maverick4

The United States has some major challenges, and call me pessimistic, but I am foreseeing a fall reminiscent of the Roman Empire. What will China/Russia do, and what can American do in the near future to preserve its leadership and way of life? Some of our problems:

- Huge federal deficits
- Huge trade deficits
- Social security and medicare disaster
- Lots of debt owned by Japan and China
- An impending housing bubble burst
- Loss of manufacturing plants and jobs
- Technology transfer and know how to Asia
- World-wide antagonism towards American war invasions
- World antagonism towards American support of Israel
- A bloodbath in Iraq, and Iran knocking on the door
- Attitude shift in oil-producing countries towards the PetroEuro

In discussions with friends, we can't seem to figure out why China and Russia haven't already orchestrated a collapse of US leadership. Yes, selling their dollar reserves will also hurt their economies, but they would recover. Ultimately, we decided that nobody has done anything out of fear of the US's willingness to use nuclear weapons.

Real World

You pose a very interesting question. Where I think too much is made of some of the issues you mention, like trade deficits, loss of manufacturing, and world sentiment, I do agree that we're facing some issues that are monumentally important. The deficits we've run as a nation, especially under this administration, will be the #1 detractor of American strentgth and culture. I think China nd the US both face problems of their own that aren't necessarily discussed here at home. The Soviets have massive problems with poverty, crime, and corruption. The Chinese are having social problems with respect to reform, and could be facing a crisis of both population stability, and economic depression. China has some issues it will be facing both now, and in the decades to come. They have an aging population, no social system of support to speak of, and the rapid increase in GDP makes them succeptible to decline. Interesting though. What's strange about the situation with the Chinese is that the vast majority of their goods, I believe something like 40% or so, is exported to this country. It makes you wonder how they would benefit from our demise.

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

Holy Diver

I, for one, hope that they join together their best scientists and create a robotic Doug Henning.

maverick4

There seems to be an unspoken race over the world's natural resources. The US has gone into Iraq, and soon maybe Iran, to control the Middle East. I think it will be very interesting to see what Russia and China do. I noticed recently that Russia booted out some American oil companies and put them under Russian control.

Real World

When you look at Russia, or what's going on in that country, think Chavez and Venenzuella. Putin is doing teh same exact thing. Here's hoping Hydrogen becomes a reality very soon.

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

Fixit

Oh my God, thank you! I've been trying to remember that guy's name since I saw his poster in "The Forty-Year-Old Virgin" a few weeks ago.

So very random.

Holy Diver

gomezcat

It's an interesting question. However, as Real World said, there is vested economic interest in your economy being strong. Here's something else to ponder. Would Russia and China wish for a weak US to be replaced, conceivably, in the power vacuum by an increasingly strong pan-Islamic movement?

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The blog of our recent trip to The States (September and October 2012):


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FreeTedWilliams

The more important question is what will the rest of the world do when America invents an alternative to oil?

Sooner or later, some American is going to invent a re-chargable fuel cell, which is chaeper than oil, and when that day comes, the Middle east will be a real desert.

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The Jets look like a Super Bowl contender right now about as much as Rosie O’Donnell looks like a threat for the Miss America crown. -NY Post 12/19/2011


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Real World

Hydrogen Fuel Cells! We're closer than most people think!

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897