Is the Collapse of the U.S. Now Inevitable?

[Slant]

One might argue that a unified Republican government is the greatest threat to the county. The last two times the Republicans held the presidency and congress we had the Great Depression and then the housing bear sterns crash.

Third times a charm.

Fear not, the mighty UK wants to trade with you!

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What would you think of a man who walked up to you and said "I can never actually die! I decided to live forever."

I'd tell him his plans seems to be working so far. Good job!

[Garnier Fructis]

What would you think of a man who walked up to you and said "I can never actually die! I decided to live forever."

'Existing forever' is not the only alternative to 'doom on the horizon.'

[Stormspellz]

One might argue that a unified Republican government is the greatest threat to the county. The last two times the Republicans held the presidency and congress we had the Great Depression and then the housing bear sterns crash.

Third times a charm.

Kinda of one in the same, as gop's legislative goal has always give the bank away to the rich, ever increasing the wealth inequality

[Theodarzna]

'Existing forever' is not the only alternative to 'doom on the horizon.'

Why is "Don't be a downer!" the response to discussions about the possibility of death?

[PC2]

What would you think of a man who walked up to you and said "I can never actually die! I decided to live forever."

It would be extremely difficult to stop aging damage, but not technically impossible. In terms of the far far future of entropy I would say it's too early for civilization to give up to nihilism.

[Sinyc]

Is the Collapse of the U.S. Now Inevitable?

no.

/10chars

[Garnier Fructis]

Why is "Don't be a downer!" the response to discussions about the possibility of death?

No clue, because that's not what I said?

[Sorrior]

Because the debt is 20 trillion now and still increasing. If you tax the rich and corporations more to help pay off the national debt, then they either move away or cut millions of jobs. If you cut taxes on the rich and raise taxes on everyone else, then income inequality grows even more and regular people suffer. There is literally no way out.

Answer here is easy enough punish them somehow for leaving when they owe the people.

I like the idea of impossibly large trade taxes on ALL their businesses

[Flatspriest]

One might argue that a unified Republican government is the greatest threat to the county. The last two times the Republicans held the presidency and congress we had the Great Depression and then the housing bear sterns crash.

Third times a charm.

You do realize that the Republicans of the Great Depression would be considered Democrats now since the parties flipped sides since then. The republicans used to be the liberals and the democrats the conservatives.

[Skroe]

of course something all the "but the debt" faux conservatives shouted always conveniently ignored was that Obama was on track to have a budget surplus.

the biggest internal threat to the union is income inequality

Every budget surplus the US generates, including the 1990s/2000 on, is artificial. A contemporary surplus, like the 1990s one, would come at the cost of cutting non-entitlement spending down significantly, which, although it would get the books in the black, would deeply damage important defense and non-defense programs. Similarly, a Bush-era budget surplus, paired with tax cuts would come on the back of significant unpopular cuts to entitlements.

Obama would have got his budget surplus alright... on the back of a Pentagon that was $100-$150 billion below it's annual budget needs to meet 100% of its requirements. To briefly reference and slightly modify a point I've been making a lot recently, it's easy to have a budget surplus, when you have a 490,000 man Army doing the job of a 700,000 man.

Basically, because the United States fundamentally does not tax enough to spend for the things it defines as "important", making any sort of surplus comes only out of screwing one important thing or another.

The United States needs to either tax more and pay for everything in full, or define less things as important not declare it a problem when they erode due to under-investment. I'm not just talking about military, but all spending. America loves having it's cake and eating it too. It's irresponsible.

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It's a fantasy popularized by paranoid schizophrenics who think they'll be the glorious saviors of American ideals in a civil war that will never happen and who think their little military-fetish LARP party will be able to take on the US military (sustained artillery shelling says hello, to say nothing of drone strikes and simply carpet-bombing their cute little forts).

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[Ivanstone]

You do realize that the Republicans of the Great Depression would be considered Democrats now since the parties flipped sides since then. The republicans used to be the liberals and the democrats the conservatives.

No, that's not how it worked. The GOP has always been pretty fiscally right wing. They used to be more socially liberal though. The Dems were fiscally left wing but had two factions. One was socially conservative, the other more liberal. Currently the GOP is conservative in both, the Dems are socially liberal and somewhat fiscally conservative.

[Barnabas]

• 20 trillion in debt translates to over 100k debt for every single person in the work force 155 - 160 million people.
• College debt is already skyrocketing and the price of college is still going up.
• Worker pay has stagnated over the last 20 year.
• Income inequality higher than when we separated from England.
• Job outsourcing and AI taking over is putting people out of work all over at a time when a college degree is essential for a basic job.
• Rent costs are insane and increasing.
• Climate change.
• One single accident can bankrupt a person with healthcare costs.
• Completely corrupt political sphere.
• High imprisonment rates.
• The failing economy is dividing people creating even more polarized politics and hinting at civil war.

I am not nation bashing, I am just seeing the reality of the big picture. There is no fix for the U.S. Its citizens are going to be hurting for a very long time.

It's a long way away.

[kyoloco]

depends on how long Trump remains in office

[GreenGoldSharpie]

Our debt is pretty much what greases the worldwide credit markets. Drastically altering this equation seems relatively stupid to me.

Likewise, the "social" decline that a lot of people are complaining about these days isn't really a thing. Certain demographics seem really unwilling to adapt while others are more interested in biting their thumb at other Americans, but, as has always happened, innovation and forward thinking are carrying different regions in differing directions. Sucks to live and work in one that seems both obsessed with decline and perfectly willing to continue to rush headlong into it, but that's life.

[abracmike]

depends on how long Trump remains in office

Strictly speaking, implosion isn't collapse =)

[Souflikar]

One might argue that a unified Republican government is the greatest threat to the county. The last two times the Republicans held the presidency and congress we had the Great Depression and then the housing bear sterns crash.

Third times a charm.

Let's have full disclosure here. Look up the "Community Reinvestment Act". Frank and Dodd(2 democrats) tinkered with that and forced lending institutions to make a quota of bad loans. Also and primarily, Frank and Dodd pushed to reduce mortgage buying standards at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This was the main reason of failure for Bear Sterns in 2008. So I blame both parties for allowing banks to lend money for mortgages which could NEVER be paid back.

[GreenGoldSharpie]

Let's have full disclosure here. Look up the "Community Reinvestment Act". Frank and Dodd(2 democrats) tinkered with that and forced lending institutions to make a quota of bad loans. Also and primarily, Frank and Dodd pushed to reduce mortgage buying standards at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This was the main reason of failure for Bear Sterns in 2008. So I blame both parties for allowing banks to lend money for mortgages which could NEVER be paid back.

Pretty sure only 1 of the top 25 sub prime lenders was involved in the CRA.

[Daedius]

US debt really doesn't matter. At most, we print cash and risk runaway inflation.

And people crying against raising wages to reflect said inflation...

[kyoloco]

Strictly speaking, implosion isn't collapse =)

oh you and your logic

[Theodarzna]

That's a pretty silly comparison seeing as how it's scientifically impossible.

Can you name a precedent for an Empire that lasted forever?