@Alderian That would mean Europe is long past that point.

I'd say we're in a period of upheaval and change. Doesn't have to lead to a decline. I don't think that's been decided yet.

The history of Rome was not a rise and decline but had long periods of up and down.

There's certainly a rough leveling coming, but America will never be Denmark. Barring a total economic collapse in the US which would destroy pretty much everything everywhere I think the future will be something like the old balance of power in Europe but on a global scale with the US and China at the forefront.

All America really needs to do is raise taxes and cut the worst of its spending. I still have enough faith in the system that both of these will get done before the real disaster comes.

Yes, Invictus said there needs to be some kind of tax hike.

Im Happy........until i realise that the USA will be replaced by China, ouch, thats going to hurt.

You also need to take into account that the US is not a small country like the UK, or France trying to control a large empire with modest population and resource base. The US has alot of resources of it's own to draw on. Russia would be a better comparison. It has gone through two major up heavels during the 20th century, plus a major invasion, and still is a major world power, and has an underestimated potental.

@sean- if you're scared that china is going to replace us then convince the government to stop trading with them and don't let them buy our debt then the us economy will crash and the chinese economy will crash and the japanese economy will crash as well as the rest of the world and then we can all start over :)

If that happened we'd all start eating each other.

@akilies I don't think so, the future is always is built on the past. Europe after the dark ages was built on ideals of old Rome.

If thinks get as bad as eating each other the nucs will take of everything.

@warsprite- well we will just have to build on the ideals of old rome again :) or were you saying "no" to the face that if we stop trading with china everything will fail?

No to the ideal that we can ever completely start from scratch.

China may not become the great power many predict. With their western agriculture areas drying up, massive pollution, corruption, monolithic goverment, and unrest in the western areas they have alot to overcome. We may end up paying are debt off in grain with China being happy about it.

"Yes, Invictus said there needs to be some kind of tax hike."

HOLY SHI--

*dies*

@warsprite- then yes you are correct, we never truely start from scratch only a new base to start from.
i really don't think china will become the massive power especially cause they keep buying our debt which keeps there products very cheap for us

Goldman Sachs, Exxon, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Blackwater, Walmart, and Google are all ascendant... does that count? (I see corporations continuing to gain power over governments and over media... slowly, inexorably)