digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

See the original image at newsweek.com

America’s Decline Is Largely Self-Inflicted

newsweek.com — In a month of horrific natural disasters it's instructive to consider what one of the biggest UNnatural disasters in memory looks like. That is the decline in America's position in the world from where we were when George W. Bush inherited power on Jan. 20, 2001.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • LewP, on 05/16/2008, -7/+34Dugg and submitted to the DDD. Good read...Front Page for this submission.
    • kaelyiesta, on 05/16/2008, -2/+3For the most part yes, but there are a few points that the author tries to slip by us with which I completely disagree. One in particular:

      "Junk economics—an excess of free-market fervor—infected the Federal Reserve and other regulators, who slumbered while Wall Street ran amok selling fraudulent mortgage securities to foreign markets."

      Free market ideology has absolutely nothing to do with what caused this mess. In fact, exactly the opposite. This is a common mistake, one that I feel necessary to correct time and time again for fear that if people swallow it, they will end up agreeing with policy that makes it worse. The entire notion that regulatory bodies somehow caused free market style failures in our economy is an oxymoron. It is by definition IMPOSSIBLE for regulatory bodies, artificially coercing economies to be in any way a part of the free market.

      This author gets it wrong like so many others. The current problems in our economy stemmed from corporatism. The trend to coerce markets, manipulate currency, bail out businesses that have made themselves necessary to the state, subsidize industries, pretend to regulate potential monopolies while actually helping them, all are actions directly opposed to the ideals of free markets. The fed et al. weren't asleep while the free market was 'running amok'. They were encouraging this *****.
    • Elranzer, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Jan. 20, 2001 is indeed the darkest day in American history. The day that liberty died.
  • tjClassic82, on 05/16/2008, -9/+51We definitely screwed ourselves, no doubt about it.. Great article.
    • vypergts, on 05/16/2008, -4/+13Don't blame me, I voted for the other guy.
      • MWeather, on 05/16/2008, -8/+1I'll blame you, because the other guy was only slightly better, and you only voted for him to beat the other guy. It's that kind of thinking that got us into this mess in the first place.
        • katiekatekate, on 05/16/2008, -1/+4So what was supposed to be done? There were only 2 guys to choose from. At least he voted.
        • MWeather, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Wow, just wow.
        • robthom, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1@ Katie, we need a tie breaker. A legitimate third party.
        • MWeather, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1There are plenty of legitimate third parties. The only reason nobody votes for them is because nobody votes for them. If we had runoff voting, I think you'd see Republicans and Democrats are seldom our first choice.
    • bsmang, on 05/16/2008, -4/+7Yeah... Bush and the morons who voted for him did it. Not me.
    • threelions66, on 05/16/2008, -6/+1You're an idiot, we my ass
    • itsfullofstars, on 05/16/2008, -1/+12We did do this to ourselves. It doesn't matter if we voted for the other guy. We didn't stand up and fight this like we should have. We just let it happen and hoped everything would work out. 8 years later...

      This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
      There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
      Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
      Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.
      Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.
      It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
      • felixsapiens, on 05/16/2008, -2/+1Woah. That was intense.

        But true!
    • rpgmaker, on 05/16/2008, -1/+4This is natural, no empire last forever but I don't think we will ever see the US on its knee (unless some WW happens in which the US loses in a really screwed up way) as some may think but their lead in several areas will be cut, kind of what is happening right now.
    • drmangrum, on 05/16/2008, -3/+3We haven't done ***** to ourselves. Bush's gang of miscreants have manipulated the system to a point where there isn't much we can do about it. The vast majority ( at least 78% last i looked ) are PISSED OFF with the direction our country has taken.
      WE didn't want anything to do with Iraq.
      WE didn't ask for a war.
      WE didn't like the idea of No Child Left Behind.
      Just about ever decision made by the current administration has been counter to what the American people wanted.

      America is far from a disaster. It will take 2 or 3 GOOD administrations to put us back where we were, but we're hardly irrelevant or marginalized.
  • yellownumber5, on 05/16/2008, -11/+33I'm sure Bush is still proud of the job he's done. All his friends got what they paid for. That smug grin tells it all.
    • rand0mm0nkey, on 05/16/2008, -5/+2It's not smug. That denotes an intelligent mind behind it.
      • brokensystem, on 05/16/2008, -0/+0Ha ha ha, that's a good one. If he's intelligent he's one of the biggest SOS ( bag of refuse) that ever walked the face of the earth. Anyone, ESPECIALLY a president, who would sell the country out for a buck the way the current administration is doing is a major scum bag. Greed mongering wall street, where everything is totally about the dollar is one thing, but a president should be at least somewhat concerned about the country in general not just the fat cats at the top of the money tree. The sad economic condition our country is currently in is mainly due to wall street and our crooked, corrupt government officials who cater to them.
        • Leomarth, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2But him being a bad person really has nothing to do with intelligence.
      • Olfster, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Are you serious?
  • orlyfactor, on 05/16/2008, -14/+4This is news?
    • tumatakuru, on 05/16/2008, -0/+5You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows
    • Fordi, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Considering that a year ago, this man would have been screamed at for "hating america"... well, it's not news as such, but it's definitely worth saying.
  • topace3000, on 05/16/2008, -6/+112"U.S. government literally broke down during the Bush years."

    Quite the opposite. The government came together splendidly to accomplish all sorts of idiotic things..
    • Apocrypha, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3Oh, how true and sad it is.
    • AlaskaLoneWolf, on 05/18/2008, -2/+1Just think about how much better things will get after the election....

      I'll put it this way: If you thought y2k was going to be rough, start pulling together resources and move to a place where you can actually live off the land if you have to.
  • Jus7in, on 05/16/2008, -6/+8With a title like that, MookiBlaylock wins the Captain Obvious Award.
    • slantyeyed, on 05/16/2008, -2/+2i don't think most people know who Mookie Blaylock really was.
      • TJ22, on 05/16/2008, -1/+0guard for atl hawks
      • Jwoey, on 05/16/2008, -1/+2who also holds the record for most steals in a college basketball game! And he achieved it twice!
      • TheSuperunknown, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3And Pearl Jam's original name.
  • Artimusbill, on 05/16/2008, -7/+40While I agree our situation is our own doing, it has been a process that started decades ago. This isn't a republican or democrat thing (imho, they are they same), we have allowed ourselves to be taken down political and social paths that we did not pay attention to, or even care about. We have been too busy with our own lives to pay attention to where we have been headed. The term asleep at the wheel comes to mind. Self inflicted wound also comes to mind.
    • wafla, on 05/16/2008, -16/+9I just love the "everybody sucks, not just Republicans" arguments.

      You can believe that Republicans and Democrats are the same, but that doesn't make it true. This is a Republican mess, thanks to a Republican rubber-stamp congress, and a Republican president. Take it on the chin.
    • chicofaraby, on 05/16/2008, -10/+9"this isn't a republican or democrat thing"

      Yes it is. The majority of Democrats in Congress in 2002 voted AGAINST giving George Bush permission to murder Iraqi civilians.
      • ytsejam29, on 05/16/2008, -2/+4You don't see them voting to stop giving him permission to murder Iraqi civilians now, do you?
        • chicofaraby, on 05/16/2008, -2/+5Wednesday, 2 May 2007, 00:18 GMT 01:18 UK
          US President George W Bush has vetoed a Congressional bill that would have linked war funding to a timetable for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

          http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6613141.stm

          Are they doing something? Yes. Are they doing enough? No. I don't like the Democrats and won't vote for them, but they aren't responsible for George Bush's crimes against humanity in Iraq.
    • Olfster, on 05/16/2008, -2/+3Sorry. Not everyone allowed it. I did not vote for this administration. The writing was on the wall the day this guy took office. You had to have been clueless to think that the last year of his term would not be a free for all. An awful lot of people were clued into how bad things could get after this guy and his leaders were through and those people did what they could to try to prevent it. Voted for Bush? I hope you enjoy filling your gas tank.
    • getbuzy, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3OK, "WE" does not include me.
  • nastronomical, on 05/16/2008, -51/+5Liberal anti-american propaganda...Buried!!!
    • Jenadae, on 05/16/2008, -1/+20You're going to be that guy waving the American flag from the curb in your new "top of the line" 8x8x4 UPS box wearing nothing but a diaper aren't you?
    • licnyc, on 05/16/2008, -2/+10Its sad its people like you that are the real traitors.
    • Chassit, on 05/16/2008, -0/+5It is ignorant (not to mention hypocritical) thinking like that which will continue to destroy this nation.
    • Infidelcastr0, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4Why do you hate America?
  • ekSD, on 05/16/2008, -10/+20You'd be surprised at how much power we still wield. It's not all about how much Bush has screwed us. It's also about the emergence of the European Union, China as a superpower, and the growing Middle Eastern wealth.

    Why can't we, as Americans, give up some power so that the rest of the world can enjoy some as well? To me, it just looks like power is being distributed more evenly thanks to advances in technology.

    But I won't deny that Bush screwed us all royally (unless, you know, you happen to own KBR).
    • mike17032, on 05/16/2008, -9/+4***** the idea of giving up any power.

      But other countries gaining power of their own is fine, thats different. The truth is that no other country is even close to us yet. China has a long, looooooong way to go and frankly I dont think they will ever get there. Its nothing we havnt seen before, countries just cant maintain the growth that China has over the long term. If all the counties in the EU need to band together to compete, thats fine too.
    • wufoo, on 05/16/2008, -1/+4I agree with you, but many will obviously not. It is easy to have a large self-interest, but it is harder (especially from the position of power) to say that things maybe aren't the way they should be. Power should never be concentrated. We despise governments that screw their people for their own benefit (including our own seemingly), but many fail to see that the U.S. has become dictator of the world, controlling other countries, as some countries control their people.
    • doubledowndan, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3I agree with you; redistribution of knowledge and wealth through modern technology. US may or may not wield as much power as it once did, but the global superpowers in this age transcend artificial national boundaries. The rich remain firmly in control, more so than ever, American or otherwise.
    • Olfster, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3You are right. There are alot of other things that come into play, and that is what the leadership needs to take into account to best position the country as a whole for the future. That is not what this administration has done. This administration took the knocks on the head and passed out bucket loads of cash to all their friends and business associates. As you mention, Non compete contracts anyone? I would argue that the majority of the US (outside of multinational corporations) could care less about how much power the US has. If it is all about power than those people should line up at the White House and volanteer to attack Iran themselves. The US is in decline. If Bush did not start the ball rolling, he sure did give it a hell of a push, all the while his friends made out very well. Where's my 'donkey' editor?
  • legendxx, on 05/16/2008, -24/+16Digger's will eat this ***** up. Nothing like another America is going to hell in a hand-basket - and there is nothing we can do about it - story to jolt diggers out of bed. Enough of how bad things are. Let's get back to our roots, roll up our sleeves, and fix the problems instead of crying about them.
    • marx2k, on 05/16/2008, -0/+151. Post on Digg
      2. ???
      3. Back to superpower!!11!
    • Jenadae, on 05/16/2008, -1/+5...says the fellow computer chair soap box warrior
    • VerticalEvent, on 05/16/2008, -1/+7Sounds good to me. But, before fixing the problems, you need to know where the problems lie, as well as the original causes, so not to repeat the same mistakes. There's no point in fixing something, if you're going to just break it again.

      Those who fail to learn from history, shall repeat it.
    • bsmang, on 05/16/2008, -1/+6We've tried but too many people just laugh or ignore us when we talk about impeachment.
    • TheSuperunknown, on 05/16/2008, -1/+4What article were you reading? This was about recognizing our mistakes and how we made them, not wallowing in them. Try to keep those knee-jerk reactions in check.
  • uselessexpert, on 05/16/2008, -8/+25It is sad to admit, but that article is dead on!
    Hopefully our next president will bring dignity back to this country and our government.
    • afruff23, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1You can't bring dignity to a system based on violence like taxes.
  • amightywind, on 05/16/2008, -30/+4Newsweek? Hasn't Rupert Murdoch bought that rag yet? George Gush has been a courageous Commander-in-Chief, and has implemented a heroic foreign policy. We must all fight to keep the simpleton Obama from undoing the progress. Luvya Dubya
    • Fullvinyl, on 05/16/2008, -2/+12Please just admit you forgot to use the sarcasm tag.
      • bsmang, on 05/16/2008, -2/+9He didn't forget it. He really does love Bush and hopes that America soon ceases to exist at all.
      • Fordi, on 05/16/2008, -2/+4He doesn't forget it. He's quite possibly the most successful political Poe on Digg - that is, despite not really meaning what he says, he *intentionally* omits it.
      • chicofaraby, on 05/16/2008, -1/+7A Mighty Wind is a satirical film by Christopher Guest. The poster by the same name is a satire of right wing stupidity.

        I hope.
        • amightywind, on 05/16/2008, -4/+3Christopher Guest movies are not just satirical, they are *lovingly* satirical. His characters, however absurd are vindicated and triumphant in the end. Consider the reunion of Nigel Tufnell and David St. Hubbins at the end of the 'Smell the Glove Tour', the victory of Jerry and Cookie Fleck at the Mayflower, and final performance of Mitch and Minny. These are not just satirical films.
    • rand0mm0nkey, on 05/16/2008, -2/+6Are you aware you used courageous and heroic to describe George? Then called Obama a simpleton? I do believe you are confused, sir. I perceive quite the opposite.
  • burketo, on 05/16/2008, -5/+10"decimating our once high moral stature around the world"
    actually i would say that the whole torture thing was treated with a sort of "only in america" attitude. i think the U.S.A's moral stature was not considered breathtrakingly high before bush due to the death penalty still being used. it's illegal in the EU and the main reason turkey isn't allowed to join. That is unless he is talking about further back, in which case i don't know but he is probably right.
    • mike17032, on 05/16/2008, -7/+2I could give a ***** about having the moral high ground and even less of a ***** about what the world thinks of our internal policies. The death penalty isnt leaving the US anytime soon, and I am glad we still have it.
      • LeRenard, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4My main opposition to the death penalty comes from the fact that it assumes it is somehow more justified for the government to kill than for private citizens. No matter how many arguments I read, I can't make logical sense of "Killing is against the law, break the law and you'll be killed." It's recursive.
    • FairDinkumMate, on 05/16/2008, -0/+6I wholeheartedly disagree. The rest of the world generally used to believe that when push came to shove, the US could be trusted & relied upon to do what was considered morally "the right thing". The US standing up for Taiwan(the little guy)against China. The situations in Kosovo(& surrounding regions), Haiti & Somalia are I think examples of where the US was seen to be using its power not to progress itself but to stop what it saw as morally reprehensible acts taking place. Had Iraq been a similar situation, maybe the outcome would have been different(& maybe the support greater internationally). Throw in Guantanomo Bay, Abu Ghraib, rendition and the like & suddenly a country that was once seen internationally as not just a military but a MORAL superpower had lost its shine.
      Sadly, I believe a large proportion of the world's population no longer trusts America to take the moral high ground and the biggest pity is that I believe this was where the US really was a SUPERPOWER in which its citizens stood proudly.
  • slantyeyed, on 05/16/2008, -11/+3Great headline, boring read. I think i'll read this again when I am having trouble falling asleep.
    • RonBurgundy76, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1Yeah, 'cuz it's not important or anything.
      /sarc
  • yaosio, on 05/16/2008, -15/+2Ah yes, a "decline" that does exist. I love manufactured news that's not based on reality.
    • wafla, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3Then you might not like this article, if you should ever read it.
    • Fordi, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2The United States is losing ground in terms of economics, education, infrastructure, worldwide political influence, individual responsibility, etc. Seriously, name a metric, and I'll bet we've lost a lot of it.

      That's not to say it's ALL Bush's fault - though he and his Administration are responsible for the policies that lost us a LOT of it.
  • DangerCollie, on 05/16/2008, -2/+22One of the hallmarks of the current administration and the right wing in general is an absolute inability to ever admit they messed up and accept responsibility. Not just in government, you can see the same thing in the business world. That's how someone like Ken Lay can swindle investors out of billions, be convicted of fraud and still look in the camera and, with a straight face, claim he did nothing wrong. He really believed it. Bush doesn't think he did anything wrong, Cheney certainly doesn't. They just can't ever be wrong, always someone else who's to blame. Right wing media is still trying to blame Democrats, Clinton and, failing that, suggest our current peril was inevitable. Well, our current situation isn't any more inevitable than the aftermath to Katrina. Slightly more than half of you voted for an incompetent boob who appoints people because they were partisan loyalists instead of competent managers. Now they desperately try to find validation for that poor choice by refusing to accept that was a mistake.
    • Fordi, on 05/16/2008, -3/+4The right wing is marked by an unreasonable connection to tradition and time-tested standards. To admit they're wrong is to admit that everything they stand for is wrong.

      Not saying that's an excuse, but probably stands as a good explanation as to why they shouldn't be listened to when they're failing.

      A major problem I have with this administration is the dumbing down and selective omissions of their public image so that everything's just 'going fine', 'doing well', etc. They intentionally ignore any potential negative feedback, and mostly for political reasons.

      As a programmer, I find this sort of behavior reprehensible; if you're ignoring the error messages, you're lining yourself up for a crash.
      • avengingturnip, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3NEO-conservatism has absolutely nothing to do with tradition. Hence the NEO part. When the Republicans rejected tradition they went off the rails.
        • Fordi, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2I agree with you mostly - but while the right wing is in large part neoconservative, much of its constituency is made up properly conservative individuals, and they do need addressed.

          You'll find that any hard line conservatism, neo-conservatism included, adhere to ideals without checking their conclusions and policy formulae against contemporary evidence. This isn't really a good way to do things.

          Meanwhile, liberalism appears to have the opposite problem: constantly discarding yesterday's conclusions and policy formulae in favor of new ideas, without checking to see if yesterday's stuff is still valid.

          People say that conservatives and liberals are all the same; I disagree. They may have similar levels of fallacy, but the reasons for this are decidedly different. The similarity fallacy, of course, comes with the level of cynicism that politicians are - rightly - viewed with.

          Overall, much of the political specturm needs a revision in technique. We need to research the impact of policy before invoking *or* discarding it. Any other method of deciding policy is just parrot-headed idealism in one direction or another.
    • Demener, on 05/16/2008, -1/+428% of us still support the moron. Proof that some people NEVER learn.
      Me? I voted against him twice. I'm in FL though, so my vote may have had some chads added and removed to swindle it over to Emperor Bush.
  • MrFurious2k, on 05/16/2008, -18/+4I find that the leftists (in Congress) are the biggest proponents in the decline of America. They've been advocating things like oil price increases for years. They're also a big reason why amnesty for illegals, increased tariffs, and eco-scares are common discussions now. Behind every bad policy is generally a leftist, socialist idea.

    Frankly, Bush was a moderate. Sad to say, he betrayed many Republicans and conservatives with his Ted Kennedy written school bills, abandonment of privatization of Social Security and school vouchers, and increasing the budget and size of government. He was on board with tariffs and protectionism and had little interest in stopping the flood of illegal immigration. Additionally he federalized airport screeners and created large, new entitlements! For all the railing people here will do against him, he was not particularly conservative. Free market, small limited government, and trusting the people to manage their own affairs was not something he really adhered to. A few tax cuts here and there don't make him conservative.
    • wafla, on 05/16/2008, -1/+4Republican president, Republican rubber-stamp congress, conservative supreme court -- obviously the 'leftists' are to blame.

      You guys might think you're being clever, but, honestly we saw this coming the moment the Republicans gained control of all three parts of government. Understanding right-wing incompetence and knowing all about right-wing finger-pointing, we "leftists" are sort of prepared against the crap you're starting to bring up.
    • Fordi, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2I hate to tell you this, mate, but the price of oil touches the price of virtually everything else. A jump in the price of oil directly devalues the US dollar, as a result.

      Liberal or conservative, this is established economic fact, and should be addressed. Bush failed to address this properly, and indeed exacerbated the problem. If you're looking to the decline of the US dollar, look to that.

      You may blame OPEC - but OPEC is not a political organization, they're an business organization. Negotiation with other oil buyers in the world would be enough to apply the correct market pressures to prevent their abuse - yet this isn't done. We negotiate with OPEC, OPEC makes promises that, as a business, they're not likely to keep, and we act all shocked when they don't keep them.

      I dunno. It seems like this supply-side economic planning is just ... stupid.
  • reddikilowatt, on 05/16/2008, -4/+20He looks like he was old enough to remember the 1970s. I remember the 1970s, and we have a long way to go before we reach that level of decline. The interesting thing is just how many people in the Bush administration were also in the Nixon administration. But from an economic standpoint, we are much more able to handle the high gas prices today than we were in the 1970s. Today we choose to get gas guzzler cars, but in the 1970s, we didn't have any choice... every car was a gas guzzler. In the 1970s, New York City went bankrupt and couldn't get a bail out "Ford to NYC - Drop Dead!" Today, most local economies are much better equipped to handle economic downturns thanks to a diversified workforce.

    The manufacturing base was falling apart. When the economy slowed, millions of people were put out of work. People burned foreign cars in parking lots (of course, some of those mobs were staged by the unions), and Jimmy Carter and Jerry Ford had nothing but gloom and doom to offer to the public.

    On the foreign front, the middle east was a mess, mostly due to Israel not getting along with her neighbors and the US policies in Iran.

    Oh, and global cooling was the big environmental message of the day. Seems all that smoke blowing into the sky was reflecting sunlight which was going to trigger a second ice age. The amount of garbage on the New Jersey Turnpike made an indian cry.

    Ok, so there area few similarities. But at least we don't have disco.

    Disco sucks!
    • ogiwij, on 05/16/2008, -3/+1funk you disco rules
    • gentoofan, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3well said, reddikilowatt
    • Infidelcastr0, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3A fair point, however what's replaced disco is far, far worse.
    • getbuzy, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3Disco does not suck.
      Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight!
  • chicofaraby, on 05/16/2008, -9/+39Yet another article in the goddamn corporate media that complains about the failure in Iraq as a failure of strategy, not a crime against humanity that it is. The problem isn't that Iraq was invaded poorly. The problem is the USA thinks it has the right to invade other nations. George Bush is a war criminal.
  • LukasSmith, on 05/16/2008, -10/+7Who actually thought the US could be top dog forever? You disfavor the mighty military action around the world, yet this action is the only thing keeping us top dog. You believe 5% of the world population (the US) can possibly overshadow the other 95%(the world). Americans eat 5 times as much as India and China, yet we complain when their consumption rises and so do food prices. We should see that the world will grow and prosper with or without us. Perhaps the Liberals should go speak to the British. Maybe learn what it means when the sun never sets on the British Empire. But wait the sun set. Seriously America grow up. You are 5% of the world consuming most of the world output living lives the other 95% could only dream of. Universal Healthcare they cry. They can only dream of $2 a day wage in some parts of the world. What are you crying about? Your insensitivity, your lack of concern, that is the real crime here. You might also place the blame for the growing hatred of this 5% at your own feet. Because thats where it belongs.
    • LeRenard, on 05/16/2008, -0/+14You twit, "The sun never sets on the British Empire" was not in reference to its longevity, it was a reference to the fact that the British Empire was so large that it encompassed the globe. There was always a portion of the Empire in sunlight. They were bragging about size, half-wit. By the way, no one is preventing you from selling all your possessions, eating less, and generally reducing your standard of living to that of the third world. If you are going to point fingers, you should at least lead by example. Something tells me your just the stereotypical American suburban hippy douche though.
      • LukasSmith, on 05/16/2008, -3/+1You are a twit my friend. I was refering to the American Empire twit. The empire that consumes the world. Though I suppose I also was illustrating how this empire will not last just like the British one.
    • RonBurgundy76, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2Look out for the buries... even though you are right for the most part.
    • roodammy44, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3The roman empire lasted over 1000 years, it is possible.
      I think technology is speeding up the rise and fall of empires more than ever before, Hitler was able to take a broken country and make it a power that only the rest of the world combined could destroy.
      Leadership is what makes and breaks countries, and the problem with America right now is that it has an idiot for a president.
      Your comparing the poverty of other countries in the world with America's is irrelevant, not just for the fact that universal healthcare is generally cheaper for a country than insurance.
      The fact we have it so good in the west is mainly down to governmental institutions that have been built up over the years that stop a lot of the corruption and educate us well enough to impose culture or empire on others.
  • Bloodwine, on 05/16/2008, -3/+14This is what happens when you put short-minded fools in positions of power. This goes for both politicians and businessmen.
    • RonBurgundy76, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4I don't think they're short-minded at all. They're getting exactly what they want.
  • lgfaphile, on 05/16/2008, -12/+6Another hand-wringing America loathing corner of the media heard from. America will do just fine thank you and by the way, Bush didn't "inherit" power, he was elected. The author's bias is a bit too obvious here, but I am sure the Digg "inteligentsia" will add this latest drivvle to the front page.
    • wafla, on 05/16/2008, -2/+2Look up the meaning of "inherit." Study this sentence: "Obama is going to inherit a big mess." Spelling: "intelligentsia", "drivel." Lastly, "America loathing" should be "America-loathing" to be properly wrong. You get maybe 60 out of 100.

      You can't be bitter about losing something if you didn't love it in the first place. How come you're not bitter about the last 7 years?


    • TJ22, on 05/16/2008, -2/+2elected? thats debateable.
      • RonBurgundy76, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1Not if you want to debate on the truth. He was handed the presidency by the courts.
    • RonBurgundy76, on 05/16/2008, -3/+1lgfaphile, you're a moron. Pull your head out of your anus.

      Also, it's spelled 'drivel'. Drivel.

      And intelligentsia. It has 2 l's. Like intelligent. Which you have failed to be this morning.
    • lgfaphile, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3@Ron: Thanks for that needlessly personal response. Now as to substance, it isn't debatable, even the Miami Herald, which actually counted the hanging chad riddled ballots themselves, concluded Bush won. As to all the other "intelligentsia", thanks for making my point and correcting my spelling. By the way, TJ22, check your spelling of debatable...you members of the "intelligentsia" are supposed to get your spelling and other nits right the first time.
      • wafla, on 05/16/2008, -2/+0Here's someone who spews out "hand-wringing America loathing [so-and-so]", but whines when someone directs the same venom back at him. Typical right-wing stuff: they can give it but they can't take it. One little push back, and they start sounding like a bully who got knocked to the ground.
      • lgfaphile, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3@wafla:

        Your comment is ridiculous. I was commenting on the posted article, many of the lefties here made personal attacks in response to my comment. So get real and pay attention to what you say.
  • hokie47, on 05/16/2008, -8/+17Let me summarize it for you. Bush ***** us over.
  • leapa, on 05/16/2008, -3/+5I most definitely agree with most of what Mr. Hirsh is saying here. Where I would like to see the conversation go is... Why? Why would this deceit, (intentional) neglect, manipulation, robbery, etc. take place on Bushes part. How exactly did it benefit him and his cronies? I understand about his family being long time enemies of Saddam, but I’m sure there must be much more than that (i.e. money, oil, contracts, kickbacks, etc.). I'd like to follow all the substantial money of everything affected by the Bushies over the last 8 years to exactly & precisely uncover what we all know is true. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck – It’s probably a duck. For Bush we can just replace the word “duck” with “criminal”.

    Please allow me to end posing a final question here, which I’m sure can be answered by someone in this forum rather easily; I remember hearing that Bush was trying to pardon himself and his cronies from ever being prosecuted of war crimes before he leaves office.... Please tell me that didn't happen and justice does still have a chance. He needs to be prosecuted.

    What he’s done to America is beyond criminal. Although I particularly liked what his father did, I’m now willing to believe that his father was simply better at manipulating and covering up than he. The Bush family & Co. will go down in history as the largest scammers ever to grace our earth and the main force behind catastrophic criminal declination of our country. Next in line is the FED Reserve.
  • mrjoshua28, on 05/16/2008, -11/+3Congratulations to the author for having 20-20 hindsight... what a feat. He just eloquently said what everyone thinks about events that cannot be changed... who gives a *****? Just like orlyfactor said before being dugg down... this isn't news.
  • uselessexpert, on 05/16/2008, -1/+15I found this to be a good quote:
    "As most countries saw it, taking on the "root cause" of Al Qaeda by targeting Arab tyranny a thousand miles away from the enemy—while the terrorist network continued to flourish in Afghanistan and Pakistan—was like holding a conference on fire safety while your house is still burning down."

    I think, actually this administration has done that a lot in the past seven years.

    • Tracon, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2One thing to note however. Most Iraq's are Persian not Arab. Might help if you know there different history's and differences between them. Its not like knowing is half the battle or anything.
  • flaknugget, on 05/16/2008, -4/+8When a country votes for a disaster, twice. Foreign support and sympathy is more difficult to come by.
    • Demener, on 05/16/2008, -2/+12000 was rigged and 2004... I shake my head at all the people I know who actually fell for his lies.
      • dougzerx, on 05/16/2008, -0/+12004 was rigged too .. .remember ken blackwell?
  • Fanboy88, on 05/16/2008, -5/+10The difference between China's response to the earthquake in Sichuan and the USA response to Hurricane Katrina says it all. The USA is now the armpit of first world civilization.

  • VinceNoir, on 05/16/2008, -4/+14I've been saying this since 2001. "America is slipping into global irrelevance. When it's all done, no one will be ready to accept what's happened but it will be too late. Thanks to the insatiable greed of corrupt American business, America is damaged for the next few generations".
    • DestroyFascism, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1After the baking scam i doubt many would want to deal with American companies if they can avoid it. (Kinda like a box of chocolates)
  • bionh, on 05/16/2008, -8/+1america is fine, learn to play
    • RonBurgundy76, on 05/16/2008, -1/+2America, as it stands, is headed for disaster. Learn to read.
  • HubbertWins, on 05/16/2008, -8/+5Meh, 10 minutes after Bush is gone, no one will care. Life in this country isn't 10% different than it was when Bush took office and it won't be much different 3 presidents from now. Things just don't change that quickly...all the drama queens aside.
    • Demener, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3You keep telling yourself that. The recession is in the first stages, once the 'stimulus' runs out we'll be going downhill pretty hard.
  • LeRenard, on 05/16/2008, -2/+3I think we've figured out that things aren't going well. When are these articles going to start talking about how we fix the problems? Bush will be gone in 8 months, who will you blame everything on then?
    • chicofaraby, on 05/16/2008, -3/+3" Bush will be gone in 8 months, who will you blame everything on then?"

      George Bush. No one else ordered the murder of Iraqi civilians.
    • saigumi, on 05/16/2008, -1/+4Well, Republicans, duh...

      I mean, heck, Democrats in charge of congress promised us 100 hours that would change things if we elected them in. It has been 2 freaking years and the only promise they gave us was a minimum wage increase, just after giving themselves a plump pay raise. Yet, somehow every single Democrat supporter slobbering like gibbering idiots during those elections that crammed it down our throats that things would change have since completely forgotten about those promises that were made. They have the power right now to effect change, mold our gov't in their image, yet they aren't. And, who do they blame? Bush.

      I blame them.
    • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1I won't blame anybody. I only blame Bush for Bush problems. Sadly, I blame him for A LOT! When he's gone, I will blame the next guy for his failings, and I have no doubt there will be some. God willing, though, the disasters will come only once a year or so, instead of every week.

      It's not the fact that he makes mistakes that is so annoying. Its the number and magnitude of the mistakes that has gotten tiresome.
  • lunaire, on 05/16/2008, -4/+6This article made me very sad. If only we didn't have an idiot as president
  • s32843, on 05/16/2008, -0/+11i believe the main problem in america is media. information the general public received is carefully modulated or manipulated by various interest groups. many americans do not see the whole picture of virtual all issues.
    • Demener, on 05/16/2008, -0/+5Still some don't believe the evidence when it is presented to them.
  • Metasquares, on 05/16/2008, -1/+16Bush is a symptom, not the cause. Our culture has become stagnant and complacent, the ideals that this country was founded upon all but discarded by its people in favor of the pointless posturing that goes on during elections. The checks and balances of our political system were subverted long ago by party politics. The government itself has grown so large that it has very much lost its purpose of serving the people - but the people don't care. Worst of all, science, mathematics, art, literature, *thought* - the cornerstones of human progress - are not only considered someone else's job, but are considered things to be somehow ashamed of pursuing (hence Bush, who "relates to the average American"). If you believe what they say, the proper role and the ultimate purpose of an average American citizen right now is to work most of the day, spend that money buying frivolities, and spend whatever time they have left reading about the latest celebrity to get thrown in jail or the latest person to get thrown off of American Idol.

    To be short, we're doomed by our own superficiality and unwillingness to think. We're in the Information age - thought is more important than it ever was - but as a country, we'd prefer to let someone else handle it.

    But it's not as if the country is going to completely collapse, or be invaded by Canada or anything. It's a quiet decline into the sort of status Britain and France have now - still first world, but no longer at the forefront. It still stands to be livable.

    It was inevitable, just as the decline of the USA's successor will be inevitable. But it didn't have to happen this soon.
    • Infidelcastr0, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1The first paragraph of what you said was Apsitively-Posolutely right, I hope your right about the livable part though, given that we seem to be losing our rights and freedoms one by one, things aren't lookin that great.
    • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Fantastic analysis. Couldn't agree more. Especially with the 'unwillingness to think' part. That is the bulk of the problem. Being smart has become 'elite.' And we just can't have that.
  • fatfreddyscat, on 05/16/2008, -5/+6gas was a 1.47 before george and dick
    • ytsejam29, on 05/16/2008, -0/+5Hell, it was under a dollar in 2000.
    • DevilInPgh, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4And it could be argued that it was undervalued in 2000. That being said, yeah, Bush/Cheney made things a lot worse with respect to fuel prices and failing to invest in alternative resources.
  • DestroyFascism, on 05/16/2008, -6/+10GW Bush + neo Cons = Nut cases
    General American = Gutless puppet.

    The man standing in front of the tank after a few thousand were mowed down in cold blood in China (Tienanmen square) has more balls than most Americans.
    • Demener, on 05/16/2008, -0/+6That man has more balls than 99% of people, so that pretty much goes without saying.
    • jerrycurley, on 05/16/2008, -2/+0The opinions of RonPaulians like yourself don't matter. You HAVE to realize this by now.
  • gkiltz, on 05/16/2008, -6/+4George W Bush has been blamed for everything from obesity to sexual deviancy to dirty socks!
    All of which were around for centuries before he was born. The real decline started in the 1960s when the birth rate started to drop! It will continue well into the population decline, which will come no later than 2050!
    • FairDinkumMate, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Get a grip - please provide details on the "population decline" in the US. The US has had ONE year of negative population growth in the past 100 years - in 1918.
      The US population is forecast to continue growing up until & beyond 2050.
      Current US population = 304,100,000
      Forecast US population in 2050 = 419,854,000
      Source: US Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/population
      Gotta love you right wingers & your absolute abhorrence of FACTS in your comments
  • whalt, on 05/16/2008, -1/+9What!? You mean we can't just blame all our problems on foreigners? That's a pretty defeatist attitude. I say we try harder. When Americans come together there is nothing we can't blame on someone else.
    • maybach, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1I had to read this a couple of times to understand it - looks like there's some wry - and true - humor in there, although I'm not sure if it was really intended...
    • bioskope, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1dont worry you are doing a good job of it, even now. Case and point, Bush's assertion that India and China are causing the scarcity of grains.
  • wynja, on 05/16/2008, -2/+5Self-Inflicted implies that I had something to do with this BS. I've protested; I've voted against the bastards running the show; I've called my Senator and Representative and told them what I think they should be doing; I've done everything but pick up a gun and start shooting people. It's made no ***** difference.... maybe it's time for the latter option.
    • jerrycurley, on 05/16/2008, -2/+1PLEASE do that! It will be so nice for everyne, including your family, when you are gunned down in a hail of bullets.
      • wynja, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1***** you, you jerry curl piece of *****. Go die in a ***** fire somewhere.
  • johnvid, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3When he got voted in, I would imagine all the sane people thought something bad would happen, but what is even worse is, we all know he is just a puppet and all the people behind him are at fault too.
  • markgl, on 05/16/2008, -5/+5America, greatest country ever. up's and down's but I won't talk bad about my country ever.
    • imahussey, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3The writer is not talking bad about our country, he is explaining the ignorance of our politicians.
    • NickH29, on 05/16/2008, -2/+1That's the mentality of a pacifist, someone who never criticizes his own country.
    • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2It's the mentality of a fool is what it is. If my kid pissed on the back of this genius's head during a movie and I didn't discipline the unruly child he'd think I'm a poor parent who doesn't love his child.

      And he'd be right.

      Dimwits always say why do you always bitch about America? Why don't you ever talk about what other countries do? That answer is: I love America and I give a ***** about it. I don't give a ***** about Iran, or China or whoever the bad boy of the moment is. I want the best for America and I could give a damn about these other places.
  • noseeme, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4I strongly disapprove of the Bush administration, but we don't have to be first or best in everything or anything. As long as much of the populous as possible is happy and content (much of it isn't right now), we're good enough. Remember, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
  • JMellissa, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2I totally agree with the refinement that it has largely been at the hands of politicians the populace has either elected or failed to block from office.
  • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3This is the biggest 'NO *****' ever! Surely I wasn't the only one to notice things like: George Bush, going to Walmart to save 30% of an items price at 95% of it's quality, George Bush, the gutting of our infrastructure to benefit 'the free market' (ie, letting big business loot all our tax money), George Bush, the virtual canonization of the dregs who join the military then do nothing but complain (see Carrier on PBS)...

    ... Oh yeah, did I mention George Bush?
    • jerrycurley, on 05/16/2008, -0/+0Yeah...the Aquafresh I buy at Walmart is only 5% as effective at cleaning my teeth as the Aquafresh bought at a mom and pop market. Same with the Perdue chicken, the Cheerios, the Sony TV, etc.
      • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2It's good to hear you actually have Aquafresh. You should use it more often.

        Are you saying I'm not right? Or are you just a nasty bitch who popped up to throw stones.
        • jerrycurley, on 05/17/2008, -0/+0Wow...you must be the hit of 3rd grade with that comeback.

          Yes...I am saying you are not right. A lot of the things sold at Walmart are EXACTLY the same things sold anywhere else.

          Are you saying that the Aquafresh I buy at Walmart for 40% less cost is any less effective than the Aquafresh I buy at, say, CVS?
        • RogueGenius, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1No, but I will say you can only get Aquafresh as long as they can get a deal on it. If they can't, goodbye Aquafresh. Doubt me? Check out something less popular. A particular brand of can salmon, for example. You'll get it for a few months, then it's gone.

          Now walk down those other isles and tell me what you see? Cheap lead coated Chinese crap they wouldn't think of selling to their own people. But they can sell it here. Why? Because Americans will accept any old ***** as long as it's cheap. And if anyone speaks out about online they get sniped by snarky bitches. I weap for America.
  • NickH29, on 05/16/2008, -1/+5I agree with this article.
    “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.” -W. Durant
    What does it mean to love your country? Too many so called patriots who support policies that have led to our decline say they are the real Americans. They call those who stand up against corruption, pacifists and traitors.









  • LastVisibleDog, on 05/16/2008, -9/+6Michael Hirsh is a lefty loony that does not even understand how the government works - check out this brain-fart:

    "Congress went to sleep while the administration ran up record deficits."

    Michael Hirsh is a moron. The administration DID NOT run up record deficits because the executive branch does not have the authority to spend. Truth is even Michael knows he is lying - most likely he is lying because he knows the mind-numbed leftist sheeple (like the Digg Democrat Children) will eat up whatever male bovine fecal matter he feeds them.

    Clearly "America got fatter and more spoiled ONLY in the last 8 years" is one of the stupitist leftest nonsense statements I have heard is a long time.

    Eat it up leftest sheeple - hate yourself - self-loathing is the Democrat way.
    • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3Wow. Sounds like Hirsh really struck a cord. Nothing stings like the truth, does it?

      You are right about one thing, though. It was the Republican congress who approved every moronic appropriation the idiot Bush asked for, and the weakling Democrats didn't fight it, at least not very hard. Still, it was the Republicans fault.

      Odd that the only time the economy was good in the last thirty years was when Clinton was in office.
      • LastVisibleDog, on 05/16/2008, -2/+1Then Michael Hirsh delievers absolutely no sting. What stings is stupidity - both yours and Michael Hirsh's, If Hirsh does not understand how the government works, why are you lefty loonies eating up the bovine feces he is feeding you? In the words of Algore "Stupid is as stupid does" - or was that Forest Gump - you can't tell those two apart.

        I think you have forgot the last term - the two years of complete Democrat control of congress. The economy went down the tubes since the Democrats controlled congress - that one has got to sting.

        You are a complete moron if you think the only time the economy was good in the last 30 years was when Bill Clinton was getting blow-jobs from fat employees when he was supposed to be working - that is the height of blind sheepleness - if you are that stupid, debate is impossible - run along leftist sheeple.
        • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1So we've established that I'm a moron and nothing else. Typical.

          Paragraph one... you said nothing. I'm uneducated, where as you... well, you've seen forest gump. Congratulations.

          Paragraph two: No. Bush inherited the greatest economy of any nation in the history of the world. He bankrupted the government within six months, BEFORE 9/11 (if your VAST education doesn't supply the numbers, go look it up yourself. It's all on the Internet, or in the Wall Street Journal - hardly a 'leftie' rag.) And the whole economy has been sliding down the tank for the last six years (again, check for yourself -- I don't need to, despite my lack of a Gump education I'm a savvy investor and I know my portfolio is progressing poorly.) You are damn skippy that the dems are a dismal failure on the 'doing anything at all front.' You have, of course, assumed I'm a democrat because I hate the republican failure machine -- but I don't have your HUGE education in chocolate boxes and shrimp, so I'm just too damn dumb to know that if one party sucks the other must be great. But I will say this much in favor of the dems -- They didn't fix it, but it took six years of republican control to really ***** things up. Dems haven't been part of the solution but at least they weren't the problem.

          Paragraph three: Uh, have you been alive though the last 30 years? Because my recollection is Johnson screwed up the FDR economy, Nixon made it worse, Carter might as well not even been there, Reagan was a disaster, passing an insurmountable debt to Bush 1, who did nothing, then under Clinton all the problems were solved, the economy was great and the deficit was completely handled. It took your boy less than six months to ***** it back up worse than ever.

          So shove those FACTS up your chocolate box.
    • Infidelcastr0, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1You may wanna explain your reasoning here.
      • LastVisibleDog, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1Read the Constitution. Learn how the government works. Then, apologize for your stupidity.
  • s32843, on 05/16/2008, -0/+5as long as money is the main issue for politicians to get elected, america's deline will continue. why? because money can buy a government!
  • Butros, on 05/16/2008, -5/+4Credit Crisis was not Bush's fault, jesus people...
    • Infidelcastr0, on 05/16/2008, -2/+3Bush failed to anticipate it and act upon it. Markets need regulation, as well as moral hazard, or they become irresponsible, If the right had everything their way there would be no regulation at all.
      • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2He didn't cause the problem, but he is a hinderance to it's solution. If we tried to regulate the industry he'd go all 'gospel according to St. Friedman' on us and veto it. So, yes. Bush is not free of blame, though he wouldn't be near the top of the list of villains.
      • Stevanoski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Canada, America's Baseball Cap. They afraid USA will rollover in its sleep and crush them.
  • SilverBlade2k, on 05/16/2008, -2/+7Constantly borrowing from China against our children and grandchildren, getting involved in 2 wars that may never end, and a 3rd on the way (Iran), the falling dollar and the high price of gas.

    What did you yankees think would happen when Bush was voted not once, but twice?
    • saigumi, on 05/16/2008, -1/+3We figured the Canada would step up to the plate and take over keeping the world safe. You know, broker peace and all that. Have you submitted UN resolutions to get the US out of Iraq? Embargoed any freight and close your borders from American imports? Gave the US a stern talking to?

      No? Sounds to me you are like our Congress, then. Just letting Bush do whatever the hell he wants. Complacency is pretty damn close to acceptance.
    • Infidelcastr0, on 05/16/2008, -1/+2Many of us pretty much knew what would happen...... we voted too, but some Americans are more equal than others.
      • RogueGenius, on 05/16/2008, -1/+1Got to remember, most of us 'yankees' didn't vote for him either time (He lost my vote at 'Jesus' - quite early in the first campaign). He was appointed by the supreme court the first time, and he won fair and square the second time; though he still lost the actual vote by a large margin, he won the electoral votes he needed - it's a fluke of the system. A shame, but something we have to live with.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 63 of 63 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.