Civil War or Civil Decline? Can America Save Itself?
Here is a brilliant analysis of what our country is currently facing.
It also shows our problems are endemic in both major parties:
"When I was running for office in the Republican primary, a Republican stated Medicaid was a good deal for our state because for every dollar we spent, we got three from the federal government — as if those federal dollars were coming from Fairyland."
It's solidly researched and thought provoking. I highly recommend it.
posted by Saur♥Kraut @ 4/05/2010 09:23:00 AM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Hey lady! Just popping over to say hey ans see what you've been up to. I'm trying to get back into blogging - for real this time ;) - glad to see you're still out there! (in the good way - LOL)
Thanks for the link suggestion, I'll be checking it out.
xo Clew
A 'brilliant analysis' eh? While I agree that it is thought provoking I don't see it has being solidly researched. The author in no way looks at the issues your country is facing from the other side. There is no comparison. He refers to a Christian political worldview and supports all arguments with sources that are off to the far right.
Your Country does have many problems but I think so many of them stem from the two party system that you are locked into. (we have four in Canada and it is not much better)
At the moment Obama could say something completely in line with the Republican way of thinking but they would oppose it because he said it. There is no will to actually work together to solve anything. We have seen that in dramatic effect with the health care 'debate' over the last year. If I were an American the spending that would scare me above all others is the amount spent on the Military. The budget is mind bogglingly huge and the money being spent cripples the Country like no other.
Secession would sure be something interesting to see. I wonder how the "Country" of Texas would be seen on the world stage?
Scott,
"If I were an American the spending that would scare me above all others is the amount spent on the Military. The budget is mind bogglingly huge and the money being spent cripples the Country like no other."
Now who is doing biased analysis? As of 2008, approximately 2/3 of the US budget is entitlement spending (Social security, medicare, medicaid, and other welfare programs). This spending occurs and increases automatically, and will increase much more rapidly as the Baby-Boomers retire. At the same time, tax payers to support the program will dwindle causing revenue to drop, increasing the deficit.
Our military spending is approximately 23%. Rather large to be sure, but considering that no other power has the will to address major conflict with anything more than harsh words, a necessary expense. Europe in the 1930's and 40's gave a wonderful lesson on the value of "International Cooperation." The major powers sold out every ally that they had for the sake of peace and darn near lost everything.
As for there not being the will to work together, I firmly believe that you can't work with someone who wants to destroy you. That may not be the stated intent of the Libs, but historically that's the eventual end of every civilization that follows their current pattern. Fear not, however. At the rate things are going, America will become a paper tiger long before the culture collapses completely. At that point, you will have an opportunity to see the results of a world with no major power able to stand for democracy.
Excellent article Saur and my money is on option two, decline. I think under Bush II, we lost our moral status and we are currently losing our economic status in the world. About the only thing we have going is our military status and if our economic status continues to decline, that too will soon be obsolete. Right now I'm just hoping that I can figure out how I can prevent my well being from being taken for the downhill ride with everyone else.
Scott, consider also that while our military spending is huge in absolute terms, it is actually a fraction of spending of GDP when compared to Europe.
The problem is that too many people don't realize that governments make nothing. They merely take what others have made and push it into a different spot. Someone always pays, and it's usually the people who we ostensibly with to help.
Cheers.
Scott,
"While I agree that it is thought provoking I don't see it has being solidly researched. The author in no way looks at the issues your country is facing from the other side."
Because an article represents a view that is considered partisan does nothing to discredit it unless you can support your premise. I seem to recall that you resented me referring to you as "intellectually lazy." If you really are not, then how about pointing out the flaws in the reasoning as opposed to simply saying you don't like the viewpoint (which I could have guessed anyway.)
Gary it is not simply that it is a partisan article, it is that it is not journalism it is pure fear mongering. To find articles to refute this you simply have to read pretty much any other source that is not directly related to The Tea Party. Look at someone like Frum who is being forced out of the Republican party because he believes that the current political climate of the right is too harsh. It does not serve the American people because it does not take into account the views of the political centre which represents most of the people.
You made a statement that the US spends 23% of its GDP on the military, I can find you another study that says that it is more like 54% of the GDP. It's not intellectual laziness, it's that there are all kinds of numbers out there, you have to decide which one you believe.
This article pointing out "Christian Schools" that are going to bring the US out of its moral decline, well that to me is just plain scary.
This article is an opinion piece. I get to disagree with said article as much as the next person.
Scott,
"You made a statement that the US spends 23% of its GDP on the military, I can find you another study that says that it is more like 54% of the GDP. It's not intellectual laziness, it's that there are all kinds of numbers out there, you have to decide which one you believe. "
No, you have to research to determine which one is correct. Go find a budget breakdown in a recent year. Find out what was allocated to military and what to entitlements. You will often find that the studies that show military overriding everything are charts of discretionary spending, or what the government has left over after all of the required entitlements are paid. Seek and you will find, and what you will find is that entitlements override all.
"I get to disagree with said article as much as the next person."
Of course you do. And if you form your conclusions and opinions based on incorrect data, and have little or no desire to determine truths that contradict your worldview, then I get to mock you (correctly) as intellectually lazy and ignorant.
An interesting bit of projection: Your comment that the argument is fear mongering and then pointing out how an emphasis on Christian values frightens you.
Gary,
Why would you not look at actual spending if you are going to look at total monies spent on Defense? Is that not the number that you actually want? There are a number of ways individuals can play with the numbers based on different definitions of what constitutes 'spending.' I, like you, am not going to read the 1000 or so pages that make up the US Federal Budget, but I can conclude from "data" that I have seen that there is a large difference between the 23% number and what is the actual number. Is the 54% accurate? Probably not, my point was that there is a large difference between what different agents would say about the same information based on their agenda.
The article that this post refers to is makes a very emotional argument. It does not rely on a lot of data to support it's position, it relies on the opinions of others. It relies on the author's OPINION and those of authors with a similar world view. It does not offer data, so my saying that I disagree (which of course you already knew) is perfectly valid.
And yes, I am absolutely projecting my fear of the Christian Right. I can not imagine a State that relies on interpretations of The Bible to run itself. Ban homosexuality, take away a woman's right to choose, bring back prayer in school; no, no thank you. Sure that is a values judgment and an opinion, but isn't that what this post is really about
Scott,
I agree that it can be difficult to get down to an "apples to apples" comparison. What I strongly disagree with is your assertion that it's the military spending that is crippling. It is large, yes. It also provides both tangible and intangible benefits. Aside from the intangible (what would happen without it?) it also provides a great deal of advanced training in many fields (electronics, mechanics, medicine, engineering, etc.) as well as practical experience that translates to many other fields. Not only are these benefits largely absent from public assistance programs but the cost of these programs is increasing far more rapidly. None of the programs established for long term benefits (medicare, medicaid, social security) was sustainable indefinitely. Now, through Obamacare, we have added an even larger program that we cannot hope to pay for. Whatever your opinion on public health care, there is no moral justification for establishing another program that cannot be maintained.
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