General Discussion

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)

12. The truth of the matter is that this country

Sat Mar 9, 2013, 04:27 PM

Mar 2013

is a couple of decades past its peak. I cannot begin to comment on any other country, but this is what it feels like to be living in the beginning years of the collapse of a great empire.

If we were to severely cut military costs, we'd simply decline as a military power, but could stay very strong in other ways. Unfortunately, the people that make these decisions cannot see beyond the need to fight every other country on the planet.

We have the money and the resources to do a lot, including something about the environment. But our "leaders" priorities are elsewhere, and so here we are.

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How bad does it have to get? [View all] dixiegrrrrl Mar 2013 OP

Until The Beer, Bread And NASCAR Are Gone - Americans Are The Perfect Sheeple cantbeserious Mar 2013 #1

for the romans, it was bread and circuses unblock Mar 2013 #2

Updated OP With NASCAR As Surrogate For Circuses cantbeserious Mar 2013 #3

Change NASCAR to sports jmowreader Mar 2013 #11

and mega sports and general squelching of curiosity and questioning status quo. Whisp Mar 2013 #14

And all the city fathers give into the black mail of a moved WCGreen Mar 2013 #37

Why did you pick NASCAR? ChisolmTrailDem Mar 2013 #21

Very Popular With Low Information Voters cantbeserious Mar 2013 #23

Bullpuckey. ChisolmTrailDem Mar 2013 #24

A NASCAR Fan - Well Enjoy The Sport cantbeserious Mar 2013 #25

You say that as if I'm somehow a lesser person because I am a NASCAR fan. ChisolmTrailDem Mar 2013 #27

If NASCAR Is Your Sport - Then Enjoy It cantbeserious Mar 2013 #28

WHAT THE Hell are you picking on Beer for!? Wednesdays Mar 2013 #29

I hate circuses. All those clowns. Squinch Mar 2013 #30

sadly, much worse. unblock Mar 2013 #4

Apparently most of Europe is uprising this week. dixiegrrrrl Mar 2013 #6

In Paris in the summer of 1789 it took the price of... kairos12 Mar 2013 #5

In my readings of post 1790 history dixiegrrrrl Mar 2013 #7

You are right kairos12 Mar 2013 #8

Rome and Great Britain became dependent on their colonies and had to defend them. Tierra_y_Libertad Mar 2013 #9

What client states? What countries can we not afford to do without? stevenleser Mar 2013 #31

Well, that's a relief. Tierra_y_Libertad Mar 2013 #34

What are you even talking about? nt stevenleser Mar 2013 #35

The OP. What are you talking about? Tierra_y_Libertad Mar 2013 #36

I thought the 1% already owned damn near everything. talkingmime Mar 2013 #10

I think they are at about 40% of wealth in the country now which is already way too high. stevenleser Mar 2013 #33

I'm pretty sure you're correct about the 1% owning 40% but think about the side issue... talkingmime Mar 2013 #38

Absolutely. And you can take it further. There is a similar relation between the top 1/10th of 1% stevenleser Mar 2013 #39

That's exactly the point I was trying to make. You could be AT the top 2-10% level and... talkingmime Mar 2013 #41

The truth of the matter is that this country SheilaT Mar 2013 #12

The people making the decisions know that the actual wars are beside the point. Arugula Latte Mar 2013 #15

I am not sure it's really a matter of the people making SheilaT Mar 2013 #26

I don't think that is true. There is still immense wealth and capacity here. It's just that the stevenleser Mar 2013 #40

Certainly, the strongest economic growth that we SheilaT Mar 2013 #43

kick and rec for discussion nt steve2470 Mar 2013 #13

This is worse, because we have foreign investors coming in, buying up Cleita Mar 2013 #16

When the bread and circus no longer keeps the serfs sedated. Rex Mar 2013 #17

K&R DeSwiss Mar 2013 #18

. snagglepuss Mar 2013 #19

I wonder and worry for the next generations (being born now) dotymed Mar 2013 #20

"spring is coming" dixiegrrrrl Mar 2013 #22

Collapse will follow our debt avalanche cbrer Mar 2013 #32

I dont think so. I dont think debt is what will trigger the tipping point. stevenleser Mar 2013 #42