www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Yes, Cummins, sorry.

Slipping away? I just don't get that. We are more wealthy than ever. GDP is bigger than ever. Worker productivity is the highest in the US in world history.

We heard the exact same gloom and doom stuff in the 1970s during the Cater administration. Look at us now, we are more wealthy and powerful than ever!!!!!

During the 1980's everyone was talking about how much better the Japanese were than us. Look what happened there.

Remember in 1960 when Kruschev banged his shoe on the podium in the UN and said that Russia was going to bury us. We took it seriously. Well it didn't quite turn out that way did it.

For some reason we have this thing where we think our whole way of life is going to crumble away before our eyes. No one else in the world worries about that stuff. We have everything and yet we act like we have nothing.

Our standard of living is rediculas by world history standards. The average American has a higher standard of living then the kings of england just 200 years ago.

We are going through a transition from an Industrial Economy to a IT/Service Economy. Those are better jobs, higher paid jobs. Our economy is producing more high paid jobs than any other country in the world, by a long shot. Some people are hurt by that, just as some people lost their agriculture jobs when the combine was invented.

Look at the stock market for heaven sakes. The fat cats that control all the world financial assets have no problem investing in America. We need to just relax and enjoy our wealth and our position and not worry.

You are on to something there.

The 1800s was the era of the steam engine.
The 1900s it was the internal combustion engine.

What ever country comes up with the energy technology of the 2000s will dominate the world economy during the rest of the century. I like the odds that will be a technology that will emerge from the US. China and India just don't have the intellectual capacity (R&D infrustructure) to beat us to it. Brazil is doing a lot with Bio Fuel, but I just don't see that as the answer.

Oh, I don't worry about it. I've taught myself to not get too worked up over things I have no control over.

I have no dependents. I have no legacy. The only remaining relative of note is my sister and we were never that close.

I am just trying to get enough money together to live in peace and harmony with the cosmos (with the occasional boom, boom thrown in) until I "check out".

But while it is true we are in a prosperous time you have also listed many things from the distant past (even the 70s are distant compared to how fast technology is advancing). Yes, we are leaders but the world is shrinking and we better get with the program.

We are also in an unwinable war against an ideology that will fight to the death. Their numbers are growing against us daily. They live similar to the way they did hundreds of years ago but now they have the means to destroy not just each other but large numbers of other people. If they get their hands on nuclear weapons it's going to be a mess. The mere fear of what they can do is mind-boggling. Look what 9/11 did to world-wide travel. Six years later and we still can't get on a plane to go across the state without practically disrobing.

What would happen if they decided "The time to act is now. We will pollute the water supplies of every large city in America!"?

Far fetched? Maybe, but not that difficult to do. Our arrogance and lack of forsight allowed them to commandeer the planes.

And speaking of our arrogance. Check out the US auto industry before the gas crunch of the 70s. That little problem, along with the ego of the big 3 auto makers ("We are the biggest and best auto manufacturers in the world. No one, especially the Japanese, can touch us. We will continue to build our gas-guzzling hunks of iron and the people will buy whatever we put out there") changed an industry that impacted a huge portion of the American economy.

These are just a few examples. I hope I'm wrong but I see big changes coming in the world and I don't think they will be for our well being. I personally don't want to be a part of it. My world is very small. If I can find some happiness in it then I'll be content. That is my only long-term goal.

Well, I am with you on that brother. I am very happy living in peaceful little Costa Rica where people are much happier with a lot less and are not so worried about what the future holds.

KC...you make some valid points. But you dont seem to realize how quickly things could and are changing with the wars we start not going our way, our dollar crumbling making us all stay at home because we cant afford rising travel/purchase prices in other countries...the social costs of being duo income workaholic families in order to keep buying the new stuff we are supposed to have to prove our success...and of course the growing number of uninsured MIDDLE CLASS citizens and K*ds because we cant afford the premiums...let alone the treatments and drugs. Oh...and then there is the huge immigration issue, the burgeoning growth of jails to house a majority of minority males plus the likes of Paris Hilton and Nicky...the lack of treatments centers to treat all our junkies and addicts. If you dont see some clouds on the horizon now...I dont know when you will.

I truly WANT to be as optomistic as you...but that disappeared...in about 2001.

_________________
All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

I hear what you are saying. I agree that things can change, but I guess my main point is we should reserve the gloom and doom for something like the great depression era that my father grew up in. Now that would be something to complain about!

Yes we have problems, but give me a break.

I don't think I am so much of an optimist.

It is more that I am skeptical of the gloom and doom forecasts.

n