Reply #65: As a world power, we are headed for the same fate as the Soviet Union.

[robertpaulsen]

The dustbin of history.

All empires crumble without exception, and I believe our fate really will be more like the Soviet Union as compared to say the British empire. Hell, with the pound/dollar ration at over 2:1, our number 1 ally (sp?) is already cashing in at the start of our crumble. We were there for them as their empire started to crumble around WWI, but where are our allies now? As our currency is ground to a slightly higher value than dirt, I don't think they'll be around to pick the world's bully up. Even if they were masochistic enough to want to, how the hell CAN they?

Why America's Currency Is the World's Problem
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,520700,00.html

But as bad as things are now with currency woes, real estate bubble bursting, mind-numbing class inequality, fascist policies foreign and domestic, if world oil production truly peaked in 2006, then it is too late to avoid a collapse on the level of the former Soviet Union. I don't think it will happen quickly, although if our government continues to be run by neo-cons it will. But even if we woke up tomorrow with a wet-dream fantasy government run completely by progressives, the best they could do would be to scale back on foreign entanglements and initiate a crash program to re-localize every aspect of our infrastructure. If that happened, we would be a peaceful, self sustaining collection of autonomous states based on Constitutional principles. Barring that fantasy, there will be no peace as each states struggle to sustain itself will be prolonged, painful and filled with conflict. Regardless, by 2020 the United States, if it is still called that, will be a nation in name only. Get to know your neighbors if you want YOUR community to be truly self-sustaining. Or get yourself a well-stocked fallout shelter if you want to prepare for a REALLY bumpy ride.