by Robert Mckenna

Created on: July 27, 2010

What comes to mind are lyrics to an old song, “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…”  The people of the United States find themselves in a terminal situation, while the two major political camps stay ever entrenched in their views.

Over two trillion dollars in expenditures will soon be exceeded fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Meanwhile, Republicans want to continue the Bush Tax Cuts due to expire in January, which primarily affect only the wealthiest people in America.  Extending the tax cuts will increase the deficit by three trillion dollars, over the next ten years.  The Democrats passed sweeping healthcare reform, ignoring the staggering costs associated for more altruistic ideals.  Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid expenses continue to spiral unabated, as fiscal responsibility in this area would be political suicide.  Politicians on both sides of the isle, promising anything and everything, just for another term in office, have brought this great nation to a point of economic collapse.  The well-established political machines in Washington do not allow compromise.  Any solutions to the country’s economic woes, which demand compromise and immediate attention, wallow untreated to hemorrhage and fester while the pompous politicians postulate their own importance.

That is the good news!  The Art of War, written around 400BC by the mysterious Chinese General Sun Tzu, his writings simply express how victory is achieved or lost in warfare.  According to Sun Tzu, a general who never lost a battle, it could be argued that the United States would be ill advised to go to war with Afghanistan and Iraq.  According to the General, five constant factors must be considered before going to war.  At the top of his list, “The Moral Law,” suggests victory if American leaders are doing the will of the people, and there is unequivocal support for the conflict.  Further, when actually engaged in war, presumably having met the five factors in the planning process, time is of the essence.  “... If victory is long in coming, then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped.”  Sun Tzu goes on to say, “if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain…  Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.” 

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