"Today, the US government is taking actions that seem almost insane, risking a nuclear war with Russia and simultaneously alienating China".

Hello! Haven't you noticed what China and Russia are doing?

Dangerous idiocy 'spoken here'.

Overspending is the result of knowingly not growing the economy as fat as doable, but allowing idealogy and various vested interests to apply the economic handbrake and act as anchors.

If we do have to fight? Then we will need a robust fit for purpose manufacturing arm. And all that really prevent that is a fundamentally flawed energy policy that carries far too many passengers and economic lead in the economic saddlebag! It'll be too late to fix it once the conflict begins, dummy!

We need clean cheap energy that's deliverable at around 1 cent PKWH in a not for profit paradigm, followed by, level the playing field, tax reform! That reform is an entirely unavoidable, 15% flat tax that cuts in above a generous tax-free threshold! And government needs to be downsized and reformed!

A country our minnow size, needs only one central government, with states rights protected by a Senate that understands that is their only real role!

This rationalisation by referendum of corporate Australia will free up/liberate 70+ billions annually! 70+ annual billions that could be/should be redirected at defence spending and military modernity/nuclearisation.
Alan B.

A hostile Turkey is no longer a reliable ally, yet holds as many as fifty loaned nuclear weapons! And should be obliged to forfeit them while we have the means to enforce that outcome. Otherwise, they could be used against us/NATO?

We, a far more reliable ally should be given charge of those weapons as part of a repositioning of assets and defence rationalisation! War? Not so much if but when! Too many flashpoints and itchy trigger fingers!
Alan B.

Yes Western civilization has reached its inevitable dead as a result of the inexorable drive of what Lewis Mumford called the Invisible Mega-machine which patterns and controls it.
It is now time for something completely new which is entirely life-positive to emerge.

These references describe the situation.

This Open Letter was written in response to the Kosovo crisis at the request of a high ranking UNHCR diplomat. It was slightly reworked in response to Sept 11.
http://www.beezone.com/adi-da/peace_letter.html

The various themes touched upon in the above letter were expanded upon and published as the book introduced here:
http://www.dabase.org/p4formula.htm
http://www.da-peace.org/excerpt-no-enemies

Daffy Duck

That sounds interesting, but could you give us the potted version?

We ought to have a referendum on whether we have state parliaments or a capable military with enough capacity to stand alone against a hostile, nuclear-armed emerging superpower. Also, do we reverse our patently asinine position on both nuclear power and a nuclear deterrent capacity?

Totally unnecessary state parliaments cost the nation 70+ annual billions before they supply or oversee any service delivery or amenity.

MSR thorium is the nuclear power I'd chose and because we could have operational, safe clean cheaper than coal, operational plants delivered and commissioned in as little as twelve months!?

In the interim, we could "borrow" some nuclear weapons as long-range missiles armed with nuclear warheads!

If we face a hostile nuclear powered, nuclear-armed adversary and we do!? How do we do so, without some capacity to deter their aggression?
Alan B.