This article tries to paint a picture of the current state of the U.S. economy and its military readiness. From the content you get quite a worrying picture of the situation.
Superpower? Really? – AustinChronicle.com: Liberals and conservatives habitually speak of the United States as a superpower. Neocons like Norman Podhoretz advise that our “only option” with Iran is “to go to war” – as though we can. A New York Times commentary on Iraq blithely states that, no matter the outcome, “the United States would still be the sole world power” – as though we are. Bush planners aim at establishing a “permanent” U.S. military presence in Iraq – as though we could. And presidential candidates of both parties speak as though we can accomplish anything if we’re well-led. Well, as Roky Erickson once said, “You can believe that story if you want to.”
Last year, when Treasury debt increased by $184 billion, almost half of that amount was provided by lenders in China. This country has become the largest source of funding for the United States government’s deficits. Without the present level of foreign investment, especially Chinese investment, America would be in very bad straits.
Colin Powell, has stated “The active Army is about broken”. Senior U.S. military and government officials acknowledge that it will take years for the Army and Marine Corps to recover from what some officials privately have called a ‘death spiral,’ in which the ever more rapid pace of war-zone rotations has consumed 40% of their total gear, wearied troops, and left no time to train. The U.S. military now lacks a large strategic reserve of ground troops ready to respond quickly and decisively to potential foreign crises. The vast majority its rated ‘not ready.’
Well, we’re still a superpower because of the nukes. That leaves us behaving like spoiled children desiring world domination. However, to use those nukes would be beyond insane. So, we’re left with our war mongers thinking we can do anything, but failing miserably to do so.
Without the present level of foreign investment, especially Chinese investment, America would be in very bad straits.
This is patently false. We are already in very bad straits. Even those who like the GDP should recognize that our debt to GDP ratio is higher than it has ever been. Just before we went to war in Iraq, it topped the prior record … which was set in … October 1929.
Realistically, this could be turned around rapidly, if taxes and personal sacrifices were implemented as during WW II.
Any bets on whether the public would tolerate that?
The Cons have turned the US from a superpower to a STUPORpower. Especially since the coronation of King George.
#2 I wouldn’t take higher taxes. There are more government-funded programs now than in 1929. Perhaps reducing funding to those programs would be a better way to “turn things around” rather than asking us to pay higher taxes.
Oh, the USA started sliding a long time ago, it’s just accelerated significantly since Bush took office. This is partly because of 9/11/2001 and its subsequent warfare, but other culprits are Walmart (people that shop there add to the trade imbalance with China), real estate prices (hyper-inflated – the crash is coming), greed by corporate executives (religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich – but we’re losing religion), the disappearing middle class (both ends of the salary bell curve are rising), minoritys’ feelings of entitlement (consumption is the new slavery), slacker Gen-Xers (kids of hippies are too mellow), people that don’t understand computers and the internet (mom, dad, and pretty much everybody else running domestic businesses), SUVs (overt consumption), drug and insurance companies (fleecing the sick and old), the weak U.N. (agreed), and so much more.
Eisenhower was the last disciplined President the USA had. His farewell speech on leaving his post was one of the last intelligent non-bullshit speeches given by a Chief Exec:
Part One (audio on YouTube)
Part Two (audio on YouTube)
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents’ worth, inflated to 5 cents to match the economy.
#2 The people we used to call Americans, those that would gladly roll up their sleeves, do without, do whatever it would take to help America defeat her adversaries are gone, in their place is a nation of spoiled rotten brats who don’t know nor care that in reality they only inherited this nation’s wealth, wealth created by the “greatest generation” and just like trust-fund babies, we feel entitled to it.
Ask an American today if he or she would submit to rationing or anything our grand and great-grand parents endured to support the war effort, and you’re likely to be laughed at.
Americans no longer believe that we are all in this together; we stupidly take our nation’s wealth for granted, and only concern ourselves with getting our own little piece of it.
We could lose it all if we don’t look out for one another.
Aside from our military arsenal, we are no super power, thanks to George Bush and his GOP cronies. A super power is much more than that.
We are laughed at on a world scale. No respect, hated, seen as polluters and war mongering. What we need is a leader, visionary, someone that preserves the piece in a complex world. As TIME magazine pointed out, we need a JFK, a Reagan, a Clinton.
We need Hillary and Obama as the democratic leadership to oversea a new respected America, a Superpower and someone to oversee the Bush and Cheney war crime trials.
#6 NO DOUBT — already the current generation is not going to be better off than the previous one, and since the conservatives are out to eradicate the public school system, soon only the rich will be able to afford to educate their kids, leaving the poor and middle class to fend for themselves.
the middle class’ days are numbered, folks — i hope you get on the right side of the divide.
#2 – Realistically, this could be turned around rapidly, if taxes and personal sacrifices were implemented as during WW II.
Any bets on whether the public would tolerate that?
Comment by Kballweg — 7/2/2007 @ 6:31 am
There was something to sacrifice for during WWII. This is George’s war for his business buddies. Let Haliburton pay for it.
Besides, there isn’t anything left for many Americans to sacrifice.
We’re moving past the definitions of Super Power and First World, Second World, and Third World. We’re now at a point, thanks to global capitalism, that we all impact each other much more than was possible 20 years ago.
This is a good thing for all involved, including the United States.
#2 “turned around rapidly” via “taxes and personal sacrifice”.
Are you suggesting cures for the symptoms, or cures for the disease?
Geez, it amazes me that there are so many people selling the U.S. short. I wonder why there are so many people trying to get to the U.S., be it in a legal or illegal manner. I also wonder how many people are trying to get into China instead of trying to get out.
#10 – This is a good thing for all involved, including the United States.
Keep saying that over and over again. Maybe that will magically make it true.
#6 – Todd Anderson, III,
I’d support it for a worthy cause. I just haven’t seen a worthy cause in a long time. Gulf War I came the closest but the timing was highly suspect. (Niel Bush just stole a billion dollars; Papa Bush: Iraq has 18 hours to get out of Kuwait!!)
For me, a worthy cause would be to minimize climate change. That’s what we need, a War on Climate Change!!!
We have had enough of Texans getting us into wars over the past fifty years. What we need is some of the peoples monies returned to the people. The money that was stolen by the republicans even before they developed this opportunistic Haliburton war.
The people paid for the local marina to park 40 foot yachts the people can’t afford to own. This is whats making the US a milk cow for the rich who take their money to Dubai to spend.
The Late Great U.S.A. It’s still a great place to ive.
12—“Geez, it amazes me that there are so many people selling the U.S. short.” Did you read the article?
GOUSA superpower rests on its economy. The economy rests on manufacturing creating exports. As the world economy levels, the GOUSA would expect to approach parity with everyone else whether it be less rate of growth, less growth, or decline will get us there.
So, in face of this pressure, we still have tax credits for manufacturers to locate offshore. We create NAFTA to hassen the offshoring and encourage foreign competition. War was an option with Iraq–never an economic anlysis. GOUSA would be much better off to have a skyscraper bombed every 10 years than give the response we did. And this from a Harvard MBA?? (Ha, ha!—yes, he’s an idiot, and Cheney an idealogue, but fully invested in Haliburton)
I fear the small upstart wanting to prove himself less than I fear the big drunk who sees himself losing.
Lets look..
It USED to be, that most citizians, had Buying power.
Well the Corps have taken that away.
For some Odd reason, it was Forced that the USA had to raise the economy 3% per year..
If they was going to the Individual, and NOT out the window for Bills, it would have been Great.
But if you look back. As min wage has gone up…
The TOP wage didnt move much.
If you look at manufactouring, the costs are about the same, until the recent Gouging of metal prices, as the machining had advanced technology.
Import prices Werent going up much, as they would change Where they got the products, IF they did, and gotten something cheaper.
So what and where are the problems?
1. is Gov. We USEd to hire these folks to make our lives better, and they would Use information from COMMON sence, there Life experience, and from as many Scientific sources as needed.
They USED to be on a stipend system, such as an allowance. They were paid for Travel, food and Lodging, ONLY for the time period they were Coming and going and AT the capital. Then they would go HOME, and work at another JOB.
2. Corps. They have gone past the OLD business plan.. As a product or business hits the market, there is a Flat point called a Plateau. They have Past the plateau. They have Biten/scratched/ and Jumped the fence to Force the END of the Plateau Over the Brink. They have tried to get Every penny, they can into the pockets of those on the TOP. Business USED to treat you as a family and TRY to keep those that had knowledge..NOW they keep those that SEEM to have knowledge. They May know Where the Product Exists on the Shelf, but they dont know HOW it is used.
exp. Customer service/Tech assistance.
WE used to be able to talk to someone that HAS USED a computer. That can talk us thru the concept of a FULL reset. How to manipulate a script. How to Diagnose a hardware problem.
NOW, we talk to people that…’If it aint in the book, I cant tell you. so you will need to send it in so we can FIX it” WHICH means, they will reformat your system to DEFAULT, Then evaluate your system(if it dont turn ON). And ship it Back to you.
Iv had to tell many Nubs, about the hiring practice of business. They DONT WANT a ‘know it all’ at a computer..If they are looking for a receptionist, they want you ONLY to know certain programs. If they want a DATA Logger, they ONLY want you to enter the DATA into there PROGRAM…They dont want someone to FIX, augment, accelerate, increase productivity, or Give them a BETTER option to what and HOW they are doing. And they DONT want you to corrupt their systems even thos they are Paying MS for All there software they dont know, and DONT WANT to know, that there is something Cheaper, and easier to use then MS.
3. Stock market.
Is a sham. It tends to be a LONG term loan program that NO established company can get OUT OF. If a company Looks good, people Jump into it, and later find they have NOTHING. Many companies depend on the Stock exchange so Much, that they Inflate information just to get money to do R&D(research and development) because they dont HAVE any money. Its all gone to Those at the top, and into the Stock holders as dividends(interest on investment).
It USED to be that we could go Straight to the Maker/manufactour of a product and get a better price. NOW its almost illegal to buy direct.
It used to be that a corp would search out ways to do something cheaper EVEN if they had to do it themselves, or go straight to the public to have something done. Now they only look at OTHER over priced Corps to do their work.
And there is alot more to say…but lets see how you digest this.
If you take what the average American pays in taxes as a percentage of income compared with the same in WWII I’d say we’re already sacrificing.
The USA, right now today is the greatest place to live that has ever existed on Earth and will remain so, until we get forced to live small, at which point there is no reason for Earth to continue.
#19 – Your sense of superfluous hyperbole is impeccable…
When you say “until we get forced to live small” I think you mean “until YOU get forced”, because the overwhelming majority of the Earth and a mighty sizable, possibly a majority number, in the US lives “smaller” than one is lead to believe you do by your posts.
I think you’d commit ritual suicide if you had to live how I have to live, and I would likely think of your life as decadent.
I’m just saying, perspective might be good for you…
#9 “Besides, there isn’t anything left for many Americans to sacrifice.”
Well, they are sacrificing sleep time to get the iPod.
I almost forgot: Want to see the future of your nation if you keep idiots like Bush Jr ruling it? Mexico used to be a 1st world nation, just look at what inept & corrupt politicians have done to it in less than a century.
#21 – You mean iPhone?
Yea… I’m talking about the poor, but the poor don’t vote is the same numbers as the middle class so we pretend no one is poor in the United States.
But I do tire of hearing all about how hard it is for the middle class. Either someone is trying to redefine poor as middle class, or someone is selling SUVs, $150 Nikes, and iPods at a bargain rate to the middle class… because I don’t see too many middle class people without their official Middle Class Consumer Staples.
#22 – And a good point is made again by Angel… (though I do wish you’d put your trademark deviant sex fiend spin on it 🙂 – I love your humor)
#20 I used the word “forced”. All I’ve ever said is don’t take away my choices (and don’t put up sin taxes or other things to influence my choices.) That’s all.
#24 – TheGlobalWarmer,
Humans will live smaller. Or, the population will be dramatically reduced. If we don’t address the issue of our rampant consumerism and opulent lifestyle, it will be addressed for us. And, it won’t be pretty. The planet is limited in size. If China alone attains our lifestyle, and everyone else on the planet does not change their habits at all, we will double our impact on the planet. (OK, I lied. We’ll only increase our impact by 97%.)
We have 6.6 billion now. We’ll have 9 billion by 2050. In 2050, we’ll also have a billion climate refugees. Do you think the humanitarian effort of finding food and shelter for them just might impact the economy? (Not to mention peoples’ lives, of course.)
Also, please keep in mind that while we have not seen the peak in human population yet, we have already seen the peak in food. For the last several years, we have produced less grain year over year. Since 1983, we have seen ocean fisheries output decline, despite improved fishing technology. (BTW, a billion people rely on seafood as their primary source of protein.)
We have also seen peak oil come and go. We are finding fewer fields than we are closing. This would be true even if Bush got to destroy the ANWR to provide us with another 6 month supply.
We are seeing wars fought over the environment and overpopulation. Rwanda’s genocide was due to overpopulation. Farms were being split to sizes too small to live on. Darfur is a war for water, a direct result of climate change as the primary, though not sole, cause of their genocide.
What part of we need to save the environment so that we as a species can survive are you having trouble understanding?
Do you think we could live on the moon? Do you think there will be many people left as wide spread desertification continues? How many species can we lose before the environment cannot sustain us? I don’t know. Neither do you. But, you want to find out. I do not.
Here’s another thing to consider. We have already caused a mass extinction far greater than the one that killed off the non-avian dinosaurs. Some are already claiming that we have caused a mass extinction greater than the one 250 million years ago, the prior record holder.
Guess what types of species fare very very poorly in mass extinctions. Go ahead, guess.
If you said large warm blooded animals, you’re right!!
Guess what humans are. Go on. Guess. Let’s see. Most of us know we’re warm blooded. Did you also know that we’re in the top one percent in size of species? We are. We’re large and warm blooded.
So, start conserving now if you care about life. If, on the other hand, you want world peace, we can have it. I can show you an example. Look overhead on most clear nights. Our nearest neighbor is a very peaceful world.
#23
Yeah, I meant the iPhone but then again, I wouldn’t be surprised that Apple starts trademarking everything that starts with the vowel “I.”
What happens is that the middle class is working harder (and “harder” is the keyword) to get the lifestyle they have; ie a second car, the kid’s PS3, a decent pool, a jacuzzi, etc.
Naw, I’ll save those sexual remarks by copying Steve Wozniak’s iPhone pictures and then reposting them to a certain yahoogroup that specializes in hairy men.
Scott I feel for you. You have an even bleaker outlook than I do. What’s the point of simply existing rather than living? Sounds like there’s already no point in continuing – why prolong it? If the problem is as bad as you feel, it’s Kevorkian time.
#27 – I agree…
SUV owners first.
#27, When the Republicans hold power, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In nyc in the last few years there has been a construction boom. Everywhere you turn in Manhattan you see high luxury buildings/condominiums rising up. Who the hell is affording these places? Plus, banks are turning up on almost every block. The rich have invaded Manhattan thanks to their Republican cronies in office. But take a close look. Graffitti and scratichi have been on the rise in subway cars. Petty crime is going up. My car’s sideview mirrors and fog lights were stolen. The poor have their own defense which is disease and crime. Slowly they are making themselves known again. There is too much money in the hands of the rich today. My prediction is that crime is going to rise big time. The graffiti, like I said, is the harbinger of things to come.
25,
WOW, you have been reading..
27,28…
According to the Naturalists(not mine) It would take a Total of 2/3 population decline of ALL humans, to curtail what is happening, and to START the world Back into equalibrium… for the populations of Animal and fish and Birds to Start to balance out(except in Australia).
Think of that number and figure out WHERE and WHO would/could die?
It would take the Population of ALL of China just to meet that number.
Hmm, I wonder HOW we could instigate such a situation to happen??
Think hard now…
HOW can we instigate an OPTION that would allow us to kill off, a Population EQUAL to the population of China.. Or Near that population. the second location of HIGHEST populations, is Accross the middle east, into N. africa..