Is America An Empire In Decline?

[Falkor]

formed unions have laws to promote fair labor etc.

we also break unions. and unions can promote unfair labor; especially if youre outside one, but even inside there are different power dynamics and schemes - assuming its not corrupt to begin with

We let people come here on visas to go to our colleges but then won't give them jobs and sometimes even kick them out because they are immigrants.

nobody is given a job. if they want a job in the US they can apply and get certain visa and permits to work here and even eventually become citizens - its a whole lot better system than being a foreigner (i.e USA citizen) and trying to do the same thing in another country. they dont get kicked out the day they get the diploma with a letter saying 'gee thanks for your international tuition, now get the fuck out'. but why do you want them to take a job from you anyways??

It is too hard to immigrate to America, if there's anything illegal immigration tells us is that it should be made easier; they are all potential members of the workforce.

its not that hard. its just harder/lengthier than hopping a border. also you have to think about what part of the work force you need, what they contribute and what they take

Our pre-college educational system sucks; it's not that it has gotten worse, it's always been bad, other counties have just gotten better at it.

nah it has actually gotten worse. and at the same time the rest of the world has gotten a lot better which makes us look that much shittier

Our work ethic is terrible. Here if you do bad in school it's just because you don't get it and it's ok, while in other countries they say it's because your not working hard enough.

well now thats just a sweeping generalization on both sides. not everyone in the us has no work ethic, just like not everyone in other countries has some innate desire to always work hard. school is shitty and arbitrary anways, nearly all of the crap you forget, and once you get a job the majority of the work you learn on job, not from stuff in some lecture hall.

some good reading i would recommend to you sir might be of your interest. Both are by Jared diamond and imo are quite good especially the first but he has done a number of quality books.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

day of empire by amy chua is also good. and there are literally tons and tons of books out there on this subject from an economic POV or international relations, and many more

Merica never was a superpower

uh, how do you figure. there were 2 super powers till ussr went belly up, then were left on top. let someone take us down a peg, but until that time we are a superpower and have been for quite sometime by all metrics that people that actually study this crap use[/QUOTE]

Like Jon Stewart (or Steven Colbert, can't remember) said once, America could really use another war right about now. I would say that we were definitely THE superpower since the end of the 20th century up until around the mid 1900's, like you said.

im assuming you mean world war. in case you havent noticed the various wars in the past few decades

Imo, the easiest way to increase our Economic power is
a) a flat out income tax federally, maybe 50%, and only keep sin taxes
b) make Immigration easier

a) 50% flat tax, with sin taxes. that sounds viable.....for the super wealthy
b) what is that going to solve, more migrant workers?

 

[Doop]

im assuming you mean world war. in case you havent noticed the various wars in the past few decades

Yeah, sorry

 

[Srs]

uh, how do you figure. there were 2 super powers till ussr went belly up, then were left on top. let someone take us down a peg, but until that time we are a superpower and have been for quite sometime by all metrics that people that actually study this crap use

TLR, but I guess I was was addressing the US as an "economic superpower". My point was that much our wealth was/is actually borrowed. As far as the US and USSR being military superpowers, I suppose that depends on one's definition of superpower, but I don't trust the political "scientists" definition of anything -- bunch of sophomoric academics, spouting half-assed philosophy.

Wait...maybe we could do that too.

 

[Doop]

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TLR, but I guess I was was addressing the US as an "economic superpower". My point was that much our wealth was/is actually borrowed. As far as the US and USSR being military superpowers, I suppose that depends on one's definition of superpower, but I don't trust the political "scientists" definition of anything -- bunch of sophomoric academics, spouting half-assed philosophy.

Wait...maybe we could do that too.

Our GDP (obviously the value of all our goods and services for a year) is much higher than any other country. Plus borrowing money for countries is much different than an individual borrowing money. One similarity, though, is that you can't get the money you are owed if you kill the person/country that owes you the money. Of course we need to address the debt at some point, but I don't think it's ever just going to collapse on us, and I think it's something we need to address when impact of the recession is basically over.

 

[Falkor]

TLR, but I guess I was was addressing the US as an "economic superpower". My point was that much our wealth was/is actually borrowed. As far as the US and USSR being military superpowers, I suppose that depends on one's definition of superpower, but I don't trust the political "scientists" definition of anything -- bunch of sophomoric academics, spouting half-assed philosophy.

Wait...maybe we could do that too.

if you dont think we are/were an economic and military superpower (really hyperpower) then you need to take some economics and political science/international relations classes.
if you think they're all sophomoric, then your ideas about how to rank superpowers must be freshmanic at best. you cant just disregard the whole field and say no no no this is what i think. you have to engage with the current theories, or make a new one based on sound case studies, model it, etc.
yes theyre not hard scientists, but you cant discount the whole subject, economics isnt a hard science either. nor is statistics really. doesnt mean they cant be right