Is America going to collapse?

[Flav.F]

You're going to see a lot of chest thumping "USA USA USA, WE R NO.1" crap in this thread.
To be as frank as I can a collapse is extremly unlikely, but a demise isn't.
The main problem being this;

There are two field in which the United States can make money

1) Agriculture

2) Science

However, it will be beaten in Agriculture by China,India,Russia and Brazil by the simple fact that people in those countries are willing to work longer hours for a smaller pay.

So logically the U.S. would need to invest heavily in Science, but itonically it isn't.
Well, Obama seems to have caught on to this and is trying to boost science funding but the republicans are telling him to go fuck himself.


The ammount of creationists, and anti- evolution hype in the U.S.A. is apaplling. If nothing is done about your country's relationship with science, it will ultimatly stagnate and start to loose economic power and scientific credibility.


It's important to note that the U.S.A. become a superpower by investing heavily in science in the first place.

 

[Chris646]

No. America will not collapse. The economy is on the rise, it's just that the future will require degrees to get jobs. I mean, it's just that all the immigrants and adults have taken the jobs meant for teenagers.

 

[Hawkeye16]

Remember the Great Depression? Remember how we recovered from that, like, alot? Kinda like that, except we aren't as worse off as we were then. So the epic comeback should come easier.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Yeah sure at some point the USA will blow away, everything does. Will it happen anytime soon? Dunno probably not. I doubt if the economy will be the end of the US though since if the economy ends the US it will also kill numerous other smaller countries along the way and I don't see mass revolutions and political action yet (well no more so then usual).

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Your overdramatizing this a bit aren't you? Germany was a lot worse off at the end of WWI, granted it is a bit overshadowed by something a little later.

Just because we had economic problems does not mean we're going to turn into a third world nation, you not getting a job doesn't mean the country is dying.

Again, its not just me. How is the nation's Poverty stricken families going to get to work when they spend $5 a gallon on gas to get to work? Maybe its worse where I am, as Florida has never been all that great.

try biking. (i'm in nebraska) so i can't bike all the time, but biking to and from work saves so much money and it's a decent workout (i live 6 miles from work, so thats 12 everytime i have work)

and you live in florida, which is tropical weather mostly, so is there any reason you can't bike to and from work?

or bussing? or carpooling?

just saying, gotta work your options, think outside the box.

hell if anything, in my area, my field is opening more and more and they are begging for us to basically graduate college so we can fill in the spots, in which ill be starting at 65-70k and looking upward towards 100-110k later on

also, for jobs, try looking all over the place in odd places, lawn care, federal jobs (roadwork and whatnot), any kind of a laborer.

 

[Toriver]

I'm American but I've stayed in China for the past 2 years. China's much more dynamic than the US, and there's definitely a lot more optimism here. What I've noticed is that most Americans now are really pessimistic now; it's either the US is going to collapse, China's going to buy up the US, etc etc. Have a little faith in your own country. It's bad, sure, but things will get better. In the meantime, try to look for jobs in things that don't have overcapacity. There are a lot of foreigners from English speaking countries in Beijing, and many of them teach English, which nets a pretty nice 150 RMB an hour ($23 USD), without taxes. The students who learn English then flock to the US for study, providing universities with much needed cash. I'm going to assume that the educational sector will probably be hiring then.

I'm doing the same thing in Japan right now, and what I have to say to respond is, I hope either you've got some other higher education or experience somewhere, or you are really into mastering Chinese, because:
1) the whole English teaching job market has a very high turnover rate and was never meant to be any sort of long-term employment for teachers
2) I know from the experiences of many people I know who have gone home, the experience you get from it, while certainly fulfilling in other ways and worth it if you have other experience or connections, will do absolutely nothing to aid you in getting a job back home. Teaching English in another country isn't really an experience that can be applied to any industry aside from ESL education itself, unless you take the time to master the native language and culture of the place you teach in. If you manage that, you MIGHT be eligible for a job in a cultural center, or as an interpreter/translator, or teaching that foreign language, if you have the other qualifications you need. However, this is coming from the viewpoint of someone teaching in Japan. With China on the rise and Japan on the (relative) decline, there may be a larger and growing market out there for someone with experience in China, so perhaps you will have an easier time with going home than I expect to. I'm looking to be able to master Japanese in an attempt to simply stay here long enough to ride out the downturn before I go home, and I refuse to go home unless I have something lined up. My student loan debt level won't allow me to do otherwise.

 

[Hawkeye16]

Remember the Great Depression? Remember how we recovered from that, like, alot? Kinda like that, except we aren't as worse off as we were then. So the epic comeback should come easier.

We recovered from the great depression thanks in major part to a massive war that stimulated the economy. Other things did help sure, but nothing like people finding jobs suddenly as mechanics and working on production of armaments.

Then we'll just start a massive war! We're AWESOME at that!

 

[Flav.F]

The reason for the U.S.' post depression boom was because it profited from ww2.
Britain and France kept getting their factories bombed to shit and beyond so they couldn't produce equipment. The U.S. on the other hand was far,far away from Europe so it's factories were sage and sound. It sold equipment to the the former superpower, the British empire, basically the world superpower titled switched from Britain to U.S.A. in ww2.
However, there isn't any war large enough to bring the U.S.A. out of the credit crunch.
It doesn't need one though, it's making steady progresss.

 

[Cheery Lunatic]

Uh, no.

We've been in waaay worse economic slumps before, and we've gotten back fine eventually (we became the "greatest" world power shortly after the Great Depression - that's irony for ya).
Granted, at our current position, we're China's *****, but things will start looking up in a bit.

 

[brodie21]

no, i think that the american economy is so linked in with the world's that it cant afford to go into a full depression. and, as for the job market, i know of a guy who got a 100k+ a year job, so if you have the needed skills you will find a job. network, call in favors.

last year when i couldnt find a job i made an account at snagajob.com and i found my current job there, granted, i work in a papa johns, but thats not bad for a college student. i also have a rafting job in the summer that pays pretty good, and its fun too.

 

[Schmittler]

I really don't understand why the government hasn't put more focus on an alternative fuel.

Here's an idea, instead of throwing money at the few American Car companies that are barely holding their weight, have them put more research into electric cars or the like. Make it so that by 2020 or 2025 all cars being sold have to be electric or another cheaper fuel. At least we could say we are making progress. Right?

Unfortunately that would step on the toes of big oil businesses, which everyone seems afraid to do.

 

[YarnBarf]

Frankly, I'm more worried about global water shortages, rising sea levels, and crazy weather doing us all in. Also, why don't I have any pudding?

 

[Ossian]

SNIP

Thanks for that post, especially the last part. I am getting panicked about getting older and what I should be doing, even if I should be going to school sometimes. I always have to remind myself that 21 isn't that old, sure I'm about 3 years behind other kids, but I'm going and that is all that matters, other never get the chance at all. Just keeping that in mind is the biggest hurdle.

 

[Tdc2182]

but it is very possible and likely right now that we are going to be surpassed as the worlds number one superpower by China or India.

You know, I may sound like a total ass hat for saying this but that honestly is very unsettling to me.

Edit: Not that I am afraid of China or India, just that I never really thought that we were as strong as we were.

 

[Tdc2182]

I really don't understand why the government hasn't put more focus on an alternative fuel.

Here's an idea, instead of throwing money at the few American Car companies that are barely holding their weight, have them put more research into electric cars or the like. Make it so that by 2020 or 2025 all cars being sold have to be electric or another cheaper fuel. At least we could say we are making progress. Right?

Unfortunately that would step on the toes of big oil businesses, which everyone seems afraid to do.

That is a damn good point.

But actually the reason is that the oil companies really are damn corrupt assholes that control a good majority of the government.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

Yeah, I know i'm having trouble finding a job, I've been fired since October, it's tough out there

 

[ColdBlooded]

I don't think america will collapse. I live in Canada though, and wonder if america collapses, will it drag canada down too.

 

[Kumomaru]

Free markets tend to be naturally self-correcting. America will eventually bounce back. We ain't gonna collapse.

Unless we stop spending like idiots with an unlimited spending platinum card, though, we will definitely not get back to our former superpower status. Hell, probably won't anyway.