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> do you honestly expect Americans to do well in a world where we aren't the preeminent military and economic power? we wouldn't. As we act now? No I strongly

> do you honestly expect Americans to do well in a world where we aren't the preeminent military and economic power? we wouldn't. As we act now? No I strongly suspect not, because standard American foreign policy of the last roughly eighty years has been swinging our massive dick around and screwing over every other nation on planet Earth, economically, financially, militarily, or some combination of the three. Let me posit an opposing question: What right does America, one fucking country, in one part of the world, that isn't particularly large, have to basically dictate world geopolitic as we have for decades at this point? What right does America have to say China cannot have an "advanced economy"? Who appointed us? Who elected us? Most importantly, who are we accountable to and who must be justify those kinds of statements to? Or is it literally just down to the fact that we have the biggest bombs on the planet? I don't know, genuinely, what the consequences are of a world that is not headed by the United States, but to get really honest here, the US is not doing a great job in that regard anyway. Would I want North Korea at the helm? Obviously not. But I don't ascribe even remotely that level of hostility to the state of China. And to continue to be blunt, ARE Americans doing so well as your question presupposes? Because I kinda think we're getting screwed in a lot of ways, and I grant, not as hard as people elsewhere in many cases, but also uniquely hard to other people of other developed nations in specific ways. I, personally, would much prefer that instead of lighting trillions of defense dollars on fire year over year to continue inflating the aforementioned massive dick that we wave around the world all the time, be put instead towards fixing... hell, any of the major problems America actually HAS. And like, take your pick. Healthcare, Infrastructure, Education, Poverty, just to name the four biggest that immediately come to mind. Hell maybe we just give up new tanks for one year and make sure everyone in Flint, Michigan can have WATER without any goddamn lead in it. I am exhausted of the narrative that the world, the whole WORLD, will topple over dead if America isn't in charge. America has BEEN in charge, defacto, since the end of World War 2. LOOK AROUND!!!

_bin_ 2y ago
there is generally someone who is king of the hill. the ascendancy of china with her current policies is proof that the "end of history" dream of every nation cooperating within a democratic international order is no better than a pipe dream of xanadu. we are accountable to the American people. and yes, a huge chunk of influence is due to us having the biggest bombs. other parts are due to continual largesse, from the Marshall plan post-wwii to the continued support of the IMF and World Bank today. i agree Americans aren't doing as well as we could be. my question is not whether America at the head of the world is doing a perfect job, it's whether specifically Americans will do better under a different system. the chinese one freaking sucks. it's anti-liberty. mainland chinese have no rights to free speech, to bear arms, to equal protection and due process. there is only the party. flint's water has been clean for four years btw. we spend the balance of our budget on non-military matters. defense is less than one-quarter of our spend. perhaps you should examine why we are lighting so much money on fire, primarily to provide outsized levels of healthcare to people who choose to live poorly and to subsidize the old people who already own most of the wealth in the country. perhaps instead, we means-test social security. surely we can wait until boomers have spent down the value of their million-dollar homes before we start cutting them checks each month. the world, the whole world, is a hell of a lot better than it was post-wwii. America has led the world, and most importantly, ourselves, to an age of prosperity that has never before existed. if we want to keep our wealth, our liberty, our way of life, it is essential we use any means necessary to keep any other nation from ever surpassing us in power.

_bin_ 2y ago

there is generally someone who is king of the hill. the ascendancy of china with her current policies is proof that the "end of history" dream of every nation cooperating within a democratic international order is no better than a pipe dream of xanadu. we are accountable to the American people. and yes, a huge chunk of influence is due to us having the biggest bombs. other parts are due to continual largesse, from the Marshall plan post-wwii to the continued support of the IMF and World Bank today. i agree Americans aren't doing as well as we could be. my question is not whether America at the head of the world is doing a perfect job, it's whether specifically Americans will do better under a different system. the chinese one freaking sucks. it's anti-liberty. mainland chinese have no rights to free speech, to bear arms, to equal protection and due process. there is only the party. flint's water has been clean for four years btw. we spend the balance of our budget on non-military matters. defense is less than one-quarter of our spend. perhaps you should examine why we are lighting so much money on fire, primarily to provide outsized levels of healthcare to people who choose to live poorly and to subsidize the old people who already own most of the wealth in the country. perhaps instead, we means-test social security. surely we can wait until boomers have spent down the value of their million-dollar homes before we start cutting them checks each month. the world, the whole world, is a hell of a lot better than it was post-wwii. America has led the world, and most importantly, ourselves, to an age of prosperity that has never before existed. if we want to keep our wealth, our liberty, our way of life, it is essential we use any means necessary to keep any other nation from ever surpassing us in power.