There's a lot of talk these days about America being an empire in decline. Gerald Celente, director of the Trends Research Institute, goes a step further, arguing America is following a similar path as the former Soviet Union.
"While the many glaring differences between the two political systems have been exhaustively publicized - especially in the U.S. - the glaring similarities [go] unnoticed," Celente writes in The Trends Journal, which he publishes.
In the accompanying video, Celente describes some of these similarities, including:
A rotten political system: He compares politicians (Democrats and Republicans alike) to "Mafioso" and says campaign contributions are really thinly disguised "bribes and payoffs."
Crony capitalism: Like in the USSR of old, Celente laments that so much of America's wealth (93%) is controlled by such a small group small portion of its population (10%). Owing to that concentration of wealth, the government makes policies designed to reward "the bigs" at the expense of average citizens (see: Bailouts, banks).
Military-industrial complex: The USSR went bankrupt fighting the cold war and Celente fears the U.S. is "squandering its greater but still finite resources on a gargantuan defense budget, fighting unwinnable hot wars and feeding an insatiable military stationed on hundreds of bases worldwide."
As with many observers, Celente thinks America will suffer the same fate in Afghanistan as the USSR, the British Empire, Alexander the Great and all others who've ventured into the "graveyard of empires."
The irony, of course, is that while America defeated Soviet Communism and won the Cold War, perhaps our greatest threat today comes from China and its booming state-controlled economy.
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Gerald is 100% correct. Pad your portfolio with shotgun shells and freeze dried food. When the welfare system folds all these people will be roving the suburbs and rural areas looking to take your stuff, simple fact. I think of Heston talking about all the gun control Hollywood types phoning him up to see if they could borrow a weapon during the LA Riots. Don't be a fool and don't go to the wonderful FEMA center either.....
You want to beat China? We need American socialism. After all, it's the corporate capitlalist system that screwed us over. Don't forget that the first socialist society in America was in Harmony, on our soil.
Capitalism had its moment but it isn't an economic system that is immune to self-destructive behavior: the killing of nations to get land for extraction, commodification, and privatization. The workers themselves and the middle class are left hanging. Additionally, all colonial empires spawn anti-colonial struggles. Our desires to maintain our possessions is what will bankrupt our state. All colonial empire--all of them--have had their supernovae explosions and are now pathetic little remnants. Look at the UK, a set of islands smaller than California, look at the Netherlands, Spain, etc...
the problem is too big now. the u.s. government and economy will collapse, by design... just a matter of time. it doesn't matter what party is in control or who is president anymore. the days of america the free are ancient history (ended in 1913 when the private fed reserve bank took control of the government and the people)... just look at our hyper-militarized para-military police forces, or our public school prisons, and how our kids are instilled with fear and brainwashed for 12+ years ala hitler's nazi youth program. ...and revolution by the people??? are you kidding me??? our fat, lazy, spoiled, sheep-ish and dumbed-down modern society of adults would gladly embrace any new form of government as long as it didn't "inconvenience" their day. we are going the way of all other empirical regimes. if you can't see this, you need a big reality check!
c'mon what's the problem if ever china will be the superpower beside its Asia's turn now to regain its power..
we need to get rid of obama first and foremost. i know it sounds like just another guy blaming the president but really, did giving more of our money to the guys that blew it all in the first place seem smart? our economic policies dont need to be decided by rich old men with no economic background. what do they know? and why should they care? they have all the money they need. i know if my middle-class @#$% ran certain things, people would've been hanged for taking a 10 million dollar bonus or vacation, etc, after accepting tax funded bailouts. and speaking of, how many tax payer dollars has obama spent on vacations? i always thought you had to actually work to take a vacation from it anyway. all he does is spend money and talk @#$%. and why not tax the hell out of the super-rich? im not talking doctors, im talking ceo's who have more money than three generations could spend. (or does america really love the kardashians that much?) and im not saying people should be punished for success, but i am saying it's not right that the people who litterally build this country brick by brick make barely enough to get by, IF they can find work, while others light cigars with hundred dollar bills because they made a smart buisiness move at the right time, and more than likely cut some corners and broke some laws (microsoft?). im not suggesting total communism, but come on, 10% of the population has all the money and our economy is supposed to thrive? get real.
However he is wrong about Afghanistan. We are not "loosing". The majority of threat forces in Afghanistan are not Afghan. They are Paki, Iranian, Chechnyan, Egyptian, etc.. This has not been a fight since 9/11. This has been a fight since the storming of the US embassy in Iran. We have a choice to fight this battle in a far away country or our backyards. Take your pick.
I served two tours in Afghanistan. It is and always has been a pit because the land is very divided and you will always be battling some faction. It has no real resources other than its location as a geo-cultural crossroad. Celente is right on with his highlight of social programs, decline in eduction, gov't debt, etc..
This guy is famous???
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