Biggest Threat to U.S. prosperity?

[DCsportsfan53]

I think he was being sarcastic bro. Just sayin'.

Eh, take a look at his posting history. There was no sarcasm there.

[Koolblue13]

who is gonna take care of me in my old age?

The Mexicans?

[Kosher Ham]

I hate seeing Vietnam vets (or people who claim to be) begging on roadside islands when they have served and risked their lives for their government. Then again, there are people who mightly abuse the system.

I go back and forth on the homeless issue. On some levels, I say screw 'em, on others I say help them.

Unfortunately the "few bad apples" saying makes it pretty difficult for me. Living my entire life within 15 miles of a major city in this country changes my perspective, when I see homeless all the time.

Some have mental issues, some have substance abuse problems, some have been abused, some abuse themselves because it's the only option they feel they have to survive, some are just lazy, some are con artists, ...the list goes on and on.

Still I go to food banks to help and soup kitchens to support. :doh:

[GibbsFactor]

I didn't check. That is allowed, isn't it?

As long as you aren't running for office. You can shout out all the logical non-sense you'd like. Just don't force me to have to try and do the same.

I'm perfectly happy with my life. Got a house and took out all the equity in three years, bought two motorcycles, a boat and a BMW. I ain't putting nothing in a 401K cause I'll be plenty rich from my inventions. I just need to invent something. But I'm working on it. Besides, the 10% I save from the 401K I buy lottery tickets with. I'm sure I'll hit the big one soon and then my $50,000 credit card debt will be no more and the $400K I owe on my $250K house will be paid off. More cars and boats for me.

My Grandfather was a lazy *****. He didn't save either but he also didn't hit it big. He don't watch the reality shows either and that's why he's bitter. All he does is collect is small SSI money and go to the doctors all the time.

****, not me. I'm gonna marry rich or hit the lottery. My $120K job lets me party now, man. I'll have plenty of time to worry about retirement when I reach your age.

And how can ya'lls say we got problems? I don't see anyone struggling. Debt, whatever. My ARMs gonna reup in a few months and my 1500 mortgage balloons to $3200. No sweat, I'll get another ARM or sell some ****. Hell, I'll just take out more equity to pay for it.

[Kosher Ham]

Eh, take a look at his posting history. There was no sarcasm there.

I take every thread as an individual (or post).

I don't recall his history or maybe I would feel differently.

[Duncan]

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It 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 loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.

[Koolblue13]

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It 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 loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.

Maybe we should consider being the constitutional republic we were designed to be and just worry about our own lives for a bit. The rest of the world will be fine.

If the south had won, we would be sitting much better IMO.

[isle-hawg]

Burgold, you pretty much nailed it. And no doubt our debt is develuing the dollar which is why we are now (at least one part of the reason) why we are paying so much for fuel, which in turn makes everything else more expensive and no doubt in going to drive up debt even more.

I wonder if it wouldn't be better for our country if, instead of making interest on debts deductible, and interest on savings taxable, should it be the other way around?

I agree, I always thought is bad business for the gov't to encourage personal debt via tax-breaks while taxing (punishing) personal savings. At least as you said up to a point.

[Larry]

Actually, I've had the impression for a decade or so that a big problem is that Big Business has been allowed to become too big.

The example that sticks in my mind occurred when I was living in the Oklahoma City area, and United Air Lines was considering building an aircraft maintenance facility, and were considering Will Rogers International as one of the locations. The facility was expected to employ 3,000 people.

(OT: I keep remembering a comic who pointed out that OKC has two airports, Will Rogers International and Wiley Post Field, that are named after two people who died in the same plane crash.)

The papers listed several reasons why they thought that OKC would be an ideal location for the facility. OKC is a central location. It probably has the cheapest price to buy land at the airport of any major metro airport. Nearby Tinker Field has been repairing aircraft for the Air Force for decades, (And is likely to be cut back and eventually eliminated by the Air Force, as part of a consolidation program.), so there is a supply of people with aviation maintenance experience already in town. The airport is the most under-utilized (as measured by the ratio of the number of flights to the airport's capacity) in the US. The government trains air traffic controllers there, so it has very up-to-date electronics (and very little traffic).

Some other things they mentioned were that Oklahoma has one of the lowest rates of voting to unionize of any state. And it has an excellent community college system, which results in it having the highest percentage of people with two-year degrees of any state in the Union.

The taxpayers voted to impose a one-cent sales tax on themselves, to raise further money to help attract the facility.

United chose to build their facility in Cleveland.

Later, I read about why United chose to build there.

Cleveland chose to have the taxpayers buy the land for the facility, and to construct a building to house it, and to give that building to United. They also agreed to have the taxpayers build or purchase, I think, 20 homes, priced at $500K or higher, and to give those homes to United, to house the executives who would be relocating there. And to exempt those homes, and the facility, from property taxes. They agreed to pay the moving expenses for those executives. And to pay United $20M to cover the costs of moving their existing maintenance facility to Cleveland. And another $20M, simply as an incentive.

Now folks, I have no problem at all with a government deciding that it would be good for their residents for the government to enact policies that make the town attractive to business.

I have a problem when a business comes to the conclusion that it's entitled to have the government literally pay them, in cash, to conduct business there, simply because the business is a big business. I have a serious problem with them getting it.

Third world countries have riots, and threaten to overthrow their governments amid cries of "American greed and exploitation", when American businesses get deals like that one. This company is literally treating American cities the way conspiracy theory lovers claim that greedy slave-owning corporations treat third world countries.

I think that something's wrong, when companies are allowed to get so big, that they believe they're entitled to have governments cater to them this way, simply because they're big. Especially when they're correct.

[/rant]

OTOH, I can't really think of a good, moral, thing to do about it. At least, not a solution that isn't worse than the problem.

[DjTj]

I wonder if it wouldn't be better for our country if, instead of making interest on debts deductible, and interest on savings taxable, should it be the other way around? (At least up to a point. I really don't think we need for the government to be throwing more goodies at people who are living off of their money. But shouldn't we be encouraging "little people" to have some savings?)

We already have this. It's called an IRA or a 401(k), and we have been increasing the limits every year.

Also, the origins of this quote arerather dubious, and I don't think it accurately describes anything from history.

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It 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 loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.

It purports to describe the fall of Athenian democracy, but that probably had as much to do with Sparta and Alexander the Great as it did with anything that Athenian voters did.

http://www.lorencollins.net/tytler.html

Reagan and other conservatives started to use that fake quote that back in the 50's as a kind of anti-communist rhetoric, but since then the number of democracies in the world has more than doubled, and there is no sign that democracies are in decline ...

I do think the biggest threat to American prosperity is complacency, however ... we rose to lead the world through hunger and competitiveness, which is what is now driving the EU and China to adapt and progress today. Maybe the rise of a strong rival will be just what we need.

[Larry]

Also, the origins of this quote arerather dubious, and I don't think it accurately describes anything from history. It purports to describe the fall of Athenian democracy, but that probably had as much to do with Sparta and Alexander the Great as it did with anything that Athenian voters did.

http://www.lorencollins.net/tytler.html

Reagan and other conservatives started to use that fake quote that back in the 50's as a kind of anti-communist rhetoric, but since then the number of democracies in the world has more than doubled, and there is no sign that democracies are in decline ...

I think Snopes did something on it. (And I think they said about what you said.)

[bschurm]

Entitlement society and hard work dissapearing.

:applause::applause::applause:

[Mass_SkinsFan]

The biggest threat to American prosperity is very simple.... the american people. It's the unwillingness of american citizens to act with any amount of loyalty to American companies when they spend their money.

[Fergasun]

I don't know what you guys are talking about. This country has a bright future and is led by a bunch of friggin geniuses.

After all the other countries follow in our lead and stop their farming, we're going to be the leaders in providing food to the whole world, since all that expertise will reside in America. That's what everyone misses when they complain about the Farm Bill! After we outsource all of the easy stuff, but stuff that is of little value like making widgets, we'll be the only ones left that have a lot of space to farm... since we'll all be farmers again, and our wealth cycle has been used to build up roads, etc, and everything else we'll need (heck foreign investment will build that up), when we become the dominant farm power we're going to turn isolationist and rule the world with our wheat, cows, pigs, and corn! This is such a nefariously smart plan since we've convinced the world that corn can be used as fuel, and we'll convince them that cows ,chickens, and wheat can also be used as fuel... so they burn up the stuff they need to survive... hahahahahaha (evil laugh)!

[WVUforREDSKINS]

Pop cultures influnce on people!!!!

[ACW]

Right now, protectionist jingoism.

Government growth.

[SUSkinsFan]

Going on the illiteracy idea, I think the largest threat to Obama is a lack of desire on the part of the American people to learn more than what is just required to pass school. Since I was little I have always read books, watched things like the History and Discovery channels and have had a strong desire to learn and I think alot of Americans do not share that desire. American schools need to increase funding for math and science in the early years of school as well as remove federal standards for education. I would like to see a program like Joe Biden advocated for where if you serve in the military, peace corps etc. for a certain amount of years than the federal government will cover your college education. Education is the key and alot of Americans are forgetting that.

In my opinion the federal government should only have a few standardized tests that are administered in different parts of the a childs educational career and all they determine is how different states compare to one another and that is it. The test should not decide how federal funds are allocated.

[isle-hawg]

I have a problem when a business comes to the conclusion that it's entitled to have the government literally pay them, in cash, to conduct business there, simply because the business is a big business. I have a serious problem with them getting it.

It is not Uniter's fault for taking the best deal, that is what they should do for their shareholders and employees. The example you gave it was the city of Cleveland's fault for giving so much. But should they re-coup their "investment" and create more tax revenue dollars (enough to recoup all the original dollars spent w/interest). Then the politicians in Cleveland did the right thing for their constituents IMO. Otherwise they efed up.

[Duncan]

I have a problem when a business comes to the conclusion that it's entitled to have the government literally pay them, in cash, to conduct business there, simply because the business is a big business. I have a serious problem with them getting it.

I agree about corporate welfare but why does that not apply to individuals.

"I have a problem when individuals come to the conclusion that they are entitled to have the government literally pay them, in cash, to live their lives, simply because they live in this country. I have a serious problem with them getting it.

[Larry]

I agree about corporate welfare but why does that not apply to individuals.

"I have a problem when individuals come to the conclusion that they are entitled to have the government literally pay them, in cash, to live their lives, simply because they live in this country. I have a serious problem with them getting it.

Valid point.

I see some differences. Joe Welfare isn't a single entity. The only way Joe Welfare gets politicians paying attention to him is if there's millions of him, acting in unison.

To use a corporate analogy, I don't have a problem with a city/ county/ whatever deciding that all businesses are exempt from property taxes. That's "making your county attractive to business". I have a problem when they decide that "every business in the county will be taxed except the big ones."

(One way I thought of this issue was that this facility was expected to employ 3,000 people. Well I'd be willing to bet that the OKC McDonald's, combined, employ 3,000 people. Should the taxpayers be buying the land and giving it to McDonald's? Should all McDonald's be tax exempt? Should the manager of every McDonald's receive a $500K house, free, from the taxpayers? They don't get those things because they don't employ 3,000 people in one location, and because they really can't threaten to take every McDonald's on OKC and move all of them someplace else.)

And Joe Welfare isn't demanding that the taxpayers give a $500K house for free. (He just wants a TV. And Cable. And a cell phone. . . . )

Just occurred to me I said there were two differences.

IMO, there's a moral difference between giving money to someone because he doesn't have any, and giving money to someone because he already has a lot.

[Duncan]

I see some differences. Joe Welfare isn't a single entity.

Let's be honest about this though. Joe welfare doesn't pay anyone a salary or provide healthcare and a 401K. Joe welfare sits on the couch in his mobile home nursing the government teat.

The amount of corporate welfare also pales in comparison to the amount spent on losers like Joe. I'm not fond any welfare but if I had to chose I'd hold my nose and pay the companies.

[IHOPSkins]

......Nanny government mentality of redistribution of wealth and excess taxation,combined with the school curriculum that is not focused on academics.....

Yes

The Loss of the One Income Household due to real wage decrease.....

http://www.workinglife.org/wiki/Wages+and+Benefits%3A+Real+Wages+%281964-2004%29

Brought on by increased:

Welfare State

National Debt

Immigration

Globalization

If Prosperity = Money

and

Money = Time

The fact that we now need another 40 hours a week of wage earning per family is a HUGE prosperity hit

Schooling is also Huge and is related due to less time spent supervising the children due to 2nd parent wage earner

[Burgold]

The other big thing I wonder about is empathy. I think about the Greatest Generation, those WWIIers and how they all rationed and bought bonds and worked together for the common good and you had real neighborhoods with neighbors who knew each other pulling together and working together. Flash forward to today, we are all so isolated. Most of us don't know our neighbors and seem so reluctant to pull together for anything (maybe because we haven't been asked to, but also because we are an "entitled" society). The U.S. seems to be becoming so much less about US as it is ME.

[jbooma]

I've wondered for some time, which is more harmful for our country: The Federal debt, personal debt, or a balance of trade deficit? (I dunno.) :whoknows:

I just recently got around to checking out CD rates for my parent's money, and discovered that the rates have fallen to around 3%. I'm having trouble figuring out why they're so low, in a country where, supposedly, nobody saves. I'd have figured that my parents, being one of the few Americans who actually have cash in the bank, would be a sought-after comodity.

I wonder if it wouldn't be better for our country if, instead of making interest on debts deductible, and interest on savings taxable, should it be the other way around? (At least up to a point. I really don't think we need for the government to be throwing more goodies at people who are living off of their money. But shouldn't we be encouraging "little people" to have some savings?)

Larry they are low because the rate they use is the one the fed has been reducing.

Please enough with the sky is falling (not you larry but the initial poster) threads. This is getting pretty pathetic. If you feel the end of the world is upon us then it is clear you have never been to a nation that is more poor then the US.

We are going through a bad time, thats it. Most of us have never LIVED during a rough time like this, or at least do not remember since we were not fending for ourselves. I bet back in the 80's and early 90's many adults were not freaking out like this.

The real world is not graduating from college getting a job that pays 60K with a lot of stock options and without working hard. The real world is a little harder them many want to believe.

Time for most of you to just grow up personally.

[ACW]

It is NOT globalization. Compare North Korea vis-a-vis Hong Kong and the US.