20 Questions

Some weeks ago, the new US attorney General (seems like a nice young man) opined that Americans weren’t up to discussing at least one “difficult” topic. Well, TheFundamentals is not about to sit idly by and ignore that challenge. So, here are 20 questions (you provide the answers) that never seem to get much discussion in public forums:

1. How long can the US buy more from others than it sells to others? ____yrs. ____mos.
2. What do you do when all the big US urban areas are occupied by majorities of groups of people whose demographics in all major cultural/economic and societal metrics (literacy, employment, illegitimate births, crime and education) are below the national averages?________________________________.
3. What do you do when the people identified in #2 above have the ability to determine, through the democratic process, the taxation and spending policies of the country? ________.
4. What do you do with a religious group, already dominant in the world, when it claims its freedoms in the US even though it will deny those same freedoms to others when it can? ___________. Who will prosecute this group in the US? _______. Who will speak against it in the US?________.
5. Why would anyone seek to address these issues and their unintended consequences when any attempt to even discuss them in the terms of the above language produces derogatory and pejorative representations about the motives of those who seek a discussion?_____________. Mr. Attorney General, why don’t you answer these questions and post your answers?
6. How long can Israel survive? ___yrs. Which of your younger relatives will you encourage to go fight for the state of Israel? _________. Will each member of the House of Representatives and the US Senate answer the same two questions. ___yrs and ____________. On second thought, why bother asking them.
7. When, if ever, do you think investors will be ready to buy more US mortgage backed securities? 20__. How much will foreign bankers buy in 2010? $_____. In 2011? $_____.
8. Have you ever considered earning less and spending less as the easiest way of controlling your taxes? __y or n. Do you think that the government paid folk will ever stop borrowing to pay themselves unless and until there is no one left to loan them another penny?__y or n.
9. How does the US government plan to service the debt of the US when interest rates double? ______. When rates triple?_______.
10. I am going to buy a new car from GM or Chrysler in the next ____ mos? Ford_____mos? Others____mos?
11. Whither goes the states of California, Michigan, New York and Illinois? ______. Would you buy the securities issued by these states or any of their lesser political subdivisions? ___y or n.
12. I support the city of Chicago in selling its assets to pay it workers and its pensioners? ____y or n. I prefer the sale of assets versus more taxation? _____y or n. What do they sell when all the assets are sold?_________.
13. Do you think you can count on the SEC to look out for your investments and make sure that you are forewarned of possible bad investments? _____y or n. When was the last time you remember them warning you away from a bad investment? 198___? 199___? 20___?
14. How long does it make any sense for the US military to engage in overseas missions? _____mos. How long do you really think that the US can afford these forays? ____mos. Name three other countries who have engaged in as many foreign military operations in the last 50 years as the US?_______, ________ and _________. Name one? ______.
15. What grade (A thru F) would you give the Federal Reserve for its assigned tasks of:
a. Maintaining the safety and stability of the banking and financial system? _____
b. Maintaining the strength of the US dollar? ____
c. Maintaining a strong economy to support full employment? _____
16. Would you buy a US treasury security that pays 3.80% for the next 30 years? ____y or n. If not, why not? ___________________________.
17. I’m fine with the debt of the US going to $20 trillion in the next 8 years? ___y or n. I’d prefer if it got there sooner? ___y or n.
18. Do you intend to keep paying taxes so that city and state employees receive job security and pay levels above those available to you? __y or n. Do you intend to continue to pay taxes so that these employees can receive benefits, vacation and overtime pay and pension plans that are substantially more generous than anything you can receive from private employers? ____y or n. I like this system? __y or n.
19. The constitution of the US empowers the federal government in many ways explicit and implicit and restricts the powers available to the individual states? ____y or n.
20. The republicans are responsible for the mess we’re in? ____y or n. The democrats are solving the mess we’re in? ____y or n. Doesn't it seem like we're always in a mess?____y or n.

Extra Credit:
21. HClinton has asked for $900 million to underwrite the cost in Gaza of Israel’s war games. How much of that cost are you personally willing to underwrite? $__.
22. It is OK for the US to bomb locations anywhere in the world and cause innocent civilian deaths and maiming as part of the it’s war games? ___y or n.
23. There should be no liability to any US citizen for the activities in #22 above? ___y or n.
24. Water boarding fat (or skinny) terrorists (see photo at left), however, is a crime? ___y or n.
25. Is HClinton’s flying around the world part of Obama’s plan to IMPROVE America’s image abroad? ___y or n. What designer told HClinton that she looks good in bright greens, yellows and blues? _______. Would not a darker color camouflage some of her nates? ___y or n. Sooee.