Name/City

Jorge, New York City

Chris, El Paso

Dasha, Shepherdsville Dowell

Ed.... London.

Renee

Henry Wavely Ny

John in Memphis, TN

Sherry - Rancho Palos Verdes

Jess Torrington ct

Tom - Flint, Michigan

Harry, Bremerton WA

Keith - South Sioux City

Nikki, Houston, Texas

Robert St. Petersburg Florida

Hans Tempe Arizona

Shannon from Goose Creek, SC. Michael, Columbia, MD

Steve, Jonesboro

Mike, Michigan City

Karen....Spokane

Jennifer,Pegram Tn

John in Santa Monica

Ben, Phoenix

Deborah - Exton, PA

Rich from San Francisco

Maeve/Chicago

Vagabond

Jonathan, Seattle

Pete NYC

Matthew Kent,WA

Patrick, El Cajon CA

Barbara Brandt, Ewing Township

Michael Houston

Ismael, Miami

Victor, Red Rock, Tx.

Matt Lubbock, TX

Rich from Matawan NJ

Justin, Manalapan

Ryan (Brownstown, MI) Guy Springfield IL

Greenbank, WA

Larry, Portland, Oregon

KATHY/ Wellington

Gina, Kea'au, Hawai'i

Gus Denver

Nathaniel- Charlotte, NC

Wes - Nashville, TN

Las Vegas, NV Grant

Will Bryan, Oh

Soumik, Sydney

Lila, Oklahoma City

Kevin

Adam Madison, WI

Michael, Denver

Nick Detroit

Chase- Asheville, NC

Dave, Salt Lake City

Roxie

Rock Island, IL

Errin of Louisville

Ben, Long Island, NY

Julia, Boston. Mass.

Jason, Austin TX

Andrew, Shelby Township

Arlene in Monticello

William Indianapolis

Judy, Round Rock

yes

Shelley, Colorado Springs, CO

Ron

Robert Wilmington, NC

Lindsey, Pittsburgh

Ben West New York, NJ

Rodger, Las Vegas

jill -- Minneapolis

jill -- Minneapolis

Mike, Carmichael, ca

William in Los Angeles

San fran

Chris, Orlando

Marc, Arlington, Texas

Eric

Frank ,. Valparaiso

Mark, Paramus NJ

David, Tulsa

Cathy

David, Milwaukee

RationalAdult

Joey, Portland, OR

Patrick Boston MA

Lorton, VA

LeeAnn, Orlando

Michael, Joliet, IL

Jill, Wilmington

Joseph; Vandalia, Ohio

Jonathan. From Baltimore, Living in Tel Aviv. chris Sacramento

Ben Chandler, AZ

Are Americas best days behind it? Why or why not? (Feel free to throw in some interesting data, links, or a story that you think particularly defines your answer.) An emphatic NO to this notion! Americas best days are still to bear fruit as soon as we understand that a handful of Elites ruling us weren't our best days and will never be in the future. We must grab power away from Elites who are insensitive to the needs of the common person. And put power and opportunities back in the hands of those who aren't as power hungry! The thing that I detest most about Elites is their vulgar desire to stay away from common people as if they are deadly germs. No one on Earth should be allowed to behave in such a way and the greatest Nation on Earth should be the first to set an example of inclusion of all rather than exclusion of the poorer. One of my favorite authors on this topic is Kevin Philips 'American Theocracy', who delineates how Elites using religion and overreaching with military might as well as coddling the financial classes, were responsible for the fall of five of our greatest Empires.. Roman, Spanish, French, Dutch and British. The USA doesn't need to be Empirical. Not financially or geographically. We can maintain greatness by being altruistic and nurturing, not only to our own countrymen/women but to others around the world also. I don't think it's an issue of the U.S.'s best days being behind it. I think it is a question of global proportions. Nations fall because of concentration of wealth, resource destruction leading to imperialism and over-extension, and massive corruption. The sector of our society that causes most corruption is the business/corporate sector. Corporations, world-wide, have become the new center of wealth-concentration and resource destruction. They are also actively undermining rule by the people in favor of corporatocracy. So, to answer the question, unless corporate corruption and influence is curtailed, yes, our glory days are gone.

Are America's best days behind it? Honestly, it sure feels like it. The evidence supports my intuitions, and then some. Just take a look at the wealth gap - the income inequality, and wealth inequality numbers are surreal. Extractionism, indeed. We could discuss the military-industrial complex, the collusion of big gov and big business, abject poverty, anti-democracy legislation signed into law, education numbers (science!) and so on. Surely our Democracy Index numbers will keep dropping as well do to our monetary system in general and the gloomy outlook on our future civil liberties. All of our failings, add up together - and create this synergistic dark wave that is engulfing us inch by inch. Our government is failing, is highly partisan and completely bought. I could keep going on and on but I'm preaching to the choir. Also, there is a certain kind of toxic point of view taught to us from early on that takes the focus away from communities, families, society, - the collective - if you will, and urges us to focus on ourselves, and the pure pursuit of money. To leave on a positive note, I personally believe there are solutions at our fingertips for most of our systemic problems. Our collective consciousness is growing every day, and great ideas are pervasive; people are thinking about the whole world as one - eventually this love will outshine the lust of personal gain as a number one priority or need. We can use globalization towards a better world. The world is at our fingertips as we type - let's not forget that. We can use hotspotting and other evidence-based ways of thinking to get out of problems. We can "get money out," we can overcome political labels and create a more direct democracy. We need to occupy every corner of our hearts and souls (also streets and cities if that's what you're into) and really decide on what kind of country we want to live in. We can, eventually, create better days, and a generation that can again say "our best days are yet to come." - Patrick

I grew up believing in the American Dream. I have a graduate degree, and own a home. I almost lost the home in loan mod hell, and I am under no delusion that my children will be homeowners. The American Dream is dead. To an extent, the better days are over. I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel for at least the next 20 years. We have much to overcome with our society. But, then again, technology is playing a major part in our elections and our world in general. But, if our presidential candidates would stop being so full of themselves, and actually start doing what they're saying, we may actually get more done. No, because we're going to get Dylan into the oval office... The certainty in the question is ironically the problem with the perception of where America is today. When were America's best days? And at whose expense? The native Americans? Slaves? Old Europe? WW2? The era of Jim Crow? The Reagan or Clinton years were not appreciated as 'the best days' by their political and ideological opponents, foreign AND domestic. So whose America are you referring to? When this question is answered, then the answer may be given. However, when you factor in how more self aware and in most cases, empowered, we all are as individuals and as members of which ever tribe we choose or do represent, then the answer becomes if even less certain.... or relevant.

We live in this country with hope and trust in our leaders. We live with a false reality that they are looking for the benefit of others,this country,it's people. Even though the wealthy increase their Pot of Gold, we assume that it will trickle down to those who live with the false hope of earning a living. But, now if your eyes are wide open you can see that our leaders have led us to an edge where we will all just hang on for life,as they push us off. Does NOT matter what political party you are 'with',don't be fooled. again America will only move foward once we are willing to understand that we are part of a world economy. The major problem today is our lack of knowledge about what other countries ( our competitors) are doing. We worry more about religious squabbles then economic challenges and forget about moving to educate ourselves in the the economy of the future,nor do we seem worried about it.As the era of large government is over so is the possibilty of small governmwent a wistful unrealistic dream ,there must be a third way if America has a future orif not it ends up like the UK a meadering listless society of elitists and their perceived minnions. No! I do not believe, nor do I accept that America's best days have happened yet! I think what is occuring is similar to "a market correction", as they say on Wall Street. What I'm observing is that people are starting to gather the facts and are ready to throw out the "less is more" charlatans and get on with the business of being the great and innovative country that the rest of the world admires! Remember "I Love Lucy"? They reminded me of my grandparents, good neighbors who knew the people in the building and had a small community of close friends, even the ones they fought with were still a part of the community. We have seem to lost that aspect of community in our current era. That is why it is so much easier to dismiss the misery of others as something that has nothing to do with us. We isolate ourselves and convince ourselves that it doesn't touch our life. When "Ricky" was having trouble with his rent...his landlord, "Fred" got involved. And even though he might have gotten angry and demanded his rent, he still had not lost his compassion...his humanity, as it were. Today, the corporate executives who make the tough and "greedy" decisions do not have to face the ones whose lives they effect. They send the word down from the top and "write-up" or fire any employee who does not comply. There is no interaction, there is no sense of community. And any employee who makes the mistake of having compassion, still has no power and they need their jobs too. We fail because we forget the most basic premise of humanity...a saying that my mother taught me long ago..."there, but for the grace of God, go I." We could succeed again, if we could learn to care for one another. I hope it is not too late. Americas best days are only behind us if we decide they are. We as a people must join together and no longer tolerate the debacle that our political system has become. Enough with special interests and concern over personal bank accounts and job titles of elected officials. Stand up for what is right and good or vacate your seat in congress for someone who will

Americans are a free people, with a deep history of entrepreneurship and a drive to make life better for themselves and their children. Our universities and private companies engaged in research are unparalleled incubators of new ideas and new technologies. In the past, when faced with difficult problems, we have worked together to solve them. Present challenges - environmental, social, economic - may be severe, but when it comes to rewarding initiative and keeping government responsive to the citizens (the two factors Acemoglu and Robinson identify as most important), we are still better at it than anyone. As long as we remain pragmatic, and approach the problems based on good, empirical assessments rather than through any ideological lens, we will do well. I live in a city hit as hard as any by the current economic mess, and I see all sorts of reasons around me not just for hope, but for optimism, coming down, in the end, to the American people. One final point: the question really should be asked from a global perspective, since in the end we will not do well unless the world as a whole does well. The best days are behind us, we are no longer a free people. We no longer seem to have a national goal any longer, other than get rich and get rich quick. We had the Space Race in the 60's to bring us together. Now we have nothing to replace it with. We have a broken economic model, a broken political model, most everything in the US is now broken, due to really poor regulations. I know that big business loves regulations. They help stifle real competition. We are just flat out a broken country now.

If a nation were free to adapt to change it would only suffer temporary setbacks before it adjusted course and moved forward. The problem for our nation is the many powers that have an investment in the very structural problems that have lead us to where we are. As long as our version of capitalism allows short term profit to dictate long term social-economic policy we will not find the impetus to alter our path. Other nations, less dictated to by business, will adjust their policies to meet the needs of their citizens and the businesses that work within those nations will adjust to the changed demands while we suffer the economic costs of being mired in past practices and policies. We have allowed the cart to overtake the horse and it will cause us to lose the race for the future for both our citizens and business. I look forward to reading Mr. Acemoglu's book, as I'm interested to see if he has something to say about our latest political drama.. I believe that if things continue on the path we are seeing right now, our best days may indeed be over. The vast distance between the right and the left, and the hateful, angry rhetoric is turning many people off politics altogether. I'm seeing a huge disconnect, because people just don't want to indulge in this name calling, 'gotcha' reporting we see every day. It seems the right is trying each day to get crazier than they were the day before, to prove they are 'conservative enough" , and moving farther out on the fringes of common sense. They''ve gone way over the line, long ago, and people are just turning their backs, and changing the channel. It's just too much. Soon they wont have any interest in voting, let alone listening to it day after day. So they just go to the football game, watch the sitcom. Maybe the crazies will go away if we ignore them.. So the crazies win. That's it. End of a great idea, a great country. They just 'out nastied' us all, and we gave it away out of sheer disgust.

Are America's best days behind it? Well that depends on where find yourself. If you are a capitalist then yes. The days of a wild-west type free market where power goes unchecked are falling to the wayside. As we look behind the veil of Greenspan's neo-classical economic policies we see the fallacy in its foundation. Ideas like trickle down, and self-regulating revealed the greed associated with them. What we have to look forward to is true-cost economics and people like Herman Daly who have actual solutions for 21st century problems. These solutions have less to do with class warfare and more to do with economic sustainability. It is only when we look at the actions of the society as a whole associated with economic policy do we see the need for accountability, regulation, and common sense. The future of America is solely based on its ability to adapt to an inevitable paradigm shift. I have great hope for the future of America because i have great hope on the sensibility of its people. America's best days are behind us. We have spent ourselves into oblivion and no one has a solid plan to set the nation straight on fiscal responsibility. Our financial system will never be restored until Glass Steagall is reinstated and a balanced budget is presented that honestly balances the budget without accounting gimmicks. The is not a plan on the horizon to restore our manufacturing base which creates value added jobs. We continue to ship our best jobs offshore along with our technology. We are more interested in being the bully of the world then lead by example. We promote fraud, lying, cheating and strip the nation of our ethics and integrity. We promote ideals that promote the philosophy of anything and anyone is for sale for a price. We have focused on just money instead of the most important thing our Constitutional freedoms and the rule of law. We run on platforms of hatred rather than solutions. Our political system has made the highest priority of getting re-elected instead of fixing the nation. Until both parties are eliminated we will never get on the path to prosperity. America's best days are certainly not behind it. The question you may want to ask is will America be the best for all in the future. In days of old, it was the best country in the world for white males. Today we have the opportunity to mold America into the Greatest Country that ever was and will be for All of its citizens. Ideas are our greatest commodity. Higher education for all is the key to keeping America great. Hate to ruin the pity party, but our President is black. The past wasn't any less ugly, just far more blind. In my time(I'm 45), I've seen this country change drastically. Multi-generation owned auto parts stores, pharmacies, shoe stores, bakeries. All put out of business by Walmart. Manufacturing facilities that supported entire communities closed their doors due to imported goods. Those communities steadily falling apart. And our government does nothing. We borrowed money from a communist country that we can't pay back. "We the people" don't really even get to vote for the next president. That's now in the hands of the "electoral college". The gap is wider now between the "haves" and the "have-nots" than it's ever been. We're circling the drain. It could be turned around, but there's still money to be made selling us down the river.

Absolutely not. Americans are very resilient people. We simply need more time to dig out of the tremendous hole caused by the Bush policies. Note also that there have been 47 recessions since our country began, and 13 since the great depression; I am sure that the "sky was falling" each and every time. Also, I feel that our citizens are becoming more involved as time goes on. The advent of social media is largely behind this and I applaud it. People are getting more, and better, information rather than waiting for decrees to "trickle down" from on high. Last, I feel that President Obama is doing what he can to regain our economic standing and I support him unwaveringly. The actions he has proposed and is currently promoting are not only economicly intelligent, I feel that the administration is also moving toward what George Bush, Senior termed a "kinder and gentler nation." Any progress in that direction can only make our future better. America's best days are not behind us. If you examine this issue from a "purely" economic position then you could easily say yes, because gone are the days when banks will pay more than 2 percent interest on deposits saved by us hard working folk,as well as the fact that you can kiss "pensions" goodbye. What is left are millions of people & families who will downsize, live within their means, live together to weather this recession. Personally I believe the recession will linger in many forms/fashions for the next 50years. Moreover, we the American people will stand together to drive money out of politics for once and for all, this will be come our New Declaration of Independence in 2012 . We will give birth to a brand New America as never, seen before neither contemplated.....because we the people are coming together politically & we won't quit til we have our way!...We have already begun. Look at yourself Dylan, you are my best example of this. I hope not,even though we seem to have become a nation of greedy bastards who can't just disagree with someone without trying to annilate them.There is always hope,my grandson who is 10 said when he grows up he is going to be President and he is going to make everybody act like grandmothers because grandmothers don't act stupid like parents. The best days of America are before us, and here's why. Up until now, the government has been by the rich, for the rich, while the rest of us complied to keep the game going. Now, awareness is a fingertip away. Many of us will come together to change the way things work here. It won't happen overnight, but the days of war are over. The days of killing the environment by burning fossil fuels will and must be behind us. National health care and college for all are coming. The end of homeless is coming too. We will root out the banks and corporations from determining our future, and live to spread love to the rest of the world. "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us, and the world can live as one."

America's best and brightest days are ahead, but not without transitional period of darkness. While we were all dazzled by the salad days of last decade's Two Wars Era, we thought that the traditional economy would usher in a time of unending prosperity. The nation was promptly blindsided by an economic collapse of epic proportion, and a lot of us are still suffering. Out of this suffering, though, there has been a consciousness shift that I think could save America. I call it "The Great Downgrade"--people have decided that climbing the corporate ladder is unlikely to bring them happiness. They've decided to put family, a cause, or a dream before jumping through the hoops laid out before them. Lifestyle businesses have been coming on to the scene. (http://vimeo.com/38463833 - Mat Haughey talking about lifestyle businesses.) Soon, anyone with a product or service will market it, sell it, and ship it themselves. Emergent "exponential organizations" will maximize their effect while maintaining a tiny economic footprint. (http://www.wired.com/cs/promo/blogs/changeaccelerators/2011/10/27/death-ofthe-corporation-%E2%80%93-rise-of-exponential-organizations/ - Salim Ismail on expo orgs) And eventually, the corporation will die off as the dominant economic organization, as individual earners and small groups take over. (http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2011/06/08/a-brief-history-of-the-corporation-1600-to2100/ - Venkat Rao on Death of Corp) When that happens, you'll start to see some amazing progress: socially, technologically, and culturally. We'll begin to value happiness over achievement, action over motion.

I'm not sure if America's best days are behind us. Unfortunately, our culture's prosperity seems to depend on the discovery of the next "big thing." After WWII, our country prospered rebuilding Europe. As Europe recovered and became a competitor, our prosperity was in a moderate decline through the 70's. The invention of the desktop computer fueled a new business model and the "dot com" era of entrepreneurship that took us through the 90's. When that bubble burst, we were left with even more hollow ways to make a buck that gave us derivatives, bundled mortgage investments and flipping real estate. Nothing real and tangible has been created since the computer. I think the next big thing will be alternative energy. The key is getting oil companies onboard, investing in it and committing to a diversification of their business that includes these new energy sources. But why should they want to do this when the existing model is still profitable? It will require government to provide incentives to invest, as well as bringing other manufacturing jobs back to America. If we rely on a purely capitalist model, this will not happen, because so long as there are third world countries to exploit, cheap labor is abundant. So long as industry is allowed to choose the cheapest route, the decline will continue until there is no large pocket of cheap labor and the entire world has relatively the same standard of living. For America to recover, it will require a combination of government regulation or intervention, and the patriotism of industry leaders to create and maintain a high standard of living in this country, They must commit first and foremost,to full domestic employment.

To say that America's best days are behind it is to announce that you are a pessimist. I feel that no one, not even top economists or policy experts with access to the best data, have enough evidence to make a solid academic argument. Of course there are mountains of news clips and headlines that seem to point towards that outcome, but let's consider the sources... The mass media conglomerates in this country are responsible for providing the news and current events to the vast majority of the American public. Are they doing this as a service to democracy or are they doing this in service to their customers: the advertiser? While we'd like to think they are the champions of a free and informed society, the fact is they are concerned with quarterly profits and how those are reflected in shareholder value. In this respect they are interested in packaging their product, the viewer, in the most compelling of wrappers: sensationalist, scandalous, negative, emotionally-charged (often appealing to fear and anger the most), and sometimes borderline tabloid content. It sells. While we step back to think about how this affects public sentiment towards virtually everything the news media touches, let's acknowledge the fact that political and economic victories that speak to the other half of the story simply bore people who get their news from sources like cable television and rarely ever get even fleeting coverage. Let's also take into account with the fast news cycle, how virtually nothing reported on is ever contextualized so that viewers gain insight to what's happening. Finally, as a basic tenant of human psychology, taking a pessimistic view on something that is unknowable will almost always grant a self-fulfilling prophecy, so my question is to what end would anyone approach such a profoundly existential question from such a position? I am very excited to read Daron's book after hearing his interview on NPR and I think he nails the real issue facing our economy on the head, but I champion the optimistic view because quite frankly there is no point in subscribing to the other, especially when considering the source.

I would like to think that the greatest days are still ahead for America, and I think it is POSSIBLE, but that will only happen if MANY changes are put in place VERY SOON. If changes do not materialize, I believe America will left behind other countries who have figured out how to use their "resources" more effectively and intelligently; this will mean America will not only leave its best days behind, but destroy its chances for growth and a good life for the majority of its citizens. I believe the outcome will depend on what America decides upon as its greatest resource(s). Many people, and especially many of America's politicians, seem to think that the "greatest resource" (and power) is in the ground and must be drilled for frantically......"Oil, we must have more oil!" And, this is supported by a very powerful industry that wants to continue making big profits. Others, like me, may still be grounded enough to believe that people are our greatest resource there to be developed for our own progress and success. As a college English Professor, I am seeing on a daily basis how the erosion of our educational system is adversely affecting our greatest resource....our people.....especially our young people who will have to be in leadership positions one day. We have students who no longer read and instead believe looking at a screen will educate them. And, thinking skills? Most have never been asked to THINK! When I ask questions, they look like the cliche "deer in the headlights." We must put a clear priority on meaningful education. I think the great debate will be between valuing and fully developing people as resources for growth and for good vs. valuing commodities and profits. Nowhere have I seen this illustrated so well as in Thomas Friedman's recent article, "Pass the Books. Hold the Oil." (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/friedman-pass-the-bookshold-the-oil.html?_r=1&ref=thomaslfriedman). The countries with the fewest physical resources have developed their people and succeed the most! Any old timer dairy farmer will tell you a three legged stool is best for milking because it balances on any surface, helping the farmer ensure he won't spill the bucket of milk. a nation modeled on the basis of a three legged stool, the legs consisting of the indivual, corporate/industrial, and government is balanced regardless of the ground it finds itself on in a global world. When two of the legs align into one, or collude to whittle away the other leg, the stool tips and the prosperity of the farmer is at risk. Our government has become the champion of the corporate/industrial leg and whittled away the rights and voice of the individual over the past 30 years. Until government once again becomes the balancing leg between the rights of the individual and corporate inc., our prosperity is in peril.

America's future is completely in the hands of its citizens. The quality of our government and institutions is what we make them, that's the beauty of the system our founders put into place. While the current picture is bleak and political divisions are high, I see an emerging trend of political party independence. The problem is the fringes of both parties dominate the political rhetoric and policy initiatives. There is a growing group of moderate republicans and centrist democrats that are turning against their radical bases in favor of common sense policy. The recent JOBSAct, while it's far from perfect, is a step in the right direction and shows what happens when a common sense approach to policy reigns. There are a number of other public policies where the two sides can come together to form common sense coalitions such as: tax reform, entitlement reform, immigration policy (especially h-1b visas), marijuana prohibition and campaign finance reform. Our progressive tax system seems to be progressive in name only. When implemented, with all its glorified loopholes, it causes people like Warren Buffet to have lower rates than a middle class worker like his secretary. Maybe a flat tax isn't so bad or a clear cut graduated tax platform with no loopholes. When Social Security was originally designed, the average life expectancy was 65. It was supposed to benefits its recipients in the last couple of years of their lives. Now people living longer and we know investment growth rates won't be as strong as originally predicted. There's a simple way to make the math work be extending the retirement age and scaling back benefits right now. Immigrants are a huge boon to the economy and it's important we reverse the brain drain. We need to again encourage the world's best and brightest to stay here after college and make the US the best place to start your company. We can save billions be ending the Drug War and generate a huge amount of tax revenue simply by legalizing marijuana. The majority of Americans agree on this issue and with everyone from Richard Branson, Ron Paul and even Pat Robertson agreeing on the issue it's time to make simple common sense changes to bad policy. Last but not least, campaign finance reform needs to take the stage front and center. What happened to the days of McCain - Feingold? We need to drastically change the way we fund elections to get politicians back to governance and policy making instead of fundraising and relying on lobbyist to draft legislation. Putting term limits on congress and Participation awards and grades like mostly, sometimes, and consistently. Growing up, the winners got big trophies, the rest were told to try harder. Grades mattered. Didn't matter if you were an MD at Goldman in sales, you might be rich, but your kids were told they weren't smart. Now you convince schools that being smart isn't same as being smart. The reality is that being smart isn't same as being successful. If animal farm was an allegory of soviets becoming Bolsheviks, then America is becoming the UK. Same families get into the best schools regardless of grades legacy and donations and family name recognition counts as much as achievement - like the peerage. How many family names show up time and again in American politics - bush, Kennedy, Clinton, etc.

Are America's Best Days Behind it? What does this question even mean? What constitutes a "best day"? Are those days the events that we never question their positive impact? Best days as glorious moments of power? If that is the case then, yes. Much of our history is one of not of social justice, but atavistic greed and a complicit government bending over to serve powerful interests. That has been our standard operating procedure for a very long time. Our shining moments are those when we finally accept the responsibility to act on socially just motives, not the interests of profits of a wealthy powerful few. When we put aside that greed and acted to help those we had nothing profit from by helping. To assist when we could get away with turning our backs. when we have we reap benefits not apparent in the short term view. Freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness comes at a cost and always requires a fight. The more we accept that role, the less we try to maintain systems that benefit a few wealthy powerful individuals the more likely our best days have not even been imagined yet. When a nation works to become an Empire instead of a country, history has proven they fail. We probably should have listened ti Ike, a manufacturing industrial complex instead of a military industrial complex. Could it be we are to late? Depends... best for whom? For the Top 1% of income earners, things have never looked brighter. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/separate-unequalcharts-show-growing-rich-poor-gap-20110223-141311-132.html. For the rest of us, it's time to get clear on what's really happening to our political system that enables this to continue, and to do something about it, or the trend will not only continue, but will accelerate. If "America's best days" are based on how most of its citizens do, nothing short of fundamental change can return things to how they need to be, how they used to be. Without it, America's best days are certainly behind it, and there are much darker days to come. "When the tongue or the pen is let loose in a frenzy of passion, it is the man and not the subject that becomes exhausted. So write Thomas Paine as he himself became exhausted addressing his subject, Mr. Burke. And finally, after a thrashing by pen, he gives us our answer to your question: "Are America's best days behind it?" I can think of no better answer then this contention by Paine from "rights of man" and of course, that is the key to what is to become of us, our government and our country: Paine writes: "The illuminating and divine principle of the equal rights of man relates not only to the living individuals, but to generations of men succeeding each other. Every generation is equal in rights to the generations which proceed it, by the same rule that every individual is born equal in rights with his contemporary." In this time when we the Bill of Rights trashed by the Executive and by the Congress, when we see moves in States to change voting laws to disenfrachise the poor or the elderly from participating in America; and when we become exhausted from the noise of those of one generation who knows better than those of us that came before, fought for equal rights, fought to end wars, we can still answer that as long as every generation to come is equal in rights to us, the very best days are ahead.

Yes, Americas best days are behind us but that does not necessarily imply we will fall to a 2nd class country. All Americans need to become familiar with the History of Rome, Alexander the Great and a few other once very great Empires. They extended their resources beyond their ability to support them; they became arrogant toward their conquests and surrounding neighbors, In Americas case, we exhibit all these characteristics plus a few fatal others; 1) our political system has failed and shows no sign of repairing itself, leaving no current hope of fixing our serious problems, 2) our education system is a failure and shows no sign of getting better soon, leaving us unable to compete with other countries on a global basis 3) our arrogance as a people prevents us from seeing and recognizing our problems so they remain unsolved. I could go on but these are some of key thoughts. Americas best days are, indeed, behind it. The freedoms that, for generations, were ensured are now unraveling and being suppressed: Censorship is a key component of American life, along with police breaking down peaceful protests and spying on common, decent citizens. The president has been a tool for the corporate elite companies for ages now, and the Congress has been bought and sold years ago. The frightening thing is the fact that things are actually going to get worse. America will become one grand police state, with mile after mile of forprofit prisons, housing copyright infringement breakers and people willing to stand up for their beliefs. The American Dream: You have to be asleep to believe it.

That's a question that wears 'Depends'. The problem with America, today, is that it ISN'T. Use to be, when we invoked that name, we knew what we were talking about. We had a definite picture in our minds when we said "America", a national identity, a self image of the body politic. Back then, we made decisions. We might wrangle over them, but when we, as a Nation, perceived a Need, we decided on a course of action and put it into effect. The Nation of America has been noted, throughout its' existence, for its' ability to recognize a need, and then pull together and virtually do the impossible when we've been called on to do so. Time after time we've done so; The Revolution, where, as a simple collection of colonies we took on and BEAT the then mightiest Empire on Earth; The Civil War, that was anything but, where we took on our own People in the belief that All men are created equal, and that slavery could Not be a part of our Identity, and once again we Won; The World Wars, where Americans proved to the World that we could, and would come to the aid of the downtrodden, and that too we made part of Us; When hard times came, with dust Bowl and Depression, we bent, but did not break, WPA leading the way, and we pulled ourselves back up by employing ourselves to Build our Nation-dams, bridges, roads all the infrastructure to enter the 'promised land'; And then, in the '60's the challenge was space, within a decade we'd gone from model rockets to the Moon. But something happened to us right around that time. I think we lost track of our National Identity. We've lost that National cohesion, how we see ourselves as a society, or group. These days if you were to ask the 'man on the street' "who is an American?", he would have a difficult time answering you. Part of that is the fact of an increasingly sophisticated citizenry that views itself globally to some extent, a citizen of the world so to speak, and therefore capable of seeing through foreign eyes, but to a greater extent the problem is that those institutions which used to foster that communal sense of belonging in the National identity have fallen by the wayside. The Church, once a big part of everyone's lives, continues to decline in influence, those American social institutions, such as Boy Scouts, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, etc, are now filled only I dont believe that Americas best days are behind us, but I also cannot say with certainty that they are ahead of us. Rather, if we make the right choices today, we can strongly say that our future will be at least as bright as our past. The future is a scary place for Americans; most of us were born in a time when America was greater than all other countries. We are afraid of what is ahead of us not because America has collapsed but because everyone else is catching up. So as long as we make strong investments in education, science, technology, infrastructure, and clean energy, we will continue to be in position to lead the world for the coming century. But as we all know, we must first get beyond the partisan bickering in our government and eliminate the corrosive influence of money in our political system.

While there are many socio/political dynamics which may contribute to a nation's decline --in my opinion-- the leading causes are a complacent, easliy distracted proletariat, and the conflict of interests that occurs when elected officials collude with capital interests. For years there was little, or no consequence for (criminal) government/private sector dealings, and as Americans watched reality television and ran up their credit, those conspiring against the people who voted them into office were able to favorably legislate their own conspiracies. Over four years after the U.S. financial collapse, Glass/Steagal remains repealed, and the derivatives market is still largely unregulated. Too big to fail has actually gotten bigger. Moreover, even those who hope to engage in the political discourse are subject to the tabloid nature of cable "news-ertainment", which convolutes truth with its own ratings agenda. As a result, rather than addressing these issues, or even having a solutions oriented 2012 presidential election, we are spoon fed puerile sound bites, inane platitudes, and arguments about contraception. Having been preoccupied by cable news, (rather than focusing on where our nation's money is flowing) Americans have become vitriolic towards one another, while the bulwarks protecting our economic liberties have been undermined. Ruthless profiteering by the criminally rich continues unchecked, while joblessness and the median household income declines. We can only hope that the frog will leap from the kettle before it's too late. The United States of America was founded as and continues to be a great experiment. Nothing goes up in a straight line. There are surges and setbacks in acceptance and innovation. No other nation has been formed in the same way with such a heterogeneous and diverse population working individually and together with the result of such great achievement. This country continues to be a land of immigrants, leading to an ever changing populous and diverse ideas. Nobody may be happy with the way things are right now, but the greatest thing about this country is that there are people who are willing and able to step up and initiate change. Who would have thought three or four years ago that Dylan Ratigan, coming from Wall Street, would be here, doing what he is doing...initiating change. On the opposite pole, there have always been people and companies that try to impede progress, to keep things the way they are out of fear, for their own comfort or self interest. Fortunately, whether it was local competition in the early days, regional competition in the 1900's or international competition in the 2000's, the innovators, like weeds, eventually survive and the conservative entities either changenow, out of fear and their own self interest, or wither and die. Disruption is never easy or smooth. This country was built on disruption and ideas and will continue to grow because there will always be those that have the hunger to achieve, in the most positive way.more.

America's best days are behind itself as long as the citizens allow for the country to be controlled by the few at the expense of the many. A representative government only can function as long as those representatives truly have the will of the people as their priority. This is sadly no longer the case in the United States. Our voices' connection in this country has been severed by big business and the lobbying of our congressmen. Worst of all, this issue can never be repaired until the majority of Americans stand up and say enough is enough. The problem is that our way of communicating our displeasure with our government's actions is through voting, but there are no longer any candidates at the polls with serving the people as their goal. Both of the parties in charge are controlled by these businesses and force out those candidates who want to fix this corrupt system by removing their support and place it behind someone who will keep the system going. As long as this cycle continues, America will continue to falter under rising debts and a decreased voice for its people. If we Americans keep supporting "the business as usual" that both political parties feed us, then yes, our best days are behind us. Yes. I read "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers" long ago, but the lesson left was no less important then as now. When a nation attains top dog status, it can remain there as long as it works to keep said status. But as soon as said nation thinks it's number one just because it's number one, number 2 will blow by. It's simply human nature. We can never take our position in the world for granted. That is what we are doing!!

By nearly every important metric the United States is in decline relative to other major nations. We are graduating fewer engineers and scientists, investing less in research, our healthcare is more expensive and less effective and we are a bitterly divided country as to the role of government and our priorities. While we squable over social issues and debate economics other nations, like China, will surpass us in a few years. We have become a plutocracy that functions more for wealth than for the public interest. Our best days are surely not now and the future looks problematic. I think Nations fail because there will always be the few that insist on controlling the masses for thier advantage. They feel entitiled to an enormous amount of wealth and would rather have homeless, hungry, impovrished populace to do thier bidding. It is Greed and selfishness and we are told bold face lies to maintain the power the "OWNERS" have and control over the masses, whether it be religion, money, mobility. How FEAR! Fear is instilled through bought media. Jesus was cruxified because he was a threat to those who controlled the masses, and then he was used to control the masses. Someday we will stop that way of thinking but it has been going on for thousands of years.

Are Americas best days behind us? My brain says yes, while my soul says no. To me, the true answer to this question is fully dependent on one's definition of 'best days.' Let's see. I will take the side of the super-optimist and try to define 'best days,' with the assumption that we, as a Nation, have yet to experience our 'best days,' and then I will decide, while typing this essay, in neither an optimistic viewpoint, nor pessimistic, whether or not Americans have 'the right stuff' to achieve their/our best days, based on my definition of course. So, I will begin again: Best Days Of America. What if? What if those days are ahead? What would they look like? The average American earns no less than 500% less than the top earners (who only earn more because they produced products and ideas that help many people), and that same average American owns no less than 500% less than the top owners of 'the stuff,' for lack of a better term. That average American, of our yet to be achieved Best Days, goes to work ONLY if he or she so desires, because who wants a slacker at work...or perhaps that person just chooses to produce art, for art's sake, or some such endeavor, with their time. In any case, if he/she does not want to work, he/she is given monies equal to 50% of what the average American earns, which would just so happen to equal exactly what it would take to live in a very small condo, all utilities, and food, etc included, plus a small amount of 'spending money.' However, no actual money would be given to this person, so that none of it could be given to anyone else. In fact, money in physical form would no longer exist, including Wall Street. Now, for those Americans who would actually like to make more money than it would take to survive comfortably, they would choose their educations and jobs according to what their natural skills and abilities are, and not because they want power or loads of money, and CERTAINLY NOT because they need to work for The U S of A will fade away.... this is not bad... this is part of the great days to come. The internet/cloud has unleashed the power of the individual and made nation-states obsolete. It will take a while... and the slavemasters may blow the world up before sophont2.0 occurs. The slavemasters are the rulers in Washington D.C. ( politicians and lobbyists ). Sophont2.0 are the people that realize we don't need no stinkin' lords and masters... we can form groups and dissolve groups to accomplish what we want. Life will be based on IPPP. The best is yet to come. IPPP and sophont2.0 ==> http://erasmuszarathustra.blogspot.com/2011/04/ippp-99ippp-intelligent-puzzle-pieces.html In short, no. America's best days are not behind us. America is a nation founded upon the notion that all people have inalienable God given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that this is indicative of the indomitable spirit of American freedom and that no matter what may befall us, however seemingly destructive of these inalienable rights, that educated and principled men will rise to the occasion and spend their own inalienable rights to secure the future peace of the coming generations. This much has been proven in the history of America: when tyranny threatens to rob or keep absent the execution of equal rights for all men of any race or creed, there men have stood ready and willing to kill their own brothers to secure those rights for all who live in this nation. I find it hard to imagine that this has changed so much that tyranny will prevail in the future.

America's best days will be behind us if we ignore the history of every other failed democracy. Americans must choose to educate themselves on the issues rather than buy into the talking points and platitudes of either political party. We must choose to be responsible, ethical, moral people once again, not bowing to pressure from external groups. We must choose to save our money and spend what we spend wisely. Without these changes, we will fail. History proves it. If we continue to have that attitude, yes it would be. I don't have that attitude because I KNOW we can be better than this. This country needs to expect more out of our citizens and our government and we need to expect more of each other. If we all pitched in, and helped WHERE we could, problems can be solved in quick order. We need to do something BIG but we won't be able to do it until we piece some of the smaller ideas together and get the ball moving forward. Can we do it? If we all work together, absolutely. My country's best days are in front of us and this is your country as well. A nation's best days are behind it only when that notion is accepted as the norm. I think in terms of progress as a function of time, America probably peaked sometime in the 1960's. My concern is not that America's best days have passed, but all of *humanity's* have probably done so as well. Although technological improvement will continue for several decades, it will be increasingly be for the benefit of the few and less for the many. I think probably the zenith of American power and society was about 1969-1970. The moon landing of 1969 marked a triumph of huge importance. I think we can mark this spot too as a tipping point. If we measured "greatness" at this point, we can also mark a-lot of turmoil and beginnings of rot to follow. (Manson, Watergate, Vietnam, RoeV.Wade, drug culture, riots, terrorism, King murder). All of these events were close to follow. Can we become what we were? Probably not. Can we do better? Certainly. In my opinion, as a libertarian Australian, that the excess spending by the American government will lead this nation into an economic black-hole. America is a "welfare and warfare state" - increased welfare programs mixed with relatively relaxed immigration policies provide an incentive for immigrants to come over and live off the working classes' taxes. On the warfare side of things, America's 'nation-building' exercise is extremely costly, this costly venture was initiated by a pointless war in Iraq and ill-planned and laughable conflict in Afghanistan. To be economically prosperous, the US should look to cut down on military spending and the welfare cushion that the federal government is handing out at the expense of the working people. Greed. Yes, one word. Another word: selfishness. A nation stops being a nation when one group thinks they want to rule. We have lost our way. We think religion rules, but religion should not run a country. Yep, I am all over the place on this one. But it adds up to people caring about only what they want. And, those are the people who run for office. The good guys just don't. Exception: Someone like Barack Obama. And look what he gets for his devotion to Country! Nasty folks like Trump and Limbaugh who spew hatred and disrespect towards the President. Look what a GWB/Cheney administration did to this Country! We need people who love America, not themselves, in government. Money is controlling this Country and that is plain wrong. We need another Will Rogers to come along and say it like it is! In summation, if those of us speak up and not let the "bad" guys get their way, our Country will be as it should be: By the people, and for the people.

It is unless we move away from capitalism. Like fossil fuels capitalism was cheap, dirty and efficient to get us where we are. Time to move to the solar energy of economies that is sustainable for our future.

Nations fail, fundamentally, due to physics. From the outside, it seems as though politics or war or economics are the culprit. When a group reaches a population which is beyond diminishing returns, they begin to leverage their future in an effort to stabilize the present. Setting a population cap is an abhorrent and hateful idea to "civilized" societies, which is why Thomas Malthus was vilified. Not to say that he was incorrect, he is of course correct that population cannot outgrow it's food sources, but the ad hominem attacks for 250 years have been enough to ignore his flawless logic. This is merely a representation of the second law of thermodynamics. Eventually the population grows so large that it would take all effort just to grow food. Long before that happens, they borrow and trade and start wars to offset this inevitable final point. We are seeing what happens when the oil-population bubble begins to fail. No amount of effort or compassion can make more food than people, so somewhere people will have to die. I suspect Africa, China and India will bear the brunt of the soon-to-arrive Malthus Check. So in summation, physics destroys societies. They get too big and complex and are forced to return to a more sustainable level. That looks like wars and failed economics, but it is just the normal curve keeping things from growing too vast. I believe we only have one shot to secure a "Best times ahead" future, the time for debate is over. Technology, energy resources, population, and geopolitics give us no choice but to "Rewire America." Yes, it's big government. But it is the only way we get energy independent, have a fluent and mobile society, spur spending and create jobs. We need all of this yesterday. Markets that are rigged and exist for profit cannot meet the needs of a shareholder and country at the same time; so there needs to be some competition in rebuilding America. Fair employment, savings, healthcare, schooling, safety net, freedom to create and innovate, - this is all that is needed for the Great America to thrive. There is no entry level in America anymore - we need to support a project that will expand hiring immediately in every state. We need to launch a nationwide infrastructure/energy grid/transportation public works project following the lines of the US. Highway and Rail System. All three in tandem will bring efficiency and cost control, while spurring localized manufacturing and tech. Realistic salaries of 35-120k for all men, women, and even teens in the summer, with Medicare enrollment. It is a mission, led by returning Vets and National Guard, no drug testing, no pre-employment credit checks, just honest work for honest pay. Directly employing 30+mil for 15+yrs, increased tax base, cheaper energy, strengthened purchasing power, which will drive all U.S. business. We need to think and work big again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System

This is a question no one knows the answer to. Whoever pretends to is lying, and they are either overly optimistic or pessimistic. American has structural problems that need to be fixed for us to succeed in the long term, but they are fixable. It's just not clear whether we will fix them in time. I think this article sums up my opinion, that we need to reinvest our selves in education and infrastructure, and get serious about political reform to help get it done. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2056723-2,00.html

You pay according to your means, and receive according to your needs. This is the motto for many countries with a nationalized healthcare system. Instead of embracing such a system that does not discriminate against the impoverished we, as Americans, embrace a healthcare system that is run by the ravenous private sector whose main objective is not to take care of their American clients, but rather whose goal is to increase their companys profits. These companies manipulate and negatively impact the American psyche by creating health and socioeconomic disparities that foster a jaded populace; one that refuses to believe his or her vote can help make a difference. By producing such lackluster behavior, the healthcare sector is welcoming a failed nation thats constitution reads: We the corporations . . . We live in perhaps the most intriguing time in this country's storied history. It is an age filled with technological wonder and excitement. We have an unparalleled ability to communicate with each other, to influence and persuade others to our point of view. However, there is a disturbing side effect with the information age. We are subjected to an unceasing and ever louder barrage of character assassination. The cacophy of noise associated with it has nearly obliterated the national discussion of the truly essential issues. I speak of issues that might improve the daily lives of men and women everywhere if we could come together with all our technology and actually have the constructive conversations. Much of the blame for our asynchrous diatribes can be ascribed to the media. Pick up any major daily newspaper (if you can still find one in print), or search a daily or weekly online news magazine, or turn to the cable network news programs. The steady drumbeat from all of it is predominantly laced with the affliction of doom and gloom. As Americans we are constantly fed a steady sour diet of angst, pessimism, accusations, and fault-finding. Sadly, negativism and controversy sells. Some writers I seek out intentionally are brilliant. Incisive and thought-provoking language is their craft in trade and scintillating is their routine style of expressing their thoughts. They have become the masters of the written and spoken word. I find fewer television commentators who are similar, but the best attempt to balance their search for truth, despite their detractors. The attitude of many in their audiences is predominantly negative, however, judging by the tenor and tone of the comments on the attached forum boards. I find invectives of sour vinegar and anger, judging others as if all wisdom was their unique domain. The steady drumbeat of criticism is like a soap opera, one that can be left unwatched for months, then when tuning in again one finds the narrative has never changed and can be picked up as though it were yesterday. These attacks are disguised as "analysis" and "informed opinion," when often they are nothing more than ad hominem withering meltdowns of their subjects' failings rather than any hint their subjects may have strengths worth highlighting. It is particularly accute during election season. If we had believed the surrogates who spoke for Adams and Jefferson, we might still be wondering today how the republic survived! Today, if

This is a ridiculous question. Think of another time in recent american history when you'd rather live. the 30's: depressing. the 40's: WWII. The 50's: you probably lived in a bomb shelter. The 60's: hippies and Vietnam, 0 for 2. The 70's: no gas. The 80's: shitty cars and shitty music. The 90's: alright starting to get good...rise of the internet and a decent economy. the 2000's: some terrorism but now every kid past age 7 has a cell phone. Nowadays: a person in africa with a smartphone has more access to information than clinton did in the 90's. dictators are brought down via twitter. cars park themselves. college kids start multi-million companies out of their dorm rooms. This is the age of opportunity, it's finally a level playing field. It's time to pony up and embrace how fucking awesome it is that the little guy can take on the big whigs and win. Dylan, I think you are a smart guy, but please don't use fear like your peers to scare my mother into thinking the best times are behind us. They simply aren't. Nations fall due to pride. "Pride cometh before the fall". A nation or a people that become haughty, arrogant and full of conceit, will fail. The lack of humility says a great deal about a people. Every nation believes their country is the greatest, but when that country maligns another, or belittles those citizens due to their beliefs or their ethnicity, they are doomed to fail. They have lost their way. They stop believing they are their brothers keeper, but instead believe they are their brothers master. When a nation invades, another for selfish reasons, those reasons come to light, because they care not for their fellow man, but care only for the resources that nation has, whether it is oil, or it's work force. The boastful nation never admits the truth, as it stands on a pedestal proclaiming how lucky the others are the they intervened. This causes mistrust and resentment from within, and as that cancer spreads, it weakens the so called strong nation's pillars, (the people), causing it's pillars to weaken and crumble. Rome, Greece, Babylon, Egypt, Israel, Mesopotamia, Japan, China, Germany and others all fell and have never been looked upon in the same way again Yes, definitely. All you need to do is look around. We do not lead in anything anymore. Tallest buildings, space flight, biggest structures, latest scientific advances, best products (except apple), modern infrastructure, health care, standard of living, education, quality productive jobs, economic growth, Quality of life, weak currency... We are mediocre in all these areas and we used to be first. All the 'progress' we have 'achieved' lately was not earned or produced, but rather 'inflated' with borrowed money. The self serving elite in government and corporate is visibly taking advantage of ever dumber citizenry, who prefers to watch reality and other useless, trivial, low IQ shows rather than educate itself and actively participate in society. The film 'Idiocracy' comically depicts the path we are on. I don't see a catalyst that would reverse our inevitable fall. There are a lot of people that claim: We are Americans, we are the best, this is the best country in the world. They are delusional, they are talking of a prosperous America that was built by the 'Great generation' and this is not an objective view of the current 'State of the union'. Wake up America!

Why Nations Fail Nations fail because they thinkthey are powerless and resort to hoarding ones resources and therefore limit the peoples ability to expand their vision. So we fail to bring balance in our economics and bea union that can end income disparity; to have a free market that creates independence by sharing ones special unique contributions to be a creative human being. Those who can not create and contribute starts an erosion to becoming invisible to society. They are the focus point of the problems with our world. Therefore we never identify with the underlying issues to solve our problems. I believe if we can undo past distorted history and find the actual truths we can start to define ourselves as we really are. Our belief systems will evolve towards an awareness of interconnectedness that brings about positive and peaceful thinking. We will begin to erode the fear based mentality that has made our world into a war zone to solve our problems. Protection and limiting resources to conserve what we have, will be transformed into sharing and expanding our resources which will also diminish anxiety and fear. Beliefs that are based on a false premise are the underlying problem. As a Union of diverse minds we can then come together to form policies and programs that empower creative minds. eej The best of America is not shown by the totality of our society, but by its overarching mentality and trend. We see problems such as slavery, but we do not discard all that happened prior to emancipation as being evil because it occurred during a time when a crime against humanity was accepted by society. We look at the period that led to its downfall as a great achievement. We then look 100 years later and look at our civil rights leaders of the '60s continue to pull the trend of history into a more just and righteous future. Out of great tragedy, the best of our society can stand up. Do we look at the glory of our past and say we have done well, but we shall halt our trend for a better future? Not only do we not, but we continue to pursue social and economic justice. We have had great days in the recent past, but we have never achieved the ideal. With the challenges facing so many at the current hour, we can only expect that we, as a nation, will pursue the path of reason, common sense, and justice to ensure our trend towards a better future is not ended by those who set out to gain more power and wealth for the sake of power and wealth. As a wise man once wrote "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value."

Nations fail when they lose the center, when the few grow rich at the expense of the many, robbing them of their dreams. In America, these few have taken even the stars. Over the years, our culture handed us, with one hand, endless paeans to self-determination and a frantic self-help gestalt that people flocked to, om-ing their way to success and riches. With the other hand, it parsed, stealthily, the future for itself and the few. And who are these few? The one percent of the one percent... those who have privatized access to space, the stars and, someday escape from this dying planet. They, whoever they are, have piled up riches for themselves and poisoned the seas, the crops, the land. All this unfolded in my lifetime. I set sail on an out-going tide, not knowing they had also pulled the plug. Self-help gurus emerged to ease the pain, distract us... and make their own millions. Now we watch vicariously as others live. Everything has changed. They killed the workers dreamand the dreamers. The Kennedys, Martin Luther King, John Lennon. Once upon a time, I remember the face of our young President announcing we would go to the stars, his ghostly face flickering on a surreal black-and-white TV screen, presaging things to come. It was a high time then, when the stars and the future belonged to everyone. The lesson of the of the last 20 years demonstrates that the counsel given to policy makers by academia, bankers, military leaders, economists, corporate executives and underwriters is like the advice they gave to industrialists during the turn of the last century... it was consistently good for academia, bankers, military leaders, economists, corporate executives and and underwriters but was often disastrous for governments, entrepreneurs, and people generally. At the heart of this phenomenon is the fleecing of private property--the foundation of the democratic republic's grand experiment. As Carroll Quigley posited, "A nation's decline is not inevitable but occurs when its instrument of expansion [in this case, private property] is transformed into an institution [if not directly hijacked]that is, when social arrangements that meet real social needs are transformed into social institutions serving their own purposes regardless of real social needs." There is legal precedent that enjoins that individuals do not own their own DNA, their own persons. Legal precedent that enjoins that while one is responsible for the debt service on a mortgage, said same person does not own the home. This fleecing has created a psychic, physical, emotional, and intellectual dislocation so severe that moral imperatives are forlorn to the nave, moral terminus, impossible. Social freedom does not exist without the means of production, the means of expansion. Social freedom kowtows to economic freedom. History has proven history true on this point. There are a few among us that traffic outside of this fabrication--institutions serving the institution for institution's sake via unnatural monopolies, arbitrary valuations and centralized planning. Unless this remnant is permitted to do what it does naturally--produce and expand for the sake of creating free from the system's detrimental reliance on unnatural monopolies --the remnant will migrate and align itself and its children's children to a new place; rather than attempt to rebuild despite impossible odds, build anew.

Well, the alternative answer, no one can see the future. The real answer lies in defining the purpose of the mission... which is what? Do we Americans even have the feeling of purpose anymore? Are we alive? How alive are we? I realize I have added more questions, but in those questions, we can thus each define the answers within ourselves, and one can extrapolate how they feel as they look within themselves to discover... "how cynical are we living?" What did the patriot(s) - latin for Father - allude to... the pursuit of happiness? What are we even pursuing now? The pursuit of mere existence? Americans need leadership. True leadership. When they feel real leadership, they know it. Real leadership is infectious, because it is honest, transparent, and you feel you can trust one's motive. The motive being honesty and the love of man, and mankind. We Americans have lost that kind of underlying sensation in this country. Americans need to be awoken to and realize what "living" American means; free, liberty, reveling in the experience of the pursuit of happiness. Why are we settling for less? Is that what we do in America, settle? That's not even existing, because one is settling for less than the true experience of feeling alive - freely being, honestly expressing ourselves, and allowed to discover what we don't even know within ourselves. We - generally speaking, the masses - are cut off at the knees in this country because we are too busy with out time chasing our tail; busy making toothpicks out of logs for no purpose other than consumerism which only feeds those at the top, who keep their dead capital locked away so we all can be enslaved. How angry inside are these people? Their enjoyment is narcissistic, rather than going out there and changing lives, like they could be. They have a contempt for those who are not educated, those who are beaten down, those who remain silent day to day, as we trudge through ignorance. Those at the top, generally, embody the same motives as the worst criminals especially when one has such abundance, and one's intent is solely in the interest of themselves, that is dishonesty and wrong being at it's worse. We don't live righteously with purpose by serving ourselves. We serve ourselves only by way of serving each other, from our hearts, with love and the intent of making each other happier and lifting each other up. We are often living as though we are making for the exits in a theater fire. It's pathetic. I know this is a lot longer than you wanted, but, I got on a rant. I don't care if I win your contest, Greed has delivered our government, our banking system, our educational systems and even our churches into the hands if the wealthiest and most powerful. At my local university campus the college president no longer obtains donations via fundraising. He simply agrees to lease public land on university property to a businessman who will donate $100,000 for a swimming pool following the project's completion if his bid the one selected for the project. The bidder sits on the University board of trustees but recuses himself from the vote. even worse we taxpayers are to believe the university president will make sure the materials promised in the bid will be delivered "with no thought" to the $1000,000 to be donated at the project's completion. Who is going to raise the red clad if the foundation of the building contains less rebar than promised? The chances are the bid being let between Thanksgiving and Christmas assured the bidder with the $100,000 being kicked back would build the project. the very same situation on another campus in the same state resulted in criminal prosecution. We have lost the ethical war and like the Romans we have written our own demise cloaked in greed. look at the Catholic Church. the High Church has entered the political fray with conservative Bishops cloaking their political maneuverings under the guise of freedom of religion. One conservative Little Rock parish burst out in applause after a Monsignor delivered a blatantly political homily sounding if you closed your eyes much like the fundamentalists down the street.

Nations fail when the leadership becomes so isolated from the people and so polarized among themselves that they are incapable of doing the necessary things to continue to function as a society. Whether America's best days are behind us or ahead of us is up to us and how we deal with our challenges.

America, once the most prosperous and freest nation on earth, has fallen on hard times, largely because the government has squandered the wealth and resources of the people while decimating economic and civil liberties. America is controlled by Banksters, the military industrial security complex and fascist/corporatist special interests. Until the wars end (we murder for defense contractor profits) and honest money and banking is restored, the only light at the end of the tunnel will be the light of an oncoming train wreck. We can rise again but first Congress must be fired en mass, we must elect folks who will stop funding the wars, we must stop the corporate welfare and we must stop funding the derivative gambling losses of Wall Street. Want to jumpstart the ailing economy? We need laws that encourage business and entrepreneurship. We need to abolish the corporate tax and allow capital to be repatriated back to the US. Besides, there is no such thing as a corporate tax its just an indirect consumer tax paid by folks who buy goods. We need to get rid of the draconian regulatory state that strangles small business and only benefits big business. And finally, we need to get corporate money out of the election process because, well, it owns the RNC and DNC machines. How about change we can believe in! NO! When we can muster up the courage and the will to use all of America's human and natural resources for the good of all and not just a privileged few, we'll move forward again, When we educate...we'll innovate. When we innovate we'll create new jobs and new opportunities for realizing and refining a better American dream. When everyone's contribution is expected, respected and rewarded with a "living wage" there will be no stopping us. The "American Dream" is not one that can occur while we sleep. We must be fully awake to our possibilities and fully committed to making them our personal and national realities.

I dont want to believe Americas best days are behind it, but that could be a possibility. The division between Democrats and Republicans in Congress makes it impossible to accomplish anything. Reaching across the aisle has become taboo. Our politics have become hideous and unreasonable. Congress no longer has the peoples best interests at heart, only their own. Now we have the Supreme Court decision on Citizens United which does, for the most part, follow the constitution, but opens a very large door to allow massive campaign contributions, with no accountability, so the highest bidders may win. It has taken the democracy out of America. I seriously doubt this is what our founding fathers had in mind when they chose their words. I am a woman. I am a Union member. Im getting close to retirement. I am under attack. They want to dissolve my Union. They want to take my right to choose. They want my contraceptives. They want my social security and medicare. Whats next, my right to vote? Maybe they want me in a burqa too.

I don't think so. The best days are not gone. We have a lot of immigrants who love being in the U.S. and are willing to work out their "dreams"- pursue a life of innovation and research. They will work for businesses they like or on goals for themselves and their children. It's going on now. I don't think the effort for social experimentation is lost. In the near future people will come together and support a forward looking society, a fair and free society. That's what people come here for and that's what people want. To me it looks as if the population is tired of the oligarchy and pure self interest. They want a nation that works for everyone. I am a 75 yr old Southern liberal former Unitarian. I was in the fight for school desegregation. Saw the Warren Court stand up for due process and rights for all. Worked in Library of Congress as an attorney for Congress during the Civil Rights fights and the Nixon impeachment. We won a lot of battles back then and I thought the winning would continue.Why not? We were finally on the road to equality for all and a chance of success for all. What happened? Since Barry Goldwater raised his head I have seen a steady erosion of all in the public domain that I held dear. With trumpets sounding and actors riding in on white horses, the rich and the privileged fought back against the poor and disenfranchised. Their hate turned away our love of country and what we thought it stood for. There is no city on the hill just a chasm of greed and selfishness. They have won. Our citizens don't vote. They don't read, can't read. Fox news dominates. I see no way out. When a nation has won the battles that we helped fight and then retreats from those victories for the common man and the public good into a chasm of greed and selfishness;when Christians walk away from the teachings of the Son of their God, what is left? Where do we go? Where can we go? Nowhere.What can we do? Nothing, nothing at all.

For most of my adolescence, the US found itself in a uniquely unipolar moment. The world I came of age in was promised to be Fukuyamas End of History. What will come next may indeed be not the End, but instead the Beginning of something so much more interesting. The US may not cease to dominate on more traditional metrics of power. Its military will likely continue to be one of the largest and most well equipped in the world. Its GDP may continue to thrive, perhaps not as the largest in absolute terms, but it may be difficult to surpass in terms of GDP/capita. However- what is likely to end is the very conception of these metrics as the predominant indicators of influence. The US continues to be a driver of innovation, whether in terms of patents or venture capital, but this is flourishing in a hyperglobalized world, peopled by ambitious immigrants and foreign students, leading to a further democratization of skill and ambition. It is still a major player in foreign policy, but often acting now more through multilateral institutions, whether in supporting The Global Fund or seeking coordination in sanctions and military intervention. Competing visions of how best to construct governments and economies are growing outside the old European and American notions, and even now beyond China and India. The role the Brazils, Turkeys, and Ghanas will play in this new international order will only serve to further this fascinating evolution of power and influence. And one result of these experiments and counterfactuals will be to provide other approaches, other ideas, likely better ideas, that if embraced can benefit not just the citizens of these countries, but the US as well. What if our best days do lie ahead, but not due just to our own efforts, but the spillover effects of everincreasing standards of living across this ever-smaller world?

A professor of mine teaching film students the economic theories of Lester Thurow back in 1991 said in the coming information age, ideas were king and the dumb will get dumber while the smart will get smarter. Thurow introduced the world to the Zero Sum Game of finance philosophizing how hundreds of trillions of dollars in worthless credit derivatives are coming from somewhere leaving nothing in its wake. While this world casino bucket shop will continue to drain investment and the bulk of the globes professionals nurse their 401ks with hedge fund milk and special interests continue to blind and bind our leaders; what hope is there for America to grow? Its seas will no doubt shrink our coast lines, tornados and hurricanes no doubt will continue to devastate through climate change. But in the midst of all this expected decline one thing that may save us all will continue to rise inevitably; as Cicero put it, liberty is the empowerment of the individual. The champions of democracy have and will continue to awaken, and as PhD researcher Annick Witt points out, the rise of the culture of contemporary spirituality is a pivotal part of the gradual but profound change taking place in the Western worldview, both reflecting the larger cultural development, as well as giving shape and direction to it.. The Occupy Movement may yet make specific demands, and a real 2008 Obama could yet emerge. America will usher in the long awaited Age of Aquarius.

Technology and a flood of inferior imported goods have combined to erode our manufacturing base, the very bedrock of America's post-war economy, with its promise of home affordability, a living wage, and easy access to banking credit. The lost manufacturing jobs are not coming back but instead of addressing this reality that has shaken Middle America to its core, politicos to the right of center of public discourse devalue much needed education access as snobbery and fix their star to divisive moral and social issues intended to stoke fires of discontent; they drive the lust for the removal of the incumbent President with blind regard for the outcome of putting power in the hands of theocratic ideologues. In a bid for answers we need only flip our history books to the Fall of the Roman Republic in 44 B.C. and the rise of Fascism in Europe in the 1930s amid a brutal world economy when would-be saviors of the masses ignored the most important question then and now: "Where are the jobs?" Are America's best days behind her? To quote Sarah Palin: "You betcha". But as Henry Miller said, "I am against revolutions because they always involve a return to the status quo. (203 wds)

Yes, I'm starting to believe...or to give up hope that it's not true. It was always a balancing act anyway, between democracy and capitalism, and we have to have enough people who run the country from altruistic, unselfish motives, but that's not the kind that rise to power. So, perhaps it was a nice little experiment that lasted a couple of centuries. Let's just get on with the fascist state and be done with it. They're going to let the world burn up with fossil fuels anyway.

Yes, I'm starting to believe...or to give up hope that it's not true. It was always a balancing act anyway, between democracy and capitalism, and we have to have enough people who run the country from altruistic, unselfish motives, but that's not the kind that rise to power. So, perhaps it was a nice little experiment that lasted a couple of centuries. Let's just get on with the fascist state and be done with it. They're going to let the world burn up with fossil fuels anyway. We as a nation have dealt with wars and civil unrest since the beginning of this country. We have vehemently and violently disagreed on dam near every level you can imagine. But we have in no way reached our best days. I would say we are at a tipping point, one that may seem to take us back in time to a place we thought we left behind, issues we thought were resolved. Those issues of race, class inequality, voter rights, womens rights, education and workers collective bargaining, all things we have battled over for more than 100 years and here we are back at the table. The laws and policies of the past 100 years have been smoldering like hot embers, waiting to burst back into the vehement and violent flames they once were. I dont know what term or label to place on the individuals who have been so conspiratorial in this planned push to change the entire system all at once, I believe these people to be without party or moral value I would say they are just plain Corporate, using party labels and moral arguments for personal gain. These battles over race, class inequality, voter rights, womens rights, and education and workers collective bargaining are not subjects that should be on the table. That almost seems foolish to have to make that statement, but I have to, as much as we have to fight these battles all over again. We ended a moral battle in 1865. I believe we are about to have another. One I hope that is fought only at a table, with civil discourse, intelligent reasoning and positive compromise. Perhaps this is the Tipping point that America needs to become the great country we believe it to be.

America will go on. Mankind will go on. The end never comes and we go on crawling forward in an unstable and self-destructive manner. Those that have the greatest wealth, the greatest influence, and the greatest power have shielded themselves in a world of comfort, conventions, and defense mechanisms. This inability to seize the potential that we are endowed with yields a world in which the collective suffering makes existence an experience that many do not wish to participate in. According to the World Health Organization, in the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. In America the suicide rate has been on an upward trend since 2000 where there were 10.0 deaths per 100,000, the lowest since the 1950 high of 13.2. Currently we are at 12.0 deaths per 100,000, where every 14.2 minutes someone takes their own life. Evolution was never designed to be an easy experience. Man, evolving from brutality, was imbued with the singular capacity for complex reasoning. The central part of this capability is acquisition of knowledge through asking difficult questions and taking measurable steps to find true answers to them. The usefulness of this information is directly related to its accuracy. This accuracy is based on the judgment of a sound mind unfettered by the corruptions of the ego operating on defense mechanisms. Often the greatest breakthroughs have started with the asking of the simplest of questions. A good one might be, What kind of game do we want to play?

All nations fail with a destruction of the currency. The Roman empire fell with likely 90% debasement We are rapidly approaching that.All nations fail with a destruction of the currency. The Roman empire fell with likely 90% debasement. All you have to do is compare dollars to gold and you can see the real inflation Not Bernanke's version of inflation! Just look at this lack of foresight any one that believes him is delusional he is the reason Nations Fail ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fW7Bb07WV88 His Stimulus is the beginning of money created from nothing which blows a bubble in Green energy, in Housing, In Education, in Health care all the areas that are rising in price or said another way inflation. How long will our debtors continue to taker our counterfeit money, how long will the world continue to trade in a counterfeit money? That is exactly how long we have. cut your self off from all things government now and the fall will be all that much easier. The only real way that our country will fail to see better days is if the electorate gives in and accepts the current mediocrity, corruption, and cronyism that is on blatant display as the status quo. People thought we were getting an actual change in the last election cycle. It has unfortunately become painfully obvious that it was simply more of the same, except this time it was brought to us by the powerhouse of corruption and cronyism that is the Chicago political machine. When people realize how hard they have been deceived and just how much apathy those in power hope we display, things will inevitably take a drastic turn. Given how miserable current economic conditions are, that turn can only be a good thing and cannot come soon enough. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUWqLo_OSIk

America's best days are behind it now just as they've always been behind it since the ideal of a City Upon a Hill. Although we often speak of the optimism of the future and the American Spirit, we too often hearken to a time in the halcyon past that may or may not warrant our admiration. Things always seem to have been simpler "then", and people seemed to have a greater sense of whatever it is that we seem to be lacking now. The fact of the matter is that America's strength lies not in the ideals of its past or the great possibilities of its future, but in our tenacity of the present. The great things that we did in the past we did because of our ability to rally around the strength and belief in the present. When we stop believing in that, when we stop relying on the steely resolve of our unwillingness to be beaten by this current challenge, then America is at an end. America will endure so long as we believe in the present we are afforded and our ability to change within it. It is a present with roots in the ideals of the past and a hopeful assumption of the future, but it is firmly planted in the realism of the now. America's best days are behind it because its best days have always been today.

Yes, Americas best days are behind it. Following the Second World War, America entered into a period of prosperity. The productive nations of the Western world were in ruins. The US, with its industrial might intact, became the dominant power. The soldiers coming home from the war had the means to give their children a better life than the one they knew. To the Baby Boomers, this raised standard-of-living was a new normal. They wanted to start there and increase their standard of living to give even more to their children. In the meantime, other nations rebuilt their industries and many began to compete on better terms. Jobs and capital went overseas. America was left with rising expectations that it could no longer afford. Both its governments and its people borrowed heavily to fill in the gap. Our great-grandparents had summers off to help harvest the crops for pennies. Now, we have great masses of idle young people expecting a high standard of living and migrant workers in the fields. Nations fail because they lose their rationale for being. Either by being corrupted by bread and circuses (Rome, but there was more than a bit of lead in the aqueducts that we now know lead to aggressive behavior and low IQ). Or by conquest, though that's probably not going to happen to the US for a long time. Economic pressures could lead to the collapse of a nation state but we're too big to fail from that perspective, its like the old joke Russia invades China, first day they take 100 million prisoners, second day they take 200 million prisoners, third day they surrender. We may hit some very rough patches if we don't fix and stabilize our economic and financial section. And that means reining in the 1%. Letting them loose with no regulation (and both parties bought into the deregulation mantra) and lots of 'found money' was the disaster of the decade. But Ronnie was right the best times are ahead. One of these days we'll get to Mars and then things will really take off. In my 22 years on this earth, I have never been more inspired to fight for America. What I see before me is two factions, and two possibilities: 1) I see the right-wing agenda tailing out of control and raising questions that I thought were answered years ago. I see rights being questioned and subtle racism running riot. 2) In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, I see more fire in the belly of America's youth than ever before. The fire to change, to progress, to make a difference. I see people now more than ever getting involved and saying no, we will not stand for this. When I think about the two halves of America, I see the ones pulling us forward coming out ahead, we have more arms. If we can somehow pierce the impenetrable shield of politics, and find some, ANY model of reform, we should live on as a prosperous nation for a very long time. But all the social change in the world won't make a difference if the money stays in the same place. The change we seek is step one, we MUST fight to get money out of politics. As long as the tight-knit riot squad of politicians control the money, they will control the nation, and run it into the ground. Social change won't change this, but it's where we find out voice and the confidence and the power to take on the oppressors.

With the emergence of a movement such as The Occupy group, much has been missed. As a Fifty-One year old African-American male, I've seen much. There has been good as well as bad but never have I seen so many Americans so angry. There was the Civil Rights movement, followed by the riots and protest against Vietnam but never has their been a loss of faith or trust in the government as a whole. It's as if millions looked behind the curtain of the wizard and realized the wizard was a sham. The question of America's best days can only be answered based on the direction we as a nation chose to take from this cross roads we now stand at. There are many who stand ready to take up arms against what they see as a corrupt and unjust system, urged on by outside interest that have an outright hatred for America. Americans are hurting in a way this country has never experienced in the past, while politicians seem deaf and blind to their cries. What many don't understand is that without the occupy movement, civil war would have already began. Those who doubt this need only answer a simple question, "How much does a gallon of milk cost?". Now ask someone who is out of work or living on food stamps. Funny how media is always talking about the middle class, how many millions make up the army below the middle class? America can be great again, but she must begin to realize how close she is to destruction and take the right path and make changes. The 1% must begin to realize that without the 99%, soon their money and wealth will mean nothing. I don't know if this is a essay or a complaint, but for now let's go with the former. I have always been fascinated by the power of language and how mere words can be used to shape thought. When I read the question "Are America's best days behind it?" I automatically thought well Dylan, if you ask a negative question, you are obviously going to get negative answers. It is a question that conjures up negative thoughts, that focuses on past accomplishments and no dreams of the future. Remember the guy from 2008? You know, the hope and change guy? How about the Occupy movement? Well Barack Obama may have been buried under the burden of the presidency, and the Occupy movement has issues of it's own too, but the existence of both continue to prove that Americans are willing to embrace new ideas and more importantly, positive thinking. While I am on the subject of the power of language, who better to give us a example of this than the lion tamer of language himself, George Carlin. Oh wait a minute, my bad! Georges language is a bit too powerful for this audience but throughout the years he emphasized context and ways that people use language to control conversation, so if you were to ask a new question like,"What do you think America will look like in the future?", I would tell you that as long as there is passion, as long as there is positivity and as long as people like you continue to ask questions, I think America will be okay. Just make the questions a little more positive from now on alright? - A fan of truth and the power of positive thinking.

How do you define best days? By the weather's change? After winter there comes spring. New challenges will arise. But with hope or fear? With which shall we face what comes? Did you learn from yesterday? Did you seize today? Tomorrow is ours to make. Our problems are becoming increasingly complex, but the electorate isn't keeping up, both in terms of their understanding and their willingness to deal with the complexities. Democracies get the governments they deserve. If we're too busy, too angry or too dumb to participate, then, yes, our best days will be behind us.

An accurate definition of what are perceived to be inherently American values has to be based on an understanding of our Revolution and the framing of our Constitution. Take a look at the principles we were founded on and contrast them with the current state of our union. Compare a nation that was founded on dedication to personal freedom and sovereign statehood to the monolithic federal government we have today. The Founders would never have tolerated a central government so powerfully invasive. Madison and Jefferson are spinning in their graves, outraged as the Constitution is trampled over with undeclared war and the suppression of inalienable rights and pursuits. This is not what they intended. They wrote the thing to express the valid notion that in a free society, every individual is the governor of ones self, that in this life we are the masters of our destiny, and when someone tried to infringe on that, you could show them that piece of paper which guaranteed it. This is not true today amidst culture wars and incredulous wealth disparity. We are entrenched in a system that is rigged, as corporate and privileged interests have merged Wall Street and Capitol Hill. It is exclusive, though the fantasy of the American Dream is still propagated to keep us working. Perhaps, like Rome, moral decay has made us complacent and authored imminent collapse. However, I believe the Americans are still a great people. We have conquered so much in our short history, and though corrupted by greed at our highest levels, we are not beyond redemption, if only we strengthen our collective consciousness. It is time to wake up. If you do not see the present direness, you arent paying attention. We are living in turbulent times: Exciting times with the potential for greatness.

The American system has grown too complex and litigious with weaker fundamentals and stronger competition. Weaker commercial sectors and a complex public sector are not positioning this country to thrive. The ability for the average American to see a future where his/her family thrives is the factor that motivates and inspires one to chase their dream. Losing sight of the American dream has had far reaching consequences. America today may or may not be less great than it was. However it cannot be great without the enthusiastic contributions of people that embrace American ideals and leverage the American system. America's current course requires real change. There are 4 major commercial categories that require improvement; finance, manufacturing, energy and education. Some solutions are straightforward for example the manufacturing sector can be focused on value-added manufacturing operations that require high quality, flexibility and fast-turn around. The public sector requires material change in 4 major categories; financial regulation, government spending, international relations, general legal/code reforms (e.g. tax code, patent law). The public sector dilemma is all about getting efficient. The categories outlined above can all be summarized as requiring improved efficiency (e.g. efficient financial regulation or efficient spending). This is no harder than preparing a wall for a fresh coat of paint after years of wallpapering over wallpaper. We made these decisions and now its time to peel back and start fresh. These are our issues. They are American issues. We are all the beneficiaries of this great country and therefore we all need to play a role in making it great. We need to capture the old American spirit and help the American future thrive.

To answer the question "Why do nations fail, and are America's best days behind us?" we must analyze facts without clouding our minds with partisanship. Crippling debt and unregulated fiat currency will eventually collapse empire. All Western empires grew based on sound currency - the US Dollar, the British Pound, and the Roman Aureus - and subsequently died when they departed from the set standard. America is no different. The debt is due to spending beyond our means, and without a broader strategy. Overspending is a tax itself; it matters not what tax rates are. Whether our government taxes, borrows, or inflates the monetary base, the public pays for overspending eventually. By delaying the inevitable, and not addressing our debt drivers Defense, Social Security, and Medicare the correction will be sharp, and will hurt the savings and investments of millions, while enabling the extraction of real wealth by those in control. By printing money, the value of the US Dollar falls. The Dollar has now lost 95% of its value since 1913. This affects its purchasing power, something felt every time we fill our gas tanks or buy groceries. So, "Are America's best days behind us?" Maybe. As in other failed empires, apathy has the potential to undo America. To combat this, we must seek out information as diligently as we seek out entertainment. Admission of truth regarding our welfare and warfare states will not be pleasant for partisans, but it is the only thing that can save us. WHEN, not if, GOP leaders learn bipartisanship is the best way to achieve progress; then we can say American can say our better days are ahead, not behind us. Let's first look at some of our problems that are completely ignored. It's become the norm for the middle class to take on all of the burden of corporate failure and consistently gets reduced wages for heavier work load. In 1980, the average CEO made 42 times the avg worker salary. In 2000, that number was 541 times the avg worker. I haven't found actual numbers since 2000, but I'm sure it's above 700 at the rate it was increasing. Essentially the middle class workers reward for company success is keeping their jobs while CEO's and executives take all of the credit and increase in salary/bonuses. When the company isn't doing well, the middle class bears the burden. So if our best days are ahead this philosophy of "trickle down" needs to stop. There should be a "trickle up" movement. Pay the middle class and they'll have buying power. They need enough to meet needs, non-need spending, and actually open savings accounts. More businesses willl do better and make more profits. If this main problem gets fixed our best days are ahead of us. If not, we're screwed.

This question brings back a childhood memory. We had a backyard that had a small creek running through it. On the bank of this creek sat this magnificent willow tree. The place of many childhood memories - the 'fort' was always there. As years turned to skateboards not forts, the tree looked sick. Mom wanted it removed before it fell. Dad resisted. He asked others for information, read many articles and experimented with cures. He began a nurturing campaign to save the tree. Dad is gone. Mom has Alzheimer's. I take comfort under that magnificent willow tree. Like that tree, our best days are ahead of us if we remember to nurture. Are Americas best days behind it? Yes. Why? We have abandoned the Founders plan for prosperity and sold out to foreign economic expansion plans and rampant Multi-National Corporate greed. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the specific right to regulate commerce with foreign nations. The massive yearly trade deficits are killing America. Just say no to WTO and free trade looting and yes to American prosperity through the American System. 150 other nations place large tariffs, VATs, border duties, etc. on imports, while the US takes no measures to compete in the international market. If we would reinstate Alexander Hamilton's American School of Economics, tariffs on imports, building America's infrastructure, supporting manufacturing and innovation, supporting engineering and technical education and citizen development, using the import tariff funds to pay off Federal debt, provide grants to industry and innovators and creating a nationwide environment of prosperity, causing us to become self sufficient and self reliant, we could get back on track. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_School_(economics) The political leaders of America from 1789 to 1970 followed the American System, not British free trade looting, not Libertarian or Objectivist or Communist Psycho Babble, but The Founding Fathers method of promoting the general welfare. There is no excuse, whatsoever, for abandoning this policy. What nearly every other country in the world has learned from the American School of Economics is what Hamilton impressed Washington and the first Constitutional congress with in 1789, they passed his tariffs. He knew the country had to tie corporate America and industry to the success of the USA and its citizens. He did this by placing tariffs on imports and making sure that US corporate success was dependent on American success, thereby making patriotism the order of the day. This accomplished many of his goals of US self

are Americas best days behind us? Maybe. We got fat, dumb and lazy for a while. Yet what seems to be lost in this fingerpointing political-pop culture that we remain in the very early stages of a watershed moment in human existence Cyberspace. Our interconnected neofrontier is barely a generation old. Its barely old enough to walk, let alone speak maturely. The Internet has served to enlighten nearly as much as it has served to confuse the national and global dialogue (what else would you expect of something that Al Gore invented, zing!). And yet that awkward still growing new media has sparked a renaissance of intellectual engagement among people in all walks of life leading to an expansion of dialog and review of supporting information that network TV news, for so long, had seemingly marginalized, if not ignored. And despite numerous modern distractions in the real and ethereal worlds - it seems theres a new generation of passionate hyper-engaged activists and wonks emerging (Dyland Ratigan among them!) who not only talk about change but understand the change that needs to be enacted. -We need smaller, less intrusive, more efficient, more accountable government. One way to achieve and self-regulate this is via transparency. Corporations dont like government transparency, so . . . -We need greater corporate accountability. But corporations bully employees into viewing the world through their corporate sunglasses employees become subjugated into routing their personal political opinions through the corporate filter. Which means -We need to LEARN & ASSERT our unalienable rights as individuals. While remaining respectful and civil, we MUST NOT be intimidated by corporations, political leaders, law enforcement, etc . . . Power and Corruption. The powerful take advantage of the powerless and manipulate the system that they created. The power establishment builds a system that maintains their power. No.

Could we solve our financial crises? Yes! The greatest economic tool is the social security system. With a few adjustments we could set the right course and be debt free within 3 or 4 generations. What are those adjustments? 1) Begin with a small contribution at birth - a minimum of $100 for every child born with incentives for early contributions before age 21 so the compounding effect can be utilized. 2) privatize the accounts so existing assets can be contributed as well that will begin to relieve the obligations of the social security system with backing by the current rate of withholding for those who do not generate sufficient returns to meet minimum requirements. 3) any contributions should be protected from all claims including divorce, bankruptcy, and so on to motivate consolidation of existing retirement funds backed with the full faith and guarantee of the federal government. 4) allow accumulated wealth to be transferred to descendents thus allowing every American to accumulate and pass on wealth to descendents or designee's including charities. As we continue to progress with technology, fewer workers are going to be required therefore accumulated wealth will be necessary to prevent or reduce poverty in our society. Government should employ solid economic tools in the social security system on behalf of our society which becomes the footing for social stability.