I am one of the very few people who several years ago unequivocally predicted the demise of the United States as a global superpower. The idea that the USA will go the way of the USSR seemed preposterous at the time. It doesn’t seem so preposterous any more. I take it some of you are still hedging your bets. How is that hedge fund doing, by the way?
I think I prefer remaining just a tourist, because I have learned from experience – luckily, from other people’s experience – that being a superpower collapse predictor is not a good career choice. I learned that by observing what happened to the people who successfully predicted the collapse of the USSR. Do you know who Andrei Amalrik is? See, my point exactly. He successfully predicted the collapse of the USSR. He was off by just half a decade. That was another valuable lesson for me, which is why I will not give you an exact date when USA will turn into FUSA (“F” is for “Former”). But even if someone could choreograph the whole event, it still wouldn’t make for much of a career, because once it all starts falling apart, people have far more important things to attend to than marveling at the wonderful predictive abilities of some Cassandra-like person.
Found by Heinrich Moltke.
#26 Bummer. You left me wanting as you didn’t answer my question but not surprised.
I would agree with you that the problem belongs to the guy in charge – but that’s not the question.
As far as “the country not here in 3 years” (presumably because of Obama) is just preemptive rhetoric that belongs at some future date.
Is depression here or not? not very clear. But if you look at the past history recessions and depressions come and go. Economies go through cycles and recession is part of the cycle.
In the mean time, I just came across a very helpful website on the current economic downturn and employment:
http://www.recessioninfocenter.com
http://www.recessioninfocenter.com/2008_tax_tips_for_recession.html
The reason the ‘country won’t be here’ is because our banks are hundreds or trillions of dollars in the hole, and yet our government is so bought and sold by the banks that they have chosen to stand behind the banks rather than the people (going so far as to say as much in recent days). If the government takes on those debts, as they will, our credit rating will go from AAA to B or worse overnight, no one will lend us money, and so we’ll have to monetize 100 trillion or more (the derivatives market, i.e. bets on bets, alone is 1.5 quadrillion dollars of funny money) which will destroy the US dollar and everything the relies upon it.
The only solution is bankruptcy and dealing with the trouble that would come from so many banks going belly up at once, but that solution is not politically tenable. Thus, no solution, and the feedback loop of a bad economy further killing the value of derivatives, because of a lack of lending brought on by technical insolvency due to reliance upon those derivatives, will continue until the organism (the USA, in this case) dies. I don’t care if we had elected Jesus H. Christ as president, there is nothing that he could do to solve this as long as the Legislature and Executive departments are totally compromised and beholden to interests that are not our own.
#25: Yes there are Spanish TV and radio stations out here (NM, AZ, TX, parts of CA, and NV anyway). However, immigrants (which are not all Spanish speaking–lots are Vietnamese in New Mexico, for instance) quickly figure out that it’s a good idea to learn to speak English to get ahead in the world. Both Spanish and Vietnamese are fitting in well in the Southwest.
# 34 Floyd said, “Both Spanish and Vietnamese are fitting in well in the Southwest.”
I meet people very often that have lived here for 10+ years who don’t speak any English. Try SoCal.
SoCal is only miles from the border! Tell me, P-O, do you speak any Spanish? After having lived near the border for -how- many years?
I am one of the believers in the fall of the USA. It has all the signs of former U.S.S.R. It threatens other countries with nukes. It supports dictators around the world. It is in itself in a mess while dictating others to cleanup. It has highest number of WMD’s and also a largest number of (moronic) army in the world.
Yep, after years of USA predicting others failure, its about time its going to taste the humiliation which it caused to others.
Boy I cant wait….the suspense is killing me 😉
#37
If the US were to “collapse”, the vast majority of the world would go with it into a depression that would make the current economic crisis and the 1930’s crisis look like a walk in the park. The domino effect would be devastating. I’m not sure where you live but are you hoping that your country/local town goes into collapse? Unlike the Soviets, there are a lot of very wealthy countries that have a significant interest in having the US survive and be viable.
# 36 Li said, “SoCal is only miles from the border! Tell me, P-O, do you speak any Spanish?”
I understand it a bit and read it better than I speak it. How about you? Where do you live?
I too, read it better than I speak it, though I was quite fluent when I was young. Of course, I’ve also have my German, Portuguese, ect. I can even read a bit of Italian.
It’s all good. The more you know, the better prepared you are.
#38 @Thomas
I appreciate your concern about the repercussions of the fall of USA but there is no denying that USA has become a liability for the whole world. I mean who wants a pushing thug in their backyard. Everyone was a “Yes man” due to the threatening behavior of USA
“Remember you are with us or against us speech?” but now when USA is weak and cant threat no one anymore, most of the countries sighing in relief. Its a fact that in human history, no superpower country or a nation has been good for the world. All they did is push their agenda on to others and threat / occupy those who dare to say no to you.
# 37 zorkor said, “I am one of the believers in the fall of the USA. It has all the signs of former U.S.S.R.”
Actually, it has almost none in common. The USSR was never a real economic superpower. We are closer to the old UK or Roman empire. Both were economic superpowers that decided they would rather be military superpowers but trashed their economies switching over…
The USSR was never an economic superpower but gained status via nukes. They tried to maintain military parity w/o the economic base and collapsed. They didn’t last nearly as long as Rome or the UK as they weren’t ever an economic giant…
# 40 Li said, “It’s all good. The more you know, the better prepared you are.”
It’s very good to be able to communicate. It is a disaster to have people in a group that can’t communicate with the majority.
Where do you live?
#32 Dallas
I did answer you.
I tend to grade the results of an administration after about 3 years, not 30 days. You?
I said I base mine the same way the media does, whoever is in office gets the blame (never the credit unless it is a Democrat).
As for the 3 years we won’t be here comment I made, well that remains to be seen.
I could see the current collapse coming years ago. All it took was the realization that for the second time, North America was again being traded away with more advanced others from across the sea in exchange for shiny beads and trinkets.
Conveniently, those predicting the collapse of the USA can be legally murdered.
Of course, you may have a different definition of treason that I, but you’ve been wrong before.
#47 Wha?! Legally murdered? Isn’t that an oxymoron of a statement?
If USA won’t go away quietly, it will then spearhead the establishment of a World government. The ascendancy of a Kenyan origin President and the buzz around Bobby Jindal all point out to an era of “globalized” leaders, where America or Americans will become dirty words.
The USSR stayed afloat an extra five years because the USA kept funding it for that long. “Keep your enemies closer” (and well fed). If the soviets had gone under too soon. Reagan wouldn’t have been able to justify such an expensive defense budget. The “Evil Empire” would have been a sad joke. So the US government fed Russia enough, to keep them a viable threat. And Hollywood came out with movies like “The Hunt for Red October” and “Firefox” (the soviet stealth jet). Not to mention “Red Dawn”, “Amerika”, “World War III”, and more. They REALLY were desperate to prop up the USSR’s image as something to be feared.
But anyway. The USA would likely be (and is) supported by outside economic entities. That know a total collapse would be like shooting the goose that lays the golden eggs. Or at least, like letting it starve to death.
#50 Very good points. I remember the grain shipments to the USSR from US & Canada, on credit no less…
#51, Cow-Patty,
The grain shipments go back to Nixon’s opening of detente with China and the USSR. Canada and Australia had already started shipping grain and Nixon didn’t want to lose such huge markets by default. Most large international shipments are done through credit.
#52 No kidding?
Not, my point.
#53, Cow-Patty
Not, my point.
Then put your hat back on. Your point is showing.
#42
What drivel. I suppose we were a liability during the 1940’s or to the Kuwaiti’s or to the millions that receive money through our foreign aid…
> “Remember you are with us or
> against us speech?”
That statement was specifically directed at countries helping to fund and train terrorists and that sentiment is still true. Countries either decide to actively pursue and quash terrorism or their days are numbered.
> no superpower country
> or a nation has been good for the world.
As was said in Life of Brian, “What have the Romans ever given us?!” Or the Egyptians, Babylonians, British, Persians, French, Chinese….
#50
> The USSR stayed afloat
> an extra five years because
> the USA kept funding it for that long.
Check. I suppose you next will tell us that the Berlin Wall built by Americans as a tax dodge.