[Felix_Nietzsche]

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What happens when USA gets involved into a military conflict with a country that is theoretically capable of retaliating on a 9/11 scale.

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The dynamics that made 9/11 possible (low security on aircraft) is no longer the case. Iran is a rabbit compare to the USA.. The USA can crushed them anytime they get the political will. If Iran attempted a 9/11 type attack, then this would be the dumbest attack since Japans atttack on Peral Harbor.

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Financial instruments of US government are only as valuable if their backing.

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True, China it at the mercy of the USA to honor these financial instruments. It is like the joke of a broke businessman that see his minister saying his loans are due on Monday but he doesn't have the money. His minister says, "My son you have no problem, it is THE BANK that has the problem".

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So, the security of US investments will be diminished, and their backing will also be diminished by engaging in another costly and unproductive military adventure that is by your admission very likely to increase oil prices by 30-50% (you said gas will go up a buck), which will hurt the economy even more.

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I don't accept your premise that a war will Iran will harm the American economy. If gas goes up a buck, the American govt can always eliminate the $0.50 a gallon taxes to soften the economic blow.

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We have outsourced a lot of our industrial production, and it will take a lot of time and money to rebuild it if we need to do it.

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The American consumer will be hardest hit by no longer being able to buy plastic wrist watches at $9.99 a piece. Also the price of plastic tupperwear bowls will rised dramatically. Those will be dark days indeed. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]