NO TROOPS TO SYRIA QUAGMIIRE

A plea to Mr. Trump. Syria is a quagmire to avoid. Send no troops there. . Military adventurism abroad is a distraction and a waste of blood and treasure. It makes us weaker not stronger. Focus on making America great again.

WE ELECTED MR TRUMP TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE HOME FRONT

Recently (yesterday February 24, 2017) we have heard murmurs from the Joint Chiefs of Staff that they may be preparing a plan to present to President Trump to deploy more troops to Syria. Mr. Trump should reject that notion firmly.

The deep military state and GOP war hawks like Senator John Mc Cain and his "Sancho Panza" side kick Senator Linsey Graham, have recently completed a "secret" trip to Syria. While there, Senator McCain is reported to have bad-mouthed the President and his polices. A "no no" for any American abroad but a real nasty thing to do for a US Senator (and a Republican) to boot. Such actions weaken our nation. Perhaps the grumpy old war hawk has a bit of aortic stenosis and memory loss. Like the Democrats (he is channeling) he can not accept that he lost the election for the "big job" when he had his chance. In that election the people soundly rejected him and his polices. Mc/Cain, the deep military state, and GOP war hawks are attempting to "control" Mr. Tump by entangling him in senseless, costly, bloody and wasteful adventures abroad and in this instance in the quagmire of Syria. But as a nation we can no longer afford such stupidity. These forces for unending war were successful with Mr. Obama..who became an unknowing tool for their purposes. Let us hope that Mr. Trump, with a much stronger personality, can resist and foil their sinister stratagems.

DO NOT GET INVOLVED IN THE QUAGMIRE IN SYRIA.

The post WWII world left the USA as the world's sole hegemon and in that role we grew overconfident. With the collapse of the Soviet Union we faced no competitors on the world stage. With no restraints on our actions, we admittedly did "stupid stuff". We fought many small, unnecessary and senseless wars. We wasted enormous troves of wealth, and sacrificed the lives and limbs of thousands of our young men and women for questionable purposes. At no time were we seriously threatened. In the process of over extending ourselves militarily on the world's stage, we spent profligately on "wars of choice", on thousands upon thousands of outposts and bases in foreign lands, and on military hardware.

US TAXPAYERS BURDENED WITH EXPENSE OF BEING WORLD POLICEMAN

While focused on these foreign adventures we unwisely permitted our essential infrastructure at home to decline. For decades we permitted successive governments to spend more than we earned in revenue. We hollowed out our middle class. Our debts soared. We ignored the millions of illegal immigrants surging across our borders. We watched as former vibrant industrial zones turned into "rust belts". We looked the other way while well-paying jobs were shifted abroad to other nations. We permitted US based companies generating huge profits to sequester their wealth in off shore in tax free havens--helping to depress our tax revenues. We engaged in policies which permitted huge trade deficits with all of our trading partners. We have become a nation with a weak economy, and a national debt approximately equal to our annual gross domestic product (GDP)--like shabby third world nations we once criticized. Today our debt approaches the $20 trillion dollar mark...similar to other debtor nations.

EXCESSIVE "DEFENSE" SPENDING IS AN OFFENSE TO OUR ECONOMY AND WELL BEING

One of the primary causes of this sad decline is the cost of the military expenditures millstone we collectively wear around our necks. It is budgeted under "defense" but it is an OFFENSE to our own economy. The costs of our foreign policy adventurism abroad stifles our economy and weakens us . These misguided policies have sickened our nation as a whole by limiting our ability to sustain the welfare of our citizenry and maintain our essential infrastructure.

Being the world's policeman is an expensive enterprise...which has been lumbered solely onto the backs of the American taxpayers. We are today, burdened by massive debt. Our cities are shot through with millions of illegal immigrants who are poorly integrated into society. Our economy stutters in a slow growth phase. We are saddled with an infrastructure which dates to the last century. Our nation's parlous state can no longer support the burden of playing the role of world hegemon, a role which advantages only a tiny fraction of our citizenry. While the rest of us pay for it in high taxes and inadequate services and with our infrastructure crumbling about our necks. It is past time that we have attended to the desperate needs of our own nation.

ACTUAL EXISTENTIAL THREAT WILL REQUIRE FULL RESONSE FROM A WELL FUNCTIONING MODERN NATION

To be truly "prepared" for actual an existential threat from abroad--a real threat that would require a fully engaged population and military response---we must have a strong modern nation---modern roads, airports, marine facilities, electrical grids--nationwide broadband , a flourishing industrial base, a world class educational system and adequate health care. In short a modern, well functioning, affluent nation.

The deep military state which is attempting to lure Mr. Trump into the same old stupidity, waste and loss is barking up the wrong tree in the wrong forest at the wrong time. Their advice should be soundly rejected.

Keep your promises Mr. Trump! Stay out of the quagmire of Syria. Focus on "Making America Great Again."