To the editor:

Mr. Gurley has surely lost faith in the ability of our leaders to defend the American way of life (“Euro vs. dollar spurs weighty analysis,” Nov. 7, Journal-World). He worries that our government is running the currency printing presses 24/7, that workers in this country are less competitive on a global scale, and that without their large SUVs, most Americans can’t make it to the supermarket to replenish the daily fodder. He concludes by warning that unless we work smarter and more productively, “our standard of living must also go down.

Correct diagnosis? Perhaps, but Mr. Gurley failed to mention that this country possesses the greatest military force the planet has ever seen. We may not be smarter, but we are certainly more powerful, and given that our addictions (i.e. oil, cheap credit) are stronger than our noble aspirations (i.e. sustainable energy, balanced budgets), we will likely find the necessary pretexts to employ these forces to preserve our consumptive way of life. Indeed, if you listen carefully, you can already hear the promises of the 2012 demagogues about restoring America’s honor, you got to have faith, support the troops, and all that.