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the_real_cher

Not to mention rich people who store their money and assets instead of cash are much less affected by inflation.

There's literally zero way I see of America not becoming a third world country in the coming decades.

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Some people have been joking about it being a third world country for years.

It's supposedly a great place to live if you're rich. Not so much for a lot of other people living here.

If you’re rich you can be fine almost anywhere in the world, barring a dictatorship or some war torn region. But if you’re not rich but have just a little bit, life outside of the US has the potential to be way better these days. Unless you work like a mule and don’t mind hustling your way into retirement or death.

If we're being literal, America can't be a third-word country because it's the very definition of a first-world country per Cold War allegiances.

Congratulations! You have ignored the point OP wanted to make by pointing out the original definition of a term that is used with another meaning nowadays.

Is there something you believe this adds to the conversation? (Genuinely asking, because I fail to see it, and I don't want to accuse you of anything based on that.)

It's, to me, an amusing juxtaposition of the OP claiming to be "literally unable" and the actually literal meaning of the adjacent term being incompatible. And maybe someone would learn that third-world doesn't specifically mean "poor"; they may be in today's 10000 or whatever. Chill.

There is no accountability for the ruling class including political actors in the US. I enjoy the freedoms this country provides but I see risk across the very fabric of society. We are drowning as a country and it's to allow certain sectors or companies to rise indefinitely to the top of the capital market. What solutions can we deploy?

I think we’re heading for the no solution territory. At least I don’t see politicians miraculously coming to their senses, everything is corrupted beyond repair.

Politicians 'come to their senses' when they interact with normal people and are accountable to them. Public funding of elections and bans on large private donations remove the incentive to only talk to rich people. Getting money out of politics needs to be a top priority. If money isn't a factor then all voices become equal and democracy can rear its head once more.

I feel like modern presidential campaigns are just two team captains assembling as many billionaires as they can on their team. Biggest net worth team wins

Ok then and who bans large private donations? Who can take money out of politics? Politicians won’t do it as it isn’t in their interest. It’s catch 22 all the way down. In theory you’re going in the right direction but the reality is stuck somewhere else…

There's certainly no voting solution to that problem. Fleecing the public is a bipartisan effort.

First sentence: sure!

Second sentence: nonsense!

Eh... There's some definite risk. The US is dealing with increasing corruption and nepotism, aging infrastructure, sliding standard of living for lower income americans, a shrinking middle class, unsustainable federal debt/spending, and all of those problems are going to be greatly exacerbated by the impending demographics pinch. The question is not so much if we turn into a full 3rd world country, but to what degree our standard of living slips.

What advanced nation isn’t suffering from most of those?

>>The US is dealing with increasing corruption and nepotism, aging infrastructure, sliding standard of living for lower income americans, a shrinking middle class, unsustainable federal debt/spending, and all of those problems are going to be greatly exacerbated by the impending demographics pinch.

>What advanced nation isn’t suffering from most of those?

Japan. The infrastructure is generally fantastic, and well-maintained (new trains are being built, bridges aren't falling down randomly). Corruption and nepotism isn't increasing from wherever it was before, and is generally low to begin with. The standard of living for lower income people is quite good (everyone has health insurance, healthcare is inexpensive, medical costs for children are all free, living costs are generally low). The middle class isn't shrinking, it's very strong. Government debt is high, but it's all internal (owed to the people), not external. There's a demographics pinch, but every developed nation (plus the US and Russia) has this right now, frequently even worse than here (just look at China and South Korea).

There are issues, like any place, (esp. the weak Yen currently) but not like the ones the US faces, nor on the same scale.

Japan is embroiled in a massive corruption scandal

I never said it was corruption-free; every country has some corruption. It seems like it's being handled.

Looking at the quality of life, infrastructure, physical safety, proliferation of firearms, etc., the US already looks like a 3rd-world country to me. It's why I moved out.

we're going into 1 trillion dollars of interest PAYMENT debt every 100 days.

I don't think the rich people will be the ones who pay the price for this.

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