How long will it last?

[SirMystiq]

I\'m reading a book about pretty much everything. It talks about how the US is slowly declining from its once more commanding superiority. I was wondering, how long do you think this country will last together as a whole?

The author states that although he does not wish for this to happen, we are heading in that direction.

For example, Korea produces as many Engineers as the US. Knowledge is everything and the US is doing a very poor job at maintain in it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307237524/sr=8-1/qid=1144122957/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5332587-2434241?%5Fencoding=UTF8

[Viper_Fujax]

yes, we are going to hell in a handbasket. Because of capitalism we are crashing to the rocky floor off ..were all going to die, The US is going to blow up the earth, China will gain superiority and take us over, the mexicans will rebel, i will poop on someones shoe etc. etc etc.

You hate our policies, and you think were going to fall as a civilization. So save yourself and go to mexico..o wait..their government is shit. Go to europe..o wait, their economy is being predicted to crash..go to japan, o wait youll kill yourself.

I dont know where im going with this,haha. Im just tired of everyone complaining and saying the world is coming to an end because we might not be the number 1 SUUPPPERRR POWWWERRR. im not losing sleep..im going to get a job, get a career, have a family, retire, have some adventures along the way and die. Or die sooner.

yes, we are going to hell in a handbasket. Because of capitalism we are crashing to the rocky floor off ..were all going to die, The US is going to blow up the earth, China will gain superiority and take us over, the mexicans will rebel, i will poop on someones shoe etc. etc etc.

You hate our policies, and you think were going to fall as a civilization. So save yourself and go to mexico..o wait..their government is shit. Go to europe..o wait, their economy is being predicted to crash..go to japan, o wait youll kill yourself.

I dont know where im going with this,haha. Im just tired of everyone complaining and saying the world is coming to an end because we might not be the number 1 SUUPPPERRR POWWWERRR. im not losing sleep..im going to get a job, get a career, have a family, retire, have some adventures along the way and die. Or die sooner.

amen brother.

stop fretting.  stop complaining.  just live, get your American degree, American job, American house, and imagine for a second dubya isn\'t trying to snipe you

[SirMystiq]

Hmm...Ok, how about you actually think about the outcome?

Or...read the book?

Become informed?

This has nothing to do with GWB...

I dont know how much it will last but that depends on the decisions your present and future leaders will make I think.

Usually parties that are in the government (for example US Republican party now, Democrats before), dont make rational decisions. Usually their decisions are the ones that give a good impression in the short run. Not necessarilly correct.

A general example (not necessarilly implying it happened in the US) is making great Government expenditures to increase GDP near election period. In the long run this increases national dept.

They tend to highlight either a partial truth or satisfy the interest of a group from which they can get support. This happens in all countries

Recent years have also showed Bush`s administration efforts to increase public support. When he was first elected his publicity fell vertically. He used the 9/11 incident, the citizens` insecurity and fear to gain it back, and decided to use this to throw a war in the middle east with possible long term expectations like investing and controling oil that might improve economically the country(which can be used in future elections).

In last elections he used the war against terrorism to get elected again. The elected party is usually the one with the biggest power over the media.

The war in Iraq was a big mistake economically and politically (Especially in foreign policy). I believe this was partially a result of political panic


What I predict is that future government parties will reach to a near dead end and they will get paniced, making irrational economic and political decisions mixed often with individual publicity gain and creation of good impressions, but making things worse instead. Even if there are potential to solve the problem they will send the country to a ressession.

The US imports huge amounts of products. National dept is also getting bigger I ve heard. I also wonder what GNP is relative to GDP since there many  many foreigners imigrading in the US to get a job. `

I think the US is trying somewhat to have more control over the main energy source that is oil to control better the prices of the imports (or decrease national dept) since a part of price of imported goods produced include the cost of production which is relevant to the price of oil.

I only hope this wont give birth to more irrational foreign policies especially with powerfull countries (like China) because of fears that the US (or better the high heads) lose power that might shift to them.

[Evi]

You said dept like 50 times. Dept = department.

Did you mean debt? :fryingpan:

[Viper_Fujax]

i fully believe the iraq war was political panic..but not for oil. I think bush got the false info (that he believed was true), made the deadline for the WMD\'s, deadline passed, and the rest snowballed.

Sounds stupid to people who think were there for the oil, but i have the same thoughts towards those people.

As for all these other problems were speculating on, everything works its way out. We got out of the great depression, we got through vietnam and its aftermath, well get through iraq eventually. Im not saying were going to hit a depression, because i dont think anythings going to happen any time soon (an atom bomb is going to go off and change things before our economy shits), but we if did hit a depression wed get out of it.

hell..the next imminent terrorist attack on the U.S. is going to change things dramatically, and thats probably the closest thing to happening than anything else.

You said dept like 50 times. Dept = department.

Did you mean debt? :fryingpan:

oops yes

i fully believe the iraq war was political panic..but not for oil. I think bush got the false info

Personally I believe he NEEDED ¨false¨ info

[Viper_Fujax]

yea..i dont believe all the conspiracy stuff. But..who knows..maybe you\'re right and people like you are showing people its a possibility instead of us blindly believing everything..or we at least think about it..

everything balances everything out (except the a-bomb..then were fucked)...the issue that keeps people from seeing that is that giga knows hes right and you know you\'re right. All my opinion of course, which accomplishes nothing.

btw I think I found something relevant in yahoo news

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060403/ap_on_go_co/congress_katrina_iraq

I think we need a new system of electing our leaders to save this country. Right now we\'re voting on business men not leaders. I wish Ross Perot came back

[videoholic]

Ross Perot the business man?

Right now we\'re voting on business men not leaders.

Word

Ross Perot the business man?

Hey. Let him finish.
 
-Dan

Ross Perot the business man?

He tried to change the voting system by throwing the electoral college out the window. Thats a big step in the right direction I would say