The Decline of the United States

Sadly the United States has been declining since Woodrow Wilson then FDR and the abandonment of the Constitution and the rise of the administrative state.

 

The US is not special, as all powerful countries, they will decline.

 

The decline has nothing to do with Obama and Biden, it started long before them

 

I would have to question what decline is being referenced here? The inference is that it was somehow better before?
America, the land of opportunity, the shining beacon of hope, that place where everything would be all right when you got there? It never existed.
The decline of the United States is not different than the decline of everywhere else. To blame one party over another is the act of the desperate.
America would be well served to realize that it is just another ship on the sea. The rocks don't care who's steering the ship, they just lie there in wait.

 

My 2 cents, for what it's worth...
I tend to agree and disagree to an extent with @blue eyed girl - to narrow down this decline to a single issue is silly. To say that opportunity, hope, and better days don't exist in America is equally silly. As someone who grew up in a third world country and having moved to the US, I think I can speak for a great majority of immigrants from 3rd world countries that the US does indeed offer countless more opportunities than my home country ever could. After living here half my life, I can already say I have much greater prospects and wealth (of my own) than my entire family back home. My parents came here with basically nothing and made a life for me and my siblings. Hands down, best decision ever. Now, is the US the same as it was when I first moved here? No. I agree, the "decline" of the country is apparent, but we need to be careful with how we define that "decline." I believe a country can only be as good as the people who work to better it by bettering their own immediate surroundings and communities. Look at what countries like Sweden or Japan have done collectively to better their situation over recent years, despite having infinitely less resources than our continent-sized country! America was great when we focused our efforts on the positive influences and the merits of the many cultures and peoples who have the potential to make it an endless source of growth, rather than listening to media that only focuses on the squabbling between political parties when both, quite honestly, no longer seem to support the needs of the people they govern. Any place where there is great power and wealth, there is an incredibly high risk of people falling to greed, selfishness, pride, among many other vices that ultimately lead to the downfall of a society.

 

@Neophyte - I watched this video and it's essentially a pretty long rant that can pretty much be boiled down to the rampant hypocrisy of the elite and the gall of people who are too afraid to take responsibility for their choices and instead prefer to lay blame (hmm, sounds like our current state of politics).

However, it did lead me to watch this video as well:
In here, she reads the actual words of viral musician Chris "Oliver" Anthony (watch around 8:07 - 8:53 minute markers if you don't want to see the whole 19 minutes), where he is very real and humble in his words and basically summarizes one of the main reasons for this "decline" that you're trying to get at. I refer back to my last statement on vices and rest my case.

So, I guess, in a backward way, I am thanking you for posting this video as it led me to something more wholesome that was worthwhile! haha

 

With regards to @vempaivem 's above post.
While I'm pleased to hear your family's migration worked out for the better for you, it hardly proves anything.
Many people/families emigrate to various other countries, the USA is not unique as a destination. Some thrive, some fail.
The USA was hardly a destination of choice if you were black in the 1800's. Being Japanese in the USA in 1942 didn't work out so well. Being a native American at any point after c1500 was a death sentence for many. All through no fault of their own, but due entirely to the prejudices of the ruling elite.
Most all countries on the planet are guilty of some transgressions in their past, and for some, present.
The USA has no claim to be superior to any of them. Then or now.

 

To be clear, I wasn't trying to prove anything or claim the US is superior to any particular country. I simply stated from my personal experience that the US is a far cry better than countless 3rd world countries and definitely provides much more opportunity.

Define failure. Do you know many immigrants and have spoken to them to know their opinion? Have you lived in a 3rd world country yourself? Or even visited the slums of one? Even minimum wage in the US is enough to live on while still supporting your remaining family in the country from which you emigrated. Ever wonder why people still flock to the US at higher rates than any other country in the world by a large margin? The total immigrant population of the US dwarfs the next largest (Germany) by 35 million! You don't think that has anything to do with how much more easily they can thrive here than elsewhere? If it was a simple matter of moving to a 1st world country to ensure you thrive, those rates would be much higher in countries with open immigration policies like Germany or Canada, but they aren't. Prejudices and transgressions aside, the US is still a great place to live and thrive.

 

Except that only about 25% of those come from across the border. Many countries have more international borders than we do, not the least of which is Germany (2nd in immigration). Not to mention a big part of those 25% fly to Mexico as a transition to get to the border of the US.

I would also argue immigration was a major source of the rise of the US as a world power, so we're still on topic. The US would be nothing today without the positive influence of the diversity it contains, which brings me back to the point I was trying to make: America was great when we focused our efforts on the positive influences and the merits of the many cultures and peoples who have the potential to make it an endless source of growth.

 

Can you guys stop the anti Biden propaganda bs?we fucking know you dont like him, stop showing these crap videos all the time for god's sake

 

Quite true.
Biden is a figure head. Despite his wholesale corruption (taking millions of graft from communist China and other despotic countries) he is not the problem. Taking cheap shots at an easy target does not solve the problem. . . It is a distraction from dealing with the real issues.