How America will collapse (by 2025)

[lilyannerose]

Good Morning, here are two cubes of gloom and a splash of doom to go with your morning coffee.

I think America has been and is being dismantled as there is no longer very much to exploit in America and its time that the king makers and power brokers find greener pastures.

How America will collapse (by 2025)
Four scenarios that could spell the end of the United States as we know it -- in the very near future
Alfred W. McCoy
Topic:
U.S. Economy
Editor: Andrew Leonard
Monday, Dec 6, 2010 15:01 ET


If America's decline is in fact on a 22-year trajectory from 2003 to 2025, then we have already frittered away most of the first decade of that decline with wars that distracted us from long-term problems and, like water tossed onto desert sands, wasted trillions of desperately needed dollars.

If only 15 years remain, the odds of frittering them all away still remain high. Congress and the president are now in gridlock; the American system is flooded with corporate money meant to jam up the works; and there is little suggestion that any issues of significance, including our wars, our bloated national security state, our starved education system, and our antiquated energy supplies, will be addressed with sufficient seriousness to assure the sort of soft landing that might maximize our country's role and prosperity in a changing world.

Europe's empires are gone and America's imperium is going. It seems increasingly doubtful that the United States will have anything like Britain's success in shaping a succeeding world order that protects its interests, preserves its prosperity, and bears the imprint of its best values.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/1...9_7_30_110

[theVOID]

Utterly unconvincing

[lilyannerose]

Utterly unconvincing

How so?

I think there are valid points, especially when it comes to our failure to turn out well educated young people and the fact that China is and has been manufacturing and exporting.

Ever think about what China is going to do with so many men and not enough wives?

[Jaysyn]

Utterly unconvincing

I'd have to agree. I see a lot of weak extrapolation & "what ifs" thrown together with some buzzwords & a poor lack of understanding regarding energy technology progress.

[lilyannerose]

Utterly unconvincing

I'd have to agree. I see a lot of weak extrapolation & "what ifs" thrown together with some buzzwords & a poor lack of understanding regarding energy technology progress.

I do think there will be dire consequences in the future. Our institutions are broken and no one is really addressing that point.

[Jaysyn]

Ever think about what China is going to do with so many men and not enough wives?

Pure fearmongering. I haven't seen evidence for China wanting anything but economic & social stability in quite a long time. Also, even if the US military is cut in half (which it won't be), it's still dwarfs the rest of the worlds combined armed forces.

It's not all roses over there either.

From Wikipedia

Wayne M. Morrison of the Congressional Research Service wrote in 2009 that "Despite the relatively positive outlook for its economy, China faces a number of difficult challenges that, if not addressed, could undermine its future economic growth and stability. These include pervasive government corruption, an inefficient banking system, over-dependence on exports and fixed investment for growth, the lack of rule of law, severe pollution, and widening income disparities."[25] Economic consultant David Smick adds that the recent actions by the Chinese government to stimulate their economy have only added to a huge industrial overcapacity and commercial real estate vacancy problems.[26]

[lilyannerose]

Ever think about what China is going to do with so many men and not enough wives?

Pure fearmongering. I haven't seen evidence for China wanting anything but economic & social stability in quite a long time. Also, even if the US military is cut in half (which it won't be), it's still dwarfs the rest of the worlds combined armed forces.

Maintaining that military is going to take $$$ the less income that is made by the general population the less $$$ the government has. Don't you think at some point China is going to do something about all the $$$ the US owes?

Do you think that the military industrial complex is going to continue to keep America in power.

Frankly, I can see a future where you have a situation where "The Corporations" usurp the role of governments. Where once Alexander had to take his armies on the move now all you need is a board room and a notebook.

[Valkyrie]

Yes, I think you're right, Lillyannerose. The corporations get pretty much anything they want right now.

[Jaysyn]

Don't you think at some point China is going to do something about all the $$$ the US owes?

Do you honestly think that China will attack another sovereign nation over fiat money? Do you not think that China's artificial inflation of their currency will eventually bite them in their behind? How about their unsustainable economic growth over the past 20 years?

BTW, here is a little graphic for you that may put our economic situation in a better visual light for you. This one is using 2010's numbers



This one is using 2006's numbers


So yeah, we took a dip, but the rest of the world did as well. Our GDP is still growing. With the -2.1% exception that was 2009, our GDP has been growing steady since 1944.

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Frankly, I can see a future where you have a situation where "The Corporations" usurp the role of governments.

Someone has played too much Shadowrun. Or something.

[Skipper]

I don't ever see America "collapsing". It's power, influence and wealth will no doubt shrink in comparison to new emerging powers. But It will always be a key player in international issues.