Or our core strong defense was our best offense, which we have let slip and are now almost letting fall through our fingertips.. which is allowing China to potentially usurp us for what is our Economic Leadership since end of WWII, (yep handed to us from the British as they traded global economic dominance for standing up to tyranny and putting literally their country and country men where their mouths & pounds were) and on another front morally distracting us from keeping to leadership globally by example to kind of being police of the world role as goes the Drug War and more recently IRAQ/The War On Terror.
I agree with the start and finish will be decided by education. Knowledge is Power, Economic Power allows for freedom. We are in the early stages like previously discussed... who will be the leading economic or global power in say ...50 years ...China followed closely by India...because they see pulling themselves their citizenry up by the education of their people...their people are hungry/eager to learn. I do not doubt that a lot of money is dedicated to education in the U.S. - however - if we do not have a system of education and a participating citizenry that supports and raises the educational bar so that we can compete and lead on the world stage. If we do not turn our ship around and get back on track starting and leading with education then China or Terrorists do not have to fight us with economics, war ships, threats, or acts of violence we will do ourselves in by the very nature of the response they are getting from us......... China in talks with Iran for Energy...economic warfare, Russia in talks to supply Iran in Nuclear production, OBL & his buddies with the debate and example of our elected representatives and the UAE ownership of stevedores provided services in at least 6 major ports in US. Hey a core value of US in our inception was all men created equal, the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness aka prosperity or enterprise... ah, why is it o.k. for vetted company of 1 foreign nation to be outsourced for key services and not another vetted company of another nation? When did we say some countries people are worthy and O.K. and not anothers? Why do we feel it is o.k. to give up our economic reigns in these areas and then have a conniption fit when those who take them up are not ....a color/nation/way of thinking we like. This is not a freedom/job we gave up yesterday we gave up these jobs a decade ago...and in some of the major examples in the discourse I have read the economic strengths, leaderships, control touted as ours/US' we gave up on in record numbers and are no longer US based over the last 20 years and the biggest bloodletting was in the 90's ....include with this changes to decades old Federal Laws put in place to try and protect healthy competition and fair business practices....there is no longer a need to look outside to find our enemies...the enemy is us.
I am not trying to be morbid. My best hopes, dreams and thoughts for the future of the US and it's future are right her on this BB, things our fighting forces have and are now out there fighting for..so that we can voice our opinions freely - for potential contemplation by those who are willing to listen maybe - anything that makes me truly laugh or when I hear true laughter in others and then last but not least the words whether true or not attributed to the Japanese Admiral (who was educated in the US) upon unleashing the planes to Pearl Harbor in 41.... I fear we are waking a sleeping giant. (just wish we didn't have to keep fighting and dying for hard won principles we have already fought and paid too dearly a price for - but it seems we are doomed to repeat ourselves every 50 years or so, an we get ramped up for another economic/moral battle.
(Note: In most every case I reference US in some respects...only meant in the best regards...it could be read as to include or incorporate the example or lead set by our social and economic parents and cousins of the Western World - or accepted as European historically.)
Last thought....The vanity of the US/Corporations/Population being a world economic leader and superpower over the last 50 years doth oft tempt it to rest on its laurels and to forget it can sometimes be a blockhead!
(These were some of the thoughts running through my mind while reading the threads on China Q the last couple days.)
(soundtrack....Ray Charles Version of America The Beautiful recorded during the Iranian Hostage Crisis)