The words that best described the nation’s original foreign policy and the policy that should be pursued now were spoken by Thomas Jefferson during his first Inaugural Address in 1801: “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.”

Unfortunately, this is not the policy that has been followed in the last century.

Ever since the proponents of surrogate power took over the country, the government has grown in excess of constitutional boundaries on all levels. The nation is now involved militarily all over the world. Defense spending, added to all of the unconstitutional domestic programs, has bankrupt the country and made its people much more fearful and vulnerable to attacks.

As Douglas MacArthur said many decades ago, “Our country is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war, hysteria, and an incessant propaganda of fear.”

The problem is the fear-mongering of those who benefit from war and the threat of war. The nation is now governed by powerful interests who have purchased their position of control. It is in their interests to keep people afraid and angry at some foreign enemy. Even better for them is a worldwide, never-ending war on terror. This is the perfect war for the military-industrial -congressional complex.

This incredible statement from one of Nazi Germany\'s most notorious leaders says it all. "Naturally the common people don’t want war. Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Hermann Goering Nuremberg jail cell interview with intelligence officer Gustavo Gilbert, recorded in his book Nuremberg Diary.

The people are beginning to wake up to the disastrous effects of the current policies. Ultimately, as the dollar declines in value, other countries and investors who have been buying U.S. debt instruments will discontinue their purchases. At that point, the government will not be able to keep the printing presses going to continue to finance this enormous military machine. All empires eventually collapse because of the high cost of maintaining an empire by force.

“The budget should be balanced. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt.” - Cicero

The sooner the people of this nation wake up and start following the common sense-based foreign policy of the Founders, the better it will be. Does the U.S. have to make the same mistake so many empires have made before it? Not if the people wake up and remember that they own the government, it is their surrogate!