What makes America powerful...?

[Kadarin]

<< Youth, vast unexploited wilderness, and historical timing. Capitalism and freedom have little to do with it. >>



Interesting point. The US has had centuries (well, two, anyway) of relative geographical isolation in a land with lots of natural resources. However, it's not like we've always been ahead of everyone techologically.. (saw a WWII documentary on the German V1 and V2 terror weapons, quite amazing stuff)

 

[Nemesis77]

Strong economy and strong military

 

[zod]

No history reasons?

Some good answers (isolation, natural resources, etc).

But big reasons are the two world wars, especially the second one.

The U.S. came out of WWII as, well, the sh1t. We lots some folks, but not nearly as many people as the Europeans. Europe was destroyed and shaken. Factories destroyed, countryside ruined. Our factories were working at full production, many new, and none destroyed. European nations owed us money. We had the only really strong military left, so it was on us to tangle the only other remaining power, the USSR.

Lots of people, fully industrialized, incredibly large middle class, strong military, and a power vacuum after most of Europe caught their breath for half a century.

Since then? The other big military power died (USSR), leaving only the US. More than that, American culture has seemingly infiltrated every corner of the industrialized world... and if anyone has played Civ3 (I haven't), then you'd know you can win with "culture". The Germans love David Hasselhoff. Jeez.

Will it last forever? History tell us it won't... after all, how are Babylonia, Persia, Macedonia, Egypt, Rome, Turkey, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Spain, France, Britain, and Germany doing now? Some better than others, but at one time at the top of the world. Maybe the EU will end up kicking America's butt in 50 years. We'll see. Maybe its started... I mean, I liked Run Lola Run and Brotherhood of the Wolf...

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

We're so powerful because we don't have to claim people like Fabio and Jean Claude VanDamme.

nik

 

[b0mbrman]

<< Youth, vast unexploited wilderness, and historical timing. Capitalism and freedom have little to do with it. >>


How come central and south America aren't doing so hot then?

 

[Palek]

I have always wanted to ask Americans this one question I have on my mind but for some reason I never got around to it... Until now!

I have to confess that I have no idea about what the US is like in reality because I have never had the opportunity to visit the States and/or live there. We have all seen movies about the FBI/CIA/NSA etc. (ab)using their powers to cover up secrets or to do some nasty things to their poor unknowing citizens. So, my question is... Do these stories relfect reality? Are there any, and if yes, how isolated are these incidents of goverment agents exploiting their authority to take away the freedom of their people? Please do not laugh at me because I am serious.

<EDIT>I know I seem to be off the topic here, but my question is in a way connected to power and how much of it the US has.

Besides, this is OT! </EDIT>

 

[b0mbrman]

<< I have always wanted to ask Americans this one question I have on my mind but for some reason I never got around to it... Until now!

I have to confess that I have no idea about what the US is like in reality because I have never had the opportunity to visit the States and/or live there. We have all seen movies about the FBI/CIA/NSA etc. (ab)using their powers to cover up secrets or to do some nasty things to their poor unknowing citizens. So, my question is... Do these stories relfect reality? Are there any, and if yes, how isolated are these incidents of goverment agents exploiting their authority to take away the freedom of their people? Please do not laugh at me because I am serious. >>


It happens to you when you're in the Army ("We're here to preserve democracy, not practice it"). Outside of there, I've never had a problem with the CIA, FBI, or NSA

 

[navyrn]

Three words...

PROJECTION OF POWER.

What this means is we can set an agenda and then back it with muscle. This is not just by military might. Granted, we have the most formidable military in the world. We also have the financial and industrial back bone to leverage other countries into "seeing" our point of view. Americans need to realize that this is temporary. Once upon a time other countries were in the same position. Rome had the financial back bone and the muscle to squash people. A couple hundred years ago England had the largest and best equiped Navy. This allowed them to set the tone for world trade and shipping. It goes beyond the toys, other countries have great planes, missles, and training (look at how much of our lives were consumed in the cold war with Russia). I hope im not around for the fall but NO country can keep this pace for long. We can only claim to be on top for maybe 100 of the 200 plus years.

and of course having Hollywood helps. We are cool because of movies. We entertain the world!

 

[superfluousmonkeys]

the fact that we are ignorant of cheap alternative industrial resources.

 

[b0mbrman]

<< the fact that we are ignorant of cheap alternative industrial resources. >>


Explain?

 

[Elledan]

<<

<< the fact that we are ignorant of cheap alternative industrial resources. >>


Explain? >>

Capitalism. It's more profitable to use more polluting, but cheaper methods than to use less polluting yet more expensive methods.

More profit == stronger economy. Of course, side-effect is that cheaper methods often 'poison' the economy, like with more polluting methods, the environment will suffer. We Humans depend on a clean environment, so we've to clean up the mess we make, which will lower the profits significantly when counting the profits and expenses in a whole economy.

Capitalism often leads to a short-sighted manner of doing business.

 

[sandorski]

Bomberman: Well, that's a good point. I suppose freedom probably has something to do with it, at least freedom to be autonomous. Central and South America never broke free like the US. First Europe controlled them, taking much of the resources for themselves. During the 19th century the US forced Europeans out of the Western Hemisphere, but didn't free Central and South America, they merely replaced the Europeans as the regional power.

Astaroth33: True, the US didn't surpass Europe technologically until the 20th century, but it, due to historical timing, was essentially equal to Europe, which was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. Europe found new uses to resources it had exploited for centuries, perhaps even milennia, OTOH the US had completely untapped and abundant resources in which to build with. While the US gained wealth from it's own soil, Europe had to maintain global Empires for it to acquire wealth. In the short term either method of acquiring wealth was able to keep the 2 relatively equal in economic and military might, but the cost to the US's wealth was much lower and by the first quarter of the 20th century Europe began to realize that it could no longer afford to maintain their vast Empires and the process of dismantling had begun. Much of Europe had successfully Industrialized, which is why they are as wealthy as they are today. If they hadn't Industrialized, they would be very poor.

Though the US hasn't exactly followed Europe's "Empire" method, it too has become very reliant on foreign resources and is slowly finding out the high cost of having to rely on others for their resources. Pricing of those resources is one concern, but the biggest cost is in the military costs and the political costs at home.

 

[djheater]

Uncle Sam drinks a lot of Gin...

 

[etech]

Elladan

Capitalism. It's more profitable to use more polluting, but cheaper methods than to use less polluting yet more expensive methods.

More profit == stronger economy. Of course, side-effect is that cheaper methods often 'poison' the economy, like with more polluting methods, the environment will suffer. We Humans depend on a clean environment, so we've to clean up the mess we make, which will lower the profits significantly when counting the profits and expenses in a whole economy.

Capitalism often leads to a short-sighted manner of doing business.


Would you care to explain the differences between East and West Germany and the amount of pollution each released until reunified? It completely blows your socialist theory out of the water.

 

[BMdoobieW]

"Guns. Lots of Guns."

 

[Elledan]

<< Elladan

Capitalism. It's more profitable to use more polluting, but cheaper methods than to use less polluting yet more expensive methods.

More profit == stronger economy. Of course, side-effect is that cheaper methods often 'poison' the economy, like with more polluting methods, the environment will suffer. We Humans depend on a clean environment, so we've to clean up the mess we make, which will lower the profits significantly when counting the profits and expenses in a whole economy.

Capitalism often leads to a short-sighted manner of doing business.


Would you care to explain the differences between East and West Germany and the amount of pollution each released until reunified? It completely blows your socialist theory out of the water. >>


Show me where I said that any other political ideology would be better than capitalism.

Ah, I get it: everyone who isn't in favour of capitalism must be in favour of Communism/Socialism, right?

"Those who aren't for us, are against us."

 

[tigerwannabe]

interesting responses--let me add my 2 cents worth...

i don't think there's 1 single answer to the question of what makes america powerful. i believe it's the sum of all the values that we as americans hold dear: freedom, teamwork, being charitible(like in nyc after sept 11), self-discipline, etc, etc. those are the core values that the founding fathers built this country on & what's enabled us to evolve things like captialism, infrastructure, and so on

 

[Ornery]

"...everyone who isn't in favour of capitalism must be in favour of..."

Hmmm, let's see. What are our choices?

• Collectivism
• Communitarianism
• Communism
• Marxism-Leninism
• Modelism
• Socialism...

I think he's giving you the benefit of a doubt!

Capitalism is the answer to the question, "What makes America powerful...?" That, and funneling taxes to pay for military, infrastructure and welfare in an intelligent, conservative manner.

 

[etech]

Elledan

Show me where I said that any other political ideology would be better than capitalism.

Show me where I said that you said that.

If you are now saying that no other political ideology would be better than capitalism then why did you even bother to post what you did? It was unrelated to the topic and now according to you has no validity.

 

[Elledan]

<< "...everyone who isn't in favour of capitalism must be in favour of..."

Hmmm, let's see. What are our choices?

• Collectivism
• Communitarianism
• Communism
• Marxism-Leninism
• Modelism
• Socialism...

I think he's giving you the benefit of a doubt!

Capitalism is the answer to the question, "What makes America powerful...?" That, and funneling taxes to pay for military, infrastructure and welfare in an intelligent, conservative manner. >>


What I find interesting is that the US is steadily moving towards a more Socialistic system, similar to the system used by most European countries.

BTW, pure Capitalism looks like Britain during the Industrial Revolution. Only a minority is truly 'free', the rest of the population are mere slaves in this system.

Elements from Socialism/Communism help to improve Capitalism.

Pure Capitalism/Socialism/Communism is not a very good idea.

 

[Ornery]

"...steadily moving towards a more Socialistic system..."

All our Democrats are moving toward the center. The GOP is standing where it always has. We're struggling to privatize the lame ass Social Security system imposed by ding-a-ling leftists. Our welfare system was restructured in '94 with extraordinary success. We're lowering taxes and generally moving toward helping businesses, rather than hobbling them with even more regulations, litigation and red tape. Too bad so much was heaped on in the first place, but the pendulum is swinging the other way now... THANK GOD!

 

[911paramedic]

Our Power Plants.

 

[rh71]

Our superiority in broadband connectivity! It's power in the numbers baby.

 

[Netopia]

I think the title needs a rewording. It should be What has made America Powerful?

America is only powerful at this moment because of things past.

Weapons don't make us powerful unless those weapons are weilded by an authority whose underlying desire is the best interest of the people. Those same weapons could be turned AGAINST the people, as has happened in other places.

Capitalism doesn't make us powerful because a pure and totally uncontrolled capitalism has a natural conclusion of the super rich and the super poor. You could go back to the middle ages and find that without capitalism.


I would have to say that it was our Founding Fathers and the work that they did and the united spirit with which America was founded that has made us great and powerful. We have a constitution that has granted us rights as citizens and within the constraints of those rights we can do many things that are simply unheard of in other parts of the world. Those rights and freedoms have allowed us to grow and prosper.

The flip side of that coin, however, is responsibility. This is where America is in deep and deadly decline. Freedom without responsibility is a recipe for moral decline and an ineffective population. In decades gone by, people wouldn't do things that were considered by the public to be "disgraceful" because they had a sense of right and wrong and didn't put their own "rights" above what was best for society. That has changed; more and more we see people "demanding" their rights on issues that only continue the decline of our society.

Dodging the draft was another indicator of the moral and patriotic decline of our country. If one looks at Vietnam and compares it to Korea, the two were almost identical. Both Asian countries that had divided in civil war with one side wishing democracy and the other communism. In both cases, they asked for help. We went to Korea and helped to win a peace and soldiers went there with pride as Americans fighting for people's freedom. Less than 20 years later, men who were doing the same thing in Vietnam were maligned and many thought is was ok for others to run away from war and go hide in Canada. In the latter case, people had begun to decide that their right to do what they wanted or not have to do what they didn't want to do was weightier than the responsibility of citizenship to serve if the nation calls you to do so.

We are where we are because in era's gone by America was much more unified in what was considered decent and what was considered duty. We had some VERY bad problems with racism, but much of that is gone now... my kids have no idea what it would be like to NOT be around kids of other ethnicities all the time... segregation is only something in a history book to them. But we have declined in many other areas.... I can't take my kids to the grocery store without them hearing other kids AND SOMETIMES ADULTS saying fsck this or fsck that or MF or any other sort of vulgarity. I listen to people at work complain about how they have this right or that right... but I don't notice any of them lifting a finger in their communities to be part of the solution to their problems.

We are very fortunate to have a Constitution... it has kept on balanced for a very long time. I believe though, that what made America great is coming to an end in the next century or so. Freedom is paid for by the blood of patriots... and when blood isn't the price, personal conviction to toe the line has to be put in place, and it isn't being done. When our Social Security starts to go belly up and we have 50% taxes. When our jobs go to foreign countries and those out of work demand money to live on. When our medical system finally goes socialist. When you work all week to take home 35% of your gross.... you'll start to see a lot of unrest in the country and America will be a mob who happens to have a very big arsenal.

I know that all sounds pretty negative, but I think it's true. Take a good look at the moral declines of ancient Greece and Rome. It takes a very unusual and special people to be able to survive the prosperity provided by others.

Joe

 

[Magicthyse]

The US government on the surface projects honest values. Inside, for a 'democratic government', it's rotten to the core.

I'd say four things make America powerful - Hollywood, the thorough indoctrination of it's citizens, the sheer number of taxpayers and and those enormous Aircraft Carriers.

In comparison, the next most viable force, the British, have those pint-sized Invincible class carriers. The American carrier groups are so formidable that you can even give one a ridiculous name like Ronald Reagan and noone will dare laugh.