Is the United States in its last throes of life?
67How long will it last?
The United States was once the envy of the world. People wanted what you have over there, but alas it was not to be. No nation can sustain the life style of the rich and famous, and the U.S. is about to discover that sad fact.
People in the U.S. consume far more than they produce, and use natural resources at an alarming rate, and many people there seem unwilling to do anything about it. What they will soon find is that there will be a steep price to pay for common goods, and even higher prices for small luxuries. You burn gas like it is unlimited and then compound your greed for oil by silly sayings such as drill baby drill. The Sarah Palins of the U.S. do not realize that even drilling and finding more oil only postpones the problem, delays it until even that oil is gone, baby gone.
I watch with interest some of the green projects that are proposed by the current administration, and the vehement oppositionto them by people on the right. Why do these idiots not see that the life styles of the past is fading away and will soon be gone forever? How stupid can they be?
Here is Spain we have turned on solar and wind power and you can see the new projects in energy all over the countryside. we are proud of our efforts to take ourselves off oil, a wasteful product at best. We also are reducing coal to almost non-existent and use nuclear fueled reactors which are safer than any in the U.S. Why are they safer? Because instead of giving up on nuclear we pooled our resources with other nations and built reactors that are the cutting edge of technology. No three mile islands here, I'm glad to say, and back ups that make any accident nearly impossible.
We get a lot of U.S. news over the Internet, but most of our news in English comes from the BBC, which has a keen eye for truth, compared to many biased U.S. news organizations. Your MSNBC is on the Left, your Fox News is on the right, and CNN bounces back and forth, but that;s not even the worst part. You just done;t realize that you are being spoon fed a lot of false news,misinformation and out right lies. You concentrate so much on your own egotistical outlook that you don;t realise how much the world has moved past you.
People like Sarah Palin would be laughed out of politics even by people in her own party. News, even the far right, would shun her like the plague because she is an ignorant fool. Of course, the right wing of your nation tends to look backwards instead of forward, so I guess that is to be expected.
I have no quarrel with people who hold conservative views, but I do know they are usually either ignorant or so convinced of their own failed ideas that they will defend them to the bitter end, and that's too bad, because to me it seems that the fate of the U.S. is to fall and be swept aside. It is a failed nation that can't pay its own way, has to borrow money from others and fails to recognize that it is not some sacred entity that has a pre-destined course to ever lasting success. Better nations have come and gone and better nations will arise and are rising even now.
Look to yourselves, America, because you have burned too many bridges and no one cares much for the path you took under Bush and Cheney, and the path you will be taking when your fanatical right takes over or states begin to leave your union.
I wish it weren't so because I still have some warm feelings about the u.S. But truth be told, you can't keep going as you are. No one, not even you, can afford the cost of supporting you.
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Yes, Cindyvine, I agree. I wish the U.S.had lived up to its promise but it hasn't and that's too bad. But it will not last long on the track its on right now. It started long ago but escaladed over the past 50 years. When I left in the late 60's Nixon was the harbinger of the death throes. Now Bush and Cheney put the final nails in the coffin. Obama will be hard pressed to overcome their terrible legacy, and I do not think he will be allowed to do that. The far right is well organized inspite of its current problems and will build a new base that will strip the last best chance away from the U.S. to recover and be a better nation. They will chip away using carachter assassination and other foul means as they have done in the past and people will begin to doubt. Obama will be voted out in 2012 if they don't rid of him sooner and no one will be able to stem the tide.
When they killed Bobby Kennedy I could see the writing on the wall. It has grown more evident to me over the years.
I'm with you on everything except the nuclear power. It's just not necessary.
Solar, wind, tidal and thermal can cover it all.
The nuclear waste is an issue that can't be resolved and it's just not worth the risk.
Everything else is music to my ears.
Coldwarbaby, I personally agree that nuclear causes a lot of problems but the EU has decided on measures for waste storage, so Spain goes along with that. Between France and Spain nuclear is used a lot, but lots of us desire to go non-nuclear. Italy, Germany and other members do not use nuclear. Poland does but is looking into alternatives. There is hope that the E.U. will go nuclear free in about 30 years, the end life of current reactors. By the way, our reactors are extremely safe and are state of the art. That doesn't mean our E.U. member states all that thrilled with it, but for the moment is keeps the specter of Saudi, Irani and Lybian oil from sucking ALL our money into those money traps.
I know that coastal E.U. members are getting into tide power generation, based on Netherlands and England projects. France, Portugal and Spain could easily follow through with projects of our own. Spain & France could use the Bay of Biscay as a power source with minimal ecological interruption. We used ot have a lot of hydroelectic dams but recent rainfall reduction has sent many of our reservoirs into crisis as water levels literally disappear. Entire villages, once under a 30 - 40 meters of water are now once more exposed to view. And they say climate change in a figment of our imagination? Not here!
Not anywhere!
Actually hydro, as in dams, is another bad creation. Eventually, all the dams that have been created around the world will need to be removed so rivers can resume their natural evolution.
Small, very localized hydro-electric generators can be used if absolutely necessary without damming rivers and disturbing the environment unduly.
GM is in decline and the Taliban is on the rise. Guess Bush & Cheney's plans went awry, is it not so? Obama seems to be more of the same, too, just a milder and more sympathetic version.
That's why he was selected. His job is to lull us back to sleep. Bush/Cheney overplayed their hand. They nearly woke the sleeping giant and now Obama must restore the calm of consumer delirium.
I am no fan of Bush or Cheney and indeed I hope they and the others in the Bush administration who can be found guilty of torture get conviced and spend time in jail. The underlings, privates, corporals and sergeants involved are doing time, so why not the people who instructed them to break the law?
Waterboarding was deemed a war crime by the United States in the Spanish American War when soldiers were convicted of using it on prisoners. Again since then and as late as Viet Nam soldiers were convicted of war crimes after using water boarding.
Just because a lawyer tells you it is not illegal does not make it legal. Lawyer are not makers of law, they are supposed to interpret the law, and if those Bush attorneys were worth their legal credentials they would have known this technique is (a) illegal and (b) has been singled out by previous administrations as torture when used on our own prisoners of war. John McCain at least ought to know that much!
Bush and Cheney were as two-faced as they get, and now it seems Obama has little interest in going after them, for reasons I have yet to understand. Pragmatism can only go so far, Mr. President.
Please have a look at all these videos (1-14) which explain how America and indeed, how the world got in the mess it is in, who the culprits are and how they made their wealth and oil plays a very big part in it all!
As an American, I value your opinion. I actually had thought to post something in the forums about how others see Americians today. As I am new, there might be something there already, but I have not come across it.
I think many Americans (except Cheney) feel a fresh hope for America in Obama. I know that I certainly do. After the next election in 2010, I believe that Obama will have the power behind him that he needs to get some things accomplished. I think he has already made some major improvements (one just by being there!).
It is highly unfortunate that so many people are blind followers in the Republican party. However, by the time Cheney and Limbaugh are through, I think we will have won over a few more. I was very disappointed that dubbya was voted in a second time. I was very disappointed in America at that time, but I do think that we have got it right this time around. Bush and Cheney (who is still doing it) used very strong scare tactics to lead that herd to the slaughter and I do find it amazing how many freedoms that our citizens are willing to give up for "security."
Yes, with the advent of Fox, you are right about our media. I look to the internet for all my news and yes, I do read and watch the BBC site as well.
Still, I think that America has promise, even though many allowed silly fear to interfere with what makes this country still a great one. Republicans bank on that herd mentality, which is how they ended up screwing over so many with that tea party bit (some of those idiots still don't get that they were used lol). I wrote a bit about that at my website www.whyitmatters.org called April 15? Tax Day or the New April Fools Day.
Thanks, Connie. In truth I wish America would live up to its ideals because I really think they are very good. It's the practice of partisan politics that brings the U.S. down to the level of lesser nations.
As one born there I still have family and friends I visit from time to time. In reality much of the technology and other issues are still pretty good, but when I travel along highways I remember being built, and see that they have merely been patched over in the past 40 years, I am sad because once your Interstate highway system was the envy of the world. Now it's in very sad shape. Same with railroads, airports, etc. Your auto makers can't seem to make alternative power cars or even cars that get much better gas mileage.
Also, your education system is in constant turmoil because your educators seem to want to please every fringe group and ignore the kids who go to school. Still if someone, perhaps Obama, attends to these matters, there is still some hope for the U.S.
Frankly, however, I wonder if the system has been so corrupted that the powers that seem to really be in charge will ever be rooted out.
Obama is indeed busy working on education reform -- one being the sad state of the FFELP, which is government subsidized loans and grants. It is not a minute too soon as that is how I got started writing on the internet. My daughter had a problem with Sallie Mae, the largest service provider for government loans. Largely, the problem was due to (her not paying the bill for one lol) mis-information at school when she rejoined. Still no one wanted to help, so I became a bit more active in that. Though I now belong to 3 Sallie Mae hate groups, I can't be too active, due to the way I solved my daughter's problem. I directly (by email) contacted the CEO of Sallie Mae and he fixed it! Imagine that. I sure was surprised!
The real problem here, as I have addressed in several hubs and blogs, including my credit card one on hubpages is that the legislators we have in office cater to the lobby groups and ignore the people. Obama has actually solicited help through a website from ordinary people asking for input on certain issues. That is a first! Still, as I have said before, the people finally have a voice through the internet and I have found mine now and am not giving it up!
please don't bunch all of us americans in with bush/cheney/the rabid "right"! there are many of us fighting for change who are just as incensed as you are.. the best part about the us is the people, who always right america when she has gone astray.. it seems we have gone astray again, and we the people are fighting to put things right.. peace and luv, janie
Hi Ivan. All great nations have eventually fallen. What has made the USA the great nation it is, is the fact that it is made up of a pot pourri of races and cultures. The "cur" dog is much more adaptable and hardy than the pure bred. Since Americans escaped the rigidly hierarchical religious society of Europe and made it to the America's, they (we) have created the most powerful and successful nation that has existed upon this planet. We are "young" and may not make it. All "children" make mistakes and hopefully learn and improve. In less than a half century, "whites" will not be the majority. . Stop and think of all the chances much older nations have had to improve their lot, but haven't. They, all, have had the same opportunities that were available to us. If we fail economically, every nation on earth will be effected negatively. China cannot produce enuf food to feed a burgeoning population of 1.3 billion people. She needs other nations to provide for her. Yes we have been a very rich nation, the envy of all. Because of the greed and apathy of our "public," the possibility exists that we may not make it. Time is short and time has the answers! Interesting reading ty.
Our government is the issue, lashing out at all Americans when many of us try to better our Country is politically incorrect. Our states are not leaving the Union that we have
but I will agree with you when it comes to consumption, we
need to slow down. Your Country is not even the size of the
United States so comparing your Country with ours is a little complicated but I do see the point you are trying to
make in this article. It is written and you simply tell it
like it is. :) You should read my " The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, Are We Parallel that I just posted yesterday it is also controversial. :)
cindyvine says:
8 months ago
Yeah, I agree Ivan. I stopped being a fan of America when I saw what their greed caused to the people of Angola.