Author Topic: The Decline of America  (Read 2671 times)

hubag bohol

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The Decline of America
« on: September 16, 2009, 02:32:58 PM »
No we can't? UK think tank says US power is fading

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press
Tue Sep 15, 11:12 am ET

LONDON – A weakened United States could start retreating from the world stage without help from its allies abroad, an international strategic affairs think tank said Tuesday.

The respected London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said President Barack Obama will increasingly have to turn to others for help dealing with the world's problems — in part because he has no alternative.

"Domestically Obama may have campaigned on the theme 'yes we can'; internationally he may increasingly have to argue 'no we can't'," the institute said in its annual review of world affairs.

The report said the U.S. struggles against insurgent groups in Iraq and Afghanistan had exposed the limits of the country's military muscle, while the near-collapse of the world financial markets sapped the economic base on which that muscle relied.

The report also claimed that the U.S. had lost traction in its efforts to contain Iran's nuclear program and bring peace to the Middle East.

"Clearly the U.S. share of 'global power,' however measured, is in decline," the report said.

The head of another respected London think tank, Robin Niblett of Chatham House, said the rise in the relative power of China, India, Russia and the European Union has made it harder for the U.S. to exercise its influence.

"America should apply changes in leadership style, but I wouldn't overplay the decline because decline is relative," said Niblett — who was not involved in drawing up Tuesday's report. "One should not doubt that the U.S. remains the most powerful nation in the world, but it's difficult to use the power and to use it to influence others."

In addition to a rise in regional powers, Niblett said the U.S. has long been viewed as being part of the problem rather than the solution on many issues — including climate change, the financial crisis, and the failure of the Middle East peace process.


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hubag bohol

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2009, 02:39:06 PM »
By all appearances, American hegemony is on its way out and Pax Americana may, sooner than later, be a thing of the past.

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hofelina

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2009, 02:41:17 PM »
This is to be expected since America is everyhwere almost like a world police. There is an intensive discussions that US dollars will be replaced with another global currency.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2009, 02:42:53 PM »
The US economy has surged again. Recession is over.

On the way out? Not any time soon. he he he

God Bless America!

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2009, 02:44:12 PM »
US Economy Surges Again
 
1 of 1Full Size
By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales rose at the fastest pace in three-and-half years in August and a gauge of New York State manufacturing activity hit a near two-year high, offering hope of a solid recovery from recession.

A separate report on prices received by U.S. producers rose faster than expected last month, a further sign that economic activity was firming.

The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that retail sales climbed 2.7 percent after declining 0.2 percent in July. It was the biggest monthly advance since January 2006 and well above expectations on Wall Street for a 2 percent increase.

"Retail sales show the recovery is here. This wasn't just autos, it wasn't just gasoline. This was the U.S. consumer getting out of their foxhole," said T.J. Marta, market strategist at Marta on the Markets in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. "This is indisputably a good number."

The strong data pushed prices for U.S. government bonds lower, but stocks had trouble gaining traction and major indexes were down slightly.

Economists are generally in agreement that the U.S. economy is in the early phase of recovery from the worst recession in seven decades, but many remain worried about lackluster consumer demand with rising unemployment decimating incomes.

The Federal Reserve will consider the data at a meeting next week at which officials will debate when they should begin scaling back the extraordinary support they are providing the economy. One official has already questioned whether the central bank should move ahead with all its planned support.

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Lorenzo

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2009, 02:45:57 PM »
;)

15 Trillion Dollar Economy that is getting back on track.

Banks are gaining ground again, our automobile industry is picking up the pace, manufacturing is back again,
citizens are buying again; not bad.

God Bless America!
The Land of the Free!
From Sea to shining Sea

he he he, America the Beautiful!

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hubag bohol

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2009, 02:54:54 PM »
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday the US recession "is very likely over" technically but that the economy remains weak due to difficult credit conditions and high unemployment. --news item

NB:

1. the modifier: very likely
2. the word "technically"
3. "...the economy remains weak..."

Surge? No way.

The US economy has surged again. Recession is over.

On the way out? Not any time soon. he he he

God Bless America!

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2009, 02:56:31 PM »
Recession has ended, analysts predict a growth of 2% for this coming fiscal year;
and predicts a fall in our unemployment rate.



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Lorenzo

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2009, 02:58:36 PM »
We've ended the recession, buyers are purchasing again, the housing market is rising again. The rest of this fiscal quarter will pick up the pase; next year's fiscal growth will improve, as estimates indicate.

And unemployment is predicted, by the Obama Admnistration to fall between 9~% and eventually level off, again.

Cheers,

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2009, 03:05:32 PM »

ANALYSIS
By John W. Schoen
Senior producer
msnbc.com
updated 10:34 a.m. ET Sept. 15, 2009
   

John W. Schoen
Senior producer

House prices always go up. Buy stocks on the dips. Your 401(k) is going to pay for a comfortable retirement.

For most Americans, these core beliefs — heavily marketed by the financial services industry — have been widely held for decades. But the collapse of the housing bubble, Financial Panic of 2008 and Great Recession have upended much of the conventional wisdom most individuals took on faith.

The frightening events of the past year have left important lessons for those who lived through them.

Here are seven (once) widely held principles that turned out to be seriously flawed.

Home prices don’t go down.

It hadn’t happened in living memory. And because almost nobody remembered the last big slide in home prices during the Great Depression, it became easier to cling to the myth that it couldn’t happen again. That view was also bolstered by the housing downturn of the early 1990s, in which home prices slipped but saw nothing like the plunge they’ve taken in the past two years.

As the housing market soared toward a peak in 2005, analysts hotly debated whether home prices were headed for a fall, as we reported at the time. The theory being advanced by the real estate and mortgage industries was that as long as incomes kept going up, people could afford ever-bigger mortgages and pricier homes.

But that theory turned out to be wrong for several reasons. First, incomes didn’t keep pace with home prices following the recession of 2001. Second, to feed the bubble, loans were offered to home buyers based on ever-sloppier underwriting. In many cases, borrowers were approved without any proof they could pay the money back. And appraisers were pressured to keep the house price bubble expanding; the evidence of appraisal fraud during the tail end of the bubble is now unassailable.

Despite recent signs of life in the housing market — home sales have bounced off extremely depressed levels — prices are still falling in many parts of the country. It’s still far from clear when those prices will begin to level off.

Wall Street rocket scientists have tamed risk.

One reason lenders were lulled into giving mortgages to homeowners who couldn’t pay them back was that Wall Street convinced investors that the “science” of risk management had advanced to the point that default risk could essentially be eliminated. The mechanism was a series of complex “structured” products that mixed loans together, chopped them up into new investments, added insurance in the form of a credit default swap and — POOF!! — the risk of a homeowner defaulting on a mortgage went away. The pitch was so effective, purveyors of these mortgage-backed securities convinced bond rating agencies to give them their highest, Triple-A blessing.

It wasn’t until the house of cards began to fall and investors went scrambling to cover losses with those credit default swaps that the flaw in the “science” became painfully clear. No one had bothered to check whether the firms writing all that insurance had the money to cover the defaults. And no had bothered to check the theory to see if it stood up when housing prices were falling. Because these derivatives were completely unregulated, no one even knew which banks or investment firms were on the hook, or for how much.

More than any single factor, the unwinding of this CDS market was the spark for the inferno that consumed Bear Stearns, Lehman Bros., and many other firms, threatening the stability of the world financial system

A 401(k) account is going to pay for your retirement.

American savers got an early warning about this one when the dot-com bubble collapsed in 2000. But following the dot-com crash, the market rebounded smartly enough to keep the hope alive that savings in a 401(k) account — or IRA for people whose employers didn’t offer matching contributions — would create enough wealth to retire on.

Today, despite the stock market’s recent rally from panic-driven lows, Americans facing retirement are likely to feel woefully unprepared to finance decades of leisure or philanthropic pursuit. Most of us will simply have to work longer.

Ironically, the shortcomings of the retirement system contributed to the housing bubble as many investors tried to supplement their savings by "flipping" homes or otherwise attempting to profit from the boom. Tales of easy money from early flippers helped spark the later-stage stampede that helped push prices to unsustainable levels.

A house is a great way to save money for the long term.

The real estate industry, through its front-line agents selling houses, was quick to sell new buyers on the idea that a home wasn’t just a place to live. When you put a small amount of money down, and the home's value grew by double-digit leaps year after year, you were onto one of the best investments available, especially for families with little investment money to play with. Since home prices never go down, what could go wrong?

Using a house as an investment turned out to be a bad idea for two reasons. First, many home buyers, seduced by the lending industry’s “easy money” marketing of home equity loans, were quick to scoop out any increased equity as soon as their home gained market value. This boom turned homes into giant ATM machines. When the music stopped, many homeowners had little or no equity left.

Buy and hold stocks for the long term.

This piece of sage advance — along with its cousin, “buy on the dips” — was taken as Wall Street gospel for much of the past 25 years. That’s because the bull market that began in 1982 made stocks a safe bet as long as you were willing to hold your investments long enough.

The theory was severely tested in the Crash of 1987, but the market quickly came roaring back and went on to new highs. When stocks made up ground lost in the 2000 Internet bust — a much longer “correction" — Wall Street insisted it again proved the theory that if you hang on, the market would always recover and move to new highs.

But it turns out the long bull market that began in the 1980s was something of an aberration; it’s quite possible we won’t see one like it again for a long, long time. History shows that recovery from the kind of bubble and collapse we’ve just experienced, in which stock prices fell by half in less than 18 months, can take decades.

For example, the 1906 market peak was not fully restored until 1919. After the market crashed in 1929, it did not fully recover until 1954. The Dow’s February 1966 market peak of 995 marked the beginning of one of the worst stretches for buy-and-holders of the 20th century. The market did not see that level again for nine years, and then it lost half its value again the following year. It took another eight years before the market left the Dow 1000 mark in the rear-view mirror for good.

“Asset allocation” is a good defense against losses.

The theory is a variation on “Don’t put your eggs in one basket,” which still makes sense. But Wall Street undertook a heavy marketing blitz in the past decade to convince individual investors that if they divided their portfolio into asset classes that are “negatively correlated” they could lower the risk of losing money. When one goes up, the other goes down; and vice versa.

Stocks and bonds march to different drummers, the theory goes; so do stocks in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world. By keeping money in many different buckets, you reduce the risk that they’ll all go down at the same time. (Of course, by constantly shifting them around, based on your broker’s latest “optimal allocation,” you’ll also generate lots of fees and commissions for your broker.)

Financial regulators are there to protect homeowners and small investors like you.

The Great Depression left lasting psychological scars on those who lived through it and ushered in a modern regulatory structure designed to prevent a repeat of the financial suffering inflicted on millions of families and small investors. If Wall Street speculators wanted to make their casino-like bets, that was fine. But an alphabet soup of financial regulators — from the SEC to the FDIC — was created to wall off a safe place for Americans to save and borrow the money they needed to buy a home.

In the decades since, deregulation has left American families vulnerable to the rogue lending wave that created the bubble and has now tossed millions of homeowners into foreclosure. Mortgage and appraisal fraud were widespread — and widely ignored — during the boom. The Federal Reserve waited until most of the damage was done before enacting rules that would have prevented the worst lending abuses.

Various regulators ignored warnings that unsustainable risk was building up in the financial system. Congress and the Treasury were quick to provide hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out banks, but efforts to curb the rise in foreclosures have, so far, failed to help the majority of homeowners facing foreclosure.

The White House has proposed a major overhaul of financial regulation, including a new agency that would be tasked with protecting consumers. But the effort has been dogged by turf battles among existing regulators and opposition from various corners of the financial services industry.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32544407/ns/business-economy_in_turmoil/page/3/

:)

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hofelina

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2009, 05:20:37 PM »
I won´t believe any word here Ondoy Lorenzo, since Obama is not in the position to implement the health benefits he promised, you know why? There´s  not enough money to sustain this idea!
This is a precarious situation, his intentions are honest but he does´nt get enough support.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2009, 06:15:51 AM »
I'm a Republican, but even tho Obama is not a Democrat, he is still my president. And I honor the office of President.
I do admit that the Bush Administration's over-spendng brought us to the brink of financial meltdown.

It was Obama's trilion-dollar redistribution that spared the economy as well as rejuvinated the American manufacturing arm.

Democrats and Republicans do what they do; but one thing that they are good at is compromise.

Obama's health plan will pass, perhaps not as a total socialist idea; but probably in the aspect of a dual system.
In the end, his friends in the Senate and Congress will have to compromise with the Republican GOP.

One thing we Yankees are good at is compromising. And finding a way out at any situation.

I may disagree with Obama on certain issues, but he is still my President.
Chosen by the people, from among the people to be the voice of the people.


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Lorenzo

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2009, 06:18:54 AM »
If I may infer, Manay, Obama's rise to presidency has re-animated American-German relations; American-EU relationship for the most part.

He brought us out of recession. On his first year.

I have high hopes for this man, despite my differences in policy. I respect and admire his vision.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2009, 11:07:20 AM »
I won´t believe any word here Ondoy Lorenzo, since Obama is not in the position to implement the health benefits he promised, you know why? There´s  not enough money to sustain this idea!
This is a precarious situation, his intentions are honest but he does´nt get enough support.
I agree with you Manay. Before siya napresident ingon niya ipull out ang mga  limitary aw military aron wala nay war nganong nagsegi paman ni sila ug pang deploy.Gidugangan pa gani nuon ug deploy sa Afghanistan way klaro. Maayo ning media mopalami lami bahin anong present financial situation sa U.S ilad ilad sa mga consumer aron mo boast pa ang sales.

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hofelina

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2009, 05:20:37 PM »
Mao lagi Inday Raqs, kining mga saad maka mabdos!
Obama is a good guy but, he has lots of obstacles. Assuming the troops will be back, mag-unsa naman kining mga sundaloha? Most of them are addicted to some form of drugs out of insecurity and anxiety,this is a war which can not be won. Pride is at stake, that´s why it is not easy to pull out of these area.
Obama is making lovey-dovey to the European countries, German in particular because he needs much support for this war Iraq/Afgahnistan.
There is a news that German troops are involved in some civilian shootings in Afgahnistan, for not following the NATO order!  Naglibog ang mga german troops because they are not actually trained and prepared for such encounters. The history of national socialism is still ingrained in their brain( Hitler times).
There is a coming elections and most of the political platforms are withdrawal in Afgahnistan and Iraq. No military involvement whatsoever. Mahimo ba kana? Ga-atubang nimo ang tawo pusilon, ka, siya o ako? Sigorohon jud nimo nga maka-una ka.
There is also a very good article in Newsweek about heroin production by Talibans. I will tell more about this so as not to sway from this thread.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #15 on: September 18, 2009, 12:31:04 PM »
This is to be expected since America is everyhwere almost like a world police. There is an intensive discussions that US dollars will be replaced with another global currency.

That's right, it's called Amero
  
Bahin sad aning heroin production bisan sa una pa
  kusog man kaayo nila ang opium mao nay daghan didto
  sa Afghanistan mao na ilang panginabuhi

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #16 on: September 19, 2009, 02:31:35 PM »
Hehehe, the history of opium production can be linked to the early 19th century when the British Empire used to rule over British India, and parts of Afghanistan was included in that vassalage.

Mind you, the British Opium War with China in 1839-1842, the British East Indian Company introduced Opium into the tea they were selling the Chinese, as a way to create an addicted Chinese consumer base, one of the reasons that drained the Chinese Qing Dynasty's silver supplies, and ultimately led to the eruption of the Sino-Anglo Opium Wars.

Britain had made Afghanistan and the fertile plains of present day Baluchistan (present-day Pakistan) as a source of Opium polly production.

Tha agrarian form has continued in existance to the present epoch.

History. We learn alot.


Cheers,

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #17 on: September 19, 2009, 09:19:53 PM »
declining image is the worst. having been considered as arrogant is truly a solid opinion

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #18 on: September 20, 2009, 07:53:36 AM »
The US economy has surged again. Recession is over.

On the way out? Not any time soon. he he he

God Bless America!


Lorenzo,

The talks of a surging economy by the Obama administration is a part of a socialistic dream coming from his handlers who are communist inspired. It is impossible for America to progress when the American capitalists are sidelined by the Socialist idea of Obama.

This 15 Trillion dollar economy you are talking about is realized because of Capitalism in America and it will go up in smoke if America will change its system into Socialism. Why? Because in a Socialist country it is a system of big government. It is a system of big spending where the government will spend for unemployment, free health care, free pension and doleouts. Where does the money of the government come from? Of course from the 15T dollar economy created by capitalism. When this money will dry up Obama will tax the people. The rich Americans will just escape a regime of high taxation.

Obama is a liar! He pretended during the election that he is a Democrat but the truth is... he is a Socialist and a Communist. The Stimulus plan which is to protect unemployment... did it work? The answer is no... instead unemployment rose to 9.7% which is the highest since the Carter administration. Who wrote this stimulus plan? The answer is; the Apollo Alliance. This is a group of communist inspired people whose plan is to create green jobs and is acting the role of a shadow government in the Obama administration. Did it succeed in creating jobs? The answer is no... instead they created more unemployment. For example; they closed the flow of water going to San Fernando Valley in California drying the farmlands that supply food for the American people. The purpose of closing the flow of water is to protect a small fish [looks like bulinaw] that thrives from the lake where the supply of water to the farms come from.

WN   

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Lorenzo

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #19 on: September 20, 2009, 10:32:24 AM »
Way Nada,

That is the dirty truth of politics, and in this nation, the current situation of the ground  indicates that Obama's policies are indeed quite socialist. His 'czars' are quite liberal left in orientation.

But tho his policies are far left, the inernal dynamics of Washington Politics will mandate that his policies will be compromised and will change to suite the interests of the Republican GOP if he expects his bills to be passed.

Indicator o fpolitics is: COmpromise and rule.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #20 on: September 20, 2009, 10:38:22 AM »
I agree 100 percent on you Way Nada. Obama is a Chicago politician so everything he does really never surprise me.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #21 on: September 20, 2009, 10:46:33 AM »
Obama's Health Care Reform Bill, imho, will not come to pass unless he compromises with the Republican GOP.

I'm a supporter of affordable health care for all US Citizens, but am against a socialized health care system.



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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #22 on: September 20, 2009, 12:09:35 PM »
Less than a year into his presidency, Obama is fast losing his luster. Given the weight of expectations on his shoulder, and the enormity of the American problem, this is nothing less than expected.

Hegemonies don't last forever. More than half a century on the world stage is too long for any world power not to over-strain its resources. Obama has to face up to the fact that the US can never singlehandedly police the world. The US has had to resort to arm-twisting among its allies to get them committed to Afghanistan and Iraq. With the change in goverment of major ally Japan and persistent economic woes among European allies, the US should expect the allied coalition around Iraq-Afgan to chip. Economic powerhouse China is worried that its massive dollar investments in the US are merely funneled to finance the war in the Middle East, and the downward spiral of the dollar would render those investments worthless.

It's hard to feed one's people and fight wars in other people's backyards at the same time. Not in a time of depression. Obama has to choose his priorities one way or the other. People can only cling on to hope for a certain period of time. When promises remain undelivered, the consequences are going to be severe.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #23 on: September 20, 2009, 12:37:02 PM »
In defense of Obama's behalf,

The United States experienced a devastating recession, one in which the country hasn't experienced since the early 20th century. The policies implemented were effective in rejuvinating and saving the struggling manufacturing arm, as well as led to the bouncing of the United States economy from a crippling recession.

Dow Jones, S&P500 as well as Nasdaq, these past few days, have experienced growth trends, a reprieve from the negative spiral trend of the last few months.

Obama delivered on his behalf to steer us through this wanton recession. i give him that.

I may disagree with some of his policies, but am happy to see these growth trends. He may be liberal democrat, but I admire his ability to cooperate and to work with the Republican GOP. Very bipartisan of him.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #24 on: September 20, 2009, 12:55:17 PM »
Hegemonies don't last forever. More than half a century on the world stage is too long for any world power not to over-strain its resources. Obama has to face up to the fact that the US can never singlehandedly police the world. The US has had to resort to arm-twisting among its allies to get them committed to Afghanistan and Iraq. With the change in goverment of major ally Japan and persistent economic woes among European allies, the US should expect the allied coalition around Iraq-Afgan to chip. Economic powerhouse China is worried that its massive dollar investments in the US are merely funneled to finance the war in the Middle East, and the downward spiral of the dollar would render those investments worthless.

I agree, Bay Ben. As things stand, America is losing its grip.

As mentioned by Bay Glace in another thread, "those were the days, enz, when Uncle Sam was regarded with honor and lots of respect. talk about nostalgia. Guantanamo is just a tip of an iceberg of this horrendous issue your country has got into. what happens to the guardian of the so called free-world is ugly.  now, who's guarding the guardian?"

My rejoinder to Glace's comment is as follows: 

Thanks for putting it so succinctly, Bay Glace. I have to add, though, that America used to be regarded with respect not so much for doing good per se but for being mightier than its rivals. That America is on the side of the good is a mantra that falls in the category of the Nazis' famous dictum, that if a lie is repeated enough times--as what is being done with our example--it would become widely accepted as truth.

Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.--Adolf Hitler

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #25 on: September 20, 2009, 01:08:40 PM »

Lorenzo,

The talks of a surging economy by the Obama administration is a part of a socialistic dream coming from his handlers who are communist inspired. It is impossible for America to progress when the American capitalists are sidelined by the Socialist idea of Obama.

This 15 Trillion dollar economy you are talking about is realized because of Capitalism in America and it will go up in smoke if America will change its system into Socialism. Why? Because in a Socialist country it is a system of big government. It is a system of big spending where the government will spend for unemployment, free health care, free pension and doleouts. Where does the money of the government come from? Of course from the 15T dollar economy created by capitalism. When this money will dry up Obama will tax the people. The rich Americans will just escape a regime of high taxation.

Obama is a liar! He pretended during the election that he is a Democrat but the truth is... he is a Socialist and a Communist. The Stimulus plan which is to protect unemployment... did it work? The answer is no... instead unemployment rose to 9.7% which is the highest since the Carter administration. Who wrote this stimulus plan? The answer is; the Apollo Alliance. This is a group of communist inspired people whose plan is to create green jobs and is acting the role of a shadow government in the Obama administration. Did it succeed in creating jobs? The answer is no... instead they created more unemployment. For example; they closed the flow of water going to San Fernando Valley in California drying the farmlands that supply food for the American people. The purpose of closing the flow of water is to protect a small fish [looks like bulinaw] that thrives from the lake where the supply of water to the farms come from.

WN   

Great analysis, Way Nada, as always.

Though I do share concerns of the left-leaning administration, the administration, despite being left-wing, will acquiesce to bi-partisan compromise. In order for any bill to pass, per se this current Health Care Reform Bill, will need to be supported by the Republican, as well as Democrat lawmakers. Namely, it must pass the House and pass in the Senate.

It will be reformed to suite the interests of the Republican GOP; in order to have a 2/3rds majority.

Good points, thanks for bringing it up. ;D

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #26 on: September 20, 2009, 03:17:01 PM »
The deployment and mobilization of foreign military force in other sovereign states is a thing of the past. This massive military operation in the Middle East is what has drained the US. The US keeps on forgetting its lessons in Vietnam and Cuba. We are past the hegemonic era, and if Obama is to completely break away from the past, other than symbolically, he has to make a decisive move towards military disengagement.

For better or for worse, the world is already interconnected. We don't need any Big Brother to flex military muscles for errant states to straighten up and play fair. Technological and economic forces function better to integrate states towards peaceful global cooperation. Look at Russia and China--trade and investments worked better to bring down the walls and make their leaders less grumpy.

The US should spend scarce resources for economic reproduction at home, rather than military posturing outside which it can ill afford at this time. What about terrorist attacks? It's really a problem of domestic security. Why swoop upon sovereign states wholesale when you are just after a few rogues?

The case of Japan is illustrative. US military presence here is already a nuisance to most Japanese, and yet for reasons of pride or symbolism of its partnership, the US is not yet pulling out. Since the US is in fact economically incapable of maintaining its bases here, it is flexing its diplomatic and trade muscles to make the Japanese government pay half or more of the maintenance cost of its bases. What an awkward arrangement!

The US should squarely face up to the vastly changed world, and its real status therein. It cannot continue to pretend to be the world's landlord when it fact it is the world's number one debtor now.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #27 on: September 20, 2009, 10:39:39 PM »
a waning global political influence

a depleted financial resources

trillions in debts

USA should rethink itself if they want to stay in power--not necessarily militarily. it always feels great to be in power and being regarded as "sole super-duper-nuclear-mighty" nation of the world. my God, are they gonna accelerate and infuse "war scenarios" again in order to let us feel we need Americans to make us safe? thereby, buy more of their war machines and embrace their policies on anti-terrorism and world order?

right now, Italy is considering of pulling out their Military presence in the ME after the death of 6 of its soldiers. Canada is still battling to define its role in Afghanistan. so much money spent in a war that doesn't seem to find a end, except the end to many lives of civilians and young soldiers.

the bouncing market and news about coming out of the recession are not at all good news for most of the unemployed. here's a woman i was talking with a while ago, it took her more than three months to find a job. she hopes she could keep it. for how long? OGK (Only God Knows).

it's a total chaos. that's my point.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #28 on: September 20, 2009, 11:38:39 PM »
I am not an Arroyo fan, but this time, I'll give her credit for pointing at least one finger at the right place at the Emerging Markets Summit in London:

"We cannot expect the poor in places like the Philippines to lose their shirt because someone on Wall Street made a bad bet," she said. In a speech before the renowned publication The Economist’s "Emerging Markets Summit," Arroyo accused big global banks of pretending the global financial crisis had never happened.

But Arroyo seems to have made a calculated move not to point another finger where she should--Washington D.C.

Of course, greed in Wall Street is only half the story of the pauperization of the US. The other half is the fiscal profligacy of the US government, borne of its vainglorious assumption that it still calls the shots in this world. How can you play swashbuckling hero, out to squash terrorism from the face of the earth, when you are borrowing money from China to send your troops to the desert?

Poor Obama! His most urgent task is to control the fiscal and balance of payments gap in order to prevent the collapse of the US financial system. But having barely even warmed his seat at the oval office, he is forced to bail out industrial and financial giants, and seems unable to make a face-saving exit from the Middle East quagmire that is also gobbling up the value of the dollar.

I think more young Americans will pack their bags to apply as English teachers in China before Obama's economic policy can generate enough jobs at home to bring back gainful employment to those who have lost theirs in this depression.

The world will really be a more secure place to live in if the US simply minds its own business of giving jobs to its people, rather than try to trounce imagined enemies outside its borders in battles it could never win and has never won.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #29 on: September 20, 2009, 11:44:38 PM »
The world will really be a more secure place to live in if the US simply minds its own business of giving jobs to its people, rather than try to trounce imagined enemies outside its borders in battles it could never win.
mao ni gui ingon nga if you want to change the world, you should change yourself first

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #30 on: September 21, 2009, 01:14:12 AM »
I am not an Arroyo fan, but this time, I'll give her credit for pointing at least one finger at the right place at the Emerging Markets Summit in London:

But Arroyo seems to have made a calculated move not to point another finger where she should--Washington D.C.


how could she point the White House, ben, when she has her neck clawed. i always believe this is why our government is so aptly called a "puppet government" ...

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #31 on: September 21, 2009, 08:22:14 AM »
how could she point the White House, ben, when she has her neck clawed. i always believe this is why our government is so aptly called a "puppet government" ...

Mao lagi, Glace. Arroyo is just trying to ingratiate herself with Obama. In fairness to Obama, he just inherited these problems, and there is really no worse time to take over the presidency. Now that his honeymoon with the US electorate is over, decisive actions are really needed, most of which will dramatically chip at his popularity.

You know why our Mindanao problem seems to have gotten out of hand? I think it is partly fed by US interference through the Visiting Forces Agreement. I think the Americans' rabid pursuit of Al Qaeda in our territory is rallying outside support for the Muslim secession, giving semblance of legitimacy and political ideology to otherwise just plain banditry of some of the Muslims. This is really another topic, but it just shows how continuing US involvement in domestic politics outside its borders is not only undoing its own economic rehabilitation, but also roiling the political dynamics in those countries as well.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #32 on: September 21, 2009, 08:39:17 AM »
Lisod baya ang holier-than-thou o play-it-our-way attitude sa mga Amerkano usahay. Sila ra man naggama anang mga terms nga "Axis of Evil", etc. nga murag sila ra'y tarong. Tingali, if for once mopuyo na lang sa sila sa ilang teritoryo, mag-concentrate sa pagsolbad sa kaugalingong suliran sa ekonomiya, basig mas malinawon pa ang kalibutan. You can't be in a position to tell the world to shape up when your own house is in disarray.

mao ni gui ingon nga if you want to change the world, you should change yourself first

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #33 on: September 22, 2009, 06:32:18 AM »
Way Nada, you really did your homework, I know everything that
   you mentioned here, sad but true, low percentage of  people
   here in the U.S. really knows whats going on but the majority
    just shoved it off as political propaganda.

Here is the mother of all deficits; the Independent Budget Office
(CBO) released figures in early August that shows that a combination
of lost tax revenues and increased spending has resulted in an
unprecedented Federal deficit of $1.3 trillion, bringing the national debt
to some  $ 12 trillion.
   According to the CBO's figures, spending through July 2009  increased
by some $ 530 billions - 21 per cent over the same period in 2008.
   The bailouts of Wall Street, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae accounted
for almost half of the spending  increase.
   In that same time, unemployment payments have doubled.
   Medicaid spending has increased by a quarter and Medicare
spending has grown by 11 per cent.

Well, anybody that knows Economics had the knowledge that
  borrowing more does not stimulate the economy at all, it
  will just sink the nation more into the deep hole, thus
  increasing the deficit. 
Mangutang diay sigi bisan wala nay ikabayad?
 ::) 


   

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #34 on: September 23, 2009, 01:38:11 AM »
Way Nada, you really did your homework, I know everything that
   you mentioned here, sad but true, low percentage of  people
   here in the U.S. really knows whats going on but the majority
    just shoved it off as political propaganda.

Here is the mother of all deficits; the Independent Budget Office
(CBO) released figures in early August that shows that a combination
of lost tax revenues and increased spending has resulted in an
unprecedented Federal deficit of $1.3 trillion, bringing the national debt
to some  $ 12 trillion.
   According to the CBO's figures, spending through July 2009  increased
by some $ 530 billions - 21 per cent over the same period in 2008.
   The bailouts of Wall Street, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae accounted
for almost half of the spending  increase.
   In that same time, unemployment payments have doubled.
   Medicaid spending has increased by a quarter and Medicare
spending has grown by 11 per cent.

Well, anybody that knows Economics had the knowledge that
  borrowing more does not stimulate the economy at all, it
  will just sink the nation more into the deep hole, thus
  increasing the deficit. 
Mangutang diay sigi bisan wala nay ikabayad?
 ::) 


korek jud ka statesville.

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Re: The Decline of America
« Reply #35 on: October 26, 2009, 02:21:52 PM »
Obama's Health Care Reform Bill, imho, will not come to pass unless he compromises with the Republican GOP.

I'm a supporter of affordable health care for all US Citizens, but am against a socialized health care system.



Lorenzo,

I think your opinion is not aligned with Obama's idea of health care. You wanted an affordable health care for all Americans but not socialized. Obama wants an affordable health care for all Americans but he wanted the insurance companies to be dismantled. What does he mean? He meant that he wants a socialized health care because if we go back to his election campaign slogan... he wants change. What is this change? He wants the transformation of the American system of a Capitalist democracy to a Socialist system of democracy. Which is why those who wrote originally his Health Care Bill were all communist oriented people.

WN   

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