Our Mini Essay Contest on _Why Nations Fail

8/2/2019 Our Mini Essay Contest on _Why Nations Fail

1/70

Name/City

Jorge, New York City

Chris, El Paso


2/70

Dasha, ShepherdsvilleDowell

Ed.... London.


3/70

Renee

Henry Wavely Ny

John in Memphis, TN

Sherry - Rancho Palos Verdes

Jess Torrington ct


4/70

Tom - Flint, Michigan

Harry, Bremerton WA

Keith - South Sioux City

Nikki, Houston, Texas


5/70

Robert St. Petersburg Florida

Hans Tempe Arizona

Shannon from Goose Creek, SC.

Michael, Columbia, MD

Steve, Jonesboro


6/70

Mike, Michigan City

Karen....Spokane

Jennifer,Pegram Tn

John in Santa Monica


7/70

Ben, Phoenix

Deborah - Exton, PA


8/70

Rich from San Francisco


9/70

Maeve/Chicago

Vagabond


10/70

Jonathan, Seattle

Pete NYC


11/70

Matthew Kent,WA

Patrick, El Cajon CA

Barbara Brandt, Ewing Township


12/70

Michael Houston

Ismael, Miami


13/70

Victor, Red Rock, Tx.

Matt Lubbock, TX


14/70

Rich from Matawan NJ

Justin, Manalapan


15/70

Ryan (Brownstown, MI)

Guy Springfield IL

Greenbank, WA

Larry, Portland, Oregon

KATHY/ Wellington


16/70

Gina, Kea'au, Hawai'i

Gus Denver

Nathaniel- Charlotte, NC


17/70

Wes - Nashville, TN

Las Vegas, NV

Grant

Will Bryan, Oh

Soumik, Sydney

Lila, Oklahoma City


18/70

Kevin

Adam Madison, WI

Michael, Denver


19/70

Nick Detroit

Chase- Asheville, NC

Dave, Salt Lake City


20/70

Roxie Rock Island, IL


21/70

Errin of Louisville

Ben, Long Island, NY


22/70

Julia, Boston. Mass.

Jason, Austin TX


23/70

Andrew, Shelby Township

Arlene in Monticello


24/70

William Indianapolis

Judy, Round Rock

yes

Shelley, Colorado Springs, CO


25/70

Ron

Robert Wilmington, NC

Lindsey, Pittsburgh


26/70

Ben West New York, NJ

Rodger, Las Vegas

jill -- Minneapolis


27/70

jill -- Minneapolis

Mike, Carmichael, ca

William in Los Angeles


28/70

San fran

Chris, Orlando

Marc, Arlington, Texas


29/70

Eric

Frank ,. Valparaiso

Mark, Paramus NJ


30/70

David, Tulsa

Cathy


31/70

David, Milwaukee

RationalAdult

Joey, Portland, OR


32/70

Patrick Boston MA


33/70

Lorton, VA

LeeAnn, Orlando

Michael, Joliet, IL


34/70

Jill, Wilmington

Joseph; Vandalia, Ohio


35/70

Jonathan. From Baltimore, Living in

Tel Aviv.chris Sacramento

Ben Chandler, AZ


36/70

Are Americas best days behind it? Why or why not? (Feel free to throw in

some interesting data, links, or a story that you think particularly defines

your answer.)

An emphatic NO to this notion! Americas best days are still to bear fruit as soonas we understand that a handful of Elites ruling us weren't our best days and willnever be in the future. We must grab power away from Elites who are insensitive

to the needs of the common person. And put power and opportunities back in thehands of those who aren't as power hungry! The thing that I detest most aboutElites is their vulgar desire to stay away from common people as if they are

deadly germs. No one on Earth should be allowed to behave in such a way andthe greatest Nation on Earth should be the first to set an example of inclusion ofall rather than exclusion of the poorer.One of my favorite authors on this topic is Kevin Philips 'American Theocracy',

who delineates how Elites using religion and overreaching with military might aswell as coddling the financial classes, were responsible for the fall of five of our

greatest Empires.. Roman, Spanish, French, Dutch and British. The USAdoesn't need to be Empirical. Not financially or geographically. We can maintaingreatness by being altruistic and nurturing, not only to our owncountrymen/women but to others around the world also.

I don't think it's an issue of the U.S.'s best days being behind it. I think it is aquestion of global proportions.

Nations fall because of concentration of wealth, resource destruction leading toimperialism and over-extension, and massive corruption. The sector of oursociety that causes most corruption is the business/corporate sector.

Corporations, world-wide, have become the new center of wealth-concentration

and resource destruction. They are also actively undermining rule by the peoplein favor of corporatocracy.

So, to answer the question, unless corporate corruption and influence iscurtailed, yes, our glory days are gone.


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supports my intuitions, and then some. Just take a look at the wealth gap - the

income inequality, and wealth inequality numbers are surreal. Extractionism,indeed. We could discuss the military-industrial complex, the collusion of big govand big business, abject poverty, anti-democracy legislation signed into law,education numbers (science!) and so on. Surely our Democracy Index numberswill keep dropping as well do to our monetary system in general and the gloomyoutlook on our future civil liberties. All of our failings, add up together - andcreate this synergistic dark wave that is engulfing us inch by inch.

Our government is failing, is highly partisan and completely bought. I could keepgoing on and on but I'm preaching to the choir. Also, there is a certain kind oftoxic point of view taught to us from early on that takes the focus away fromcommunities, families, society, - the collective - if you will, and urges us to focuson ourselves, and the pure pursuit of money.

To leave on a positive note, I personally believe there are solutions at our

fingertips for most of our systemic problems. Our collective consciousness isgrowing every day, and great ideas are pervasive; people are thinking about thewhole world as one - eventually this love will outshine the lust of personal gain asa number one priority or need. We can use globalization towards a better world.

The world is at our fingertips as we type - let's not forget that. We can use hot-spotting and other evidence-based ways of thinking to get out of problems. Wecan "get money out," we can overcome political labels and create a more direct

democracy.

We need to occupy every corner of our hearts and souls (also streets and cities ifthat's what you're into) and really decide on what kind of country we want to livein. We can, eventually, create better days, and a generation that can again say"our best days are yet to come."

- Patrick

I grew up believing in the American Dream. I have a graduate degree, and own a

home. I almost lost the home in loan mod hell, and I am under no delusion thatmy children will be homeowners. The American Dream is dead.To an extent, the better days are over. I don't see the light at the end of thetunnel for at least the next 20 years. We have much to overcome with oursociety. But, then again, technology is playing a major part in our elections andour world in general. But, if our presidential candidates would stop being so fullof themselves, and actually start doing what they're saying, we may actually getmore done.No, because we're going to get Dylan into the oval office...The certainty in the question is ironically the problem with the perception ofwhere America is today. When were America's best days? And at whoseexpense? The native Americans? Slaves? Old Europe? WW2? The era of JimCrow? The Reagan or Clinton years were not appreciated as 'the best days' by

their political and ideological opponents, foreign AND domestic. So whoseAmerica are you referring to? When this question is answered, then the answermay be given. However, when you factor in how more self aware and in mostcases, empowered, we all are as individuals and as members of which ever tribewe choose or do represent, then the answer becomes if even less certain.... orrelevant.


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We live in this country with hope and trust in our leaders. We live with a falsereality that they are looking for the benefit of others,this country,it's people. Eventhough the wealthy increase their Pot of Gold, we assume that it will trickle downto those who live with the false hope of earning a living. But, now if your eyes arewide open you can see that our leaders have led us to an edge where we will all

just hang on for life,as they push us off. Does NOT matter what political party youare 'with',don't be fooled. againAmerica will only move foward once we are willing to understand that we are

part of a world economy. The major problem today is our lack of knowledgeabout what other countries ( our competitors) are doing. We worry more aboutreligious squabbles then economic challenges and forget about moving toeducate ourselves in the the economy of the future,nor do we seem worried

about it.As the era of large government is over so is the possibilty of smallgovernmwent a wistful unrealistic dream ,there must be a third way if Americahas a future orif not it ends up like the UK a meadering listless society of elitistsand their perceived minnions.No! I do not believe, nor do I accept that America's best days have happenedyet! I think what is occuring is similar to "a market correction", as they say onWall Street. What I'm observing is that people are starting to gather the factsand are ready to throw out the "less is more" charlatans and get on with the

business of being the great and innovative country that the rest of the worldadmires!

Remember "I Love Lucy"? They reminded me of my grandparents, goodneighbors who knew the people in the building and had a small community of

close friends, even the ones they fought with were still a part of the community.

We have seem to lost that aspect of community in our current era. That is why itis so much easier to dismiss the misery of others as something that has nothingto do with us. We isolate ourselves and convince ourselves that it doesn't touchour life.

When "Ricky" was having trouble with his rent...his landlord, "Fred" got involved.And even though he might have gotten angry and demanded his rent, he still had

not lost his compassion...his humanity, as it were.

Today, the corporate executives who make the tough and "greedy" decisions donot have to face the ones whose lives they effect. They send the word downfrom the top and "write-up" or fire any employee who does not comply. There isno interaction, there is no sense of community. And any employee who makes

the mistake of having compassion, still has no power and they need their jobstoo.

We fail because we forget the most basic premise of humanity...a saying that mymother taught me long ago..."there, but for the grace of God, go I."

We could succeed again, if we could learn to care for one another. I hope it is

not too late.Americas best days are only behind us if we decide they are. We as a peoplemust join together and no longer tolerate the debacle that our political systemhas become. Enough with special interests and concern over personal bankaccounts and job titles of elected officials. Stand up for what is right and good orvacate your seat in congress for someone who will


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Americans are a free people, with a deep history of entrepreneurship and a driveto make life better for themselves and their children. Our universities and privatecompanies engaged in research are unparalleled incubators of new ideas and

new technologies. In the past, when faced with difficult problems, we haveworked together to solve them. Present challenges - environmental, social,economic - may be severe, but when it comes to rewarding initiative and keeping

government responsive to the citizens (the two factors Acemoglu and Robinsonidentify as most important), we are still better at it than anyone. As long as weremain pragmatic, and approach the problems based on good, empiricalassessments rather than through any ideological lens, we will do well. I live in acity hit as hard as any by the current economic mess, and I see all sorts of

reasons around me not just for hope, but for optimism, coming down, in the end,to the American people. One final point: the question really should be askedfrom a global perspective, since in the end we will not do well unless the world asa whole does well.The best days are behind us, we are no longer a free people. We no longerseem to have a national goal any longer, other than get rich and get rich quick.We had the Space Race in the 60's to bring us together. Now we have nothingto replace it with.

We have a broken economic model, a broken political model, most everything inthe US is now broken, due to really poor regulations. I know that big business

loves regulations. They help stifle real competition.

We are just flat out a broken country now.

If a nation were free to adapt to change it would only suffer temporary setbacksbefore it adjusted course and moved forward. The problem for our nation is themany powers that have an investment in the very structural problems that havelead us to where we are. As long as our version of capitalism allows short termprofit to dictate long term social-economic policy we will not find the impetus toalter our path. Other nations, less dictated to by business, will adjust their

policies to meet the needs of their citizens and the businesses that work withinthose nations will adjust to the changed demands while we suffer the economiccosts of being mired in past practices and policies. We have allowed the cart toovertake the horse and it will cause us to lose the race for the future for both ourcitizens and business.

I look forward to reading Mr. Acemoglu's book, as I'm interested to see if he hassomething to say about our latest political drama.. I believe that if thingscontinue on the path we are seeing right now, our best days may indeed be over.The vast distance between the right and the left, and the hateful, angry rhetoric isturning many people off politics altogether. I'm seeing a huge disconnect,because people just don't want to indulge in this name calling, 'gotcha' reporting

we see every day. It seems the right is trying each day to get crazier than they

were the day before, to prove they are 'conservative enough" , and movingfarther out on the fringes of common sense. They''ve gone way over the line,long ago, and people are just turning their backs, and changing the channel.It's just too much. Soon they wont have any interest in voting, let alone listeningto it day after day. So they just go to the football game, watch the sitcom.Maybe the crazies will go away if we ignore them.. So the crazies win. That's it.

End of a great idea, a great country. They just 'out nastied' us all, and we gave itaway out of sheer disgust.


40/70

Are America's best days behind it? Well that depends on where find yourself. Ifyou are a capitalist then yes. The days of a wild-west type free market wherepower goes unchecked are falling to the wayside. As we look behind the veil of

Greenspan's neo-classical economic policies we see the fallacy in its foundation.Ideas like trickle down, and self-regulating revealed the greed associated withthem. What we have to look forward to is true-cost economics and people like

Herman Daly who have actual solutions for 21st century problems. Thesesolutions have less to do with class warfare and more to do with economicsustainability. It is only when we look at the actions of the society as a wholeassociated with economic policy do we see the need for accountability,regulation, and common sense. The future of America is solely based on its

ability to adapt to an inevitable paradigm shift. I have great hope for the future ofAmerica because i have great hope on the sensibility of its people.America's best days are behind us. We have spent ourselves into oblivion andno one has a solid plan to set the nation straight on fiscal responsibility. Our

financial system will never be restored until Glass Steagall is reinstated and abalanced budget is presented that honestly balances the budget withoutaccounting gimmicks. The is not a plan on the horizon to restore ourmanufacturing base which creates value added jobs. We continue to ship our

best jobs offshore along with our technology. We are more interested in beingthe bully of the world then lead by example. We promote fraud, lying, cheating

and strip the nation of our ethics and integrity. We promote ideals that promotethe philosophy of anything and anyone is for sale for a price. We have focusedon just money instead of the most important thing our Constitutional freedomsand the rule of law. We run on platforms of hatred rather than solutions. Ourpolitical system has made the highest priority of getting re-elected instead offixing the nation. Until both parties are eliminated we will never get on the path toprosperity.America's best days are certainly not behind it. The question you may want toask is will America be the best for all in the future. In days of old, it was the bestcountry in the world for white males. Today we have the opportunity to moldAmerica into the Greatest Country that ever was and will be for All of its citizens.Ideas are our greatest commodity. Higher education for all is the key to keeping

America great.Hate to ruin the pity party, but our President is black. The past wasn't any lessugly, just far more blind.In my time(I'm 45), I've seen this country change drastically. Multi-generationowned auto parts stores, pharmacies, shoe stores, bakeries. All put out of

business by Walmart. Manufacturing facilities that supported entire communitiesclosed their doors due to imported goods. Those communities steadily fallingapart. And our government does nothing. We borrowed money from a communistcountry that we can't pay back. "We the people" don't really even get to vote forthe next president. That's now in the hands of the "electoral college". The gap iswider now between the "haves" and the "have-nots" than it's ever been. We'recircling the drain. It could be turned around, but there's still money to be made

selling us down the river.


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Absolutely not. Americans are very resilient people. We simply need more timeto dig out of the tremendous hole caused by the Bush policies. Note also that

there have been 47 recessions since our country began, and 13 since the greatdepression; I am sure that the "sky was falling" each and every time.

Also, I feel that our citizens are becoming more involved as time goes on. The

advent of social media is largely behind this and I applaud it. People are gettingmore, and better, information rather than waiting for decrees to "trickle down"from on high.

Last, I feel that President Obama is doing what he can to regain our economicstanding and I support him unwaveringly. The actions he has proposed and iscurrently promoting are not only economicly intelligent, I feel that theadministration is also moving toward what George Bush, Senior termed a "kinderand gentler nation."

Any progress in that direction can only make our future better.

America's best days are not behind us. If you examine this issue from a "purely"

economic position then you could easily say yes, because gone are the dayswhen banks will pay more than 2 percent interest on deposits saved by us hardworking folk,as well as the fact that you can kiss "pensions" goodbye.What is left are millions of people & families who will downsize, live within theirmeans, live together to weather this recession. Personally I believe the recessionwill linger in many forms/fashions for the next 50years. Moreover, we theAmerican people will stand together to drive money out of politics for once andfor all, this will be come our New Declaration of Independence in 2012 . We willgive birth to a brand New America as never, seen before neither

contemplated.....because we the people are coming together politically & wewon't quit til we have our way!...We have already begun. Look at yourself Dylan,you are my best example of this.I hope not,even though we seem to have become a nation of greedy bastardswho can't just disagree with someone without trying to annilate them.There is

always hope,my grandson who is 10 said when he grows up he is going to bePresident and he is going to make everybody act like grandmothers becausegrandmothers don't act stupid like parents.

The best days of America are before us, and here's why. Up until now, thegovernment has been by the rich, for the rich, while the rest of us complied to

keep the game going. Now, awareness is a fingertip away. Many of us will cometogether to change the way things work here. It won't happen overnight, but thedays of war are over. The days of killing the environment by burning fossil fuelswill and must be behind us. National health care and college for all are coming.The end of homeless is coming too. We will root out the banks and corporationsfrom determining our future, and live to spread love to the rest of the world. "You

may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us,

and the world can live as one."


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America's best and brightest days are ahead, but not without transitional periodof darkness. While we were all dazzled by the salad days of last decade's TwoWars Era, we thought that the traditional economy would usher in a time ofunending prosperity. The nation was promptly blindsided by an economiccollapse of epic proportion, and a lot of us are still suffering. Out of this suffering,though, there has been a consciousness shift that I think could save America. I

call it "The Great Downgrade"--people have decided that climbing the corporateladder is unlikely to bring them happiness. They've decided to put family, a

cause, or a dream before jumping through the hoops laid out before them.

Lifestyle businesses have been coming on to the scene.(http://vimeo.com/38463833 - Mat Haughey talking about lifestyle businesses.)Soon, anyone with a product or service will market it, sell it, and ship itthemselves. Emergent "exponential organizations" will maximize their effect whilemaintaining a tiny economic footprint.

(http://www.wired.com/cs/promo/blogs/changeaccelerators/2011/10/27/death-of-the-corporation-%E2%80%93-rise-of-exponential-organizations/ - Salim Ismailon expo orgs) And eventually, the corporation will die off as the dominanteconomic organization, as individual earners and small groups take over.

(http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2011/06/08/a-brief-history-of-the-corporation-1600-to-2100/ - Venkat Rao on Death of Corp)

When that happens, you'll start to see some amazing progress: socially,technologically, and culturally. We'll begin to value happiness over achievement,action over motion.

I'm not sure if America's best days are behind us. Unfortunately, our culture'sprosperity seems to depend on the discovery of the next "big thing." After WWII,our country prospered rebuilding Europe. As Europe recovered and became a

competitor, our prosperity was in a moderate decline through the 70's. Theinvention of the desktop computer fueled a new business model and the "dotcom" era of entrepreneurship that took us through the 90's. When that bubble

burst, we were left with even more hollow ways to make a buck that gave usderivatives, bundled mortgage investments and flipping real estate. Nothing realand tangible has been created since the computer.

I think the next big thing will be alternative energy. The key is getting oil

companies onboard, investing in it and committing to a diversification of theirbusiness that includes these new energy sources. But why should they want todo this when the existing model is still profitable? It will require government toprovide incentives to invest, as well as bringing other manufacturing jobs back toAmerica.

If we rely on a purely capitalist model, this will not happen, because so long as

there are third world countries to exploit, cheap labor is abundant. So long as

industry is allowed to choose the cheapest route, the decline will continue untilthere is no large pocket of cheap labor and the entire world has relatively thesame standard of living. For America to recover, it will require a combination ofgovernment regulation or intervention, and the patriotism of industry leaders tocreate and maintain a high standard of living in this country, They must commitfirst and foremost,to full domestic employment.


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To say that America's best days are behind it is to announce that you are a

pessimist. I feel that no one, not even top economists or policy experts withaccess to the best data, have enough evidence to make a solid academicargument. Of course there are mountains of news clips and headlines that seemto point towards that outcome, but let's consider the sources...

The mass media conglomerates in this country are responsible for providing thenews and current events to the vast majority of the American public. Are theydoing this as a service to democracy or are they doing this in service to their

customers: the advertiser? While we'd like to think they are the champions of afree and informed society, the fact is they are concerned with quarterly profitsand how those are reflected in shareholder value. In this respect they areinterested in packaging their product, the viewer, in the most compelling ofwrappers: sensationalist, scandalous, negative, emotionally-charged (oftenappealing to fear and anger the most), and sometimes borderline tabloid content.It sells.

While we step back to think about how this affects public sentiment towardsvirtually everything the news media touches, let's acknowledge the fact thatpolitical and economic victories that speak to the other half of the story simply

bore people who get their news from sources like cable television and rarely everget even fleeting coverage. Let's also take into account with the fast news cycle,how virtually nothing reported on is ever contextualized so that viewers gain

insight to what's happening. Finally, as a basic tenant of human psychology,taking a pessimistic view on something that is unknowable will almost alwaysgrant a self-fulfilling prophecy, so my question is to what end would anyoneapproach such a profoundly existential question from such a position?

I am very excited to read Daron's book after hearing his interview on NPR and Ithink he nails the real issue facing our economy on the head, but I champion theoptimistic view because quite frankly there is no point in subscribing to the other,

especially when considering the source.


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it is POSSIBLE, but that will only happen if MANY changes are put in place

VERY SOON.

If changes do not materialize, I believe America will left behind other countrieswho have figured out how to use their "resources" more effectively andintelligently; this will mean America will not only leave its best days behind, butdestroy its chances for growth and a good life for the majority of its citizens.

I believe the outcome will depend on what America decides upon as its greatest

resource(s). Many people, and especially many of America's politicians, seem tothink that the "greatest resource" (and power) is in the ground and must be drilledfor frantically......"Oil, we must have more oil!" And, this is supported by a verypowerful industry that wants to continue making big profits. Others, like me, maystill be grounded enough to believe that people are our greatest resource there tobe developed for our own progress and success.

As a college English Professor, I am seeing on a daily basis how the erosion ofour educational system is adversely affecting our greatest resource....ourpeople.....especially our young people who will have to be in leadership positionsone day. We have students who no longer read and instead believe looking at a

screen will educate them. And, thinking skills? Most have never been asked toTHINK! When I ask questions, they look like the cliche "deer in the headlights."We must put a clear priority on meaningful education.

I think the great debate will be between valuing and fully developing people asresources for growth and for good vs. valuing commodities and profits. Nowherehave I seen this illustrated so well as in Thomas Friedman's recent article, "Passthe Books. Hold the Oil."(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/friedman-pass-the-books-hold-the-oil.html?_r=1&ref=thomaslfriedman). The countries with the fewestphysical resources have developed their people and succeed the most!

Any old timer dairy farmer will tell you a three legged stool is best for milkingbecause it balances on any surface, helping the farmer ensure he won't spill the

bucket of milk. a nation modeled on the basis of a three legged stool, the legsconsisting of the indivual, corporate/industrial, and government is balancedregardless of the ground it finds itself on in a global world. When two of the legsalign into one, or collude to whittle away the other leg, the stool tips and theprosperity of the farmer is at risk. Our government has become the champion ofthe corporate/industrial leg and whittled away the rights and voice of theindividual over the past 30 years. Until government once again becomes thebalancing leg between the rights of the individual and corporate inc., ourprosperity is in peril.


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government and institutions is what we make them, that's the beauty of the

system our founders put into place. While the current picture is bleak andpolitical divisions are high, I see an emerging trend of political partyindependence. The problem is the fringes of both parties dominate the politicalrhetoric and policy initiatives. There is a growing group of moderate republicansand centrist democrats that are turning against their radical bases in favor ofcommon sense policy. The recent JOBSAct, while it's far from perfect, is a stepin the right direction and shows what happens when a common sense approachto policy reigns. There are a number of other public policies where the two sides

can come together to form common sense coalitions such as: tax reform,entitlement reform, immigration policy (especially h-1b visas), marijuanaprohibition and campaign finance reform. Our progressive tax system seems tobe progressive in name only. When implemented, with all its glorified loopholes,it causes people like Warren Buffet to have lower rates than a middle classworker like his secretary. Maybe a flat tax isn't so bad or a clear cut graduatedtax platform with no loopholes. When Social Security was originally designed, the

average life expectancy was 65. It was supposed to benefits its recipients in thelast couple of years of their lives. Now people living longer and we knowinvestment growth rates won't be as strong as originally predicted. There's asimple way to make the math work be extending the retirement age and scaling

back benefits right now. Immigrants are a huge boon to the economy and it'simportant we reverse the brain drain. We need to again encourage the world'sbest and brightest to stay here after college and make the US the best place to

start your company. We can save billions be ending the Drug War and generatea huge amount of tax revenue simply by legalizing marijuana. The majority ofAmericans agree on this issue and with everyone from Richard Branson, RonPaul and even Pat Robertson agreeing on the issue it's time to make simplecommon sense changes to bad policy. Last but not least, campaign financereform needs to take the stage front and center. What happened to the days ofMcCain - Feingold? We need to drastically change the way we fund elections toget politicians back to governance and policy making instead of fundraising and

relying on lobbyist to draft legislation. Putting term limits on congress and

Participation awards and grades like mostly, sometimes, and consistently.

Growing up, the winners got big trophies, the rest were told to try harder. Gradesmattered. Didn't matter if you were an MD at Goldman in sales, you might berich, but your kids were told they weren't smart. Now you convince schools thatbeing smart isn't same as being smart. The reality is that being smart isn't sameas being successful.

If animal farm was an allegory of soviets becoming Bolsheviks, then America isbecoming the UK. Same families get into the best schools regardless of grades -

legacy and donations and family name recognition counts as much asachievement - like the peerage. How many family names show up time andagain in American politics - bush, Kennedy, Clinton, etc.


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Are America's Best Days Behind it?

What does this question even mean? What constitutes a "best day"? Are thosedays the events that we never question their positive impact? Best days asglorious moments of power? If that is the case then, yes. Much of our history isone of not of social justice, but atavistic greed and a complicit government

bending over to serve powerful interests. That has been our standard operatingprocedure for a very long time.

Our shining moments are those when we finally accept the responsibility to act

on socially just motives, not the interests of profits of a wealthy powerful few.When we put aside that greed and acted to help those we had nothing profit fromby helping. To assist when we could get away with turning our backs. when wehave we reap benefits not apparent in the short term view. Freedom, liberty, andthe pursuit of happiness comes at a cost and always requires a fight.

The more we accept that role, the less we try to maintain systems that benefit afew wealthy powerful individuals the more likely our best days have not evenbeen imagined yet.

When a nation works to become an Empire instead of a country, history hasproven they fail. We probably should have listened ti Ike, a manufacturingindustrial complex instead of a military industrial complex. Could it be we are tolate?Depends... best for whom? For the Top 1% of income earners, things havenever looked brighter. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/separate-unequal-charts-show-growing-rich-poor-gap-20110223-141311-132.html. For the rest ofus, it's time to get clear on what's really happening to our political system thatenables this to continue, and to do something about it, or the trend will not only

continue, but will accelerate.

If "America's best days" are based on how most of its citizens do, nothing shortof fundamental change can return things to how they need to be, how they usedto be. Without it, America's best days are certainly behind it, and there are much

darker days to come.

"When the tongue or the pen is let loose in a frenzy of passion, it is the man andnot the subject that becomes exhausted. So write Thomas Paine as he himselfbecame exhausted addressing his subject, Mr. Burke. And finally, after a

thrashing by pen, he gives us our answer to your question: "Are America's bestdays behind it?" I can think of no better answer then this contention by Painefrom "rights of man" and of course, that is the key to what is to become of us, ourgovernment and our country: Paine writes: "The illuminating and divine principleof the equal rights of man relates not only to the living individuals, but togenerations of men succeeding each other. Every generation is equal in rights tothe generations which proceed it, by the same rule that every individual is born

equal in rights with his contemporary." In this time when we the Bill of Rights

trashed by the Executive and by the Congress, when we see moves in States tochange voting laws to disenfrachise the poor or the elderly from participating inAmerica; and when we become exhausted from the noise of those of onegeneration who knows better than those of us that came before, fought for equalrights, fought to end wars, we can still answer that as long as every generation tocome is equal in rights to us, the very best days are ahead.


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Yes, Americas best days are behind us but that does not necessarily imply we

will fall to a 2nd class country. All Americans need to become familiar with the

History of Rome, Alexander the Great and a few other once very great Empires.They extended their resources beyond their ability to support them; they becamearrogant toward their conquests and surrounding neighbors,

In Americas case, we exhibit all these characteristics plus a few fatal others; 1)our political system has failed and shows no sign of repairing itself, leaving nocurrent hope of fixing our serious problems, 2) our education system is a failureand shows no sign of getting better soon, leaving us unable to compete withother countries on a global basis 3) our arrogance as a people prevents us from

seeing and recognizing our problems so they remain unsolved. I could go on butthese are some of key thoughts.

Americas best days are, indeed, behind it. The freedoms that, for generations,

were ensured are now unraveling and being suppressed: Censorship is a keycomponent of American life, along with police breaking down peaceful protestsand spying on common, decent citizens. The president has been a tool for thecorporate elite companies for ages now, and the Congress has been bought and

sold years ago. The frightening thing is the fact that things are actually going toget worse. America will become one grand police state, with mile after mile of for-profit prisons, housing copyright infringement breakers and people willing to

stand up for their beliefs. The American Dream: You have to be asleep to believeit.


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it ISN'T. Use to be, when we invoked that name, we knew what we were talking

about. We had a definite picture in our minds when we said "America", anational identity, a self image of the body politic.

Back then, we made decisions. We might wrangle over them, but when we, as aNation, perceived a Need, we decided on a course of action and put it into effect.The Nation of America has been noted, throughout its' existence, for its' ability torecognize a need, and then pull together and virtually do the impossible whenwe've been called on to do so. Time after time we've done so; The Revolution,

where, as a simple collection of colonies we took on and BEAT the thenmightiest Empire on Earth; The Civil War, that was anything but, where we tookon our own People in the belief that All men are created equal, and that slaverycould Not be a part of our Identity, and once again we Won; The World Wars,where Americans proved to the World that we could, and would come to the aidof the downtrodden, and that too we made part of Us; When hard times came,with dust Bowl and Depression, we bent, but did not break, WPA leading the

way, and we pulled ourselves back up by employing ourselves to Build ourNation-dams, bridges, roads all the infrastructure to enter the 'promised land';And then, in the '60's the challenge was space, within a decade we'd gone frommodel rockets to the Moon.

But something happened to us right around that time. I think we lost track of ourNational Identity. We've lost that National cohesion, how we see ourselves as a

society, or group. These days if you were to ask the 'man on the street' "who isan American?", he would have a difficult time answering you. Part of that is thefact of an increasingly sophisticated citizenry that views itself globally to someextent, a citizen of the world so to speak, and therefore capable of seeingthrough foreign eyes, but to a greater extent the problem is that those institutionswhich used to foster that communal sense of belonging in the National identityhave fallen by the wayside. The Church, once a big part of everyone's lives,continues to decline in influence, those American social institutions, such as Boy

Scouts, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, etc, are now filled only

I dont believe that Americas best days are behind us, but I also cannot say with

certainty that they are ahead of us. Rather, if we make the right choices today,we can strongly say that our future will be at least as bright as our past. Thefuture is a scary place for Americans; most of us were born in a time whenAmerica was greater than all other countries. We are afraid of what is ahead ofus not because America has collapsed but because everyone else is catchingup. So as long as we make strong investments in education, science,technology, infrastructure, and clean energy, we will continue to be in position tolead the world for the coming century. But as we all know, we must first getbeyond the partisan bickering in our government and eliminate the corrosive

influence of money in our political system.


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While there are many socio/political dynamics which may contribute to a nation's

decline --in my opinion-- the leading causes are a complacent, easliy distractedproletariat, and the conflict of interests that occurs when elected officials colludewith capital interests. For years there was little, or no consequence for (criminal)government/private sector dealings, and as Americans watched reality televisionand ran up their credit, those conspiring against the people who voted them into

office were able to favorably legislate their own conspiracies.

Over four years after the U.S. financial collapse, Glass/Steagal remains

repealed, and the derivatives market is still largely unregulated. Too big to failhas actually gotten bigger. Moreover, even those who hope to engage in thepolitical discourse are subject to the tabloid nature of cable "news-ertainment",which convolutes truth with its own ratings agenda. As a result, rather thanaddressing these issues, or even having a solutions oriented 2012 presidentialelection, we are spoon fed puerile sound bites, inane platitudes, and arguments

about contraception.

Having been preoccupied by cable news, (rather than focusing on where ournation's money is flowing) Americans have become vitriolic towards one another,

while the bulwarks protecting our economic liberties have been undermined.Ruthless profiteering by the criminally rich continues unchecked, while

joblessness and the median household income declines. We can only hope thatthe frog will leap from the kettle before it's too late.

The United States of America was founded as and continues to be a great

experiment. Nothing goes up in a straight line. There are surges and setbacks inacceptance and innovation. No other nation has been formed in the same waywith such a heterogeneous and diverse population working individually andtogether with the result of such great achievement. This country continues to bea land of immigrants, leading to an ever changing populous and diverse ideas.Nobody may be happy with the way things are right now, but the greatest thingabout this country is that there are people who are willing and able to step up and

initiate change. Who would have thought three or four years ago that Dylan

Ratigan, coming from Wall Street, would be here, doing what he isdoing...initiating change.On the opposite pole, there have always been people and companies that try toimpede progress, to keep things the way they are out of fear, for their owncomfort or self interest. Fortunately, whether it was local competition in the earlydays, regional competition in the 1900's or international competition in the2000's, the innovators, like weeds, eventually survive and the conservative

entities either changenow, out of fear and their own self interest, or wither and

die. Disruption is never easy or smooth. This country was built on disruption andideas and will continue to grow because there will always be those that have the

hunger to achieve, in the most positive way.more.


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America's best days are behind itself as long as the citizens allow for thecountry to be controlled by the few at the expense of the many. A representative

government only can function as long as those representatives truly have the willof the people as their priority. This is sadly no longer the case in the UnitedStates. Our voices' connection in this country has been severed by big business

and the lobbying of our congressmen. Worst of all, this issue can never berepaired until the majority of Americans stand up and say enough is enough. Theproblem is that our way of communicating our displeasure with our government'sactions is through voting, but there are no longer any candidates at the polls withserving the people as their goal. Both of the parties in charge are controlled by

these businesses and force out those candidates who want to fix this corruptsystem by removing their support and place it behind someone who will keep thesystem going. As long as this cycle continues, America will continue to falterunder rising debts and a decreased voice for its people.If we Americans keep supporting "the business as usual" that both political

parties feed us, then yes, our best days are behind us.Yes. I read "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers" long ago, but the lesson left wasno less important then as now. When a nation attains top dog status, it can

remain there as long as it works to keep said status. But as soon as said nationthinks it's number one just because it's number one, number 2 will blow by. It'ssimply human nature. We can never take our position in the world for granted.

That is what we are doing!!

By nearly every important metric the United States is in decline relative to othermajor nations. We are graduating fewer engineers and scientists, investing lessin research, our healthcare is more expensive and less effective and we are a

bitterly divided country as to the role of government and our priorities. While wesquable over social issues and debate economics other nations, like China, willsurpass us in a few years. We have become a plutocracy that functions more forwealth than for the public interest. Our best days are surely not now and thefuture looks problematic.

I think Nations fail because there will always be the few that insist on controllingthe masses for thier advantage. They feel entitiled to an enormous amount ofwealth and would rather have homeless, hungry, impovrished populace to dothier bidding. It is Greed and selfishness and we are told bold face lies tomaintain the power the "OWNERS" have and control over the masses, whether itbe religion, money, mobility. How FEAR! Fear is instilled through bought media.

Jesus was cruxified because he was a threat to those who controlled themasses, and then he was used to control the masses. Someday we will stop thatway of thinking but it has been going on for thousands of years.


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To me, the true answer to this question is fully dependent on one's definition of

'best days.'

Let's see. I will take the side of the super-optimist and try to define 'best days,'with the assumption that we, as a Nation, have yet to experience our 'best days,'and then I will decide, while typing this essay, in neither an optimistic viewpoint,nor pessimistic, whether or not Americans have 'the right stuff' to achievetheir/our best days, based on my definition of course. So, I will begin again:

Best Days Of America.What if? What if those days are ahead? What would they look like?

The average American earns no less than 500% less than the top earners (whoonly earn more because they produced products and ideas that help manypeople), and that same average American owns no less than 500% less than thetop owners of 'the stuff,' for lack of a better term. That average American, of our

yet to be achieved Best Days, goes to work ONLY if he or she so desires,because who wants a slacker at work...or perhaps that person just chooses toproduce art, for art's sake, or some such endeavor, with their time. In any case, ifhe/she does not want to work, he/she is given monies equal to 50% of what the

average American earns, which would just so happen to equal exactly what itwould take to live in a very small condo, all utilities, and food, etc included, plus asmall amount of 'spending money.'

However, no actual money would be given to this person, so that none of it couldbe given to anyone else. In fact, money in physical form would no longer exist,including Wall Street.

Now, for those Americans who would actually like to make more money than itwould take to survive comfortably, they would choose their educations and jobsaccording to what their natural skills and abilities are, and not because they want

power or loads of money, and CERTAINLY NOT because they need to work forThe U S of A will fade away.... this is not bad... this is part of the great days tocome. The internet/cloud has unleashed the power of the individual and made

nation-states obsolete. It will take a while... and the slavemasters may blow theworld up before sophont2.0 occurs. The slavemasters are the rulers inWashington D.C. ( politicians and lobbyists ). Sophont2.0 are the people thatrealize we don't need no stinkin' lords and masters... we can form groups anddissolve groups to accomplish what we want. Life will be based on IPPP. Thebest is yet to come.

IPPP and sophont2.0 ==> http://erasmus-zarathustra.blogspot.com/2011/04/ippp-99ippp-intelligent-puzzle-pieces.html

In short, no. America's best days are not behind us. America is a nation foundedupon the notion that all people have inalienable God given rights to life, liberty,and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that this is indicative of the indomitable

spirit of American freedom and that no matter what may befall us, howeverseemingly destructive of these inalienable rights, that educated and principledmen will rise to the occasion and spend their own inalienable rights to secure thefuture peace of the coming generations. This much has been proven in thehistory of America: when tyranny threatens to rob or keep absent the executionof equal rights for all men of any race or creed, there men have stood ready andwilling to kill their own brothers to secure those rights for all who live in thisnation. I find it hard to imagine that this has changed so much that tyranny will

prevail in the future.


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America's best days will be behind us if we ignore the history of every other faileddemocracy. Americans must choose to educate themselves on the issues ratherthan buy into the talking points and platitudes of either political party. We mustchoose to be responsible, ethical, moral people once again, not bowing to

pressure from external groups. We must choose to save our money and spendwhat we spend wisely. Without these changes, we will fail. History proves it.If we continue to have that attitude, yes it would be. I don't have that attitudebecause I KNOW we can be better than this. This country needs to expect moreout of our citizens and our government and we need to expect more of eachother. If we all pitched in, and helped WHERE we could, problems can be solvedin quick order. We need to do something BIG but we won't be able to do it until

we piece some of the smaller ideas together and get the ball moving forward.Can we do it? If we all work together, absolutely. My country's best days are infront of us and this is your country as well.

A nation's best days are behind it only when that notion is accepted as the norm.I think in terms of progress as a function of time, America probably peakedsometime in the 1960's. My concern is not that America's best days havepassed, but all of *humanity's* have probably done so as well. Although

technological improvement will continue for several decades, it will beincreasingly be for the benefit of the few and less for the many.I think probably the zenith of American power and society was about 1969-1970.The moon landing of 1969 marked a triumph of huge importance. I think we canmark this spot too as a tipping point. If we measured "greatness" at this point, wecan also mark a-lot of turmoil and beginnings of rot to follow. (Manson,Watergate, Vietnam, RoeV.Wade, drug culture, riots, terrorism, King murder). Allof these events were close to follow.

Can we become what we were? Probably not. Can we do better? Certainly.

In my opinion, as a libertarian Australian, that the excess spending by theAmerican government will lead this nation into an economic black-hole. Americais a "welfare and warfare state" - increased welfare programs mixed with

relatively relaxed immigration policies provide an incentive for immigrants tocome over and live off the working classes' taxes. On the warfare side of things,America's 'nation-building' exercise is extremely costly, this costly venture wasinitiated by a pointless war in Iraq and ill-planned and laughable conflict inAfghanistan. To be economically prosperous, the US should look to cut down onmilitary spending and the welfare cushion that the federal government is handingout at the expense of the working people.

Greed. Yes, one word. Another word: selfishness. A nation stops being anation when one group thinks they want to rule. We have lost our way. We thinkreligion rules, but religion should not run a country. Yep, I am all over the placeon this one. But it adds up to people caring about only what they want. And,

those are the people who run for office. The good guys just don't. Exception:

Someone like Barack Obama. And look what he gets for his devotion toCountry! Nasty folks like Trump and Limbaugh who spew hatred and disrespecttowards the President. Look what a GWB/Cheney administration did to thisCountry! We need people who love America, not themselves, in government.Money is controlling this Country and that is plain wrong. We need another Will

Rogers to come along and say it like it is! In summation, if those of us speak upand not let the "bad" guys get their way, our Country will be as it should be: Bythe people, and for the people.


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It is unless we move away from capitalism.

Like fossil fuels capitalism was cheap, dirty and efficient to get us where we are.Time to move to the solar energy of economies that is sustainable for our future.

Nations fail, fundamentally, due to physics. From the outside, it seems as thoughpolitics or war or economics are the culprit. When a group reaches a population

which is beyond diminishing returns, they begin to leverage their future in aneffort to stabilize the present.Setting a population cap is an abhorrent and hateful idea to "civilized" societies,which is why Thomas Malthus was vilified. Not to say that he was incorrect, he isof course correct that population cannot outgrow it's food sources, but the adhominem attacks for 250 years have been enough to ignore his flawless logic.This is merely a representation of the second law of thermodynamics.

Eventually the population grows so large that it would take all effort just to growfood. Long before that happens, they borrow and trade and start wars to offsetthis inevitable final point.We are seeing what happens when the oil-population bubble begins to fail. No

amount of effort or compassion can make more food than people, so somewherepeople will have to die. I suspect Africa, China and India will bear the brunt of thesoon-to-arrive Malthus Check.

So in summation, physics destroys societies. They get too big and complex andare forced to return to a more sustainable level. That looks like wars and failedeconomics, but it is just the normal curve keeping things from growing too vast.

I believe we only have one shot to secure a "Best times ahead" future, the timefor debate is over. Technology, energy resources, population, and geopoliticsgive us no choice but to "Rewire America."Yes, it's big government. But it is the only way we get energy independent, have

a fluent and mobile society, spur spending and create jobs. We need all of this -yesterday. Markets that are rigged and exist for profit cannot meet the needs of ashareholder and country at the same time; so there needs to be some

competition in rebuilding America.Fair employment, savings, healthcare, schooling, safety net, freedom to createand innovate, - this is all that is needed for the Great America to thrive. There isno entry level in America anymore - we need to support a project that will expandhiring immediately in every state. We need to launch a nationwide

infrastructure/energy grid/transportation public works project following the lines ofthe US. Highway and Rail System. All three in tandem will bring efficiency andcost control, while spurring localized manufacturing and tech. Realistic salaries of35-120k for all men, women, and even teens in the summer, with Medicareenrollment. It is a mission, led by returning Vets and National Guard, no drugtesting, no pre-employment credit checks, just honest work for honest pay.Directly employing 30+mil for 15+yrs, increased tax base, cheaper energy,

strengthened purchasing power, which will drive all U.S. business.

We need to think and work big again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System


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This is a question no one knows the answer to. Whoever pretends to is lying,and they are either overly optimistic or pessimistic. American has structuralproblems that need to be fixed for us to succeed in the long term, but they arefixable. It's just not clear whether we will fix them in time. I think this article sums

up my opinion, that we need to reinvest our selves in education andinfrastructure, and get serious about political reform to help get it done.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2056723-2,00.html

You pay according to your means, and receive according to your needs. This is

the motto for many countries with a nationalized healthcare system. Instead ofembracing such a system that does not discriminate against the impoverishedwe, as Americans, embrace a healthcare system that is run by the ravenousprivate sector whose main objective is not to take care of their American clients,

but rather whose goal is to increase their companys profits. These companies

manipulate and negatively impact the American psyche by creating health and

socioeconomic disparities that foster a jaded populace; one that refuses tobelieve his or her vote can help make a difference. By producing such lackluster

behavior, the healthcare sector is welcoming a failed nation thats constitution

reads: We the corporations . . .an age filled with technological wonder and excitement. We have an unparalleledability to communicate with each other, to influence and persuade others to ourpoint of view. However, there is a disturbing side effect with the information age.We are subjected to an unceasing and ever louder barrage of characterassassination. The cacophy of noise associated with it has nearly obliterated thenational discussion of the truly essential issues. I speak of issues that might

improve the daily lives of men and women everywhere if we could come togetherwith all our technology and actually have the constructive conversations. Much ofthe blame for our asynchrous diatribes can be ascribed to the media. Pick up anymajor daily newspaper (if you can still find one in print), or search a daily orweekly online news magazine, or turn to the cable network news programs. Thesteady drumbeat from all of it is predominantly laced with the affliction of doom

and gloom. As Americans we are constantly fed a steady sour diet of angst,

pessimism, accusations, and fault-finding. Sadly, negativism and controversysells.

Some writers I seek out intentionally are brilliant. Incisive and thought-provokinglanguage is their craft in trade and scintillating is their routine style of expressingtheir thoughts. They have become the masters of the written and spoken word. Ifind fewer television commentators who are similar, but the best attempt to

balance their search for truth, despite their detractors. The attitude of many intheir audiences is predominantly negative, however, judging by the tenor andtone of the comments on the attached forum boards. I find invectives of sourvinegar and anger, judging others as if all wisdom was their unique domain. Thesteady drumbeat of criticism is like a soap opera, one that can be left unwatchedfor months, then when tuning in again one finds the narrative has never changed

and can be picked up as though it were yesterday. These attacks are disguisedas "analysis" and "informed opinion," when often they are nothing more than adhominem withering meltdowns of their subjects' failings rather than any hint theirsubjects may have strengths worth highlighting. It is particularly accute duringelection season. If we had believed the surrogates who spoke for Adams andJefferson, we might still be wondering today how the republic survived! Today, if


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This is a ridiculous question. Think of another time in recent american historywhen you'd rather live. the 30's: depressing. the 40's: WWII. The 50's: youprobably lived in a bomb shelter. The 60's: hippies and Vietnam, 0 for 2. The

70's: no gas. The 80's: shitty cars and shitty music. The 90's: alright starting toget good...rise of the internet and a decent economy. the 2000's: some terrorismbut now every kid past age 7 has a cell phone. Nowadays: a person in africa

with a smartphone has more access to information than clinton did in the 90's.dictators are brought down via twitter. cars park themselves. college kids startmulti-million companies out of their dorm rooms. This is the age of opportunity,it's finally a level playing field. It's time to pony up and embrace how fuckingawesome it is that the little guy can take on the big whigs and win. Dylan, I think

you are a smart guy, but please don't use fear like your peers to scare my motherinto thinking the best times are behind us. They simply aren't.

Nations fall due to pride. "Pride cometh before the fall". A nation or a people that

become haughty, arrogant and full of conceit, will fail. The lack of humility says agreat deal about a people. Every nation believes their country is the greatest, butwhen that country maligns another, or belittles those citizens due to their beliefsor their ethnicity, they are doomed to fail. They have lost their way. They stop

believing they are their brothers keeper, but instead believe they are theirbrothers master. When a nation invades, another for selfish reasons, those

reasons come to light, because they care not for their fellow man, but care onlyfor the resources that nation has, whether it is oil, or it's work force. The boastfulnation never admits the truth, as it stands on a pedestal proclaiming how luckythe others are the they intervened. This causes mistrust and resentment fromwithin, and as that cancer spreads, it weakens the so called strong nation'spillars, (the people), causing it's pillars to weaken and crumble. Rome, Greece,Babylon, Egypt, Israel, Mesopotamia, Japan, China, Germany and others all felland have never been looked upon in the same way again

Yes, definitely. All you need to do is look around. We do not lead in anythinganymore. Tallest buildings, space flight, biggest structures, latest scientific

advances, best products (except apple), modern infrastructure, health care,

standard of living, education, quality productive jobs, economic growth, Quality oflife, weak currency... We are mediocre in all these areas and we used to be first.All the 'progress' we have 'achieved' lately was not earned or produced, butrather 'inflated' with borrowed money. The self serving elite in government andcorporate is visibly taking advantage of ever dumber citizenry, who prefers towatch reality and other useless, trivial, low IQ shows rather than educate itselfand actively participate in society. The film 'Idiocracy' comically depicts the path

we are on. I don't see a catalyst that would reverse our inevitable fall. There area lot of people that claim: We are Americans, we are the best, this is the bestcountry in the world. They are delusional, they are talking of a prosperousAmerica that was built by the 'Great generation' and this is not an objective viewof the current 'State of the union'. Wake up America!


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Why Nations Fail

Nations fail because they thinkthey are powerless and resort to hoarding ones

resources and therefore limit the peoples ability to expand their vision. So we fail

to bring balance in our economics and bea union that can end income disparity;

to have a free market that creates independence by sharing ones special uniquecontributions to be a creative human being. Those who can not create and

contribute starts an erosion to becoming invisible to society. They are the focuspoint of the problems with our world. Therefore we never identify with theunderlying issues to solve our problems. I believe if we can undo past distorted

history and find the actual truths we can start to define ourselves as we reallyare. Our belief systems will evolve towards an awareness of interconnectednessthat brings about positive and peaceful thinking. We will begin to erode the fearbased mentality that has made our world into a war zone to solve our problems.Protection and limiting resources to conserve what we have, will be transformedinto sharing and expanding our resources which will also diminish anxiety and

fear.Beliefs that are based on a false premise are the underlying problem. As aUnion of diverse minds we can then come together to form policies andprograms that empower creative minds.

eejThe best of America is not shown by the totality of our society, but by itsoverarching mentality and trend. We see problems such as slavery, but we donot discard all that happened prior to emancipation as being evil because itoccurred during a time when a crime against humanity was accepted by society.We look at the period that led to its downfall as a great achievement. We thenlook 100 years later and look at our civil rights leaders of the '60s continue to pull

the trend of history into a more just and righteous future. Out of great tragedy,the best of our society can stand up.

Do we look at the glory of our past and say we have done well, but we shall haltour trend for a better future? Not only do we not, but we continue to pursue socialand economic justice. We have had great days in the recent past, but we havenever achieved the ideal. With the challenges facing so many at the current hour,

we can only expect that we, as a nation, will pursue the path of reason, commonsense, and justice to ensure our trend towards a better future is not ended bythose who set out to gain more power and wealth for the sake of power andwealth.

As a wise man once wrote "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it isdearness only that gives everything its value."


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Nations fail when they lose the center, when the few grow rich at the expense ofthe many, robbing them of their dreams. In America, these few have taken even

the stars. Over the years, our culture handed us, with one hand, endless paeansto self-determination and a frantic self-help gestalt that people flocked to, om-ingtheir way to success and riches. With the other hand, it parsed, stealthily, thefuture for itself and the few. And who are these few? The one percent of the one

percent... those who have privatized access to space, the stars and, somedayescape from this dying planet. They, whoever they are, have piled up riches forthemselves and poisoned the seas, the crops, the land. All this unfolded in mylifetime. I set sail on an out-going tide, not knowing they had also pulled the plug.

Self-help gurus emerged to ease the pain, distract us... and make their ownmillions. Now we watch vicariously as others live. Everything has changed. They

killed the workers dreamand the dreamers. The Kennedys, Martin Luther King,

John Lennon. Once upon a time, I remember the face of our young Presidentannouncing we would go to the stars, his ghostly face flickering on a surrealblack-and-white TV screen, presaging things to come. It was a high time then,

when the stars and the future belonged to everyone.

The lesson of the of the last 20 years demonstrates that the counsel given to

policy makers by academia, bankers, military leaders, economists, corporateexecutives and underwriters is like the advice they gave to industrialists duringthe turn of the last century... it was consistently good for academia, bankers,military leaders, economists, corporate executives and and underwriters but wasoften disastrous for governments, entrepreneurs, and people generally.

At the heart of this phenomenon is the fleecing of private property--the

foundation of the democratic republic's grand experiment.

As Carroll Quigley posited, "A nation's decline is not inevitable but occurs whenits instrument of expansion [in this case, private property] is transformed into an

institution [if not directly hijacked]that is, when social arrangements that meet

real social needs are transformed into social institutions serving their own

purposes regardless of real social needs."

There is legal precedent that enjoins that individuals do not own their own DNA,their own persons. Legal precedent that enjoins that while one is responsible forthe debt service on a mortgage, said same person does not own the home. Thisfleecing has created a psychic, physical, emotional, and intellectual dislocationso severe that moral imperatives are forlorn to the nave, moral terminus,impossible. Social freedom does not exist without the means of production, the

means of expansion. Social freedom kowtows to economic freedom. History hasproven history true on this point.

There are a few among us that traffic outside of this fabrication--institutionsserving the institution for institution's sake via unnatural monopolies, arbitraryvaluations and centralized planning. Unless this remnant is permitted to do what

it does naturally--produce and expand for the sake of creating free from thesystem's detrimental reliance on unnatural monopolies --the remnant will migrateand align itself and its children's children to a new place; rather than attempt torebuild despite impossible odds, build anew.


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defining the purpose of the mission... which is what? Do we Americans even

have the feeling of purpose anymore? Are we alive? How alive are we? Irealize I have added more questions, but in those questions, we can thus eachdefine the answers within ourselves, and one can extrapolate how they feel asthey look within themselves to discover... "how cynical are we living?" What didthe patriot(s) - latin for Father - allude to... the pursuit of happiness? What arewe even pursuing now? The pursuit of mere existence? Americans needleadership. True leadership. When they feel real leadership, they know it. Realleadership is infectious, because it is honest, transparent, and you feel you can

trust one's motive. The motive being honesty and the love of man, and mankind.We Americans have lost that kind of underlying sensation in this country.Americans need to be awoken to and realize what "living" American means; free,liberty, reveling in the experience of the pursuit of happiness. Why are wesettling for less? Is that what we do in America, settle? That's not even existing,because one is settling for less than the true experience of feeling alive - freelybeing, honestly expressing ourselves, and allowed to discover what we don't

even know within ourselves. We - generally speaking, the masses - are cut off atthe knees in this country because we are too busy with out time chasing our tail;busy making toothpicks out of logs for no purpose other than consumerism -which only feeds those at the top, who keep their dead capital locked away so we

all can be enslaved. How angry inside are these people? Their enjoyment isnarcissistic, rather than going out there and changing lives, like they could be.They have a contempt for those who are not educated, those who are beaten

down, those who remain silent day to day, as we trudge through ignorance.Those at the top, generally, embody the same motives as the worst criminals -especially when one has such abundance, and one's intent is solely in theinterest of themselves, that is dishonesty and wrong being at it's worse. Wedon't live righteously with purpose by serving ourselves. We serve ourselvesonly by way of serving each other, from our hearts, with love and the intent ofmaking each other happier and lifting each other up. We are often living asthough we are making for the exits in a theater fire. It's pathetic. I know this is a

lot longer than you wanted, but, I got on a rant. I don't care if I win your contest,Greed has delivered our government, our banking system, our educationalsystems and even our churches into the hands if the wealthiest and most

powerful. At my local university campus the college president no longer obtainsdonations via fundraising. He simply agrees to lease public land on universityproperty to a businessman who will donate $100,000 for a swimming poolfollowing the project's completion if his bid the one selected for the project. Thebidder sits on the University board of trustees but recuses himself from the vote.even worse we taxpayers are to believe the university president will make sure

the materials promised in the bid will be delivered "with no thought" to the$1000,000 to be donated at the project's completion. Who is going to raise thered clad if the foundation of the building contains less rebar than promised? Thechances are the bid being let between Thanksgiving and Christmas assured thebidder with the $100,000 being kicked back would build the project. the verysame situation on another campus in the same state resulted in criminalprosecution.

We have lost the ethical war and like the Romans we have written our owndemise cloaked in greed.

look at the Catholic Church. the High Church has entered the political fray withconservative Bishops cloaking their political maneuverings under the guise offreedom of religion. One conservative Little Rock parish burst out in applauseafter a Monsignor delivered a blatantly political homily sounding if you closed

your eyes much like the fundamentalists down the street.


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Nations fail when the leadership becomes so isolated from the people and sopolarized among themselves that they are incapable of doing the necessarythings to continue to function as a society. Whether America's best days arebehind us or ahead of us is up to us and how we deal with our challenges.

America, once the most prosperous and freest nation on earth, has fallen onhard times, largely because the government has squandered the wealth andresources of the people while decimating economic and civil liberties. America is

controlled by Banksters, the military industrial security complex andfascist/corporatist special interests. Until the wars end (we murder for defensecontractor profits) and honest money and banking is restored, the only light at theend of the tunnel will be the light of an oncoming train wreck. We can rise againbut first Congress must be fired en mass, we must elect folks who will stopfunding the wars, we must stop the corporate welfare and we must stop funding

the derivative gambling losses of Wall Street. Want to jumpstart the ailingeconomy? We need laws that encourage business and entrepreneurship. Weneed to abolish the corporate tax and allow capital to be repatriated back to the

US. Besides, there is no such thing as a corporate tax its just an indirect

consumer tax paid by folks who buy goods. We need to get rid of the draconianregulatory state that strangles small business and only benefits big business.And finally, we need to get corporate money out of the election process because,well, it owns the RNC and DNC machines. How about change we can believe in!NO! When we can muster up the courage and the will to use all of America'shuman and natural resources for the good of all and not just a privileged few,we'll move forward again, When we educate...we'll innovate. When we innovatewe'll create new jobs and new opportunities for realizing and refining a betterAmerican dream. When everyone's contribution is expected, respected and

rewarded with a "living wage" there will be no stopping us. The "AmericanDream" is not one that can occur while we sleep. We must be fully awake to ourpossibilities and fully committed to making them our personal and nationalrealities.

I dont want to believe Americas best days are behind it, but that could be a

possibility. The division between Democrats and Republicans in Congress

makes it impossible to accomplish anything. Reaching across the aisle hasbecome taboo. Our politics have become hideous and unreasonable. Congress

no longer has the peoples best interests at heart, only their own.

Now we have the Supreme Court decision on Citizens United which does, forthe most part, follow the constitution, but opens a very large door to allowmassive campaign contributions, with no accountability, so the highest biddersmay win. It has taken the democracy out of America. I seriously doubt this is

what our founding fathers had in mind when they chose their words.

I am a woman. I am a Union member. Im getting close to retirement. I amunder attack. They want to dissolve my Union. They want to take my right tochoose. They want my contraceptives. They want my social security and

medicare. Whats next, my right to vote? Maybe they want me in a burqa too.


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I don't think so. The best days are not gone.We have a lot of immigrants who love being in the U.S. and are willing to workout their "dreams"- pursue a life of innovation and research. They will work forbusinesses they like or on goals for themselves and their children. It's going on

now.I don't think the effort for social experimentation is lost. In the near future peoplewill come together and support a forward looking society, a fair and free society.

That's what people come here for and that's what people want.To me it looks as if the population is tired of the oligarchy and pure self interest.They want a nation that works for everyone.

I am a 75 yr old Southern liberal former Unitarian. I was in the fight for schooldesegregation. Saw the Warren Court stand up for due process and rights for all.Worked in Library of Congress as an attorney for Congress during the CivilRights fights and the Nixon impeachment. We won a lot of battles back then andI thought the winning would continue.Why not? We were finally on the road to

equality for all and a chance of success for all. What happened? Since BarryGoldwater raised his head I have seen a steady erosion of all in the publicdomain that I held dear. With trumpets sounding and actors riding in on whitehorses, the rich and the privileged fought back against the poor and

disenfranchised. Their hate turned away our love of country and what we thoughtit stood for. There is no city on the hill just a chasm of greed and selfishness.

They have won. Our citizens don't vote. They don't read, can't read. Fox newsdominates. I see no way out. When a nation has won the battles that we helpedfight and then retreats from those victories for the common man and the publicgood into a chasm of greed and selfishness;when Christians walk away from theteachings of the Son of their God, what is left? Where do we go? Where can wego? Nowhere.What can we do? Nothing, nothing at all.

For most of my adolescence, the US found itself in a uniquely unipolar moment.

The world I came of age in was promised to be Fukuyamas End of History. What

will come next may indeed be not the End, but instead the Beginning ofsomething so much more interesting. The US may not cease to dominate on

more traditional metrics of power. Its military will likely continue to be one of thelargest and most well equipped in the world. Its GDP may continue to thrive,perhaps not as the largest in absolute terms, but it may be difficult to surpass interms of GDP/capita. However- what is likely to end is the very conception of

these metrics as the predominant indicators of influence. The US continues tobe a driver of innovation, whether in terms of patents or venture capital, but thisis flourishing in a hyperglobalized world, peopled by ambitious immigrants andforeign students, leading to a further democratization of skill and ambition. It isstill a major player in foreign policy, but often acting now more throughmultilateral institutions, whether in supporting The Global Fund or seekingcoordination in sanctions and military intervention. Competing visions of howbest to construct governments and economies are growing outside the old

European and American notions, and even now beyond China and India. The

role the Brazils, Turkeys, and Ghanas will play in this new international order willonly serve to further this fascinating evolution of power and influence. And oneresult of these experiments and counterfactuals will be to provide otherapproaches, other ideas, likely better ideas, that if embraced can benefit not justthe citizens of these countries, but the US as well. What if our best days do lie

ahead, but not due just to our own efforts, but the spillover effects of ever-increasing standards of living across this ever-smaller world?


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A professor of mine teaching film students the economic theories of LesterThurow back in 1991 said in the coming information age, ideas were king and the

dumb will get dumber while the smart will get smarter. Thurow introduced theworld to the Zero Sum Game of finance philosophizing how hundreds of trillionsof dollars in worthless credit derivatives are coming from somewhere leavingnothing in its wake. While this world casino bucket shop will continue to drain

investment and the bulk of the globes professionals nurse their 401ks with

hedge fund milk and special interests continue to blind and bind our leaders;what hope is there for America to grow? Its seas will no doubt shrink our coastlines, tornados and hurricanes no doubt will continue to devastate through

climate change. But in the midst of all this expected decline one thing that maysave us all will continue to rise inevitably; as Cicero put it, liberty is theempowerment of the individual. The champions of democracy have and will

continue to awaken, and as PhD researcher Annick Witt points out, the rise

of the culture of contemporary spirituality is a pivotal part of the gradual butprofound change taking place in the Western worldview, both reflecting the larger

cultural development, as well as giving shape and direction to it.. The Occupy

Movement may yet make specific demands, and a real 2008 Obama could yetemerge. America will usher in the long awaited Age of Aquarius.

Technology and a flood of inferior imported goods have combined to erode ourmanufacturing base, the very bedrock of America's post-war economy, with itspromise of home affordability, a living wage, and easy access to banking credit.

The lost manufacturing jobs are not coming back but instead of addressing this

reality that has shaken Middle America to its core, politicos to the right of centerof public discourse devalue much needed education access as snobbery and fixtheir star to divisive moral and social issues intended to stoke fires of discontent;they drive the lust for the removal of the incumbent President with blind regardfor the outcome of putting power in the hands of theocratic ideologues. In a bidfor answers we need only flip our history books to the Fall of the Roman Republicin 44 B.C. and the rise of Fascism in Europe in the 1930s amid a brutal world

economy when would-be saviors of the masses ignored the most importantquestion then and now: "Where are the jobs?"

Are America's best days behind her? To quote Sarah Palin: "You betcha". But asHenry Miller said, "I am against revolutions because they always involve a ret

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