A Darker Future For Us

This sounds like a typical pro-Obama article. A way to support his anti-"Joe the plumber" message. Get real! This is really grabbing for straws!

Mr. Samuleson makes a coherent argument for belt tightening, but he misses a few important points.

"Economic growth has anchored our national self-esteem; slower growth suggests a grumpier and more contentious America." Grumpier and more contentious would seem to be a given - so many people are scared, angry and confused by the economic events of the last few months and so many fear the worst is yet to come.

"Unfortunately, slower growth seems probable. " Slower growth isn't what people are afraid of - going backwards is what they fear. For many, too many, the economic "boom" of the last few years never materialized; even before gas prices hit the roof, a hefty percentage of people were struggling to make ends meet. Talk of new cars, vacations, big television sets - out of reach for many.

Too many of our young people are 22 and already struggling under the burden of large college loans, too many of our elderly can't cover their medical costs, too many of our working poor are working 2 and 3 jobs and still falling behind.

For these folks, there was never any affluence to lose.

For too many, getting ahead won't be the concern: not drowning will be the concern.

Largescale concentrated solar power (CSP) is the solution! Plain and simple. Sure, Americans will still have to consume less but the jobs lossed to less consumption (Chinise?) will be made up for in the creation of the only form of UNLIMITED renewable energy that can store heat for on demand power for days! By simply using oversized mirror fields that covers only a 1/4 the space of land that all roads do, America can lead the world to preventing death by fossil fueled depletion!

Just say Yes on Solar !

It's true that some people live more extravagantly than they should, and the last post was a practical suggestion. But read the article again. He says that Americans can't do it because it's not how we view ourselves. That's not how we think. Americans are convinced that we can live on credit and charge whatever we want. There would have to be a major psychological change for us, in order to really scale back.

And to the rest of you, why do you keep pasting the same tired old garbage on these sites? No one wants to read it, but you just cut and paste it over and over and over. If you don't have something new to say, don't bother wasting your time.

Why talk about the future of affluence when it is non-sustainable and already near death?

Isn???t extravagant affluence the main culprit of the current economic upheavals?

There is just not enough energy (or for that matter essential raw materials) in this world if all the 6.5 billion people were to lead an average American???s or European???s life-style. The incessant crave for instant and immediate better standard of living for many throughout the world in the past few decades had sent all kinds of prices spiraling upwards beyond control. Yet the gap between the rich and the poor keeps widening to an unbelievable extent.

The world (especially the West) must learn to live simply and lead a thrifty and humble life. Believe it or not, there just aren???t any other alternatives. Unless some one would want to see the planet deteriorates into chaos and anarchy.
(Tan Boon Tee, btt1943@yahoo.com)

It is purely Mother Nature at work here. Human population has DOUBLED IN JUST THE PAST 50 YEARS!
while the animals are down across-the-board over 30 % and nearly 25% of all animals on Earth are on the brink of extinction ---- this is a time of great change in the entire system of LIFE ITSELF ---
the effects manifest themselves in various ways, such as the financial turmoil .

The article suggests darker days are ahead, hell the dark days are here right now.
28% of America is now below the poverty level, a number that has steadily risen for the last eight years.
159,000 lost jobs just in September alone.
I have to laugh at the oft asked question "are you better off than you were 4 years ago" the fact is Americans are not better off than they were 40 years ago.
The Republicans have pushed working folks to ever lower wages a process started by Nixon and advanced by Reagan and Bush.
Those who heeded Nixon???s decree that America is a "service Economy" now find those who might use their services can no longer afford them, and are joining the ranks of poverty level existence themselves.
As Obama stated the economic pain has just moved up from the bottom, and it continues to rise.
Clinton gave us a brief respite but the Republicans have had control of the white house thirty out of the last forty years to advance the decline of the middle class in their incessant drive for lower wages.
Stupidly perhaps, since they seem unable to grasp the fact those people pushed to lower economic existence are the ???missing consumers" they keep looking for.
As long as people keep voting against their own best interests and those of the rest of America, we will continue on the road to a third world look alike.
It is possible Obama given time can turn it around, but if McCain is elected the downhill slide will continue just as it would if any Republican is put into office, but for some strange reason people like being treated like they were mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed bullsh*t. while having their pockets picked.

Hey check out this cool story from Kansas City Newspaper:
http://voices.kansascity.com/node/2613

[nawawimohamad]"The US will grow stronger because the whole financial world depends on the US for growth and survival." Excellent point and one I believe is not mentioned enough. Didn't we see this last month? When our economy began to tank all major economies began to take action and were affected. It sounds like you are saying that we need to maintain a strong dollar, and if so, I would agree with you. A weak dollar doesn't help out anyone either. When you are expected to pay 5x normal to stay at a hotel in Rome, Americans don't or won't travel as much. The unanticipated growth in exports up by 3.3% in September was directly attributed to the weak dollar, i.e. foreign currency bought much more. Not sure what the best exchange rate for our currency would be, but if I had to guess it would probably be 1:1, against the Euro, for example. Interesting stuff though, and great post!

We are in an economic revolution.These are man made recessions.The rich pukes in this country are scared to compete against the workers whom they have benefited off of.The richest people in this country are the least deserving.We are now in a society where if you work hard you are not gauranteed to get ahead or even get by for that matter.All blue collar workers do not look for another job ask why all the jobs you have already worked in the last 30years did not retire you.I will never work for the big corporates ever again if anything I will work to see them fail.They think they can retire there great grand children off our backs.Like the great band Krokus sang EAT THE RICH EAT THE RICH OUT OF THE PALACE AND INTO THE DITCH.

Dear Mr. Samuelson: I know that Newsweek is not doing too well, and perhaps this is a stress on you and your outlook. It is obvious you have talent and this is a very well written article, but there isn't anything new here, and I believe many American's would agree with me. I am looking at other articles from Newsweek and they all have the same theme, "WE ARE SUNK". If Newsweek wants to continue this tone there's not much you can do about that, but IMHO you would do better to look elsewhere and give your talent a chance to shine. It is so dark and gloomy in this corner of virtual space you'd probably get fired for writing something up-beat! Good luck in whatever you do!

*BTW, for the sake of contrast to your skills take a look at Washington Post. My apologies if you have friends there but that is really junk literature and writing. I am in no way lumping you in with such people, who should do better with a career change...

The US will grow stronger because the whole financial world depends on the US for growth and survival. The US has long been surviving on deficits and it is not wrong to say that the US has no money in its treasury. Since the US has been able to go from strength to strength without any money it will be able continue to do so with the support of the entire financial world. The only thing that the next US president must do is to continue protecting the dollar.

The doomsday will happen when the entire world has no more trust in the US dollar which is unlikely to happen if there are no other alternatives. But if every country starts to do trade using their own individual currency then that will be a diifferent scenario.

"The bad news is that recovery, though boosting employment, may prove unsatisfying. Our new economic era may lapse into a state of 'affluent deprivation.' That's an unfamiliar term." Yeah, because you just made it up. Socialism isn't a new term, but you would not have the guts, or knowledge, to use it. I am excited about what the future holds in store, for me and my family. Why? Because for one I choose to be, and for another it has become an ingrained habit. My fellow American's ... don't listen/read this stuff. The economy has baffled these doom-n-gloom elite because it is based on capitalism; the freedom we have to choose who/where/what to work for; the belief that private ownership is possible; and the knowledge that regardless of the circumstances we do care for one another as well as those not as fortunate in other nations. Globally speaking, other countries are also optimistic as Socialism has lost its luster and they too have freedoms consistent with democracy and capitalism. We have come a long way since Adam Smith and his ideas captured in the 'Wealth of Nations', but then again not so far after all. Marxism is dead and along with it what would truly be a 'Darker Future' for us, Socialism. As you continue to enjoy the freedoms resulting directly from your choices, remember those who are hurting - and not merely financially. Know go "progress" ... to the four corners of the world and beyond !! God Bless!

"The bad news is that recovery, though boosting employment, may prove unsatisfying. Our new economic era may lapse into a state of 'affluent deprivation.' That's an unfamiliar term." Yeah, because you just made it up. Socialism isn't a new term, but you would not have the guts, or knowledge, to use it. I am excited about what the future holds in store, for me and my family. Why? Because for one I choose to be, and for another it has become an ingrained habit. My fellow American's ... don't listen/read this stuff. The economy has baffled these doom-n-gloom elite because it is based on capitalism; the freedom we have to choose who/where/what to work for; the belief that private ownership is possible; and the knowledge that regardless of the circumstances we do care for one another as well as those not as fortunate in other nations. Globally speaking, other countries are also optimistic as Socialism has lost its luster and they too have freedoms consistent with democracy and capitalism. We have come a long way since Adam Smith and his ideas captured in the 'Wealth of Nations', but then again not so far after all. Marxism is dead and along with it what would truly be a 'Darker Future' for us, Socialism. As you continue to enjoy the freedoms resulting directly from your choices, remember those who are hurting - and not merely financially. Know go "progress" ... to the four corners of the world and beyond !! God Bless!

The problem with Obama is a simple one. One association does not a radical make. But in Obama's case, the list of left-wing radical mentors and associates is seemingly endless, (Davis, Ayers, Wright, Khalidi , etc., etc.) with a new revelation practically every day. With that, a picture begins to emerge, and that picture is that Obama is as steeped, not in just left-wing political thought, but in radical left-wing and race ideology, to the same extent that Pat Robertson was steeped in the ideology of the radical Religious Right. I would not have voted for Pat Robertson for dog catcher, and for similar reasons, I will not vote for Obama.

DICK CHENEY ENDORSES MCCAIN/PALIN

Thanks Goodness! He waited so long I was beginning to worry that he would be one of the many high-profile Republicans endorsing Obama!

www.RepublicansForObama.com