What other countries think of "US"

[ABushismaDay]

It's nice to see that outsourcing is really working.


'Why the US should be worried'

Uma Shankar Sathya Kumar

London, January 4, 2007



You always think that the United States of America is the only real superpower in the current world. Well… soon you may have to rethink about it. The "real superpower" title is going to become the mother of all lies and conspiracy theories that the world have had ever known. Don't accept it? Read the following facts and think again:

From the beginning of this 21st century, the United States is facing competition from beyond its borders as well as internal difficulties. Its lower and middle class families are slowly turning out to be the biggest losers of current globalisation. The United States, like ancient Rome, is beginning to be plagued by the limits of its power.

The current globalisation is heavily affecting its economy. In fact, the US has actively promoted the worldwide exchange of commodities like no other nation, and the result is that their local manufacturing industries have begun to be eroded.

Some manufacturing sectors such as furniture, consumer electronics, automobile part suppliers and computer manufacturers have had left the country for good. In the recent past, free trade has primarily benefited the very rival countries that are now mounting a heavy economic offence on the United States and the rival countries have cut off a large slice of America's global market share.

The financial position of the United States has declined dramatically in the last 15 years. The US federal budget is in the deep red, adding to America's dependency on debt.

The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is wiping out loads of dollars from US treasury. A government functioning so irresponsible with no sense of the prosperity of its own country and people is not really a superpower in any sense.

Almost no one is saving any money in the United States today. Saving rates are very low or negative. The US debt grows by about $1.5 billion every weekday and has now reached about $6.5 trillion dollars. Private household debt has reached $11 trillion and 50 per cent of these debts have been incurred since 1998. The Americans are enjoying the present spending spree at the cost of their own future and future generations. The fact is that the expanding consumer debt drives the US economy.

In the near future, many US citizens may have to face harsh reality like a poverty-stricken, third world family, living from hand to mouth situation without any kind of financial reserves whatsoever. The imminent economic crisis is waiting to happen in the US and will be the most thoroughly predicted one in recent human history. People spending so irresponsible with no sense of the prosperity of the country is not a superpower.

Half the world is very impressed by the low levels of unemployment in the United States. Only the other half clearly knows very well that these statistics may be the result of a voluntary telephone survey. Is working just ten hours per week enough for one to be classified as "employed"? The US statistics is usually intended to create more positive image and opinion than about its actual condition. The net reality is that the US job growth rate is falling behind its own population growth.

A country that cannot create jobs for its own population is not a superpower.

Today, the United State's biggest bankers are China and Japan, both of whom could cause the United States very serious financial problems, if they wish to do so at any time. Roughly 27 per cent of the government bonds issued by the US treasury are held by China and Japan. That's why US doesn't complain much about China and Japan.

A country whose financial affairs are in the hands of foreigners is not a superpower.

The US is heavily dependent on overseas imports of manufactured goods and oil, including advanced technology products. In 2006, US dependency on imports was thrice as large as US dependency on imported crude oil. "No country or economy can survive by importing nearly 80 per cent of manufactured goods and oil from overseas. In fact, no society in the history had ever survived in excessive imports and offshoring manufacturing. Almost every country in the world now exports products to the United States without purchasing an equivalent amount of US goods in return. The United States can't even achieve a trade surplus in its trade with less developed national economies like those of Ukraine and Ghana. Everyday, container ships arrive in the US - and after they unload the goods at American ports, many return home empty.

A country that imports even matchsticks can't be a superpower.

After the near erosion of all manufacturing sectors, the US is rapidly increasing its dependency on imports of advanced technology products and medical equipments.

A country that depends on import of advanced technology products is not a superpower.

The priority of US military expenditure has created a growing deficit that has creating major problems in public welfare benefits and education. Foreign loans have provided essential support to the dollar but the dollar is declining and so is that support. As the largest debtor nation the US will have to be more conciliatory to its creditors, and China is one of the biggest, for they will eventually and perhaps quite soon switch from the dollar to a new reserve currency for international trade. At that time, the US economy and it's credit standing will plunge all together.

A very striking fact is that the net increase in aging US population will make all the difference. About 17 per cent of the US population is over 55 years old and 23 per cent is over 40 years. There are millions of Americans who don't have any kind of health insurance.

A country that can't even provide free basic healthcare to its citizens can't be superpower.

With US school students increasingly shunning mathematics and the science subjects, United State's image of global technology leader will soon become history.

A country which depends on "foreign brains" to be technology leader can't be a superpower.

Leading technology companies such as Xerox, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, GE, Google are moving their Research and Development projects out of US is the one and only evidence needed to prove that the US will not be superpower in this century.

The US was founded on the principles of equality and freedom of expression for all race and religion. Whites don't like blacks, blacks don't like whites, whites don't like hispanics, hispanics don't like whites. The statement that "US is a melting pot" is indeed a pot full of lies.

A country with racial inequality can't be a superpower.

What did "Hurricane Katrina's message" to all Americans and the rest of the world? There is also a Somalia or Sudan is within the great United States of America. The US government took five days to respond after all was out of control.

A government, which is too lazy to protect it's own citizens and lie to them that they are safe can't be superpower.

"You are either with us or against us" and by launching a war of aggression on the basis of lies and fabricated "intelligence", the Bush regime violated the Nuremberg standard code established by the UN and international laws. By going to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, many US military companies owned by the politicians must have made billions in profit.

Thus, a land of liars can't be the land of superpower.

Extensive civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction in Iraq, along with the torture of detainees in concentration camps and an ever-changing excuse for the war, have destroyed the moral qualities that provided diplomatic foundation for America's superpower status. A country that is no longer respected and which promises yet more war isolates itself from cooperation from the rest of the world.

An isolated country in the world will never be a superpower.

A country that fears small, distant countries such as North Korea and Iran to such an extent that it want to use military in place of diplomatic means is not a superpower.

US politicians think that the US is still a superpower because of its military weapons and nuclear missiles. However, as the Iraqi resistance has demonstrated that the United State's superior military power is not enough to prevail in fourth generation warfare.

The reality is that the US is not a superpower at all.

The US is the only country in the world to have used nuclear weapons against a country and killing thousands of innocent sleeping Japanese civilians. If six decades after nuking Japan, the US again warns to the use of nuclear weapons on Iran, it will only establish itself as a criminal state under the control of insane Americans.

If the US foreign policy and foreign relations doesn't change totally, any sympathy that might still exist in rest of the world for the United States would soon disappear in the years to come, and the world would unite against the US.

A country against which the world is united is not a superpower.

The land of the great American dream, land of opportunities, land of creations, land of all enterprises, land of wealth, land of future-minded people, land of racial equality, America is revered by many. However, America is not the same after 9/11, not even for the Americans, America is still the same after 9/11 tragedy.

If one were to go by the theory of Ibne-Khuldun, a 12th century Arabic scholar from Morocco whose writings was compiled in the book "Muqqadima", theorises that all civilisations in this world usually will have a life span of approx 300 years before totally fading out. Some civilisations after they fade away become dead civilisation like Aztec and Mayan. Others like Persian, Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, etc, are living civilisations capable of rising again and again.

This might create a stir, but by this account USA has gone past its zenith and could be on the decline now.

The present US leads the world in divorce, crime and immorality. It is a country, which is actually waiting for total economical, social and lifestyle disaster. The United States is too engrossed in power obsession to ever have the will to revive and remain as a real democratic country for its own citizens. It won't be long before the US will have to face grim reality of the future.

The day is not so far ahead when the world historians and world history will remember the US as 'once a superpower'.

[XtremeJibber2001]

It's nice to see that outsourcing is really working.


'Why the US should be worried'

Uma Shankar Sathya Kumar

London, January 4, 2007

You always think that the United States of America is the only real superpower in the current world. Well… soon you may have to rethink about it. The "real superpower" title is going to become the mother of all lies and conspiracy theories that the world have had ever known. Don't accept it? Read the following facts and think again:

From the beginning of this 21st century, the United States is facing competition from beyond its borders as well as internal difficulties. Its lower and middle class families are slowly turning out to be the biggest losers of current globalisation. The United States, like ancient Rome, is beginning to be plagued by the limits of its power.

The current globalisation is heavily affecting its economy. In fact, the US has actively promoted the worldwide exchange of commodities like no other nation, and the result is that their local manufacturing industries have begun to be eroded.

Some manufacturing sectors such as furniture, consumer electronics, automobile part suppliers and computer manufacturers have had left the country for good. In the recent past, free trade has primarily benefited the very rival countries that are now mounting a heavy economic offence on the United States and the rival countries have cut off a large slice of America's global market share.

The financial position of the United States has declined dramatically in the last 15 years. The US federal budget is in the deep red, adding to America's dependency on debt.

The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is wiping out loads of dollars from US treasury. A government functioning so irresponsible with no sense of the prosperity of its own country and people is not really a superpower in any sense.

Almost no one is saving any money in the United States today.

Three spelling errors and one blatant lie ... and I've only reached the beginning of the seventh paragraph.

Nothing more to read, move along.

[KBL Ed]

Um, XJ2k, they spell some words differently in the UK. And that last statement is not a lie; the savings rate is a joke in this country.

Nevertheless, that piece is very amatuerish. Note that Bushism did not cite the source of the article. Some hack's blog, perhaps?

[ABushismaDay]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1887880,0093.htm

Please note that I did not write this piece, it was written by a foreigner. It's definately an opinion piece, but I thought it was interesting to see what other think of us, especially since we are surging their economy with outsourced jobs.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Um, XJ2k, they spell some words differently in the UK. And that last statement is not a lie; the savings rate is a joke in this country.

Nevertheless, that piece is very amatuerish. Note that Bushism did not cite the source of the article. Some hack's blog, perhaps?

I know they spell words differently in the UK, but I was not aware of these two ... considering the article is obviously geared for an American audience, I was surprised.

On another note, it is not accurate to state "almost no one in the US is saving".

But today, the roles of pensions and 401(k) plans have reversed: most workers (62.7 percent) are covered by 401(k) plans and only a small percentage (19.2 percent) is covered solely by a pension plan.

[KBL Ed]

401k plans are just one element of savings. The overall savings rate has been NEGATIVE since 2005.

Also, 401k plans are meant for retirement. The old model of employers funding pension plans is fading away, and individuals are now taking on more of the retirement planning burden. It is not relevant here to discuss whether this is a good or bad thing. However, I think we can agree this is really a *shift* in pension responsibilities, not an *increase* in the savings rate.

Finally, just because most workers are "covered" by a 401k plan, doesn't mean they are putting anywhere near what they should be.

[Bubba]

401k plans are just one element of savings. The overall savings rate has been NEGATIVE since 2005.

Also, 401k plans are meant for retirement. The old model of employers funding pension plans is fading away, and individuals are now taking on more of the retirement planning burden. It is not relevant here to discuss whether this is a good or bad thing. However, I think we can agree this is really a *shift* in pension responsibilities, not an *increase* in the savings rate.

Finally, just because most workers are "covered" by a 401k plan, doesn't mean they are putting anywhere near what they should be.

I don't know if the official savings rate includes 401K plans and other stuff like that.

[KBL Ed]

I don't know if the official savings rate includes 401K plans and other stuff like that.

It depends how you define it, but it is still nothing.

[XtremeJibber2001]

I don't know if the official savings rate includes 401K plans and other stuff like that.

It depends how you define it, but it is still nothing.

We don't know what these amateurs meant. I save 10% of my pay for retirement. If worse comes to worse I can use this money if need be. If you count 401k's in total US citizens saving, it would be in the black, I'm sure.

As far as "doesn't mean they are putting anywhere near what they should be." ... that's really not our nor the gov'ts problem. I couldn't tell you how many of my buddies don't put money in a 401k Why, because they're blind to the facts ... even though I've laid out everything they need.

As far as savings is generally, I agree a 401K isn't enough. However, each person choses their own destiny .. they can spend and save wisely or get fcuked when they get older, want to buy a house, have to send their kids to school, because they were ignorant. Either way, it's not my responsibility or the gov'ts to tell us what to do nor bail us out for being ignorant.

[DMC_Freeride]

each person choses their own destiny .. they can spend and save wisely or get fcuked when they get older, want to buy a house, have to send their kids to school, because they were ignorant. Either way, it's not my responsibility or the gov'ts to tell us what to do nor bail us out for being ignorant.

Ignorant?? What a friggin horrible thing to say about the struggling people...
How about just poor.. Or under-educated?

You simplify things to the point of nauseum sometimes...

If your so ready to plaster these people as ignorant.. Why don't you break it down?
Do you think that all this debt is spent on plasma TVs???
Could it be possible that people are forced to use debt to provide for their kids? To put food on the table? To put gas in the car? To pay for daycare? or healthcare? I could go on...

[XtremeJibber2001]

each person choses their own destiny .. they can spend and save wisely or get fcuked when they get older, want to buy a house, have to send their kids to school, because they were ignorant. Either way, it's not my responsibility or the gov'ts to tell us what to do nor bail us out for being ignorant.

Ignorant?? What a friggin horrible thing to say about the struggling people...
How about just poor.. Or under-educated?

You simplify things to the point of nauseum sometimes...

If your so ready to plaster these people as ignorant.. Why don't you break it down?
Do you think that all this debt is spent on plasma TVs???
Could it be possible that people are forced to use debt to provide for their kids? To put food on the table? To put gas in the car? To pay for daycare? or healthcare? I could go on...

Well ... I didn't specifically place the label on struggling people, but since I generalized, I guess I can see how you came to that conclusion.

You're right, sometimes I do. Not sure why, perhaps it's the online environment and I don't always have the time/desire to write a lot.

- Some people are. Ever driven through Camden? These people are living in the slums, yet the have DirectTV dishes on their homes, drive Cadillac Escalades, etc. I worked with a woman from Camden for a few years, she lived in the slums and she always told me about the people struggling all around her, but she'd tell me they always have the best TV's, most expensive cars, and their kids suffer. She told me to work hard and spend wisely so I didn't end-up the same. She worked three jobs and barely got sleep. She lived ini the ghetto's of Camden, but she worked hard to put her kids through private schools so they can get out. What am I trying to say? Sometimes hard work is needed to change your lifestyle. Some of the poor people use any money they have to lease Escalades, run-up large bills on their credit cards, and satellite TV. These people are living close, if not below the poverty line. Should I feel bad for these people because they're struggling due to poor financial choices? Maybe, maybe not. This is the case for thousands of struggling citizens living throughout the US. However, in some cases, the people living on the street are really those that need help. I rambled some, hope that makes sense?

Sometimes people have kids when they shouldn't or have too many kids. Also, some people decide to bang without a rubber. Some of these people have kids to get more money from the government.

The problem is .. how do we distinguish those with a genuine need compared to those that make poor financial decisions, choose to drop out of school, or enjoy exploiting the gov't?

I'm all for helping those that are genuinely struggling, but without controls, we're wasting money that could be given to people that really need it.

[DMC_Freeride]

Some of the poor people use any money they have to lease Escalades, run-up large bills on their credit cards, and satellite TV.

Some rich people defraud major companies and drain retirement plans too... Some people are just assholes..

Most parents want to give their kids as much as possible to make their lives better..

If Chase or CityGroup gives poor people the oppurtunity for a credit card then maybe they should just stop....

You put food in front of someone thats hungry and they will eat it...

[XtremeJibber2001]

You put food in front of someone thats hungry and they will eat it...

And if those that eat ... eat to much ... it's my fault for giving them the food and not taking it away soon enough?

When you're full, you stop eating, if you eat more then you can handle and get sick, that's you're problem.

As for the rich people exploiting the gov't and other, I'm against that just as well. We need more controls or we need less gov't programs.

[DMC_Freeride]

You put food in front of someone thats hungry and they will eat it...

And if those that eat ... eat to much ... it's my fault for giving them the food and not taking it away soon enough?

When you're full, you stop eating, if you eat more then you can handle and get sick, that's you're problem.

How much is too much food for someone that has none..?

Are you insinuating that all poor people are glutenous?

[XtremeJibber2001]

You put food in front of someone thats hungry and they will eat it...

And if those that eat ... eat to much ... it's my fault for giving them the food and not taking it away soon enough?

When you're full, you stop eating, if you eat more then you can handle and get sick, that's you're problem.

How much is too much food for someone that has none..?

Are you insinuating that all poor people are glutenous?

Your first point doesn't apply, many of these people have the food, but eat any that comes their way ... even if they made $100K a year, it's my guesstimate that they would remain in poverty because of their continuous poor financial decisions.

Yes, precisely. These individuals have such poor knowledge of money that they spend anything they get. Throwing money at the problem like we have been, solves nothing.