However, the United States can be far richer than it is today. Unshackle our corporations from excessive taxation and bureaucracy and we can be far wealther than we even are today.
The United States is also not done expanding. I expect that the provinces of Canada will join the United States at some point along with Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Phillipines, New Zealand and Australia, among others.
This will give us a land mass and natural resources far exceeding any other country in the world with a total population that will make us very comparable with China in that area. In fact, if China continues it's "one child per family" policy, our population will eventually surpass that of China.
I believe the US will be much better off in the future than today. But I believe it will be a result of ever increasing ethical conduct placed on the corporations. Much of the bureaucracy shouldered by the corporations is a result of a tug of war between those who want greater corporate latitude and those who want greater government regulation. That won't go away and will always be there. The best thing to hope for is that society in the future is ethical enough to balance the two so that corporations are free to expand while at the same time product safety is sufficiently addressed.
The United States is also not done expanding. I expect that the provinces of Canada will join the United States at some point along with Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines, New Zealand and Australia, among others..
Puerto Rico is already part of the United States. I can't really say yay or nay as to weather the other countries will join the US but I'm not opposed to it. I think making all of North America and all of South America into one big country wouldn't be a bad idea either. But I doubt any of those countries will go for it.
This will give us a land mass and natural resources far exceeding any other country in the world with a total population that will make us very comparable with China in that area. In fact, if China continues it's "one child per family" policy, our population will eventually surpass that of China.
If those other countries join the US, the population of the US could exceed that of China by the end of the century, given the higher birthrates of all those countries mentioned and China’s current lower birthrate. Though, I doubt they will join, I don’t see any trends in that direction. But even if they don’t join, the US population is expected to grow considerably during the 21st century. Optimistic projections put the US population at well over 500 million by 2050. And with lower birthrates in Europe (some countries will actually shrink), the US population is expected to have as many people as the entire 25 nation European Union by 2050. So, even if the US doesn’t surpass China or India in population during the 21st century, it’s position as the third largest country, in terms of population, is secure.