How America will collapse (by 2025)
salon.com
salon.com
1) I'm not trying to be nationalistic here, but we have one of if not THE most entrepreneurial, hard working, critical thinking work forces in the world. That is an intangible but one I believe will keep the US competitive long in the future. It generally takes generations for this to change (both in countries that lack it and in countries that have it.)
2) Economics isn't a zero sum game. Just because China or India overtakes the US as the world's leading economy doesn't mean that the US is worse off for it. Value can be added without being taken away. If China becomes the world's largest economy and at the same time, the US's per capita GDP doubles from where it is today, is the US really any worse off?
Right now, the dollar is still the least worst currency.
Oil can't.
Being the top superpower economically, militarily, and governmentally with three hundred million people rather than one billion long-term is not realistic. Eventually you are going to be outproduced in most areas.
Unless we are about to go over the edge now into Great Depression II I think America will be fine. Having China, India, US and the EU as essentially four superpowers will be a political situation like we have never seen before.
I agree US has a lot of short term issues like deficit etc. But its all manageable. If i go by the deficit commissions report just reforming the tax system and increasing the retirement age by 2 years will wipe out the deficit.
1. Foreign wars that are a drag on resources
2. Internal entitlements (SS, medicare) that are unsustainable and also a growing drag on resources
3. A political culture that seems incapable of meeting the long-term needs of the nation
4. Increasingly better global competitors
Will these problems just go away once we climb out of the recession?
So even if he's right the piece is so badly done that it doesn't deserve a lot of respect.
"It’s mid-summer 2014 and a drawn-down U.S. garrison in embattled Kandahar in southern Afghanistan is suddenly, unexpectedly overrun by Taliban guerrillas, while U.S. aircraft are grounded by a blinding sandstorm. Heavy loses are taken and in retaliation, an embarrassed American war commander looses B-1 bombers and F-16 fighters to demolish whole neighborhoods of the city that are believed to be under Taliban control, while AC-130U "Spooky" gunships rake the rubble with devastating cannon fire."
When you're using fictional accounts that you made up as proof of your concept it's probably a sign you need to find some more supporting research before you publish
This little tidbit points to the problem.
just as America's current supply of brilliant scientists and engineers retires, without adequate replacement by an ill-educated younger generation.
Without the collage educated middle class to fill startups and R&D firms/departments what is the US going to build it's continued technological innovation on?
Education is a long term investment in the future and one that the US has being failing making for some time now.
EDIT: Not all, of course, but let's put things into perspective.
The treatment of foreign students is particularly perplexing. We come here, spend 4+ years learning at the best colleges, honing our craft, becoming skilled, and learning from the experts.
What happens when we graduate? We face a supremely unfriendly immigration scenario where we have to essentially find a job or be deported. Even when we find a job, we're totally at the mercy of our employer to remain in the US.
I know quite a few people who just left the country because of these immigration related issues... and I think it's america's loss because these people have gone on to launch startups/do research abroad.
Running a school as a business and then sending "clients" away after graduation makes sense for the school, but not for the idea of education.
Like people who "buy American" and get a Ford made in Mexico rather than a Honda made in America, it isn't "us" and "them." If a foreign student gets hired here, has a family, and contributes to the American economy, they've become American and those statistics about degree shortages look a lot better.
* I don't like immigrants because they take jobs from hard-working Americans. [ Note that this doesn't differentiate between 'off-shoring' and 'immigration' ]
* Foreigners in our schools are taking away spots that could be filled by Americans.
* If we allow foreigners to study here, and then make it easy for them to stay, then it's a double-whammy. They are "taking education away from Americans," and then staying here to "take jobs away from Americans" too.
There is also a smattering of, "oh noes, the person from country X will only be loyal to country X and will therefore be a spy in our midst!"
Note: I don't hold the above beliefs.