I’m just as bearish about the entire economy as you are. The United States is basically bankrupt. The only reason we still operate, is because the gov’t is cash flow positive. How is this? Borrowing. Who are we borrowing money from? Japan and China. Happen to read any news lately about China? They’ve basically told Bush they would use nukes on us if we stepped to China if they try to take back Taiwan. The U.S. is on a clear decline from superpower status. The comfortable, paper-pushing middle management jobs are going overseas. The party has been sustained the past 3-4 years from massive personal and gov’t borrowing. The housing boom allowed people to pull out tons of cash to buy SUVs with ‘Support Our Troops’ stickers on them. Now they will be left upside down in massive mortgages, as their homes decline in value.

Build an Arc – the waters are about to flow.

A decline of the US is ok by me, if that means evolution. I go back to one of my favorite quotes. Thomas Paine once said – “Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are without regard to place or person. My country is the world; and my religion is to do good. All of mankind are my brethren.” In this light, this country may decline while at the same time my country – the world – may transform for the better.

Any definition of successful progress to a new system of social order must first break the boundaries of its predecessor. So if as a country, the United States, is the place where that boundary will be broken it is all the better for us and it makes sense that it would be here first. We have the resources to survive such an event.

I do relish the idea that the reason why we are declining is because of not having a strong central leader. I believe that our strongest leaders are ourselves – that we are born to govern ourselves and that when we are at our best we are capable of it. However, I am of the mind that there are still many chances to avoid a decline and instead involve ourselves in a transition from the excesses and abuses we are currently bemoaning as progressive minded people.

In fact that is our responsibility as people of privilege. I would challenge that our luxury and knowledge provide us with the ability to really look into the questions that are put forward here. Not only in preparation for a disastrous decline, but also a transition to a more life centered value system (as opposed to a monetary value system). I remain convinced that this transition can not come from a single strong leader. It is a transition that must be created by each of us.

During Gandhi’s revolution, people took on the simple act of learning to make their own clothes and their own salt. He knew that the experience of doing for one’s self would teach both self reliance and responsibility. More than this it created a sense of empowerment on a very basic level.

A big leap here – but related – I think before dismissing “corporate” systems we should note that there is much more viability in terms of a global community inherent in models of business than in the more archaic models of government. I have recently picked up a book called Collaborative Entrepreneurship – it espouses the closest thing I have ever seen to a functioning anarchistic yet highly productive and socially responsible. It is as clear a next step as I have seen.

I for one am tired of lack of imagination in both the existing governmental models as well as in the rebel anarchists who would tear things down. We are here. We have worked hard to get here and there is much good in building from here. So yeah let’s learn some new skills and make this transition as quickly, as painlessly and as responsibly as possible.