Sending jobs overseas.

It's been argued that Henry Ford help create the middle class when he more than doubled the daily wage paid to factory workers... sales of cars increased as many of his employees could now afford a Model T. There was a big ripple effect though the economy.

Now we're doing the opposite. The jobs are going overseas along with the income. China and India are getting the money instead of the American workers. Now THEIR middle classes have exploded which has resulted in the run up in energy demand.

Porn

The Act gave birth to deregulated energy speculation Rick.

but your quick knee has has abused my original post. to be sure, the price of energy is changing how we live, drive, etc., but it won't kill the U.S.A. My thesis is that deregulation is killing the U.S.A., citing two examples that have had clear-cut, major negative effects on our economy, RE: bank runs, government socialist bailouts of corporations paid for my consumers, and skyrocketing energy prices that defy traditional economic pricing models.

Complacency, a lack of initiative, and video games.

Imperialism is an outgrowth of hubris.

There is a prevailing belief that the "American way" is superior to all others, and of course the world should fall in line. We also have become lazy and sloppy. There is an expectation that we are #1 and will always remain that way. The world owes us (witness the "remember WW2" comments to Europeans), and we want everything now and for half off.

We do not value other cultures and assume that everyone wants to be just like us. Work ethic is an oxymoron, and personal responsibility is a fantasy. In general, we do not respect others. The response to that is generally, "respect must be earned," but few in this generation have done much to "earn" anything.

Teachers are insulted and looked down upon, artists are derided and marginalized, and politicians are morally bankrupt. But its ok because we're the USA and we're number one. Oh, Walmart is having a sale!!!

Fat American children. They're another thing that will kill this country - seriously.

I see it differently...America *thinks* it's imperialistic, but it's not. We go to war, then leave the spoils for the losers. We invade a country, then don't take the land as our own. We'd rather overpopulate our spot than expand our borders, and we'd rather make trade alliances with neighboring countries than simply take their land and it's resources.

If we're going to have an imperialistic mindset, then we need to be imperialistic in action as well, or it weakens us. If we're going to be global diplomats, then we need to stop making stunted, weak pseudo-imperialistic moves in other countries.

Lawyers and Judges

Go to that Website listed below and find out the answer to the question...Under... The Rug of Trust is Wearing Thin...

Our national sense of entitlement and the democrats zeal to give handouts to everyone and anyone able to sneak in.

Walmart and Target

What!? I didn't see one positive comment! You are all abject losers! Quiters! What the Heck!! This country has given you everything and you roll over and say it is all done??? You better get out and look around, we aren't going to fail, this will be a small blip in the big chart of ups and downs. In about 2 weeks I am buying a large amount of beaten down stocks, it will be back, you can believe it. This is a firesale! Maybe the largest opportunity in years for selected financials. Get real. Remember: up and down

wanna buy some wamu stocks with me?

Several Things
 

- Our dependence on oil and inability to force change about current energy policy

- The mass transfer of wealth and influence (out of this country) the above has created

- Elected officials who don't have the balls to make the hard calls and do the right thing, and an electorate who won't let them even if they wanted to

- Not having gone to nuke power decades ago (again, balls)

- Not using a fraction of the money uselessly spent in Irag to construct a solar farm in Nevada that is capable of providing all electricity needs of this country TODAY with currently available technology, with no greehouse gas emission.

- Not realizing the mass postive influence adapting technologies and priorities as stated above would have on our lost industrial base, job growth, economy, and quality of life.

- Not having the balls (again) to root out the Skillings, Enrons, Bear Stearns, et al that have hollowed out this country in the pursuit of personal greed at all costs.

- Shall I go on?

Yup. Arrogance.

Well put.

Corporate greed is another factor. Sometime in the 1980's this relentless focus on "shareholder value" seems to have taken over corporate life in the US. The merger and acquisition boom followed. Asset stripping, exporting jobs abroad, building crap—are all the result of this overemphasis on shareholder value—remember the "greed is good" speech in Wall Street?—which has had a hugely detrimental effect on the US.

You all make me sick,
You're worthless and weak!
It aint over till we say its over.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
Hell no!

:)

Go on. You know you want to...

I do have to agree with Blutowski in that i think the US will be the worlds sole superpower for a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time yet to come (as in, at least the duration of all our lifetimes), simply because absolutely no nation on earth can come remotely close to challenging the United States' military hegemony, and absolute naval dominance.

N o t E v e n C l o s e.

When coupled with its' massive strategic nuclear arsenal, it seems assured that the US will remain immune to the specter of invasion, the primary historical cause of the downfall of empire.

cue the fat ladies, we have lots of those..
sing.....

who, why it's citizens..can't blame anyone else..not congress,not Bush, not the illegals..
we let it happen.

Rika