America is the greatest country in the world. No other nation can boast such a high standard of living, freedom and safety, and global dominance for nearly 100 years. However, our country faces many problems today and current issues facing our country make it doubtful the U.S. can continue this trend for another 100 years. No nation is dominant forever. The Roman Empire eventually fell. Britain dominated the world for hundreds of years before its colonies gained independence and the country suffered heavy losses in two World Wars, leading to its decline to a mediocre developed nation. Eventually a time will come when the U.S. is no longer the dominant power in the world, and unless things change in our country, that time may be soon. There are similar circumstances that lead to the demise of every great empire’s reign. Among these are poor leadership, frivolous wars and threats from foreign nations.
Poor leadership over a number of years is one of the first signs of a falling empire. Remember Rome? Rome ruled the entire known world for hundreds of years before a series of egocentric emperors, most famously Caligula, brought the empire down. Could we be seeing the beginning of the end today with President Bush? I am not a “Bush-basher” or anti-Republican by any means, but it appears likely that when he leaves office in 2008, and in the decades to come, his presidency will be remembered as a blemish in the timeline of American history.
The country is facing a number of monumental problems, including terrorist threats, a bankrupt Social Security System, a growing federal budget deficit, failing schools and an annual trade deficit. Bush has done little to solve any of these problems, and after eight years in office, he will leave the country in worse shape than when he inherited it. I am not saying Bush is to blame for all the nation’s problems; however, after eight years as president, he should have taken action to solve some of these problems. The threat of terrorism is just as strong today despite our victories in Iraq and Afghanistan. Social Security is still on the fast track to bankruptcy. The deficit has increased by billions since he entered office. Public schools are still lagging behind other developed nations, and the country continues to import more than it exports.
Another sign of a failing empire is an overextension of its military and involvement in foreign affairs that it probably should not be involved in. Our current war in Iraq is the epitome of this. Regardless of whether you believe it was right to invade Iraq, the fact remains that hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent each year we are in Iraq when those resources could more effectively be used in other ways. Imagine if we didn’t invade Iraq and instead used that money to invest in better education, a transition for the country to new energy sources and in balancing the federal budget. Or what if we returned those billions of tax dollars to the American people? Our economy would be booming!
When Rome dominated the world, it was constantly under attack from neighboring countries trying to invade. Today, the U.S. does not have to worry about a military invasion from Canada or Mexico, but we do have to worry about other threats from overseas. The threats posed by foreign countries today are not to our borders, but a threat to our economic well-being. Developing nations like China and India are producing a highly educated workforce that is resulting in more jobs being sent overseas each year. These are not just blue-collar manufacturing jobs. White-collar jobs in computer science, engineering and accounting are now being outsourced to China, India and Eastern Europe. Even though unemployment is low right now and there are plenty of jobs available, if this trend continues America could one day find itself in another Great Depression.
The good news is America is still the greatest country in the world. We still have the power and ability to solve our problems and create an even better nation. However, unless something changes soon, our country might find itself suffering a fate similar to other great empires.
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