Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned

Discussion in 'Politics' started by DHS, Aug 14, 2007.

  1. DHS

    DHS

    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/80fa0a2c-49ef-11dc-9ffe-0000779fd2ac.html

    Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned
    By Jeremy Grant in Washington

    Published: August 14 2007 00:06 | Last updated: August 14 2007 00:06

    The US government is on a ‘burning platform’ of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country’s top government inspector has warned.

    David Walker, comptroller general of the US, issued the unusually downbeat assessment of his country’s future in a report that lays out what he called “chilling long-term simulations”.

    These include “dramatic” tax rises, slashed government services and the large-scale dumping by foreign governments of holdings of US debt.

    Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were “striking similarities” between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including “declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government”.

    “Sound familiar?” Mr Walker said. “In my view, it’s time to learn from history and take steps to ensure the American Republic is the first to stand the test of time.”

    Mr Walker’s views carry weight because he is a non-partisan figure in charge of the Government Accountability Office, often described as the investigative arm of the US Congress.

    While most of its studies are commissioned by legislators, about 10 per cent – such as the one containing his latest warnings – are initiated by the comptroller general himself.

    In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Walker said he had mentioned some of the issues before but now wanted to “turn up the volume”. Some of them were too sensitive for others in government to “have their name associated with”.

    “I’m trying to sound an alarm and issue a wake-up call,” he said. “As comptroller general I’ve got an ability to look longer-range and take on issues that others may be hesitant, and in many cases may not be in a position, to take on.

    “One of the concerns is obviously we are a great country but we face major sustainability challenges that we are not taking seriously enough,” said Mr Walker, who was appointed during the Clinton administration to the post, which carries a 15-year term.

    The fiscal imbalance meant the US was “on a path toward an explosion of debt”.

    “With the looming retirement of baby boomers, spiralling healthcare costs, plummeting savings rates and increasing reliance on foreign lenders, we face unprecedented fiscal risks,” said Mr Walker, a former senior executive at PwC auditing firm.

    Current US policy on education, energy, the environment, immigration and Iraq also was on an “unsustainable path”.

    “Our very prosperity is placing greater demands on our physical infrastructure. Billions of dollars will be needed to modernise everything from highways and airports to water and sewage systems. The recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis was a sobering wake-up call.”

    Mr Walker said he would offer to brief the would-be presidential candidates next spring.

    “They need to make fiscal responsibility and inter-generational equity one of their top priorities. If they do, I think we have a chance to turn this around but if they don’t, I think the risk of a serious crisis rises considerably”.

    Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
     
  2. maxpi

    maxpi

    I'm going to learn how to be on the right side of the trade as things collapse. Nobody is going to fix the problem, there are people that want it that way, and they have the means to make it happen.. the USA of tomorrow is today's Mexico. Personally, I have lots of Mexican friends and I like them all a lot. Their culture has no welfare, no food stamps.. and no homeless population to speak of. Why is that? Because family takes care of family. They also don't have that many lazy people because you either work ......or you don't and if you don't well.. you can fall prey to all the garbage they have they call government, and cartels, and border town pimps, etc... they aren't a bunch of lazy pieces of shit sitting around collecting Rich Whitey's money via extortion via the political process like we have in the US. The US may become as impoverished as Mexico but will it become as corrupt at the local police level?? I don't think Jews and Protestants, the target of all this decline in the US, are going to take corruption to that level, just my opinion.
     
  3. The fall of Rome, or at least a contributor to the event, is thought to be the LEAD pipes the romans used to transport water.

    TODAY, we have CHINA, giving our kids TOYS tainted with LEAD, and this is not a scattered event, but hundreds of Toys. I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist, but this smells, and I wouldn't put it past the Communists to pull some shit like this.

    BOYCOTT CHINA!
     
  4. maxpi

    maxpi

    I contacted a food supplement manufacturer about his Chinese vector in the formulation. He claimed there were hundreds of suppliers in China and four that supplied independent quality testing and that he bought only from those four. I still don't buy his products...

    We had the dental industry fixing us up with our own little mercury stashes in our mouth that would emit mercury into our systems for the rest of our lives, no wonder liberals were in control for so many decades..
     
  5. yes, China has plans to do things to send jobs to other countries because they are no longer considered as a reliable place to do business...

    Think about what you are saying
     
  6. maxpi

    maxpi

    Wait long enough and China will be outsourcing manufacturing to the USA
     
  7. You keep sucking down toothpaste, and letting your kids, nephews, neices, or hell even yourself, play with toys painted with lead, and let me know what you are thinking in 20 years.


    The chinese are very methodical and deliberate about things. They killed millions of people to gain power, life means nothing to them, and killing people as a means to an end is perfectly acceptable to them. You can choose to believe it is nothing more then a coincidence, as for me, no more benefit of the the doubt.


    This is their solution to the American problem.
     
  8. Interesting take on it. Your description: "a bunch of lazy pieces of shit sitting around collecting Rich Whitey's money via extortion via the political process like we have in the US," fits 50-75% of the immigrants these days, and 100% of their offspring.
     
  9. Cesko

    Cesko

    Have you heard of Tata Industries (either Indian or Chinese firm) opening up call centers in the U.S.?? It's happening already.
     
  10. Cesko

    Cesko

    The US may become as impoverished as Mexico but will it become as corrupt at the local police level?? I don't think Jews and Protestants, the target of all this decline in the US, are going to take corruption to that level, just my opinion.
    I think you made an error here. If that happens U.S.will get impoverished because of the corruption(lack of management). If Catholic Hispanics become overwhelming majority why should they leave corruption in Mexico? They are going to bring everything with them. Jews and Protestants won't be able to prevent it. (Jews won't be hurting no matter what anyway.)
    U.S. becoming Mexico, it seems to me it's majority of Americans major fear. Wildly expected disasters almost never happen which makes me think future is going to bring something else.
    Thread started with comparing U.S. to Rome which became stupid cliche by now. Except few parallels, Rome was imperialistic, U.S. is more of a commercial superpower. Huge fundamental difference.
     
    #10     Aug 14, 2007