Forum Post: What does the future hold for the US?
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 28, 2011, 11:41 a.m. EST by Krankie
(140)
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I keep hearing these talking heads on the TV, talking about the US "recovery" and constantly referring back to previous recessions. But what none of them will acknowledge that this case is completely different because jobs have NEVER been so mobile before. Any job that does not require hands-on can be done remotely. And given that Corporate America care about nothing other than maximizing executive bonuses (by creating short term profits) and our "representatives" in Congress are just the paid mouthpieces of the corporations, I honestly can't see anything to stop America's slide into oblivion. We have squandered our future to enrich the top 1%. Rather than investing in technologies that the rest of the world wants (green technology) we have reveled in our ignorance and arrogance and refused to acknowledge that we are no longer the world leader at anything other than the gap between the top 1% and the rest of us. I am close to the end of my career, so I am not concerned on my own behalf, but I AM terribly worried for my children and grandchildren.
Yes, that has a lot of truth. Green technologies would help, but they ultimately won't create that many jobs (and may just removed the need for other jobs, like a cleaner environment means less need for doctors for people sickened by pollution).
We will need broader change. And we don't need to be a "leader" to have a good life, at least not if we don't emphasize "competition" above all else. Some ideas:
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/change/science_market.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vK-M_e0JoY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
Green technology was just an example. However look at some of the wealthiest countries in the world today - they are the ones that are supplying energy (oil) to the rest of the world, so I think there IS a lot of money to be made from green technology. But anyway, like so many other things, we missed the boat on that one and now China is the world leader. The fact that America's own greed and capitalism is handing the future to China would be most amusing, if it wasn't my children's future that is being pissed away.
A related article: "Our One-Party Democracy " http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/opinion/09friedman.html
The most vibrant societies tend to have both a vibrant private sector and a vibrant public sector. For all its problems, China has both. The USA may have neither at this point? (Well, that last is a bit harsh, it has some of both, but not enough.)