Does America have a future?

no!

Everything has a future. America included. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good one. :) We’re going down the shitter. If humans can’t get their acts together and start thinking collectively, we’re gone.

I’ll just say that it has become, officially, my goal in life to move “away from the United States”.

I don’t really have a where, as long as it’s not here. Maybe Ireland. Maybe Canada. Definitely somewhere English-speaking, as I’m too lazy to learn another language right away.

Then again, it’s been said that perception is reality so if we all were hopeful, we might be fine… but I’m a pessimist, so I’m going with doom.

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
-President John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961 at his Inaugural Address
still especially relevant today

Of course America has a future. Am I troubled by the possibilities? Yes.

Keep in mind that many places all over the world have been in bad shape before, but still managed to pull out of it. I’m not going to shove sunshine up your butt, because yes, it’s pretty bad and it seems to be getting worse. However… Is going to school worth it? Yes. You don’t have to stay in this country for the rest of your life, so get an education and research some other countries that you think you might want to live in. Also, it takes small steps in order for something to change. Do you want to be a part of the positive change? If so, an education is generally necessary. Help to change things – you are the future of this country. Don’t sit idly by and watch it all fall down. At least try… Because that’s what it takes.

Your life can be pretty much whatever you want it to be. But I promise, a college education will help you immensely in life – no matter what you do, or where you end up.

Yes. It’s just media hype. It’ll be OK. We’ve been through much worse. Don’t worry.

Does America have a future?

<raises hand>

We’ve been through worse and survived.

@janbb Now you have to give me a GA cause I said that too!

@Val Done!

Lincoln paraphrased this verse from Mathew 12:25 “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.”

He was a smart fellow who was murdered because of divisions within the country that all but tore it apart.

Religious extremists have elected representatives that continue to block all the efforts to make America a place that where equality and freedom could flourish.

If the same number or more of these blind ignoramuses remain after the mid-term elections, then America will lose its last change to benefit from the first President with real vision in a very long time.

Stop the religious right and the tea baggers or make plans to find some other place to seek a future. Perhaps another planet!~

The most troubling aspect of America’s problems right now is the crippling debt you hold. The only meaningful representation of the number trillion is your debt. That is scary. Hearing all the roaring coming from those in your society who would revolt if your taxes were raised….how are you ever going to pay down your debt?

@janbb :)

@Lightning, in the 50s (60s?), students were made to crawl under their desks to practice for a nuclear attack from the Russians. In the 60s and 70s, 18 year old boys were forced to go to Vietnam and before that black people were killed for whatever reason suited racists with little or no justice served.

There are some legitmate fears in our current age, but they are mitigated somewhat by historical perspective. Turning fear on or off is kind of a choice each one of us gets to make.

I just watched a show about the brain. Did you know humans are generally the only animal that maintains a fear response to past and future events. In the wild, for example, zebras eat grass, freak out when a lion comes to eat one of them and then go back to eating grass as if nothing happened. With humans, it’s different of course, but that also provides some perspective.

There are two responses to every moment of your life: fear or love. And that choice carries real power. A love choice can be crowded in a sea of fear choices, but within it’s own sphere, the spirit cannot be touched. Part of what makes this whole doom and gloom thing real is that so many people buy into it. They’ve bought into it before and god forbid a majority might buy into it in perpetuity (because there’s a lot of money and power tied up in keeping folks fearful), but you have to find a way to step through the trap.

@tranquilsea, odious debt. No doubt that won’t fly, but it’s there.

There’s an old Chinese curse that goes, “May you live in… interesting times.” There is no question but what we live in “interesting times,” yet those times supposedly without strife, conflict or problems ( economic and otherwise ) are largely mythical. Each age his its own set of problems and it is up to the people of each age to come up with the courage to resolve them. Betting against America has never been a good idea because the true strength of America arises out of its people, not its government, not its economy, not its foreign relations, and not even out of its military. In this Country, WE are the strength, the solution, and the hope. The true time to worry about America is when its people are in dispair and unable to muster the courage to face the problems of their time.

What radio stations are you listening to? Stop paying so much attention to the news.

The country has weathered economic downturns before.

China is not ahead of us in everything.

You need to focus back in on building for your future. Also, you might try doing some volunteer work to raise your spirits.

Lastly, are you sure you are not a victim of clinical depression?

@CaptainHarley White Collar!—Had to.

America has supposedly been on the brink of destruction, armageddon, and all manner of horrible demise since its inception and people have consistently forecasted its end.

We have enjoyed 50 years of relative stability and prosperity. Sure, the Vietnam and Cold wars happened during that period, but in general, we have been a very stable and prosperous country. We’ve become so fond of this stability that its dissolution seems like the destruction of the very thing that makes us feel safe and “American”, meaning things aren’t always going to be quite as peachy as they are right now.

Humans resist change as long as possible—it’s a perfectly natural predicate. However, when things must change, human beings, and especially Americans, are the most adaptable and ingenuous beings in existence.

I’ve met so many people who could yammer on about how much better the quality of life, personality, and political dogma is elsewhere, but this simply isn’t true. There is no place that does it “right”, and your effort and passion is better focused on fixing your country, not adopting another one that isn’t.

Politics are not “better” in the UK or Canada. People are not happier in the UK or Canada. Their politics and culture, whatever benefits they might provide on paper are not your culture or your politics.

This is a country that has undone the cultural damage of thousands of years of aristocracy and human wrongs in 250 years and it continues to be one of the benchmarks of development and advancement of a society. We are changing all the time, and we will continue to change. Change is hard, but growing pains are a sign of something better, not the end.

This idea that other countries are advancing beyond us, notably China, is a joke. The economy of the United States is unparalleled. Our 320 million strong nation has a nearly equal economic output to the entirety of western Europe, which encompasses over 500 million. China may produce more than the US, but they have three times as large of a population. Despite the rapid advancement of the third world, Chinese people largely exist in abject poverty and their government does little to serve them well. China’s sheer numbers are not the benchmark of a livable, modern country. The quality of life is still abysmal in that country, and they have so much potential for more, but they won’t ever utilize it properly—not in my lifetime, anyway.

We lived through eight years of Bush.

And The Daily Show covered this.

I may not know for certain how bleak the future of America will be but if you use it as an excuse to not plan your future I can predict that your future will be bleak.

The USA will be fine. Now go do your homework. :)

Look into the financial crises of Asia and Latin America in the late 1990’s. Things were bad, currencies were devalued, and many people’s lives went for the worse; nevertheless, the people living in those countries survived. When you turn on the news, you don’t hear about the societal collapse of Argentina, yet they went through a crisis worse than ours. Students who went to school during that time aren’t begging for food on street corners now; they lead productive lives. Sure, some countries aren’t as well off as in previous times, but they aren’t the cesspools of poverty and despair people make them out to be.

No. It’s all over. Just give up and go sit in the gutter and wait to die. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a silly question.

I prefer not to give up.
That’s how I do things.
Wallow in despair if that helps you, but I get the sense that’s not working out so well.
In a nutshell, things aren’t as bad as you’re making them out to be.
Just stay in school.

@noyesa

“White collar?” Say what??

@CaptainHarley Sorry, I didn’t think it was coincidence that they kept saying that on the show White Collar recently. =)

I seldom watch TV and when I do, it’s almost always movies. ( I also love the series House, but don’t tell anyone! )

Does America have a future?

Indeed it does. We are on the brink of Nuclear Fusion technology. With that kind of power under our belt the economy will be unstoppable.

The economy as it is already is the marvel of the world. Americans enjoy one of the greatest qualities of life on the planet. The Chinese do not.

The communist government of China will be gone by mid-century. I guarantee it. A middle class society will not tolerate something halting its growth. And with it, so will the cheap labor and products China is known for.

Stay in school, and go into interesting and futuristic areas. I myself am planning to go into the field of artificial intelligence with the discipline of psychology to mimic human thought. Maybe you will discover cold fusion, or a cure for AIDS. America has a future if you aim high :).

Now Im off to do 9th grade Biology homework.

The way I see it, Obama told us he was going to have to spend his first year in office cleaning up the previous administrations mess, and the second year we would see some progress. Watching the news, we DO see progress, but the instant it makes the news it immediately gets shouted down by hysterical wing nuts who obscure the progress with a coating of hysterical shite. Sorry folks….a good part of the stock market, our outlook on the future is based on emotion.

Wow you got some funky teachers.

Technically of course America has a future. Whatever it may be, even if it’s “apocalyptic”.

btw that’s pretty lulz.

the future of america is spanish

Well, the future of California anyway…

The answer to your question is on the Regional section of the newspaper, not on the front page. If you really want to see the answer, volunteer at your local Boys and Girls club, or the YMCA in your town.

For every sensationalized story you find, there are 100 people right in your own home town who have made America proud.

not if it insists on violating international law
and waging aggressive war to secure natural resources
that are vital to it’s Gluttonous Economy.