Do you think the US will fail as a Democracy within your lifetime?

[werepossum]

I do not believe that the USA will cease functioning as a Constitutional representative republic with democratically selected representation within my lifetime. I do believe we will go from a heavily regulated capitalist economy to a centrally planned semi-capitalist command economy, but I expect that to be a gradual transition as government subsumes more and more of the private sector. I also expect state and local governments to become increasingly irrelevant and increasingly relegated to merely enforcing the will of the federal government. And I do believe the Republicans will become essentially Democrats redux. Essentially I believe politically we're moving to become Red China if Red China was a welfare state. We'll have choices, just two choices largely believing the same things. Arguably that's true in large part already.

I think the real crash will be when the dollar ceases to be the world reserve currency. I expect at that point our national debt will be several times our GDP and repayment not even remotely feasible, at which point some huge fundamental change must occur. I doubt it will be a loss of democracy though since that requires a lot of people in power voluntarily giving up some of that power.

 

[boomerang]

This country has always been under all sorts of threats, but we've never been in a situation where the threats are simultaneously from inside and outside. For example, we've never been in a situation where more than 50% of households get government assistance of some form.

That's right. Factor in the very likely possibility of 11 million illegals flowing into the system and the handwriting is on the wall. I've read that the number is closer to 30 million. Are there jobs for these people? Of course not. So much of what our politician's are doing is based on nothing but hope. Hmm, sounds like a campaign slogan I've heard in recent history...

 

[fskimospy]

I do not believe that the USA will cease functioning as a Constitutional representative republic with democratically selected representation within my lifetime. I do believe we will go from a heavily regulated capitalist economy to a centrally planned semi-capitalist command economy, but I expect that to be a gradual transition as government subsumes more and more of the private sector. I also expect state and local governments to become increasingly irrelevant and increasingly relegated to merely enforcing the will of the federal government. And I do believe the Republicans will become essentially Democrats redux. Essentially I believe politically we're moving to become Red China if Red China was a welfare state. We'll have choices, just two choices largely believing the same things. Arguably that's true in large part already.

I think the real crash will be when the dollar ceases to be the world reserve currency. I expect at that point our national debt will be several times our GDP and repayment not even remotely feasible, at which point some huge fundamental change must occur. I doubt it will be a loss of democracy though since that requires a lot of people in power voluntarily giving up some of that power.

Have any timetables for our turn into Red China? Can you give some specific times and metrics so that I can plot our descent into a command economy? (maybe govt as a % of GDP, etc.)

I just want to make sure my comrades and I are keeping on schedule. Strangely no one ever seems to give dates or specific items. Maybe it's because they know they are full of shit.

 

[boomerang]

I think the real crash will be when the dollar ceases to be the world reserve currency. I expect at that point our national debt will be several times our GDP and repayment not even remotely feasible, at which point some huge fundamental change must occur. I doubt it will be a loss of democracy though since that requires a lot of people in power voluntarily giving up some of that power.

What that scenario brings to mind is who will step in to be our saviour? A person or person's? Another country? You can pretty much bet that whomever power transfers to will have a "new idea" to restore prosperity.

I find this stuff rather fun to conjecture about. I know there are many here that think of posts like mine as some kind of raving, but it's nothing more than thinking out loud.

 

[LightPattern]

No, I don't expect the US to completely fail anytime soon.

It could possibly split, but I don't see any clear boundaries (ie the South) for it to be divided into.

For those who say democracy in our republic has already failed, there is hope! The Internet and telecommunication tech in general provide much more accountability and transparency in gov and allow streamlined communication to representatives.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

We are a Republic with a democratic process. I think history has shown our democratic process waffles back and forth with the balance of power on a see saw between democrats and republicans. Since electing our first black President we are seeing a lot of ugliness in Washington, and down right racism. The vitriol and dysfunction has created a whole new breed of elected officials who are young, arrogant, and are not interested in this countries people. I hope things turn around and more people get involved in the voting process and weed some of these terrible representatives out of office. I think we are still a very new country and we are still evolving. On the whole though I think our democratic process has worked the way it should.

We are talking about the corruption and downfall of a nation and the only thing the Mr. Liberal can think of is partisanship

 

[fskimospy]

We are talking about the corruption and downfall of a nation and the only thing the Mr. Liberal can think of is partisanship

SO WHEN IS THIS DOWNFALL HAPPENING??? Can't anyone give me at least a general roadmap?

 

[Greenman]

Have any timetables for our turn into Red China? Can you give some specific times and metrics so that I can plot our descent into a command economy? (maybe govt as a % of GDP, etc.)

I just want to make sure my comrades and I are keeping on schedule. Strangely no one ever seems to give dates or specific items. Maybe it's because they know they are full of shit.

This is the stupidest post I've read today.

 

[woolfe9998]

We haven't been anything approaching a democracy in some time. Pick any candidate as long as it's Hobson's? A duopoly isn't a democracy.

We've always had an exclusively two-party system, so according to your definition, we've never been a democracy.

 

[fskimospy]

This is the stupidest post I've read today.

The fact that you're admitting you don't read what you write before posting does explain why what you post is so bad.

That aside, I agree it's completely wrong to ask someone who is busy incoherently ranting about the downfall of America to provide some way to measure if his prediction comes true or not. This is supposed to be a thread where the ultra-right whines about moochers!

 

[woolfe9998]

I've been here since 2006 and the collapse of America has been imminent for at least the last 7 or so years now. I imagine the collapse of America will be imminent all the way up until everyone on here dies of old age.

And in case you are wondering there will be no admission of this endless string of wrongness, just more confident predictions of disaster.

Don't forget that hyper-inflation is just around the corner. It's been just around the corner for at least 4 decades now. Buy gold!

 

[fskimospy]

Don't forget that hyper-inflation is just around the corner. It's been just around the corner for at least 4 decades now. Buy gold!

The fact that gold's price has fallen by a third over the past few years means THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BUY.

Peter Schiff told me that gold is going to be $5,000 any day now. (any day now being literally a day at any point in the future as his timetable keeps changing) What a genius!

 

[yllus]

No, it'll be fine. I do think that over the next four or five decades we'll see government play a larger role in the economic pie as fewer of the population are needed in the workforce - ultimately all countries are destined for widespread redistribution of a ever-shrinking minority's wealth.

Those who continue to have wealth will always have outsized influence on government, and while I doubt martial law or dissolution of government is in the cards, the voting in of new top tax brackets of 70% or 80% is going to be an occasion to remember. But I imagine that democracy will survive even that.

 

[Anarchist420]

This country's govt isn't an republic anymore, it's an empire and has been since the fascist 14th Amendment discarded the Constitution.

The 14th amendment transformed the Republic into a fully unified empire.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

This country's govt isn't an republic anymore, it's an empire and has been since the fascist 14th Amendment discarded the Constitution.

The 14th amendment transformed the Republic into a fully unified empire.

Have you noticed how many people are openly fascist on this forum now? It's very telling.

 

[JEDI]

Over 200 years ago Alexis DeTocqueville made a prophetic statement. He said ""A democracy can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over lousy fiscal policy

 

[Greenman]

The fact that you're admitting you don't read what you write before posting does explain why what you post is so bad.

That aside, I agree it's completely wrong to ask someone who is busy incoherently ranting about the downfall of America to provide some way to measure if his prediction comes true or not. This is supposed to be a thread where the ultra-right whines about moochers!

Look at the thread title, read it, read it again, I'll wait....

Now tell me why you've demanded an impossible answer to a nonsensical question.

 

[fskimospy]

Look at the thread title, read it, read it again, I'll wait....

Now tell me why you've demanded an impossible answer to a nonsensical question.

You need to go look at the thread title, read it, and read it again. Then go look at the posts in this thread and how my post might relate to them. Not only was any answer I demanded not impossible, but my question was directly related to their predictions.

Once again: If someone thinks the US will fail as a democracy in your lifetime, can you give a general outline as to how this will happen and when?

You keep raising the stupid bar though. Is this like the high jump where you only get so many shots or can you just keep going?

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Over 200 years ago Alexis DeTocqueville made a prophetic statement. He said ""A democracy can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over lousy fiscal policy

Oh please, the people robbing the Treasury are the bankers and politicians. Get real.

 

[ivwshane]

Have you noticed how many people are openly fascist on this forum now? It's very telling.

Yep and it's usually coming from those screaming that everyone is fascist or anti constitution.

 

[WelshBloke]

You've survived civil war, massive depression, mccarthyism, race riots,...

You'll be fine.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

We've always had an exclusively two-party system, so according to your definition, we've never been a democracy.

Been a long time, but the sophistication of techniques has improved. You might say they haven't but political ads work. Who has the funds? The Republicans and Democrats. The chance of a Bull Moose equivalent is slim to none.

Here are some stats.

Considering that no campaign finance reform that I know of which has a chance of passing gives any third party a chance in reality, not theory, there's no real choice.

If Gandi/Jesus/Kennedy were to run with a vastly superior platform it doesn't matter if you like him. The two parties and their financial base would crush him. It's hard to imagine another outcome in the real world.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Yep and it's usually coming from those screaming that everyone is fascist or anti constitution.

We'll be fine, but I just wish we'd own up to our reality. The actual freedom of choice isn't there. We have candidates vetted by the party and the party owns them and consequently the government. We're along for the ride. Consider- Who did we really have to choose from who could win? Obama was guaranteed one spot and the Reps owned the other. "Me too" candidates? Who?

 

[Doppel]

Failure is probably a process. It probably is failing. The better question is will there be a revolution in my life and I expect not.

 

[ivwshane]

We'll be fine, but I just wish we'd own up to our reality. The actual freedom of choice isn't there. We have candidates vetted by the party and the party owns them and consequently the government. We're along for the ride. Consider- Who did we really have to choose from who could win? Obama was guaranteed one spot and the Reps owned the other. "Me too" candidates? Who?

And who are you bl