The US has vast deposits of pro much every strategic resource except rubber. Neoliberalism simply decided that American metals weren’t competitive enough (because they would have to oay American wages vs slave wages in other countries) so they have been left alone. If you look a a graph of domestic mineral production, they all crashed in the 80’s. The US didn’t run out of those resources, they jist decided to look elsewhere.
That’s kinda my point. Capitalism is so extractive that is has destroyed the violent force necessary to protect itself. Shutting down all the local production for cheap offshores labor has now left the imperial core with out the means to actually protect itself. The Navy can’t produce warships because all the ship yards closed down. the Air Force cant develop new planes because all their suppliers cater exclusively to the US Government except Boeing, who is only concerned about making the 737 as cheaply as possible. The Army can’t provide enough munitions to support a conventional war against their century old boogeyman.
America has spent the last 30 years selling everything off and destroying all it’s actual infrastructure in favor of higher stock prices and financial instruments. Now that non-western powers are abandoning the Neoliberal system, the system is falling apart, and they have no one to actually blame other than themselves. Because all the money in the world means nothing if you sold off everything that makes it. “The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope” is a saying because of the inherent insatiabilty of our capitalist system.
Absolutely, and rebuilding domestic capacity necessary to extract and process resources is going to be a decades long project. That’s assuming there’s even political will to do that.
The US has vast deposits of pro much every strategic resource except rubber. Neoliberalism simply decided that American metals weren’t competitive enough (because they would have to oay American wages vs slave wages in other countries) so they have been left alone. If you look a a graph of domestic mineral production, they all crashed in the 80’s. The US didn’t run out of those resources, they jist decided to look elsewhere.
Okay then, send me a million artillery shells
That’s kinda my point. Capitalism is so extractive that is has destroyed the violent force necessary to protect itself. Shutting down all the local production for cheap offshores labor has now left the imperial core with out the means to actually protect itself. The Navy can’t produce warships because all the ship yards closed down. the Air Force cant develop new planes because all their suppliers cater exclusively to the US Government except Boeing, who is only concerned about making the 737 as cheaply as possible. The Army can’t provide enough munitions to support a conventional war against their century old boogeyman.
America has spent the last 30 years selling everything off and destroying all it’s actual infrastructure in favor of higher stock prices and financial instruments. Now that non-western powers are abandoning the Neoliberal system, the system is falling apart, and they have no one to actually blame other than themselves. Because all the money in the world means nothing if you sold off everything that makes it. “The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope” is a saying because of the inherent insatiabilty of our capitalist system.
Absolutely, and rebuilding domestic capacity necessary to extract and process resources is going to be a decades long project. That’s assuming there’s even political will to do that.
um, what can you privatize to get that production back? i dont think austerity will do it, and this is the only other button i have…