'Destroying America a gallon at a time'

I love this letter originally published in The Mercury from a Boyertown man who wonders if there are forces working to destroy America from within. The writers' conclusion? America's political leaders have done more damage than any terrorist attack.

'Destroying America a gallon at a time'

If I was a terrorist and I wanted to destroy our American way of life, I would not use planes, bombs and bullets to kill people. That's too risky; you might get caught or killed, or both. The real terrorists figured a way to do it easier. They can destroy our country easier without using our old methods of pure fire power. The real terrorists would do it without firing a shot and lay the blame where it can't be found. So here's what I would do if I was a terrorist:

1) I would increase the cost of my oil to any country I supplied.

2) By increasing the cost of my oil, the currency of that country would be devalued and would be worth less, causing everything else to be more expensive.

3) Devaluating the money would in turn reduce everyone's property value, forcing them to pay a mortgage which would be higher than the value of their property.

4) This would force people to sell their property for less than it is worth because they could no longer pay the mortgage or the property tax. (Berks County alone has over 8,700 homes on the auction block.)

5) If they were in the business of moving produce or products around the country by truck, the cost of my fuel would force them to sell their trucks because it would no longer be profitable for them to run. I would then buy the trucks at a cheap price and ship them to other countries.

6) I would give tax breaks to "outsource" all factory jobs to off shore countries to insure that the local population would no longer be able to find good paying jobs.

7) I would make education no longer affordable. Terrorists will not tolerate educated people (history shows that educated people are the first ones to be eliminated).

8) I would make healthcare difficult to obtain and let the insurance and drug companies set the rules and prosper.

9) I would listen to your phone calls and monitor your e-mails regardless of any Constitutional rights. "Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security." Benjamin Franklin
10) I would then give myself big tax breaks and sit back and watch everyone fight over the crumbs.

But we live in the greatest country in the world in which our fathers and our grandfathers fought to make sure that this would never happen here. Would it? God bless America.

JERRY CROWLEY
Boyertown