Eyes Wide Open

Never underestimate the difficulty
of changing false beliefs by facts
--economist Henry Rosovsky

 An electric light is a nocturnal joy to an honest man,
but a scarecrow to a thief   
--Proceedings of the National Electric Light Assn.
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The U.S. is in negotiations with Afghan President Karzai (he of the very cool yak cap and silk cape, the Afghan mafioso uniform) to extend the presence of United States troops in his country through 2024.

For this privilege, the U.S. is willing to pay for the upkeep, maintenance, equipage, training and provisions for the Afghan National Security forces. (Sorry, Detroit, it's not your day.) In return, we get the right to kill Al Qaida members in that country.

This is a sucker deal for the U.S. which serves neither the security interests of the U.S. or the burgeoning and dire needs of our own society.

The U.S. will support the security forces of arguably the most corrupt nation in the world ©, while here in America we have cut federal funds for domestic food stamp programs and our citizens go homeless, cold and hungry, stuck in a cycle of poverty which capitalism aids and abets. They are given Medicaid, while few doctors will accept the coverage.

This is called the sunk cost fallacy which any freshman logic or economics class will tell you, is a losing proposition.