It is easy to get tied up in the moment of American politics, but what is happening in Washington today is a symptom of something much worse. America is on an unsustainable path that will lead to her inevitable destruction; not in a hundred years or a thousand years, but in our lifetime.
Political infighting has paralyzed the United States at a time when action is critical.
However, the disease that is eating away at America's democracy began long before the republicans declared war on President Obama.
In a hair-raising article in The Nation called The Decline and Fall of the American Empire, University of Wisconsin History Professor, Alfred W. McCoy chronicles several grave scenarios for America’s trajectory. While there are variables in any speculation, there is no mistaking the notion that on her current path, the future for America does not look bright.
There was a time not so long ago, when America was the leader in technology, production and innovation. Each generation after World War II did better economically and educationally than the one before. However, in the 1980’s, our national priorities began to shift and the United States began her decline. Complacency replaced inventiveness.
Americans focused on little more than buying cheap imported products, blinded themselves to the actions of their government, as they began handing over the keys to the country’s future to whatever corporate lobbyist contributed the most money to a campaign.
Corruption has infiltrated our democracy so profoundly, it is no longer able to function. Now, the suffocation of democracy is threatening the position of the United States in the global community.
“Today, three main threats exist to America’s dominant position in the global economy: loss of economic clout thanks to a shrinking share of world trade, the decline of American technological innovation, and the end of the dollar's privileged status as the global reserve currency,” according to The Nation.
By 2008, the United States had already fallen to number three in global merchandise exports, with just 11% of them compared to 12% for China and 16% for the European Union. There is no reason to believe that this trend will reverse itself.”Washington power-brokers have lost the ability to look any further than the next election. Blind by their own ambition, they are sweeping the masses aside and selling-out the nation’s future to special interest groups and financing it with foreign debt.
Everything has a beginning and an end.
The infighting in Washington that has paralyzed America can only hasten the inevitable self-destruction of what was once a thriving world power. Mired in runaway unemployment and the sinking value of our homes, expecting a recovery while lawmakers wage war on each other, is an unreasonable expectation.
The United States is on a path to self-destruction and the end may be closer than you think.
2 comments:
Yeah, looks that way to me too. I think what's happening is that as a culture becomes more affluent, expectations of what government can do change and outpace what a government can possibly do. We had our turn and now our asses are getting kicked by other up-and-comers. This ought to sound like a recipe for arch-conservatism, but I actually believe the progression is inevitable and unavoidable. The only thing we can do is ease the suffering of as many people as possible as we slide toward an almost entirely artificial economy a la sweden or denmark. Invest in popcorn and lawn chairs, and watch the drama unfold...
i wonder how long it will take the sheep to figure it out too??
Post a Comment