googaddict

Question Skeptic, does it not bother you that our Great Nation can someday soon lose the superpower status that we currently hold?

viz

What does it matter for America to be a superpower? So you can feel proud? Patriotism and Nationalism mean nothing in the real world now. You are simply fortunate to be born into an American family, with a different roll of the dice, you could be born into a poor family living on below a dollar a day.

On the question of Free Trade, the economy is constantly developing. As economy advances it moves from farming / gathering to manufacturing to service based industries. As for corporate greed... "Greed is good". Geed is the entire point of capitalism and what has led to western economies becoming so wealthy.

If you don't like callcenters in India, you can always vote with your pocket and buy services with some of the companies that still have their callcenters based in the US (some market entirely on that fact). You should however expect to pay a higher price.

In the end, the jobs are going to the developing world because of pressures from consumers. How many times do you go into a store and buy the cheapest product? Do you buy produce that is entirely American?

An off-topic point: You should sympathise with immigrants. They are trying to improve their life (is it not to be expected, that people would want to improve their quality of live?). The difference between them and the rest of America is that they are about 150 years late in coming to America.

Skepticologist

Of course it bothers me. After all, this Great Nation is the nation of my birth, and it has served me very well. I'd like to believe nothing more deeply than that it had found the secret formula and was therefore poised to continue serving me well.

But it's not. It's survived and prospered for a little more than a couple hundred years, which isn't an inconsequential period in world history, and now it's in the throes of its swan song. It became so successful that the incipient greed that's an inevitable by-product of such success has subsumed it. It could have gone on forever if it had continued to elevate the standard of living of its lowest-ranking members, but it subjugated their well-being to the filthy dreams of its most wealthy members who constitute less than 1% of its population.

It was a great civilization, built on worthy premises, but it has abandoned those values and ideals in favor of further aggrandizing only its wealthiest members.

__________________
"I am an agnostic; I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are sure of."

Clarence Darrow

NotConvinced

Can someone throw this guy some spare change? He mentions the top 1% so much you'd think he's in jealous agony.

googaddict

I think I am being misunderstood. I am not using the word "superpower" with any form of arrogance, Viz. There are too many reasons to list why the United States should remain a superpower. It should not even be questioned.
As an American who believes in freedom and democracy, I do not trust the Chinese government one bit. They have been cheating when it comes to trade and we need to put a stop to it.
Why do we want to help build an arsenal for a country that happens to disagree with us when it comes to most world affairs?
Hopefully Washington will wake up soon and start making changes.
I will continue to buy American whenever possible, even if it costs me more.