Captain Anonymous says We're in a Race to the Bottom


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Capt Anonymous: Your $ Paid For This

by Captain Anonymous
Guest Column

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Note from Darren: I'm happy to welcome "Captain Anonymous" to the pages of cfidarren.com for his third article. The Captain is a pilot for a major airline which is considered by many to be the largest in the US. He holds the position of Captain in a widebody jet, just a few years from retiring, and is now getting things off his chest. He is considered a very senior pilot at his airline and holds a schedule which has him traveling approximately 11 days per month. The rest of the month, he spends thinking about the things he now writes here. A little warning... he can come off as a little opinionated and abrasive. I would expect nothing less from a true gentleman who's been flying for 36 years. I am not responsible for his opinions and they may not represent my values or opinions. Welcome Cap'n.

May, 2007

Wake up folks, China is the world's next super power. Right now the largest trading nations are USA, Germany, and China. In ten years, its going to be China, USA, and Germany. They are clearly going to eat our lunch. And they are doing it with OUR money. How are they getting your money? In a word... WalMart. If WalMart was a country, it would be China's 8th largest trading partner, ahead of Russia and Germany (according to chinadaily.com). China is WalMart's most important supplier and most Americans are too STUPID to realize how its damaging our economy.

We never learn. We keep sending our money around the planet and what are these countries doing with it? Well China is the only other country in the world with a maglev (other than Germany). Whose money do you think they used to buy it? We don't even have a maglev operating in this country. Our trade deficit with China is at an all time high. That means we buy more Chinese stuff than they buy American stuff. How much? $250 billion dollars in 2007. That's not a fair trade.

Palm Island, one of three artificial islands of similar design

Palm Island, one of three artificial islands of similar design

You think our defense spending is high with this Iraq war? Well China's defense spending is the same as ours and they aren't in a war. Some estimates put China's defense spending at three times our defense spending. What are they doing with all that money? Well this should scare the hell out of you. They're building a nuclear blue-water Navy with aircraft carriers and subs. The USA currently has superiority in blue water, but not much longer. Wake up folks!!

According to Harper's, the world's most profitable bank was where? New York City? Tokyo? Nope. China.

We really don't make anything in the US anymore and its going to come back and screw us good. Onshore manufacturing is good for the American economy but where is it? They make all our stuff, they are the new military and economic power. We're screwed.

Look what's happening in the middle east. We're so dependent on middle eastern oil, our money funds all kinds of terrorism. We already know that story Burj al Arab

right. Well here's two little stories for you. Our money is buying the most amazing real estate development in modern times. It's a group of three distinctive artificial islands called "Palm Island" in Dubai, a self-declared 8th wonder of the world. Any idea what it takes to create artificial islands? Hundreds of Billions of DOLLARS. And they're not making just one of these developments, they're already on their third. You don't see this kind of development happening in the USA. We clearly have lost our status as a world leader when things like this happen everywhere else in the world except here. Wake up folks!!

How about the world's only 7 star hotel. Where is it? New York City? London? Paris? Nope, not even close. It's located in Dubai on this fancy island pictured above. Your oil money created this. Are you getting ticked off now? You paid for this last time you filled your tank. You should be spitting fire.

Here's another crazy example of what your money is buying in the middle east. Remember that the entire middle east is a desert right? Well that doesn't stop them from building an indoor ice skiing venue in the middle of a desert! Yes, a desert, where temperatures get up to 120 degrees F.

See the palm trees outside swaying in the desert sun?

Crazy. Your last fill-up paid for this!

Look around the world. If not for American money flowing into these economies, they would still be stuck in the dark ages. We're exporting CASH instead of American goods. That's a drain to our economy and I just don't know how much longer we can survive.

Why is Hugo Chavez such big news? Its all that gas you bought from Citgo gas stations, owned by the government of Venezuela. That funded and created this dictator that we'll eventually have to dispatch.

Well I'm pissed off now, so that's it for this month... lets spool up these engines and get the hell out of here.

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