(Not) Sexy Pillow Talk

Do you know what kept Jon and I up late last night? (Great intro, huh. And, no, it isn't THAT kind of post...) The demise of the United States as a super power. Here is a list, in no particular order, of the things that are keeping me up (night 2 - it's currently 12:13 am):

1. Political correctness: The fear of offending a few in the name of the greater good is preventing real dialogue and therefore real solutions to economic and domestic security issues. Seriously. Thumb through An Inconvenient Book and Freakonomics.


2. Social security: I am NO expert, but it does NOT take a genius to recognize that burying our heads in the sand is not a viable solution. Over the next 15 years, baby boomers are going to be retiring...like flies. Between social security benefits and medicare (and myriad other social care programs that may be enacted if - breathe in, breathe out - Hillary or Obama is elected), our nation, particularly the middle class - sorry Hillary - will be bankrupt.


3. Universal health care: Jon and I differ on this one. I'm afraid that the people who will be most adversely affected by universal health coverage are the ones who will be footing the bill either without the benefits of said program or with lower overall benefits. Less for more. And for whom? The middle class. Jon is okay with a lowered standard of care because he thinks that Americans are too obsessed with living forever anyway. "So what if I don't a get a liver transplant? I die. So what? IT'S THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS," he says. Health care is sticky, sticky.
   
4. NAFTA: Will someone, ANYONE, please explain to me how it makes sense for the overall health of OUR nation's economy to have our exports disproportionately taxed compared to our imports from reciprocating nations? Aside from creating a nation of consumers?


5. Border security: The terrorist argument on this one is what finally won me over. The porous nature of our borders make us susceptible to a wide range of foreign threats from disgruntled Jihadists to waves of illegal immigrants burdening underfunded hospitals and schools. Yes, like the revocation of NAFTA, decreasing illegal immigration would increase the cost of living (or...perhaps...consuming?) in the US. However, those costs - I think - could EVENTUALLY be recuperated from lowered costs in social programs.


6. Educating to Death: And the whole college for all thing? It makes me crazy. It reminds of a line in a movie classic: "...when everyone is special, no one is." (The Incredibles.) And it seems to me that if our nation's children need YET ANOTHER 4 years of education to prepare them for successful life in America, then maybe we should be taking a closer look at what is going so amiss in elementary and secondary education.


7. Flat Tax: Again, will someone cite a reason - other than the special interest lobby for tax attorneys - why we haven't gone this route?


8. The fall of the Roman Empire: If you want your blood to run cold - and aren't up for a movie in the Saw series (ew) - read about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Then compare to what you see in the United States. Special interest groups, pandering to the masses, greater good undermined by self-interest, insecure borders/military over diversification...it's all there.


9. Fuel: No solutions here...only abject fear.


10. United Nations: Seriously, why do we bother? Check the UN voting record as it relates to supporting the United States.


11. Criminal justice: Don't even get me started. In a sociology class I took, there were deterrent elements that are lacking in current system: public, swift, certain, and severe.

Really, I think that our nation's demise will come from a combination of sources: outsourcing jobs - see The World is Flat (cheaper today can be really expensive tomorrow)/NAFTA (goods), oil shortages especially as China and India gain critical mass and the middle east continues to be unstable, gutting the middle class by over-taxation and skilled job loss, and short-sighted, self-interested government. Ok, I got that off my chest. I guess I'll be off to J. Crew now...