Past peak prosperity

[Bgno64]

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/276879">Smart Remarks:

As our economy has evolved, it has distorted the very nature of our society. Once upon a time in America you could believe that if you worked hard your wages and standard of living would increase; your kids would live better than you did. All that's inoperative now. The fundamental American promise seems broken. There are many reasons for this — globalization would top my list — but the bottom line is that as a society, we appear to have passed the point of "peak prosperity." Never again will we be as broadly prosperous as we were, or believed we were.

This "believed we were" is key, because we probably reached peak prosperity a decade ago. Since then wages have flatlined, though the housing bubble and easy credit made it easy to ignore this. But now the piper — and Mastercard — must be paid; now prosperity must give way to austerity. Unemployment is likely to remain high, and this will have a profound effect, shaking the confidence of a generation and further crippling our consumption-based economy. At the same time, as we cut social spending, it will reinforce this spiral of newfound destitution; our descent down the far side of the peak prosperity bell curve will quicken.

We are going to be a poorer nation, and Americans aren't going to take this well at all. Prosperity is a birthright, or regarded as such. We'll mourn its passing. Then we'll get angry — even angrier than we are.

[Demeter]

1. I Don't Believe America Is Past Its Peak

I DO believe that the fraudulent corporate criminals who have gutted the economy are overdue for prosecution, prison and asset-stripping. If those assets cannot be returned to the individuals from whom they were stolen, then they should go into the national fund for social expenditures (NOT corporate contracts of any type).

Also, the priorities and procedures of governance of this nation require a significant overhaul. The restoration of the rule of law, the demotion of corporations from "eternal personhood and first-class citizenship", and the reinstatement of habeas corpus, the Constitution, and all the treaties like War Crimes which we are signatory to, and others which we SHOULD be signatory to, would be a good start.

With these foundations beneath us, I would expect the United States of America to exceed all past achievements in liberty, equality, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness, not to mention quality of life and even, GDP.

World peace might also stand a chance.

[bpcmxr]

4. Hear hear!

Well said, thank you.

[glitch]

5. I hope so.

We'll find out if our system is flexible enough to avoid the empire trap completely. So far we aren't batting very well but the game isn't over.

If we can get rid of the corporate corruption of our government and transition to a green economy we might not lead the planet to a permian level extinction.

Might as well keep fighting for real change. :hi:

[tama]

2. Being prosperous

After I dropped out from the rat race, I've become "poor" only monetarily and in the eyes of mammon worshippers, but in reality I'm more prosperous than ever, living in plentitude that satisfies all my material needs and keeps surprising me in many happy ways. The secret is simple, living in the community of men (and the rest of nature), being just humans to each others, not mere subjects of state and parts of the machine of "economic growth".

Some might label this way of life as "spiritual hippie anarchy", but there is no real need for such labels. It's enough to live well and receive all the blessings I'm granted. This prosperity is not peaking, it's grounded and keeps growing multitudes of beautifull gardens.

[4dsc]

3. And when peak oil hits the fan

I would say the best is behind us because we simply don't have the cheap resources to maintain our unsustainable lifestyles.