"Experience has proven, however, that without any controls a sudden reversal of capital flows can not only destroy an economy, but can also result in increased poverty for a nation."
Let me tell you what I call real. Two weeks ago I bought 200 shares of a big oil company called Maverick Tube Corp. at $55.23. Yesterday I sold it at $57.26 because of all the talk about how bad 'excess profits' were. OK, I made $400 but I promise to donate it to a home for retired Defense Department employees. I want the people a this home to enjoy all the benefits of a grateful nation, so I plan to invest it for them, but I want your advice about investing patriotically. I swear I'm not making this up.
Do I invest the sales income plus cap gains into SNP and lower the trade deficit, or do we let the trade deficit get worse while we impose additional hardships on people who've already sacrificed enough for America?
I'm talking real money, real people, and real account balances here. You tell me, which way do we go?