I think one aspect to note here as well is that the black economy might not be single-handedly propping up the US economy, but it benefits a cross-section of the ruling class. There is a long history of that, going back to the opium trade two centuries ago. There is a drug trade angle to the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars for those who have pushed it, which adds on to the arms profits.
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/5-elite-fa...pium-trade
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/5-elite-fa...pium-trade
“Nothing is more useful than to look upon the world as it really is.”