Is America in decline?
But “Is America in decline?” may be the wrong question. The truth is that most of the affluent world — again, the United States, Europe and Japan — faces similar threats.
First: Their welfare states are overwhelmed. Aging societies face a collision between promised benefits and acceptable taxes. Either the first must be cut, or the second must be raised. The politics are poisonous. As the Goldman report notes, how the United States handles its debt creates enormous uncertainty. The same is true elsewhere.
Second: Economic management is breaking down. Before the 2007-09 financial crisis, most economists thought they could avoid deep slumps and engineer acceptable recoveries. Confidence has given way to contentious disagreements. Policies are improvised.
Third: Global markets have run ahead of global politics. Countries depend increasingly on international trade and money flows. But globalized commerce is menaced by nationalistic, ethnic, religious and political differences among nations.
A second American Century, though possible, seems a stretch. The harder question is whether the affluent world can defeat these deeper and more persistent threats to political and economic stability.
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No, everything is fine. Don’t worry, you’ll see.
DarkCurrent on January 28, 2013 at 10:40 PM
By choice, even.
And 2008 and 2012 were just the latest of these choices.
makattak on January 28, 2013 at 10:43 PM
America has obviously been in decline for four years.
itsnotaboutme on January 28, 2013 at 10:43 PM
Lost like last years Easter Eggs. Death throes actually.
smoothsailing on January 28, 2013 at 10:44 PM
Actually the proper question is “how close is America to collapse?”.
We’ve been in decline since the 1920′s as a Republic, though it really becomes visible post 1960.
The 1980′s were probably the only rebound from decline, which took off again under Clinton, and yes, Bush.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:44 PM
Decline is a choice. So is renewal.
thebrokenrattle on January 28, 2013 at 10:47 PM
Only if the 51% who voted for Obama decide that working is preferable to Looting.
Unlikely. People vote in their own self-interest, which is why democracy is actually a REALLY bad idea, the Constitution is as much about limiting what The People can VOTE FOR GOVERNMENT TO DO as it is about limiting government.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:49 PM
Citing the DOW is no measure of economic health. The stock market is floating on a sea of funny money.
trigon on January 28, 2013 at 10:50 PM
To add: The Roman Empire in the 400′s could have been saved as well had the Citizen decided to take up arms again in defense of the Empire instead of lazing away and sending barbarians to fight barbarians.
But it didn’t happen.
Just as I don’t expect one Obama supporter to give up their Obamaphone for the good of society.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:51 PM
The stock market isn’t a sane measure of anything. Example: Apple posts PROFITS that aren’t only a record for them but the 4th highest EVER RECORDED and their stock tanks.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:51 PM
Not at all, the last 4 years of stagnation in every facet of our nation is actually good. Fundecline.
Bishop on January 28, 2013 at 10:54 PM
Over 70% of market activity is computers trading with computers. Algos.
tom daschle concerned on January 28, 2013 at 10:54 PM
So it’s over? No renewal in sight? No hope?
thebrokenrattle on January 28, 2013 at 10:55 PM
snort
no wonder they pay this guy the big bucks. He’s way ahead of everyone else!
james23 on January 28, 2013 at 10:57 PM
Sadly, this is correct.
Now there IS hope for the future, but it begins only after this mess crashes into the ground.
Our Republic is dying from the fatal disease of “bread and circuses”. The Looters outnumber the Producers, and they can vote themselves more Obamaphones without the Producer minority being able to do anything about it. Collapse is not only probable it’s INEVITABLE.
Barring some massive change in behavior amongst the Looter classes in that they desire to give up the “free stuff” and become producers. Which is unlikely. The social inertia of the last 50 years has been to create more Looters at the expense of Producers, to the point the budget no longer CAN be balanced because the Looters won’t allow it.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:58 PM
Is this a trick question?
Dingbat63 on January 28, 2013 at 10:59 PM
Is Barrack Huskiness Obama the Supreme Leader? Question answered.
Dingbat63 on January 28, 2013 at 11:00 PM
Robert A. Heinlein said it best:
This is why we are doomed, and we’ve reached that point in the Obama Age. If we’d never elected Barack Obama the difference would have been decades because in reality we’ve been locked on this path ever since the welfare state was introduced by FDR. Johnson and then Obama HASTENED the “forward progression” of the rot, but they didn’t create it.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 11:01 PM
Yes, next question?
Clink on January 28, 2013 at 11:01 PM
Questions:
What exactly is a Obamaphone? What model do people get? How many minutes?
What qualifies one to be a Looter? How about a Producer? Is it possible to be both?
thebrokenrattle on January 28, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Of course it is Samuelson, you dolt… and you voted for Ogabe who has brought ghetto to the White House and Liberty to this low and endangered state… TWICE.
viking01 on January 28, 2013 at 11:03 PM
A “free” cell phone paid for by taxpayers. It’s primary purpose is to “keep Obama in President (you know?)” (see link for video demonstration)
Looters take more money annually from the taxpayers in benefits than they net pay in taxes.
As Andrew Wilkow calls them, they are “zero liability voters” in that they share no consequence of voting statist because they benefit from it and pay nothing for it.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 11:13 PM
As for number of minutes in any Obamaphone plan: Too many.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 11:13 PM
Why American collapse is inevitable: Meet the Looter Class.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 11:18 PM
I’ve seen the Obamaphone Lady already ad nauseum. That tells me nothing about what kind of phone it is.
If you vote anti-statist(over social issues like abortion) and still take in more money from the government than pay into it, still a looter?
thebrokenrattle on January 28, 2013 at 11:19 PM
Obamaphone lady gives me aneurysm, ya know what i’m sain? You feelin me?
Ya dig?
tom daschle concerned on January 28, 2013 at 11:20 PM
Yes, but why would you vote that way if you are a taker? If they did in any numbers this wouldn’t be effective for the democrats after all!
The looters aren’t going to vote for LESS LOOT. It would be contrary to their own interest.
Voting democrat means voting for those checks to keep coming, for those Obamaphones to keep working, ie: ever and ever more of other people’s money.
It’s no mystery as to why these people vote democrat, and why the democrats have established themselves as the welfare party. They are the SUPREME Looters, since they USE the public treasury to buy themselves votes and thus political power.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 11:23 PM
Want to feel worse? Watch the other video I linked.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 11:24 PM
I wish more people understood that.
The Rogue Tomato on January 28, 2013 at 11:30 PM
She was in both videos you linked 8D
Nonetheless, I now have an aneurysm. I worked 6 days/week, 12 hour shifts for the past two months. I take nothing. Nothing.
tom daschle concerned on January 28, 2013 at 11:36 PM
Voting democrat means voting for those checks to keep coming, for those Obamaphones to keep working, ie: ever and ever more of other people’s money.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 11:23 PM
The reason why I keep asking about the quality of the phone is because it probably sucks. People can keep getting the sucky gov’t phone and limited minutes or work for a state-of-the-art one.
If it’s better that we crash and burn, how come we’re not all in line for all these benefits to hurry it along? Because they suck, that’s why.
BTW, you keep mentioning the Democrats, which is refreshing. Nice to hear instead of moral equivalence between the Dems and the GOP.
thebrokenrattle on January 28, 2013 at 11:37 PM
The problem though is that being on the dole has become so appealing that half the population is now on it.
That means it’s pretty damn sweet. Keep in mind that in America, our “poor” have cell phones, internet, and flat screen TV’s, and tend to be obese. Poverty in the real sense really DOES NOT EXIST in America.
People around me who don’t work can go to the doctor any time they like and the health department pays for it. Me? I work my ass off, and I have a $1,200 annual deductible before the insurance I PAY FOR covers diddly squat.
Tell me that the welfare looter isn’t in at least that way better off than me?
As someone who makes less than $40K a year, in all honesty, the only advantage I have over giving up and going on the dole is pride. As in I take pride in EARNING what I have.
wildcat72 on January 29, 2013 at 12:06 AM
duh
The Notorious G.O.P on January 29, 2013 at 12:42 AM
If you have to ask the question, then you’re not qualified to understand the answer.
Socratease on January 29, 2013 at 12:46 AM
All that is possible, on the other side. You have to make it, relatively, intact for any of that to happen but it’s possible, and I believe even probable, but only after you’ve survived the fire.
DFCtomm on January 29, 2013 at 7:35 AM