We can provide 99% of what we need here at home. In 1960 we only imported bananas, coffee, tea, and maybe titanium from Brazil. Now, Brazil also has bananas, coffee, and could grow tea. Sure, most of our food was seasonal like fruit. We did know how to can fruit and make concentrated orange juice. We didn't import oil, nor any manufactured goods except maybe cheap toys from Japan. We can do the same again. We have abundant resources still, just can't get to them because of politics and regulations. The difference in a janitor's pay and a CEO's in 1960 was far less than today. We can do without the middle east oil. We can grow our own with algae, or make it synthetic oil from coal, or drill offshore, or in Alaska, or out west or use natural gas in fleet vehicles. We can also get higher gas mileage if the government would declare a national emergency and release the patent's for higher gas mileage that have been bought up by the oil companies. We could also cut energy costs in homes by requiring dense foam insulation instead of fiberglass. Heating and cooling costs can be cut in half using this insulation. Instead of the government "stimulating" the economy, give higher tax credits for use of better insulation materials, building algae greenhouses for oil production, building synthetic plants to process coal into oil, etc. Giving tax credits is cheaper than throwing money out their for useless programs to "stimulate" the economy. Let the people do it their way, just give them credit for what they do.
