On the American Oligarchy:

Jim Jubak closes his article in today's MSN Money ("The worst-case scenario is not about us") this way:

the Federal Reserve doesn't have to do a thing or even listen. These bankers don't stand for election. They're appointed for 14-year terms. They're never accountable to voters. For that matter, they aren't even accountable to the people we do elect.

What we've done is put some of the most important decisions about how our country is run in the hands of officials over whom we have no control.

It's a lousy way to run a democracy.

The next time you listen to someone talking about why we went to war in Iraq keep this in mind.

Jubak's article is well worth the time it takes to read, especially his discussion about India's and China's economic growth. All the indicators point to a cataclysm in this century. Economics, energy, the environment, and population growth.

Currently, America's leadership presents us with directives that require us to live with our heads burried in the sand.