Future of the United States

D.C · Mar 8, 2003

Do you think that the United States of America will survive in its present state and form in the next 100 years?

 

I think no. The reason I feel this way is that I am seeing many paralels between the Unites States and Rome. History can be a wonderfull tool for those that take time to understand it.

At its height, Rome was one of the most powerfull nation-states on Earth, they had it all. Money, power, the best military. But internally it was a rotting cancer. There was rampant corruption, abuse of power. Leaders thought only of themselves without regard for the laypeople. In there morallity, everything was ok, sex, drinking, there were no boundaries. The people had it all, but yet wanted more. The Roman government tried to control everything around, its citizens, allies, enemies. It tried to get others to conform to its vision and ideals, and if they didnt then will it was either war or something else.

The United States is the same way. America is a superpower of the world stage. We have nuclear weapons, a strong, well equiped military that is among the best. We have corrupt leaders, who think only of the personal power and wealth that they can accumulate. Our morals are non-existant. On tv now you can see sex, nudity, swearing. Nothing is off limits. We idolize sports figures and entertainers to the status of demi-gods, where no matter what they do, hey its ok. Our government trys to control what happens around us. Our leaders try to make other nations bend to our will, otherwise its war or sanctions. We give ultimatums to nations and world leaders, saying its our way or the highway. We make up rules and say to the world, you comply or else, but we don't have to comply because we said so.

 

I feel that the United States will most likely fall into complete chaos within the next 100 years. When you look, many of the same symptoms are starting to surface of the cancer that destroyed Rome.

Caffeine Socialism · Mar 8, 2003

What some people call "cancer" and degrading morals is called by others change or even progress. But your perspective is ALWAYS right, right?

datan · Mar 8, 2003

find me someone who thinks that corrupt politicians and underage sex/pregnancy/drinking, school shootings, widespread drug abuse is a sign of a progressive society.

In answer to DC--no I don't think the US will fall apart. Rome at its height was an empire of conquered countries. The US consists of 50 states that are too closely bound to each other to break up. There are no separate centres of gravity in the US.

Evee · Mar 8, 2003

There is no sense of right or wrong anymore.

 I believe we will not always be a super power.

 We are right and everyone else is wrong.

 We talk and brainwash everyone to thinking that we must have a war.

  If we must talk war then maybe we should take a closer look at North Korea.

 I love the USA but must we always push everyone to our ways.

 Why is killing and war the only answer? 

 I believe it will be less than a hundred years before we become very weak.

D.C · Mar 8, 2003

Today at 12:59 PM Caffeine Socialism said this in Post #2

What some people call "cancer" and degrading morals is called by others change or even progress. But your perspective is ALWAYS right, right?

 

I think you will find it hard pressed to find any society or person who will say that rampant drug abuse and alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, corrupt politicians is "progress". It is a cancer, a cancer that erodes at the binding of a people and erodes their cultural identity. Allot of young people around the world see the United States as a society of drunkards, drug abusers and people who rejoice in one night stand.

ACougar · Mar 8, 2003

I'm not very comfortable with the idea of an American Wold Empire to start with... The United States will probably not remain as dominant on the world stage as it is today, however that hardly means that the United States will fall. In 100 years China and Europe will probably hold power equal to that of the United States. At the same time I don't think they will qualify as true superpowers since many other nations will also weild considerable economic power.

 
The three greatest threats to the United States surviving as a whole for another 100 years are (my humble opinion of course) curtailment of individual liberties to the point where a second revolution becomes necessary, economic disasters and environmental disasters. I believe families and churches need to take responsibility for the morals of this country and stop trying to make government legislate morality. I believe Federal government should ensure all Americans have an opportunity to succed in this great country regardless of the economic station of thier parents and that our environment is held in sacred trust and should be protected as we would protect a child.

 
We live in the greatest country that has ever existed on the face of the Earth, not because of our military power or our economic might, but because of the principles of liberty and justice upon which this country was founded.

God Bless America!!!  :clap:

notto · Mar 8, 2003

100 years ago,
Women could not vote.
Blacks were discriminated against in schools, jobs, societies (and were often lynched)
"Shotgun" weddings and people marrying too young was the norm because to have a baby outside of weddlock was cursed.
Women did not have support if they were abused or beaten in their homes and society looked the other way.
Pregnant children were sent away and hidden,
Addictive drugs were available over the counter and were not tested.

For me this kind of progress makes me think that we will be okay in 100 years. Challenges facing us in the next 100 years will deal with.
- Civil rights for non-hetrosexuals
- The environment and our natural resources
- Providing food for our society in an efficient yet humane way

Starscream · Mar 8, 2003

Today at 10:03 AM D.C said this in Post #1

Do you think that the United States of America will survive in its present state and form in the next 100 years?

 

I think no. The reason I feel this way is that I am seeing many paralels between the Unites States and Rome. History can be a wonderfull tool for those that take time to understand it.

At its height, Rome was one of the most powerfull nation-states on Earth, they had it all. Money, power, the best military. But internally it was a rotting cancer. There was rampant corruption, abuse of power. Leaders thought only of themselves without regard for the laypeople. In there morallity, everything was ok, sex, drinking, there were no boundaries. The people had it all, but yet wanted more. The Roman government tried to control everything around, its citizens, allies, enemies. It tried to get others to conform to its vision and ideals, and if they didnt then will it was either war or something else.

The United States is the same way. America is a superpower of the world stage. We have nuclear weapons, a strong, well equiped military that is among the best. We have corrupt leaders, who think only of the personal power and wealth that they can accumulate. Our morals are non-existant. On tv now you can see sex, nudity, swearing. Nothing is off limits. We idolize sports figures and entertainers to the status of demi-gods, where no matter what they do, hey its ok. Our government trys to control what happens around us. Our leaders try to make other nations bend to our will, otherwise its war or sanctions. We give ultimatums to nations and world leaders, saying its our way or the highway. We make up rules and say to the world, you comply or else, but we don't have to comply because we said so.

 

I feel that the United States will most likely fall into complete chaos within the next 100 years. When you look, many of the same symptoms are starting to surface of the cancer that destroyed Rome.

I think there's always been problems but I believe we are able to correct our mistakes and move on to new ones.

cenimo · Mar 8, 2003

"Let me control one generation in any ountry and I will eventually control that country...and I'll do it through immorality, drugs, and music"

Stalin

one of the parallels between the US today and Rome towards the decline of the Empire is the teaching of and acceptance of alternate lifesyles...
in fact, there is a book somewhere that lists 88 such similarities, can't think of the title.

strathyboy · Mar 8, 2003

I think if the American economy stays strong, America will survive in its present form.
If the economy goes down the tubes, I think America will necessarily have to change, primarily because it will no longer be able to support the military and other government organizations, such as the CIA, FBI, and NSA. I think any other concerns are secondary to the economy (in America) because everything depends upon America's economic power.

Starscream · Mar 8, 2003

Today at 05:04 PM cenimo said this in Post #9

"Let me control one generation in any ountry and I will eventually control that country...and I'll do it through immorality, drugs, and music"

Stalin 

I've never heard that quote by Stalin before.  Can you show me where you got it?

cenimo · Mar 8, 2003

was the intro to a book called Spirit of Prophecy
by Rich Hall

Starscream · Mar 8, 2003

Today at 10:04 PM cenimo said this in Post #12

was the intro to a book called Spirit of Prophecy
by Rich Hall

Hmmm...do you have the book handy?  Perhaps Mr. Hall tells us the source of the quote?

I ask because I'd think such a quote would be wildly popular, yet I've never heard of it ... and I cannot find it within the web.

MetalBlade · Mar 8, 2003

Interesting, I like the US Rome parrales, but I have to disagree. Rome fell because of the government, which (if my knowledge serves me correct) was ran by a dictator and a worthless Senate. The US system of goverment works great, the Constitution is the oldest form of working goverment! Check and Balances works wonderful! Plus Rome did not have the same rights as we did. Look at all our wondeful freedoms- Freedom of Press, freedom to assemble, freedom of speech, right to bear arms, etc. I agree that tv has gone far with nudity and such, and that our morals are going out the window. But in no way is the US totally loosing its moral views! Just look at the President Bush who has related to God in every speech after 9/11! I agree that one day all morals will be lost, and in that time perhaps America will colapse. That same time is already written and that is Revealtions!

JLovesUSo · Mar 8, 2003

"Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God." Isaiah 58:2

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" Psalms 33:12

IMO, (from a Chrstian perspective) we started out "One Nation Under God...." and put our trust in God and that is why IMO we are where we are today in the US.  If we continue on a course to stray from that, then I do believe God will not continue to Bless this nation as He has for the 1st 200 years...........

juiblex · Mar 8, 2003

if one is to draw parallels, one should really look closer. The only vaguely morality-based 'problem' <it was to them after all> was Christianity. It divided the east and west and when the eastern half fell after this split it was imposible to guard the borders effectively from invaders. Christianity, not nudity and other such trivialities was the only reason vaguely linked with values that can be attributed to the collapse of Rome.

But, if you research the fall of Rome thoroughly, you'll find other more tangible reasons aside from Christianity, such as the malaria epidemics, poor economic infrastructure that relied on constant conquest but could not support properly, hoarding by the wealthy were the downfall.

And surprisingly enough, it didnt actually have much to do with corruption, that had always been present through Roman history and it had never caused much of a problem in the centuries it reigned. The year of the four emporers and the civil wars, the dictatorships, smaller provincial corruption such as that described by Pliny and others, Rome survived them all very well.

Whilst i do agree within the next hundred years America will no longer be a super-power, i could never agree with the equation of immorality and corruption being the causes of this down-fall. If you want to look at past historical events, it would be far more useful to look at England, Germany and perhaps even Russia during WW2 considering the state of world affairs.

cenimo · Mar 8, 2003

Starscream

Don't have it anymore, was from early 80's....
I don't know where he got the quote but it was the intro to the book...

 

 

this has been on the radio a few times, I think Paul Harvey did it once:
<DIR>This memorable quotation, from the 1801 collection of his lectures, is from Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (1742-1813), Scottish jurist and historian, widely known in his time, professor of Universal History at Edinburgh University in the late 18th century:
<DIR>A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith;
from spiritual faith 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 dependency;
from dependency back again to bondage.
</DIR></DIR>

Future of the United States

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