The End of America

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I have always learned that it was either Australia (because of our alliance with USA/Europe)

Because the US wants control over the Asia-Pacific region - if it wasn't in their interests, they'd have left us to rot ages ago.

Well this area is a vital naval and trade area for the US so of course they want to control Oceania (Asia-Pacific region)

 

[jasonresno]

The fate of our (my) country has everything to do with the people within its borders. When ignorance, laziness, bigotry are the leading traits in the general population...nothing good will come of it.

The world has problems. The American people just need to get educated and learn to work together to fix these issues. Forget all of this supercharged violent political rhetoric. Forget partisanship. Just be smart for Gods sake.

 

[Rich Boy Rob]

And yes, America is an empire, in almost every sense of the word. Large amounts of overseas territory, plus a large role in world politics as the defacto "Superpower", and a leader in terms on health rates, economic power, and military power. Their is more to an Empire than just conquering, you're not fully understanding the context of that word. And technically, the US "conquered" Iraq and Afghanistan, for all intents and purposes. America also invaded Nazi Germany, and along with the Soviets/English, carpet bombed them into submission during WWII.

And to say that America hasn't contributed anything to the global community is as laughable as it is ignorant. You might not like the US, but don't pass judgment on things you obviously aren't familiar with.

I have to disagree with you there. Show me the countries that are owned by America and I will agree, but sorry, it has no Empire.
When we (Great Britain) were still empire builders, Queen Victoria was empress of Great Britain, Ireland, Egypt, Gibraltar, Minorca, Hellgoland, Ionian Is., Cyprus, Canada, British Guiana, Pitcairn, Newfoundland, India, Sudan, Burma, Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Malaya, Nigeria and many more. America owns a portion of Antarctica. Or am I missing something?

Besides, don't you need an Emperor/Empress to be an empire?

 

[Hassan_Abdillah]

I have to disagree with you there. Show me the countries that are owned by America and I will agree, but sorry, it has no Empire.
When we (Great Britain) were still empire builders, Queen Victoria was empress of Great Britain, Ireland, Egypt, Gibraltar, Minorca, Hellgoland, Ionian Is., Cyprus, Canada, British Guiana, Pitcairn, Newfoundland, India, Sudan, Burma, Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Malaya, Nigeria and many more. America owns a portion of Antarctica. Or am I missing something.

I think you are taking the word "Empire" too literally. What was meant by "Empire" didnt actually have much to do with conquering lands using brute military force and/or having an Empire Figure hovering above the map.

The Imperialist motives of America are and have been well-known pretty much throughout history, the entire diplomacy of America was (and is perhaps) based on the "either you are for us or against us" philosophy. Read Noam Chomsky for more information on the issue.

As for an "Imperial Practise" of "expanding territorry"...I would say the United States has done a lot better than the old clunky "Imperialist" examples. The Imperialist motives used by America are a bit more subtle, so that it is often not perceivable in the eyes of the layman, the motives relying largely on not only military forces, but also economic (IMF, WTO) and diplomatic maneuvres. Again, do not read the word "conquered lands" literally, even though we do not use the term, the America very much "owns" most of Middle East, to give just an example. By saying America "owns" Middle Eastern States I imple the Government Figures are puppets in the hands of the US. That is as much "owning" as youll ever require of any country.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I think you are taking the word "Empire" too literally. What was meant by "Empire" didnt actually have much to do with conquering lands using brute military force and/or having an Empire Figure hovering above the map.

The Imperialist motives of America are and have been well-known pretty much throughout history, the entire diplomacy of America was (and is perhaps) based on the "either you are for us or against us" philosophy. Read Noam Chomsky for more information on the issue.

As for an "Imperial Practise" of "expanding territorry"...I would say the United States has done a lot better than the old clunky "Imperialist" examples. The Imperialist motives used by America are a bit more subtle, so that it is often not perceivable in the eyes of the layman, the motives relying largely on not only military forces, but also economic (IMF, WTO) and diplomatic maneuvres. Again, do not read the word "conquered lands" literally, even though we do not use the term, the America very much "owns" most of Middle East, to give just an example. By saying America "owns" Middle Eastern States I imple the Government Figures are puppets in the hands of the US. That is as much "owning" as youll ever require of any country.

I agree with your definition, the US is definitely an Empire pulling strings.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I have to disagree with you there. Show me the countries that are owned by America and I will agree, but sorry, it has no Empire.
When we (Great Britain) were still empire builders, Queen Victoria was empress of Great Britain, Ireland, Egypt, Gibraltar, Minorca, Hellgoland, Ionian Is., Cyprus, Canada, British Guiana, Pitcairn, Newfoundland, India, Sudan, Burma, Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Malaya, Nigeria and many more. America owns a portion of Antarctica. Or am I missing something.

Besides, don't you need an Emperor/Empress to be an empire?

The United States owns the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, a portion of Antarctica, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

 

[donavannj]

To add to that, America used to control: the Panama Canal, the Philippines, and Okinawa, among a few other places that escape me at the moment. May not seem like much, but America didn't partake in colonialism so much as it did exercise its economic power to get what it wanted.

You can't seriously be calling China lesser developed. The Chinese ARE the Eastern Superpower and have done more for the world as a whole than any other country on Earth.

I'm also very against people calling the United States an Empire. It's not, it's not even close.
All it is, is a puppet in a greater scheme of things. It's done nothing to very little to contribute anything to the global society, it hasn't expanded. No president has ever been into battle or conquered another country.
Rome was an empire. Persia was an empire. Even England was an empire.
Julius Caesar was a conquerer. Alexander the Great was a conquerer. God King Xerxes was a conquerer.

The U.S is nothing in the big scheme of things.
It's been in decay for years and the politics of your country is to blame, for the most part.

Personally, I will never be visiting anywhere in your country. As far as I'm concerned it's actually one of the weakest countries in the world.

China has military force going for it and a sheer mass of people, and that's about it. It's still a very underdeveloped country as it is. Historically, they've contributed a lot, but presently, they're still very economically dependent on the West's money, in particular the money of American citizens, hence why they are willing to keep loaning the United States government more money. There's no denying they're one of the top players in Asia, though, if not the top player because of that military force. China's still got around 20 years to go before it's truly the sole superpower of the East, considering what its competition is.

The United States is a de facto empire, and it has done a considerable amount to contribute to global society, both for better and for worse. What America has always historically done best is to copy and improve upon the ideas of others to do them better. An empire doesn't exclusively use hard power (military force) to keep its power and toss its weight around. The United States has used its soft power (economic, cultural, and diplomatic force) considerably more often and has its hands in most of the world's affairs.

Also, what do you mean it hasn't expanded? Do you seriously think that the territories the United States has today are territories it's always had? No. The United States started off as 13 colonies on the Atlantic coast and expanded westward, conquering native peoples and committing horrible travesties against them in the process. It also successfully won wars over lands other nations controlled, like California, for instance. It should also be worth noting that most of our presidents had military service time before being elected into office.

Our politics were inherited from the Old World. And it's not our politics exclusively that's undoing us, it's the sense of entitlement that exists in almost every Western society where people expect a certain amount of government services but are not willing to pay the price tag (taxes) for those services.

And seeing a country as weak is a poor excuse to not visit a country.

 

[Livewire]

I have to disagree with you there. Show me the countries that are owned by America and I will agree, but sorry, it has no Empire.
When we (Great Britain) were still empire builders, Queen Victoria was empress of Great Britain, Ireland, Egypt, Gibraltar, Minorca, Hellgoland, Ionian Is., Cyprus, Canada, British Guiana, Pitcairn, Newfoundland, India, Sudan, Burma, Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Malaya, Nigeria and many more. America owns a portion of Antarctica. Or am I missing something.

Besides, don't you need an Emperor/Empress to be an empire?

Like others have said, "Empire" has more meanings than the strictly military view. The American president is a powerful executive, than while he has checks, via the Checks and balances system, still wields incredible power for being a single man, akin to an Emperor. America may not have conquered lands all around the Globe as England did, but America still has multiple embassies, military bases in foreign countries, and protectorates all over the world. But I was referencing Empire in the sense of being a Superpower, and having great economic and military reach, far outside it's own borders.

 

[Mr. X]

Oh how easily this could turn into a flame fest over what type of government a person prefers. You'll understand what i mean pretty quickly, i assure you.

1. The rapid decline of fossil fuel, and the lack of alternate resources.
2. The water crisis currently effecting the South west, AZ, CA, NM, NE, etc.
3. The current political landscape.
4. America's rapidly decaying infrastructure.
5. The global economical situation and Recession.
6. The possibility of Nuclear Warfare.
7. Virulent Pandemics and bacterial-resistant diseases.
8. Apathy.
9. Over-population and food shortage(s)
10. Heavy dependence on technology for basic function.

1. Our own fault, and some blame can go on the enviromentalists. You know, the ones agenst building wind and solar farms because it will take up massive space? But then again, just build these on golf courses. Those things are a useless waste of space. But as for our usage, blame the oil companies and their massive bank account. Money talks people, and i'll let you finish that statement yourself.

2. Large scale cities are NOT ment to be build in the dessert. Also, why waste exorbant amounts of water to water your lawns? Nature knows best. If the lawn dies, then that means its not supposed to thrive in that type of enviroment. I don't know anyone around here who waters their lawns and the only time they die is in the winter.

3. If pro is the opposite of con, does that make congress the opposite of progress? The entire political system is corupted. When it first was created it was great. But now, politics is more about foward yourself and knocking the other person back then helping and representing a group of peoples needs and/or wants. This is why i, personally, favor some aspects of communism.

4. The blame goes to politicians on this one. As i said earlier politics today is more about fowarding yourself and knocking the other person back. But some minor blame goes to the people. Everyone in my town complains about the roads. The mayor tried a small increse in sales tax to pay for road repairs. No one wanted that, yet they are still complaining about the poor conditions of the roads. In a broader scope, NIMBY is the evolved form of this. Google it, if you wish.

5. I won't be commenting much on the recession. I'll just say that as with the Great Depression, another World War will solve that issue real fast. As for jobs and stuff, well, i blame capitalism. And people who complain about mexicans stealing jobs. These things are related. Capatilism allows for a person to manufacture whatever he/she wants and to sell it for however much he/she wants. With this system, greed will become rampant. Most corperations now want to maximize profit. Easy way? Low pay. The average american won't take that job because it won't pay for the really large house and new car they just bought. And here comes a poor mexican looking for work. He's real desperate and will work for just about anything. He sees a job. He takes the job. The pay is low but hey, at the end of the day he's richer then when he started. And he's happy about it. As for outsourcing jobs, capitalistic greed yet again. Labor is cheaper in other countries, cheaper labor means more profit.

6. Really, the only countries who we need to worry about nuking us is China and Russia. Unlike most smaller, more violent, countries who 'supposedly' have a nuke or two, these countries have a entire freaking arsenal of air mail just waiting to be sent. Let Iran nuke us. Let North Korea nuke us. We will bomb them to back before the stone age.

7. We have IMMUNE SYSTEMS for a reason people. Unlike most people, my immune systems gets a LOT of practice. Militarily speaking the average persons immune system has only a few pistols. My immune system has a fully efective air force, a navy comprised of nothing but battleships, a entire legion of troops armed with high powered assault rifles, and it currently in the progress of obtaining (Pardon the pun) nukes. When the next super bug comes around, my immune system will be waiting for it.

8. I can't really say much on this other than its a sick world out there.

As for 9 and 10 and can't really come up with a witty responce to them.

 

[Livewire]

Oh how easily this could turn into a flame fest over what type of government a person prefers. You'll understand what i mean pretty quickly, i assure you.



1. Our own fault, and some blame can go on the enviromentalists. You know, the ones agenst building wind and solar farms because it will take up massive space? But then again, just build these on golf courses. Those things are a useless waste of space. But as for our usage, blame the oil companies and their massive bank account. Money talks people, and i'll let you finish that statement yourself.

2. Large scale cities are NOT ment to be build in the dessert. Also, why waste exorbant amounts of water to water your lawns? Nature knows best. If the lawn dies, then that means its not supposed to thrive in that type of enviroment. I don't know anyone around here who waters their lawns and the only time they die is in the winter.

3. If pro is the opposite of con, does that make congress the opposite of progress? The entire political system is corupted. When it first was created it was great. But now, politics is more about foward yourself and knocking the other person back then helping and representing a group of peoples needs and/or wants. This is why i, personally, favor some aspects of communism.

4. The blame goes to politicians on this one. As i said earlier politics today is more about fowarding yourself and knocking the other person back. But some minor blame goes to the people. Everyone in my town complains about the roads. The mayor tried a small increse in sales tax to pay for road repairs. No one wanted that, yet they are still complaining about the poor conditions of the roads. In a broader scope, NIMBY is the evolved form of this. Google it, if you wish.

5. I won't be commenting much on the recession. I'll just say that as with the Great Depression, another World War will solve that issue real fast. As for jobs and stuff, well, i blame capitalism. And people who complain about mexicans stealing jobs. These things are related. Capatilism allows for a person to manufacture whatever he/she wants and to sell it for however much he/she wants. With this system, greed will become rampant. Most corperations now want to maximize profit. Easy way? Low pay. The average american won't take that job because it won't pay for the really large house and new car they just bought. And here comes a poor mexican looking for work. He's real desperate and will work for just about anything. He sees a job. He takes the job. The pay is low but hey, at the end of the day he's richer then when he started. And he's happy about it. As for outsourcing jobs, capitalistic greed yet again. Labor is cheaper in other countries, cheaper labor means more profit.

6. Really, the only countries who we need to worry about nuking us is China and Russia. Unlike most smaller, more violent, countries who 'supposedly' have a nuke or two, these countries have a entire freaking arsenal of air mail just waiting to be sent. Let Iran nuke us. Let North Korea nuke us. We will bomb them to back before the stone age.

7. We have IMMUNE SYSTEMS for a reason people. Unlike most people, my immune systems gets a LOT of practice. Militarily speaking the average persons immune system has only a few pistols. My immune system has a fully efective air force, a navy comprised of nothing but battleships, a entire legion of troops armed with high powered assault rifles, and it currently in the progress of obtaining (Pardon the pun) nukes. When the next super bug comes around, my immune system will be waiting for it.

8. I can't really say much on this other than its a sick world out there.

As for 9 and 10 and can't really come up with a witty responce to them.

I think you're essentially right on those. But as to how to fix them, well that's a completely different matter, and seeing as we have a loundry lit of problems there, fixing them isn't going to be remotely easy, by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[Griffinbane]

Ahaha...parents these days are too overprotective. As a kid, I never washed my hands before eating or after shaking someone's hand or using something that's heavily used by other people. I almost -never- get sick nowadays and I've had the flu only twice my entire life while I know people who get it EVERY YEAR. And I NEVER run fevers. :D

 

[Mr. X]

Speaking of the flu, i've only had ONE flu shot in my entire life. I've only gotten the flu once in my entire life. Care to guess when i got it?

 

[donavannj]

Speaking of the flu, i've only had ONE flu shot in my entire life. I've only gotten the flu once in my entire life. Care to guess when i got it?

If it was after getting the vaccine, that was a mere coincidence. I've gotten the flu three times in my life, and two of those were in years I wasn't vaccinated.

 

[Griffinbane]

I got the flu once by sitting in an infected school bus that obviously toted elementary school-aged kids to and from school. That was a really bad 2 weeks. I lost my voice and I was in the choir. My entire choir got sick because of that bus. And I got 2 of my co-workers sick. Interesting days.

As for the flu shots causing the flu, it's possible. The thing is, if it does happen, it's a MUCH MILDER flu attack than it would be without the shot. How would you like it if you were sick for 2 weeks and had a lousy voice for a month?

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Oh how easily this could turn into a flame fest over what type of government a person prefers. You'll understand what i mean pretty quickly, i assure you.



1. Our own fault, and some blame can go on the enviromentalists. You know, the ones agenst building wind and solar farms because it will take up massive space? But then again, just build these on golf courses. Those things are a useless waste of space. But as for our usage, blame the oil companies and their massive bank account. Money talks people, and i'll let you finish that statement yourself.

2. Large scale cities are NOT ment to be build in the dessert. Also, why waste exorbant amounts of water to water your lawns? Nature knows best. If the lawn dies, then that means its not supposed to thrive in that type of enviroment. I don't know anyone around here who waters their lawns and the only time they die is in the winter.

3. If pro is the opposite of con, does that make congress the opposite of progress? The entire political system is corupted. When it first was created it was great. But now, politics is more about foward yourself and knocking the other person back then helping and representing a group of peoples needs and/or wants. This is why i, personally, favor some aspects of communism.

4. The blame goes to politicians on this one. As i said earlier politics today is more about fowarding yourself and knocking the other person back. But some minor blame goes to the people. Everyone in my town complains about the roads. The mayor tried a small increse in sales tax to pay for road repairs. No one wanted that, yet they are still complaining about the poor conditions of the roads. In a broader scope, NIMBY is the evolved form of this. Google it, if you wish.

5. I won't be commenting much on the recession. I'll just say that as with the Great Depression, another World War will solve that issue real fast. As for jobs and stuff, well, i blame capitalism. And people who complain about mexicans stealing jobs. These things are related. Capatilism allows for a person to manufacture whatever he/she wants and to sell it for however much he/she wants. With this system, greed will become rampant. Most corperations now want to maximize profit. Easy way? Low pay. The average american won't take that job because it won't pay for the really large house and new car they just bought. And here comes a poor mexican looking for work. He's real desperate and will work for just about anything. He sees a job. He takes the job. The pay is low but hey, at the end of the day he's richer then when he started. And he's happy about it. As for outsourcing jobs, capitalistic greed yet again. Labor is cheaper in other countries, cheaper labor means more profit.

6. Really, the only countries who we need to worry about nuking us is China and Russia. Unlike most smaller, more violent, countries who 'supposedly' have a nuke or two, these countries have a entire freaking arsenal of air mail just waiting to be sent. Let Iran nuke us. Let North Korea nuke us. We will bomb them to back before the stone age.

7. We have IMMUNE SYSTEMS for a reason people. Unlike most people, my immune systems gets a LOT of practice. Militarily speaking the average persons immune system has only a few pistols. My immune system has a fully efective air force, a navy comprised of nothing but battleships, a entire legion of troops armed with high powered assault rifles, and it currently in the progress of obtaining (Pardon the pun) nukes. When the next super bug comes around, my immune system will be waiting for it.

8. I can't really say much on this other than its a sick world out there.

As for 9 and 10 and can't really come up with a witty responce to them.

Refering to seven here: I agree we should rely more on our immune systems instead of medicine (that's why I refuse to take any) and I'm fine, I don't really get colds or flus :)

Ahaha...parents these days are too overprotective. As a kid, I never washed my hands before eating or after shaking someone's hand or using something that's heavily used by other people. I almost -never- get sick nowadays and I've had the flu only twice my entire life while I know people who get it EVERY YEAR. And I NEVER run fevers. :D

Wow I thought I was the only one who did that :).

 

[Livewire]

Ahaha...parents these days are too overprotective. As a kid, I never washed my hands before eating or after shaking someone's hand or using something that's heavily used by other people. I almost -never- get sick nowadays and I've had the flu only twice my entire life while I know people who get it EVERY YEAR. And I NEVER run fevers. :D

Back in my day, my parents used to let us run around outside an get messy and dirty, on purpose- One, because it was freakin rad, and two, it does boost you immune system, being exposed to pathogens in that manner insures that you build up a resistance.

But it's tricky. If and when I get sick, I always take my Antibiotics for the prescribed time. There's a reason the doctors tell you to finish your prescription antibiotics- the resistant forms of disease arise when people don't finish them, because the drugs haven't fully beat the disease yet, and the disease itself becomes resistant to the drug. x_x So follow doctor's orders on those.

 

[Mr. X]

As for the flu shots causing the flu, it's possible. The thing is, if it does happen, it's a MUCH MILDER flu attack than it would be without the shot. How would you like it if you were sick for 2 weeks and had a lousy voice for a month?

Falling unconsious and having a fever so high that you have to be put on ice isn't mild.

All the vaccine really is, is a dead virus. I guess my vaccine must have got exposed to the T-Virus or something.

 

[Griffinbane]

I never got sick as a kid, only started getting sick sometime during high school. Eh? My parents always shoved me and my brother off to school, whether we were running fevers or not. The nurse always called my dad to pick my brother home cuz of his fever. I was never that "lucky". Teachers always went "wtf?" because I was scrambling around like a little monkey while he obviously should be in bed, despite us always being around each other and sharing the same spoon and all that stuff. >_>

 

[Rich Boy Rob]

As for the flu shots causing the flu, it's possible. The thing is, if it does happen, it's a MUCH MILDER flu attack than it would be without the shot. How would you like it if you were sick for 2 weeks and had a lousy voice for a month?

Not really, the only way you can get flu at the same time as the vaccine is via coincidence. The vaccine gives you a dead (or rather 'inactive') viral strain, which cannot actually give you the disease, it simply 'trains' your white blood cells as it were.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Lol I'm feeling we are getting off topic xD so to bring this back to topic;
America needs to come together on some political middle ground we can't allow this split to continue as it's hurting our nation and ruining our progress.