COMMENTS:
i don't follow your ballot question at all. you seem to be pre-determining the future. hmmm. why ask the question if you're going to state your own conclusions in the ballot? sort of defeats the purpose, don't you think? got any facts to back up your presumptions?
and what's with showing all the f-16's?
I do not believe that the USA will stop being the 'best' anytime in the near or distant future.
America's success is based upon the success of capitalism so for the sake of your ballot question I would suggest the fall of capitalism as the biggest threat to America's 'greatness.' However I do not foresee this happening.
Voted : Pakistan
and there's not a bloody thing we or anyone else can do about it.
'WHO'S THE EIGHT HUNDRED POUND GORILLA IN THE ROOM ?'
Don't let my gf hear you calling her that! She'll rip your liver out and feed it to ya!
Had I wished to draw that conclusion, I would have limited my choices and not allowed any others...I am of the belief that there is no Country that will prevail "forever or indefinitely" due to historic accounts of Nations that were once considered invincible...when you think you have reached that stage, you are being delusional...I am wary of China myself (among other things) they have more people working in "sweatshops" than we have people...they have come a long way in a short time...I'm rooting for the home team, but when you are on top, there's only one way you can go...and I think our interdependance on other Countries will prove to be not in our best interests in the future...
Just because the 800 pund gorilla is in the room, it doesn't mean he can't be tranquilized or contained...
and I think our interdependance on other Countries will prove to be not in our best interests in the future...
by thesoothsayer on Wed Sep 05, 07 6:49pm
^ bad news sayer. the entire world economy is a whore. it's completely intertwined. didn't you know that? a dell computer might have parts in it from 10 countries and might be assembled in as many. the mortgage debacle in the united states sent ripples all over the world. france, germany, japan, you name it, they all had money in the system.
you might no know it, but the inter-dependence of nations is a done deal and it involves every country on the planet. no turning back now. and of course no one stays on top forever. it could be argued that right now the usa shares power on the world state with russia, the eu and china. our homogeny has been in fact just a popular word for the homogenypress to use. what hemogony?
I have substancial funds tied up in investments so I am aware of the turbulence right now in the markets due to prime and subprime debts not being paid,etc, and we are only begining to see the ramifications of what can happen when cheap labor and outsourcing takes center stage, I lived through the time when it only took one wage earner to support a family, now we are living in a time when two wage earners may have problems supporting the family, coupled with rising prices and fewer people able to afford "median home prices" which is a recipe for a breakdown in the system, you've got to have adequate wage earners in order to maintain an economy, not seek out where you can reduce your costs if in fact there will be no one to support your products...Globalization has pros and cons, and it seems to benefit the Country with the least to lose in the deal everytime, not the "Big Dog"...
Trade imbalances is another factor...there are Countries right now busy "buying up" Properties and investing heavily in this Country with the very dollars they has collected due to the imbalance, and the greed factor of sellers doesn't help matters much...
^ sayer, that's the way of the world. sorry, but it is. and one criticism of americans that is valid is that we buy up half the world and it's okay, cuz you know, we're americans. but if foreigners invest in our country, all of a sudden it's an invastion and people freak out. the largest investor in the united states is the united kingdom. ever notice how no one flinches with that. but if it's japan or china or russia, all of a sudden, it's a crisis.
and if you want some stats on the residential real estate market in the united states, it's the most valuable in the world and is estimated to be worth $27 tril. and thats just residential. the "bump" in the market is felt more because the housing market -- new construction and re-sale, accounts for 23% of our economy.
the "bump" was needed and a further correction is also needed. that's how economies work -- the weaker performers are weeded out, prices stabilize, new construction starts afresh once their inventory is sold and so on and so on.
as for 2 wager earner families, that's a condition unique to the western world soley because so many other cultures frown upon women in the workplace. we have 2 income families because women wanted equal rights, equal pay, etc. thank gloria steinem
"Trade imbalances is another factor"
you're right. blame virgil and myrna wiggins in south dakota for running to wal mart every weekend to buy some piece of crap they don't need. but as for trade you might be shocked to know that it is much less an issue than you might expect. the only factor that is a risk is that americans and now western europeans, are buying more on credit and saving less. that component can pose a problem in the future if it's not kept in check.
Voted : Organized crime in control of the government
Voted : China
They've got the raw materiel and manpower, and the money.
Voted : Pakistan
Funny how Pakistan, at the time this ballot was created wasn't on anyone's minds. No thanks to the media or the Bush Administration.
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