What Would Happen If We Isolated

If we tried to live like a hermit, we would have the standard of living of a hermit and ultimately the phycology and psychosis of a hermit. Look at China in the 1960's.

I wonder who or what would be effected the most. The US or the rest of the worlds economy?

can you be a little more specific? I'm really interested in everyone's opinion on this subject.

I thought I was by using Maoist China as an example, for that is exactly where he tried to take China.

All the foriegn spending would now support American efforts...

But not all of us have the education to have a real understanding of that history acquiunk.

We unwashed types depend on our intellectual betters to help us out.

1. I am not one of your intellectual betters, particularly
you bear.

2. Think of any newspaper articles you might have read
about China during the cultural revolution. Whatever
you read, it was worse.

3. I'm not trying to be a sappy liberal here, but we has a species are all of a
piece. Isolate yourself, either as an individual or a group and the decline
will be rapid and ultimately fatale.

Nearest-term certainly the rest of the work.

But, if all the foreign money was stopped and/or taken back as well, even on short view the US economy would collapse.

Walter
I am not suggesting the US economy would prosper if that were to occur. However, I believe the worlds economy would take the first and hardest hit. At least in the short run. Remember, the largest consumer nation on the planet would cease to be a worldwide consumer. On the other hand if we were to aid our industries and produce in house what we could it might not be such a far fetched idea.

)I do remember, au, I do!

And I know that consuming costs money.
Money, which until now is mostly of foreign origin in the USA.

(Certainly the USA can live onwards for centuries without some e.g. German firms like 'Chrysler' or 'Trader Joe' :wink:

Walter
'Chrysler' was an American company and could be again. I was thinking that it could be modified to cut out buying European produced goods. There is nothing that I can think of essential coming from Europe. In addition whatever we import from Europe can be produced as economically in the US.
Walter that should give you some food for thought. :wink: :wink:

Culturally, would foreign books be banned?

What about The Bible? The Koran? Etc.

Noddy24
We still have printing presses, do we not?

good question Noddy.....I think that knowledge of other cultures and peoples would be desirable regardless. We would still have the net and information would be readily available unless Bush has his way and we all become uneducated and ignant.

I don't think it would behoove us to be intellectually isolated.

That's a Bush goal.

Printing press, yes, certainly, invented by the famous American Guthembourg 1452/1455 :wink:

Walter
Three cheers for Guthenbourg. Hip Hip Hooray!

Pat Buchanon
Maoist China is not a valid comparison because that was a Communist system.

The part about kickin' out people would be a bit tricky because who is to judge whether they are productive or not. Example: Self-employed, small business- what would be the critera of "productive."

The concept is just to large for me to imagine.

More of a real possibilty would be to insist that Free Trade Rules be changed. All trading partners would have to abide by our labor, environmental and other laws. No more outsourcing unless those companies that do this pay heavier taxes to do so. No more re-location of mfg., same thing. Perhaps tax incentives or companies that keep jobs in the USA. Discounts on goods "Made in America" to American consumers.

Bring troops home that stationed in most countries and assign them domestic duties, such as border patrol, police and fireman duties where there are shortages.

A new concept "America First".

Acquiunk's, post was spot on.

Lots of people seem to think that if we moved toward isolationism we'd have more money to spend on ourselves (foresign aid and such).

They do not realize that much of our wealth has come from not being isolationist and Acquiunk is dead on to say that nations that act like a hermit will live like one.

BTW, militaristic policy isn't the opposite of isoltionism. Soem seem to confuse that.

Hmmmm....I have always seen a lot of similarity between isolationism and militarism. Silly me.