost of this particular war is enormous, and therefore its of great importance.  There is no single issue that is more important at this particular time.   The war has, of course, made us less safe as a nation and damaged our credibility with allies and hostile nations alike.  Moreover, years of growing deficits have been spurred on by the high price tag of war, and the decision to pay that price primarily by supplemental spending rather than traditional “on-budget” accounting.

War takes what would otherwise be productive economic capacity and transfers both that capacity, and the wealth it would generate in normal, peaceful, times into far less economically viable activities.  It also impacts budget priorities in ways that are detrimental to our nation.  I have often pointed to the fact that we are building bridges in Iraq while they are collapsing in the United States.

All war, but most particularly war funded by monetary inflation, bleeds a country in multiple ways.  Obviously, many of the young people who are in the military literally give their blood, and sometimes their lives, fighting in wars of this type.  Meanwhile, those who do not fight the war, but fund it, are forced to pay both the immediate costs, as well as seeing their long term purchasing power erode, as the twin pillars of debt and inflation are foisted upon the backs of current taxpayers and future generations.

Neither conspiracy nor coincidence explains steep increases in the price of gas as the war drags on.  No, this is simply a reality of the inflationary policies that, among other things, make this war possible.

As people are continually asked to choose whether our nation’s teetering economy or the failed foreign policy of the past several decades is most important as we look forward, it is well for those of us who understand that these two issues are closely linked, to continue to explain this fact to our fellow citizens.

To fix the problem requires a proper diagnosis.

Ron Paul is a republican member of Congress from Texas.

More striking than this, though, was one small sentence near the end of the email – which highlighted, with a sense of pride, that American troops are based…everywhere.

we now have troops serving in 177 countries

America Supports You expects this effort to be a unifying moment for the nation, at a time in which families traditionally come together and express gratitude for things large and small that contribute to their lives.

Gratitude for empire?  Personally, I’d prefer to thank people for protecting and defending the Constitution – and refusing to take part in actions that people like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would find repugnant to the ideals of a free society.

A foreign policy of non-interventionism was what the founders envisioned for this country – not endless wars, building democracies, and people “serving in 177 countries”

177 countries!
Without belaboring the point, I feel it’s essential to remember the following words of wisdom:

Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.
-Thomas Jefferson

Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly, I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked about such a thing.
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

Left of Right – there’s only one presidential candidate that’s calling for a foreign policy of freedom – a foreign policy based on the advice of the Founding Fathers…

That candidate is Ron Paul.