What happened to United States of America's Self Sustainability?

Self sustainability is very important for a country. It was a major roll in how our country grew and got to where we are now. Unfortunately we have stopped doing what made us succeed and became a country of dependence.

Currently the U.S. relies on other countries for most of the things we consume and use. We have the ability to support ourselves, but for some reason the government has chosen not to utilize that ability. It is extremely dangerous for this to be happening and the average American has no idea what the consequences are. With what has been happening the past couple of years the only thing that is holding us from civil unrest and the country basically collapsing is that the dollar if still considered the world currency. All it would take is for a country like China to say they won't accept U.S. dollars to pay back debt. That would cause a ripple effect resulting in other countries that we rely on for products and produce to stop accepting dollars.

The U.S. imports close to 70% of the oil it needs for everything from fuel to petroleum based products. Not only is it a huge displacement of jobs and money out of the country, it leaves the country open to pressure and "control" from foreign nations. We have the potential to supply all of the oil we consume along with exporting some for profit. Now I would much rather see the U.S. move towards a clean energy future, but that will take time and we could more quickly start supplying our own oil first. One person who is working hard for this is T. Boone Pickens. CLICK HERE to learn about it.

You can also see how much of the products we use are made in other countries. What happens when those countries decide to drastically raise prices or stop selling to us all together? We used to be an industry and textile giant exporting all over the world. It is very important for a country to be able to rely on itself for the products the people need within it.

Food is another thing the U.S. imports more than it needs to. Even exotic fruits could be grown in greenhouses if there isn't a location within the country to grow out in a field. We have a unique country that has many different climates which allow for many types of crops. I would also break crops down to local farm instead of big corporate ones, but that is for another topic. Let's just start with staying with growing produce within our boarders.

The United States has gone from a a leader, innovator, and exporter to a dependent bunch of consumers that has put itself in a dangerous spot. Not only does the country need to wake up and fix what is happening we as individuals need to as well.