cicerone imposter wrote:
I don't have much hope - even with Obama's promise of "change." It's my opinion that Obama will win the presidency in November, but there are just too many handicaps for any president to effect change. Any change that comes will be primarily in winning back many of our former allies. Economy-wise, our country is in too deep a debt including most consumers. With the lack of open credit as in the past few decades, the higher cost of food and fuel, our economy will constrict further which will impact all forms of taxation revenues. That in turn will exacerbate our total economy effecting more layoffs. People who understand the housing market is saying that 2.5 million families will be losing their homes this year. That means more banks will be in trouble.
It's really scary out there, and I'm not talking about terrorists; its' our economy.
I agree with your logic above; the cause and effect. But, there are some scenarios that might be used to deal with higher unemployement in a country that has sent its factories overseas, and recently some of its white-collar jobs. One might be a reinstitution of the draft, since it not only keeps a percentage of young men out of the job force for a few years, but can induce some to stay out of the job force even longer by going to college afterwards. Also, a percentage of men go into other military services to avoid the draft, and a percentage of them do make a career of that branch of service, not to mention that a percentage of those drafted also make a career out of the Army. It would just be a band-aid of sorts, but as the saying goes, any port in a storm is good.
In other words, to cope with an economy that affects the U.S., because of the globalness of it today, society would have to adapt to cope. Meaning prior expectations would have to change. The days of rugged individualism where each generation in many families moved out on its own might be changed to the nineteenth century paradigm of multi-generational homes?
We will survive; I just believe life might be different for many. More nifty electronic gadgets, but lifestyle may seem
constricted compared to the booming 1990's for many?
Those of us who already were living simple lifestyles might not feel affected from their perspective. Reminds me of the parable: the first shall come last and the last shall come first.
