Where I have freaky thoughts that I will no doubt disagree with later

America is poor.

Today I was sitting in AP Government with my blog partner and counterego, Brandon (mrhighwayisthinkingabouttheend.blogspot.com - enjoy that advertisement) as the teacher talked about current events. The subject of the national debt came up, where the class learned that America owes money to pretty much every single country that has invented currency. Then I came home and looked at a book that my parents got me on the national debt. Yes, my parents got me a book on a national debt. I am that kid. After reading the first five pages of the book, I learned that there is no way in the world that we can feasibly pay off the money that we owe to every country in the world.

This may not have been the happy tone you were searching for.

Oddly enough, I am really unworried about the fact that we're economically screwed. When you think about it, what is money? A dollar is a piece of cottony-papery-stuff with some ink on it in a special design. But thousands (I don't have the guts to say millions) have died in the pursuit of more. If you count those who have wasted their entire lives going after a bigger paycheck, the number rises to millions rather quickly. Instead of spending their lives on something fulfilling, they try to fill the void in their soul with money. Unfortunately, there is always somebody with more money than you. You never win. * Your life just flies by and ends.

Don't get me wrong. Money is important. It buys food. Food is important. But America has made the dollar bill into a symbol like the American flag or Jesus. Maybe it will be good for us when suddenly we can only afford one car each. Sometimes disasters are the only way to get people to focus on what really matters. This may be the disaster we need.

* = Yes, I accounted for the richest man in the world. Carlos Slim has an estimated worth of $53.2 billion, but he doesn't have as much money as Slovenia ($54.6 billion). They don't have as much money as Luxembourg ($55 billion). This works up the chain until America, which brings us back to the start of this post.