However, I’ve lived too long to believe that things will actually continue on the paths that seem so obvious. I am just a youngster of 72, but even during my limited time on this planet, I see a transformation of this country that is irreversible. We are no longer the same country. And I say that as a pejorative. Immigration has changed this country for the worst.
I remember how recently it was that it seemed obvious to many that the US economy was doomed because of the obvious trajectory of oil prices. And, that’s just a very small example.
Two issues there. Our economy is doomed if we stay on the same trajectory. With a national debt that has almost doubled in the last 7 years to $19 trillion and an unfunded liability of $100 trillion in the form of our entitlement programs, there is no way our economy is not doomed.
There were plenty of people saying that oil prices could be reduced if we stopped making it difficult to exploit our own oil resources. Palin was laughed at by the left when she said we could see $2 a gallon gas. I just bought gas at !.99 a gallon. Our economy is still in deep trouble with the lowest labor participation rates in 38 years and 47 million people on food stamps.
That makes two of us who have been around here long enough to know about change. ;-) And, you're right, of course - we are no longer the same country. Do you remember what they taught us about birth rates and population when we were kids? What happened to the Malthusian nightmare and the subsistence level economy? Well, what happened was that the straight line projections didn't turn out to be straight lines. Things changed in ways that were difficult if not impossible to predict.
You are right that we are doomed (for many different reasons) "if we stay on the same trajectory." You and I are alive and our lives have a trajectory. If our lives"stay on the same trajectory," we'll live forever. LOL ;-) (I know that's unfair, but I couldn't resist.)
I don't think you and I disagree as much one might think. We both know that things will change. I understand you to be saying that current trends cannot be expected to change enough to save us. You may be right. That is a possibility. And, unfortunately, you and I may never know. ;-) .