Well said and hard to refute. However, being more of a pessimist than you, I worry that global economic depression would comprise hidden disruptive forces that come from mass desperation, especially from the Islamniacs (see Message 1). I worry that America herself is a danger to the world; she's already proved that under Bush. And think America is about to face something it is ill prepared for.
Yes I agree with you, a global economic depression and a growing global unemployment rate are definitely worrisome things to consider. I also agree that America's blatant nationalistic
"thumbing its nose" attitude towards the global community and its imperialistic pursuits of natural resources have also resulted in resentment and anger especially in areas that have only recently thrown off the shackles of colonialism i.e. the middle east and equatorial Africa. This is a formula for disaster. Whether it will result in WW III, I see unlikely due to the limitations these populations have both economically and militarily. However, I do not rule out further terrorist attacks such dirty bombs, attacks like 9-11, hijackings, etc.
It doesn't help that we are occupying two countries in the middle east, support a regime that is at times opposed to peaceful mediation with the Palestinians to establish a separate Palestinian state (and no, I am not anti-Semitic, my brother-in-law is Jewish), support oppressive regimes (i.e. the Shah of Iran as well as Saddam Hussein himself) and have replaced the British and French as the colonial/imperialistic power of the Middle East. I am not excusing terrorism in the least. However at the same time we need to understand America is not just an innocent bystander either.
Perhaps you underestimate the forces of evil that lurk just an onion skin away from street level. LA is barely able to contain its gangs. They'll burn it down if they have a mind to, and economic depression will help fuel their fury. And I'm afraid Obama will get assassinated and all hell will break loose. I single out California because it is on the brink of economic disaster, to name just one. The Santa Ana fires are a cynical metaphor of what's to come, I fear. But, then, I'm a pessimist, on the short term. On the long term, in a few decades, American will be better off for it, just as she was after the Civil War. But our quality of life will be substantially lowered.
When unemployment here rises past 10% we will see desperation; and if it goes to 20% it's "Katie, bar the door!" There won't be enough cops to keep the crooks out of your living room. The next four years should be very interesting.
Street gangs and the like are a result of our inability to provide social incentives and deterrences to this way of life. I am not an expert in this area and cannot give you sure fire solutions to these problems however I do believe a well-founded education system is one of the thing that will work at reducing these risks. I am hoping the President Elect Obama and Vice President Elect Biden understand this (I think they do) and really work to reorganize and revitalize our education system. My wife being a teacher herself has a vetted interest in this and has informed me about the inequality and lack of funding for the current "No Child Left Behind" program. It is not enough to increase our justice and criminal system we must nip this at the bud in our education systems, which included educating the parents as well as the children.
"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." Dr. Carl Sagan
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