When will America die out?

[Galen 1,353]

What I don't like is that the baby-boomers have held on to the attittude of letting tomorrow's generation worry about tomorrow's problems before they retired (those that haven't still do). I don't like to relegate tomorrow's problems for tomorrow as it sets the precedent that you don't have to worry about problems even if you can help prevent them from happening at all. That's not how you try to guarantee a better future. Living in the now is good, but living in the now without being mindful of the past and the consequences that present actions will have in the future is just stupid. And that's what I think is one of the biggest problems that may lead to America's collapse.

 

As things are now, it's true that it may not happen in my generation's lifetime, but quite possibly not long after. And it's all because people with money don't care how it's used so long as it's made to generate more money as fast as possible, and people who suffer for it don't care. It's that uncaring attittude that also lead to the downfall of the Roman Empire. Its people became too complacent, and a lot of people (not just in America) are like that nowadays too.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Freedan

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

When the stars are right, and the tentacled Great Cthulhu wakes from his aeons long slumber of dreaming death.  When that gelatinous, sticky spawn of the stars emerges from his house in risen R'lyeh...  And runs for president.  The end.

[BronyPony 575]

The United States is fairly young. It might last a bit longer, but I think it will begin falling like the Roman Empire, even when there was democracy. The United States will probably fall faster than the Roman Empire because of the increase in communication technology.

 

I think there is a science that analyzes this. It is called political science.

Edited May 16, 2014 by BronyPony

[Kel_Grym 1,917]

 

I have another fun piece of news for everyone here, regarding what I've previously mentioned about agriculture. Michigan residents just lost their right to raise their own food. 

"Michigan residents lost their “right to farm” this week thanks to a new ruling by the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development. Gail Philburn of the Michigan Sierra Club told Michigan Live, the new changes “effectively remove Right to Farm Act protection for many urban and suburban backyard farmers raising small numbers of animals.” Backyard and urban farming were previously protected by Michigan’s Right to Farm Act. The Commission ruled that the Right to Farm Act protections no longer apply to many homeowners who keep small numbers of livestock.

Kim White, who raises chickens and rabbits, said, “They don’t want us little guys feeding ourselves. They want us to go all to the big farms. They want to do away with small farms and I believe that is what’s motivating it.” The ruling will allow local governments to arbitrarily ban goats, chickens and beehives on any property where there are 13 homes within one eighth mile or a residence within 250 feet of the property, according to Michigan Public Radio. The Right to Farm Act was created in 1981 to protect farmers from the complaints of people from the city who moved to the country and then attempted to make it more urban with anti-farming ordinances. The new changes affect residents of rural Michigan too. It is not simply an urban or suburban concern."

Read more: http://www.inquisitr.com/1235774/michigan-loses-right-to-farm-this-week-a-farewell-to-backyard-chickens-and-beekeepers/

 

 

How to tear the flesh off a horse:

 

1. Introduce a pair of pliers or instrument you intend to use to tear the horses flesh apart, to the horse.
2. Don't start picking away. Use it to caress and scratch the horses ear. Let it get to know the tool isn't a bad thing. Reward it for each time you touch the horse with the object.
3. After the horse has gotten used to the tool after a given period of time, nip the horse every so often with the pliers. Don't do anything rash, just a gentle love nip.
4. After a while of giving the horse love nips, begin to increase the strength of those nips gradually, over time. Let the horse become accustomed to this, and if the nips become discomforting to the horse, back off, and reward the horse with an apple.
5. Once the horse has been properly conditioned to the pliers, every so often, tear a tiny chunk of its flesh out. Calm the horse if it gets skittish, reward it, and continue the process.
6. Gradually increase the size of the chunks you tear out of the horse over time. If you have properly conditioned the horse, you should be able to walk up to it, and tear out whatever you want, at any given time.
7. Take the pieces you have torn out and stitch together the hide.
8. Tan the hide and write on it: The Way of The Government.

[Total Lunar Eclipse 515]

Here's another bit of news. $2.3 TRILLION went missing from the Pentagon. Related to 9/11.

 

[Shift 4,271]

I'm going to be honest, I don't think America is going to be dying out anytime soon. I'm American and i'd love to move to, say, Canada or the UK because America isn't my ideal country, but I do like it. We're kind of the scapegoat of the world. So yes, I will be upset if somehow America dies out.

 

And why does it have to be America? Can't another country die out? Like, I dunno, another famous country that economy isn't great right now.

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,705]

I'm going to be honest, I don't think America is going to be dying out anytime soon. I'm American and i'd love to move to, say, Canada or the UK because America isn't my ideal country, but I do like it. We're kind of the scapegoat of the world. So yes, I will be upset if somehow America dies out.

 

And why does it have to be America? Can't another country die out? Like, I dunno, another famous country that economy isn't great right now.

I've explained this before but will repeat. Russia and China may collapse in the relative near future according to The Next 100 Years due to failure to maintain its geopolitical interests and due to economic issues and maintaining internal stability (I don't remember specifics). Europe used to be the dominant powers in the world but lost its status after both world wars. The US today is what Europe used to be except as a... united nation; Europe would have been far more powerful if it managed to conquer itself. USA is said to be able to survive at least up until the 2090s due to its ability to control the oceans with its superior naval power and being the dominant power of North America. Throughout this century the US will seek to prevent other major powers from emerging. In the Middle East for instance, the US doesn't necessarily seek to win wars there but to try to prevent, say, another Ottoman Empire from emerging; a divided region is sufficient.

 

By the 2090s the US dominance in North America may be challenged by Mexico which I think is said to have a rapidly growing economy and will have grown quite a bit by the end of the century. Also we know that the world population, especially in developed countries, is growing at a much slower rate than it used to which would cause developed nations to encourage immigration; the US will encourage Mexicans to immigrate. But this will be a problem by the end of the century because the south of the US, more specifically territory that used to belong to Mexico, will have a much more Mexican dominant population than it is now.

 

 

 

 

The book sates that Mexicans living in, say, New York City would consider themselves to be living in a completely separate country. Mexicans living south of that red line consider themselves to be living in an extension of their homeland. The cultural border and political border are quite different. In the late 21st century it's possible that there will be such a Mexican dominant population in those regions that they will want to secede to Mexico. I can easily imagine the US government not wanting a referendum to happen because about a third of the country would be taken away from them... or rightfully given back to Mexico however it is you want to see it. If the US cannot be a master of North America, then it may be questionable if they can remain the master of the world. It isn't stated how this crisis would be resolved.

 

I think I'll read the book again; it was quite interesting.

Edited May 17, 2014 by Krovavaya Luna

[Shift 4,271]

@,

 

Interesting theory, though I doubt that people / Mexicans living in the south of the U.S will become so separate from the north. I mean, the internet makes things so much more difficult and makes the world much more connected and we think much more differently then we did back during the Civil War. I mean, in 2090, I have no flipping idea what's going to happen, hell, I may not even be alive, but I sincerely question that the South and the North will become separate and will be wanting to join Mexico.

[Washougal_Otaku 1,020]

I think during our lifetimes is actually possible.  In order for this to happen, many of our "enemies" would most likely need to get together, plan things out WELL, and wait for us to completely remove the Second Amendment.

 

Another possibility (which I think there have been movies that have used similar ideas) would be a total collapse of our own nation.  In a similar fashion to the Roman Empire, we would do it to ourselves.  What would most likely happen would be either our economy would lay us to waste or our government would push us enough to where we'd finally push back, leading up to a new Revolutionary or Civil War, possibly both.

[Galen 1,353]

 

 

I think during our lifetimes is actually possible. In order for this to happen, many of our "enemies" would most likely need to get together, plan things out WELL, and wait for us to completely remove the Second Amendment.

 

 

Please tell me how people's right to own guns will help them stop a massive invasion that the organized military couldn't stop with their navy, air force and army which are all better equipped and better trained for combat than the average person?

[Nerdy Luigi 2,064]

I believe it almost had. Capitalism itself showed collapse in the later 1920's. America was struck by a stock market crash in October of 1929. It was only saved by the New Deal, that rebooted the American Free Enterprise. I believe it will again soon, due to government conspiracy or economic issues, I don't know. But I know it will happen before the turn of the next century, surely.

[Washougal_Otaku 1,020]

 

Please tell me how people's right to own guns will help them stop a massive invasion that the organized military couldn't stop with their navy, air force and army which are all better equipped and better trained for combat than the average person?

Simple.  If we have no means of defending ourselves, then we're easy pickings.  Add to it that our military is spread out around the world and, depending on the status of world affairs, more and more of our troupes will be away from home.  A smart enemy knows when to strike, and that's usually when there's a hole in the defense.  While it's not a guarantee that we'd successfully fend off the invaders (depending on who it is), it would be a guarantee that it'd be a tougher conquest if we keep our weaponry vs. having them taken away.

 

To top it off, you're taking on the assumption that outside forces are the only option.  Have you not considered the possibility of our own government trying to take away all of our rights?  It may seem like a paranoid delusion, but if American citizens don't pay attention and allow the government to do what it wants, then something like this could be possible.  In this case, it could be possible that the Navy, Air Force, and Army are part of the problem.  An attempt at this could also increase the possibility of the Second Civil War idea.

[Galen 1,353]

Simple. If we have no means of defending ourselves, then we're easy pickings. Add to it that our military is spread out around the world and, depending on the status of world affairs, more and more of our troupes will be away from home. A smart enemy knows when to strike, and that's usually when there's a hole in the defense. While it's not a guarantee that we'd successfully fend off the invaders (depending on who it is), it would be a guarantee that it'd be a tougher conquest if we keep our weaponry vs. having them taken away.

 

My question still stands. How does an armed citizenry successfully defend against or deter invasion from outside nations that have beaten the US's organized military? The US military is far better equipped and includes people far better trained for warfare. Regular people being armed is not going to make a difference at this point. It made a difference in the war of independence but that was when armament was primitive compared to today.

 

 

 

To top it off, you're taking on the assumption that outside forces are the only option. Have you not considered the possibility of our own government trying to take away all of our rights? It may seem like a paranoid delusion, but if American citizens don't pay attention and allow the government to do what it wants, then something like this could be possible. In this case, it could be possible that the Navy, Air Force, and Army are part of the problem. An attempt at this could also increase the possibility of the Second Civil War idea.

 

Look at what the FCC has done to net neutrality. Look at what the NSA has done to individual privacy and people's constitutional rights based on the 1st and 4th amendments. It's ok to violate those but God save your soul if you do anything to my right to have a gun in my pocket? I'd say the govt has already done a lot to trample on people's rights. Their actions are not the sort that can be fought with force of armament.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Freedan

[Jeric 46,835]

America won't 'die' in our lifetime anymore than 'China' died in the late 19th century. A nation collapsing is not likely. People brought uo Rome. Bad comparison. Rome was not a homogenous Empire like the USA is a homogenous Nation.

 

If the question is really, 'When will our Government die?' then you have something. Even that is difficult to answer. Compression of societal timelines due to technological advancement is a new variable. The evolution of Government within a Nation of peoples is in old variable. The latter has been happening since the US Government was created by the Framers.

 

I think the model that the US would likely follow would be one of the European countries. England has been around far longer, and has gone through several dramatic shifts in how they govern themselves. They still exist as a Nation with a common language, tradition, and culture. WWII may have marginalized their power and influence, but they are still there.

 

I can almost surely guarantee this; the US will not look the same in a century.

[Washougal_Otaku 1,020]

My question still stands. How does an armed citizenry successfully defend against or deter invasion from outside nations that have beaten the US's organized military? The US military is far better equipped and includes people far better trained for warfare. Regular people being armed is not going to make a difference at this point. It made a difference in the war of independence but that was when armament was primitive compared to today.

 

 

 

 

Look at what the FCC has done to net neutrality. Look at what the NSA has done to individual privacy and people's constitutional rights based on the 1st and 4th amendments. It's ok to violate those but God save your soul if you do anything to my right to have a gun in my pocket? I'd say the govt has already done a lot to trample on people's rights. Their actions are not the sort that can be fought with force of armament.

You're confusing successful with extra challenge.  Imagine if you will a fox raiding a chicken coop.  It has to get by the farmer, the rooster, and the chickens.  If it's able to get to the egg, free meal.  Now, imagine if that egg had small spikes on it.  While eating the egg is still doable, it's more of a challenge.  I didn't say that foreign invaders wouldn't attack because of civilians having guns; I said that invading would be more of a challenge.  As for the rights, I'm not disputing the other rights our government has crapped on; if anything, I'm pointing out how more and more of our rights are being taken away and that the Second Amendment being removed would make things worse.  If America decides to be more like China, we'd be doomed.  Remember, I'm talking about theoretical probabilities; I am not a soothsayer.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

It will happen. I just think that the government is gonna have a major split and so many civil wars. 

[Washougal_Otaku 1,020]

^ I hate to acknowledge it, but I think that's what started the movie "Barb Wire."

[Galen 1,353]

 

 

You're confusing successful with extra challenge.  Imagine if you will a fox raiding a chicken coop.  It has to get by the farmer, the rooster, and the chickens.  If it's able to get to the egg, free meal.  Now, imagine if that egg had small spikes on it.  While eating the egg is still doable, it's more of a challenge.  I didn't say that foreign invaders wouldn't attack because of civilians having guns; I said that invading would be more of a challenge.

 

So you're willing to let many innocents lose their lives in a hopeless fight? I guess I can expect that kind of logic to come from someone who grew up in a country that never saw conflict in its own borders ever since it was created (I'm referring to the great wars). Making it an "extra challenge" isn't going to deter foreign invaders at all. If nothing else, it will make them fight harder.

 

 

 

As for the rights, I'm not disputing the other rights our government has crapped on; if anything, I'm pointing out how more and more of our rights are being taken away and that the Second Amendment being removed would make things worse.  If America decides to be more like China, we'd be doomed.  Remember, I'm talking about theoretical probabilities; I am not a soothsayer.

 

 

How is taking away the second amendment going to make it easier for the govt to trample on other amendments like they already have on countless occasions? I should also add that hardly anyone cares about those rights but act like all is ok so long as they get to keep their guns. There's a plethora of reasons why abolishing the second amendment would actually improve conditions, but I won't get into that here. The point is, guns won't make it that much harder for foreign militaries to drop bombs on US soil. You have your guns, and they have their fighter jets, tanks, ships, helicopters, smart missiles, and so on. Thinking that the right to bear arms is seriously any sort of protection in this day and age is a childish pipe dream.

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,705]

I think during our lifetimes is actually possible.  In order for this to happen, many of our "enemies" would most likely need to get together, plan things out WELL, and wait for us to completely remove the Second Amendment.

 

Another possibility (which I think there have been movies that have used similar ideas) would be a total collapse of our own nation.  In a similar fashion to the Roman Empire, we would do it to ourselves.  What would most likely happen would be either our economy would lay us to waste or our government would push us enough to where we'd finally push back, leading up to a new Revolutionary or Civil War, possibly both.

I can't imagine how the Second Amendment would be a significant obstacle for taking over the US. I don't think most regular citizens would be willing to stay in a city where a battle is taking place; they would probably be evacuated to a safer zone. Perhaps it would be a notable obstacle if the majority of the US military is wiped out somehow and the only ones left to defend the country are the people themselves; even in that case, military personnel would be much better equipped and trained.

 

In reality, perhaps the biggest obstacle for attacking the US would be logistics; how does one invade a nation that is between two oceans and is the clear dominant power in the Americas? Adding on to that is the fact that the US has the most powerful navy in the world. If both Russia and China were to become allies (and it seems like in reality both nations are become very friendly with one another) and decides to invade the US, trying to figure out how to transport their troops from the Old World to the New World will be quite a challenge regardless of the fact that the Russo-Sino alliance would have far more manpower than the US.

 

I believe it almost had. Capitalism itself showed collapse in the later 1920's. America was struck by a stock market crash in October of 1929. It was only saved by the New Deal, that rebooted the American Free Enterprise. I believe it will again soon, due to government conspiracy or economic issues, I don't know. But I know it will happen before the turn of the next century, surely.

There has been numerous recessions since the Great Depression; some were worse than how it is today. It's just part of a cycle; I would highly doubt capitalism will fall especially since it proved to be far more successful than its opposite.

 

America won't 'die' in our lifetime anymore than 'China' died in the late 19th century. A nation collapsing is not likely. People brought uo Rome. Bad comparison. Rome was not a homogenous Empire like the USA is a homogenous Nation.

Not exactly; The states that formerly belonged to Mexico have dominant Mexican populations. If those people wanted to cede to Mexico, it would be a great loss for the US.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Krovavaya Luna

[Jeric 46,835]

Yes, but even in that unlikely scenario, the US would still remain a homogenous nation, and even that loss would not cause the remaining Nation (or Government) to die out.

[Funky Jives 14]

I don't think America will "die out" without a serious fight, or a catastrophic event.

Because America is a major world power, the likelihood that it will cease to exist due to political matters is extremely unlikely. I think that the most plausible way America will become politically null is from either a global government absorbing it, or another country conquering it. However, the former seems more likely, as right now, America has some pretty big biceps when it comes to its military. Whether or not  you would consider America's absorption into a greater government a dying off is your opinion.

Secondly, America could cease to exist in the event of an end-of-the-world event such as a serious meteoric catastrophe, a viral epidemic, or any other sort of situation that would cause nearly all of the population of the U.S. to be deceased and the government to abandon itself.

 

As I said before, with the entire world populated, and America on top as a world power, it is incredibly unlikely that it will "die off" any time soon. However, of the three events I find plausable, I do think the final situation of apocalypse is easily the most likely to cause America's decline.

[Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb 167]

 

 

In reality, perhaps the biggest obstacle for attacking the US would be logistics; how does one invade a nation that is between two oceans and is the clear dominant power in the Americas?

 Don't forget if a country did invade the us canada would probably aid of it's nearest and one of it's biggest trading partners  

[AppleLover 146]

Seriously? Dude, we're like roaches. We don't 'die out'. Ok, so the country will become disbanded at some point in time, that I am certain of. But the people who consider themselves Americans? they'll survive. I guess what I'm trying to say is that America will only die out when it's people are all dead. 

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,090]

I doubt the United States will die out, as you put it, but it's there's not a doubt in my mind that one day in the future the country will either be a very different place or have had a split from succession.

 

One could argue that countries like Russia, which are just as big geographically, have lasted this long as one nation, but that doesn't make it a sure thing for the United States. Who knows what political movements could catch fire in the hearts of Americans in the future, or what situation we could face in the next few decades thanks to our astronomical debt, unfunded liabilities, growing police state, rampant cynicism, escapism, and other factors?

 

Either way, I don't want to put an estimation on it, but I will say this: I hope America changes for the better during my lifetime, and I hope we as a nation don't die out until after I am gone from this Earth, if it should die out at all.

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,671]

Well, if Russia and China divest from the USA, it could possibly trigger a chain reaction that could send the dollar into hyper-inflation. It would send the USA into financial ruin.