Is the US becoming a Third World Country?

solve_et_coagula · 07-09-2010, 08:50 AM

Is the US becoming a Third World Country?

Global Research, September 6, 2010
Press TV

During recent years, the gap between the rich and poor has increased at a staggering pace, systematically wiping the existence of the middle class from America.The United States is on the brink of sliding down to a Third World country, as it struggles with massive debts, rising unemployment and a deteriorating economy.

Some of the warning signs that indicate America's fantastic fall from a First World nation include rising unemployment and poverty.

According to Spiegel Online, the United States is recently faced with a new phenomenon called "the new poor."

In Ventura California - a luxurious resort city - about 20 percent of the residents are at risk of homelessness.

The once-rich, who have lost their homes, are now forced to sleep in their expensive cars parked in the city's corners, Captain William Finley, the head of the local branch of the Salvation Army said.

He further added that during the past months, the number of people taking advantage of the organization's free meals program has doubled. Many drive up in their BMWs to receive free food, he went on to say.

Another signal that marks the demise of America's so-called greatness is the disappearance of the middle class.

During recent years, the gap between the rich and poor has increased at a staggering pace, systematically wiping the existence of the middle class from America.

Income inequality in the US has reached a stage where only one percent of Americans own as much as 37 percent of the total national wealth.

That means that if an average CEO earned 30 times as much as an ordinary worker in 1950, today he would own 300 times as much.

Meanwhile, in its current annual report, the US Department of Agriculture stressed that some 50 million Americans were not able to afford enough food to stay healthy at some point in 2009.

It also noted that one in eight adult Americans and one in four children now survive on government food stamps. These are unbelievable numbers for the world's richest nation, Spiegel wrote.

So far, US politicians have failed to come up with solutions to the growing crisis.

"The lights are going out all over America," Nobel economics laureate Paul Krugman wrote last month. This is due to the fact that many US residents can no longer spend money because they have no savings.

Their houses have lost half of their value; they no longer qualify for low-interest loans; they are making less money than before or they're unemployed. This in turn reduces or eliminates their ability to pay taxes.

As a result, many state and local governments are faced with enormous budget deficits. In Hawaii, schools are closed on some Fridays to save the state money. A county in Georgia has eliminated all public bus services and in Colorado Springs, a city of 380,000 people, a third of streetlights have been shut off to save electricity.

In fact, the United States, which is in the wake of a huge debt crisis of above 90% of GDP, is threatened by a social Ice Age more severe than anything the country has seen since the Great Depression.

This is why last month, a leading online columnist, Arianna Huffington, issued the almost apocalyptic warning that "America is in danger of becoming a Third World country."

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.p...t=va&aid=20936

geezer661 · 07-09-2010, 10:11 AM

For alot of people it is.

There are shit loads living on the streets. Shitloads losing their homes everyday. Their is alot of businesses going bust everyday. Family businesses going bust. Millions Unemployed. Loads of illegals flooding over the border

and look at Katrina its in a right state. It took them days and days before the Services even responded. Even now its still fucked. I dnt know how the rest of America can sleep at night while its like that.

And now you have all the oil washing up on the coastlines and still there is shitloads still out at sea all around the south of the country.

void · 07-09-2010, 11:19 AM

I don't live in the U.S, but from Vlogs I've seen from people who do and are intellectual observers of events and patterns of history never mind of finance, say that yes the whole financial meltdown is the same old con of cleverly retrieving wealth from everyone and sucking all that wealth back up to the few filthy rich while scattering a few crumbs back behind them for people to forage on while telling people that being stoic in their coming poverty is a virtue, while they themselves are doing the complete opposite.

In that way, yeah that is how most 3rd world nations operate. Extreme wealth at the absolute top for the absolute few, and very real poverty at the bottom for the rest. The very floor, has always been there in most nations. But now the middle is being ripped out of already developed nations, leaving one extreme of profound wealth at the top,and crumbs below it.

In our kind of societys, it doesn't seem so apparent because of the existing outward appearance of our societys. We think that because we have a computer in our house and could buy a new sofa or something, that somehow this equals wealth and fair distribution of the wealth that exists in our nations. I don't think most people are aware just HOW rich those at the top, are, in comparison to everyone else here. It's all relative to the society someone lives in. We have comfort compared to the masses in other nations, but in relation to OUR nation's wealth, most of us are living in a poverty of 'comparison' which will only continue to go down. But I don't think this is just something in the U.S. The U.K too. Each day in the U.K we're being told about 'essential' cuts to services for the public, while 12 MILLION POUNDS! are suddenly available out of thin air from Tax contributions for the security of the Pope visiting and continued military deployment in Central Asia.

All these things are an absolute insult to the public, yet it continues onwards. In Britain this mythical "Blitz Spirit" of stoicism in the face of hardship and obedience to things being taken away will be used AGAINST us unfortunately , and this whole "Blitz Spirit" is a distortion of historical truth anyway. During rationing and other restrictions, there were people turning to theft, aswell as buying and selling on the black market out of anger at continued rationing. Along with this, people's valid concerns about the clearly unsustainable way our lives are lived on earth and its impact on our surroundings, are being used AGAINST us not in order for everyone on earth to use wisdom for more harmonious living for all, but for the elite to suck up and hoard all wealth while asking everyone ELSE to get used to the rug being pulled out from under them. Understandably this hypocrisy causes anger.

In the U.K, this is all happening bit by bit in ways that are noticeable to individuals but not SO noticeable to everyone that people are convinced of what is going on. There are many who are not affected yet. Those who have been affected already in various ways, will be ignored by the rest until the rest start to feel it themselves . It's as simple as that, and not the first time things happen this way. By the time it is noticed for the con it is, it will probably be too late and the wealth will have been sucked up and securely hoarded by the few at the top. I say too late, but like others I have no answer for this about what could realistically be done to prevent it.

Like others, I can see it happening though.

beats · 07-09-2010, 11:23 AM

This thread is a hoot.

A hoot and-a-half even.

Geezers post is especially hilarious.

beats · 07-09-2010, 11:30 AM

Don't get the wrong idea.

America has certainly faltered in recent years, but that is due almost entirely to the Bush regime and its many crimes and atrocities.

America is not what it was twenty years ago, but its not going to go the way of Greece or Italy anytime soon.

*rim-shot*

morethanatheory · 07-09-2010, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beats

Geezers post is especially hillarious.

How is it hillarious? It's damn right true.

just another dude · 07-09-2010, 11:49 AM

The nations most likely to revolt successfully against global governance are being punched in the financial gut and hopelessly enslaved into endless debt.

They used to use world war, they don't need that anymore.

The U.S. is not becoming a 3rd world country, but it is being balanced with Asia, as is Europe.

In the future there will be no superpowers. Just balanced regions of the same system. The super-rich will live in the ivory towers of megacities, or vast depopulated countryside in every region. Just as poverty will exist in every region.

The world is being balanced. And if you're not European or American you'll probably think; about time.

When we're truly united as one on planet Earth, then we'll be granted awareness of the galactic community. I made that up, but it intuitively feels like that's what's going on.

And they will use fear of aliens to keep us distracted and united, just as today they use fear of eachother.

dude111 · 08-09-2010, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geezer661

For alot of people it is.

Its really quite scary.........

blackstar76 · 08-09-2010, 05:54 AM

It is very likely it will be. Not to the extent of other countries.30 percent of people will be homeless and hungry. Other countries have 90 percent or more living in these conditions.

I just think it is funny that people think devine intervention of some sort will save us now that it is happening to our own Countries. It has been happening to other people since the dawn of time. Now that it is our turn we feel that we are somehow going to be saved from it.

In a way I am kind of glad it will happen. We ignored the problems and suffering of others. Worrying about i phones and video games while people die from the lack of food and water. Karma will teach us to be better people the hard way.

geezer661 · 08-09-2010, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beats

This thread is a hoot.

A hoot and-a-half even.

Geezers post is especially hilarious.

How so?

Touch a nerve did it?

beats · 09-09-2010, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geezer661

How so?

Touch a nerve did it?

Yes, it touched the nerve in my body that detects when someone doesn't know what they are talking about.

geezer661 · 09-09-2010, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beats

Yes, it touched the nerve in my body that detects when someone doesn't know what they are talking about.

There is nothing in my post that isn't true.

Your just blinded by nationalism

beats · 09-09-2010, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geezer661

There is nothing in my post that isn't true.

Your just blinded by nationalism

lol

There are at least three untrue assertions in that post.

Have you ever even been to the states geezer?

the apprentice · 09-09-2010, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by just another dude

The nations most likely to revolt successfully against global governance are being punched in the financial gut and hopelessly enslaved into endless debt.

They used to use world war, they don't need that anymore.

The U.S. is not becoming a 3rd world country, but it is being balanced with Asia, as is Europe.

In the future there will be no superpowers. Just balanced regions of the same system. The super-rich will live in the ivory towers of megacities, or vast depopulated countryside in every region. Just as poverty will exist in every region.

The world is being balanced. And if you're not European or American you'll probably think; about time.

When we're truly united as one on planet Earth, then we'll be granted awareness of the galactic community. I made that up, but it intuitively feels like that's what's going on.

And they will use fear of aliens to keep us distracted and united, just as today they use fear of eachother.

Great post JAD I just wish everyone else could see it

less can most definately be more, none of us should have to reley on someone else for what they really need and it will come to pass once there is a balance of the whole/Gaia, to do that we need to talk instead of hide away in fear.

the apprentice · 09-09-2010, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beats

Yes, it touched the nerve in my body that detects when someone doesn't know what they are talking about.

Then elighten us.

beats · 10-09-2010, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the apprentice

Then elighten us.

Just another dude sums up the reality quite well.

stopthemadness · 10-09-2010, 03:26 AM

the apprentice · 10-09-2010, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stopthemadness

They do tend to move their wealth around and around and around and we take it with open arms when they dangle the carrot when they know were are hungry and we forget everything they have done to everyone on the premise that we can have more again, the money

Dirty Cash(Money Talks) - YouTube

tinyint · 10-09-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beats

Don't get the wrong idea.

America has certainly faltered in recent years, but that is due almost entirely to the Bush regime and its many crimes and atrocities.

America is not what it was twenty years ago, but its not going to go the way of Greece or Italy anytime soon.

*rim-shot*

lol

You will dramatically be taught better, unfortunately.

The USA are bankrupt, since years, only the US military maintains status quo.

Quote:

WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

the apprentice · 10-09-2010, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinyint

lol

You will dramatically be taught better, unfortunately.

The USA are bankrupt, since years, only the US military maintains status quo.

I might use this one quite a few times as it is a good explanation of the human mind.

The Story of Your Enslavement - YouTube

07-09-2010, 08:50 AM	#1
solve_et_coagula Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Zurich, Switzerland Posts: 1,535	Is the US becoming a Third World Country? Is the US becoming a Third World Country? Global Research, September 6, 2010 Press TV During recent years, the gap between the rich and poor has increased at a staggering pace, systematically wiping the existence of the middle class from America.The United States is on the brink of sliding down to a Third World country, as it struggles with massive debts, rising unemployment and a deteriorating economy. Some of the warning signs that indicate America's fantastic fall from a First World nation include rising unemployment and poverty. According to Spiegel Online, the United States is recently faced with a new phenomenon called "the new poor." In Ventura California - a luxurious resort city - about 20 percent of the residents are at risk of homelessness. The once-rich, who have lost their homes, are now forced to sleep in their expensive cars parked in the city's corners, Captain William Finley, the head of the local branch of the Salvation Army said. He further added that during the past months, the number of people taking advantage of the organization's free meals program has doubled. Many drive up in their BMWs to receive free food, he went on to say. Another signal that marks the demise of America's so-called greatness is the disappearance of the middle class. During recent years, the gap between the rich and poor has increased at a staggering pace, systematically wiping the existence of the middle class from America. Income inequality in the US has reached a stage where only one percent of Americans own as much as 37 percent of the total national wealth. That means that if an average CEO earned 30 times as much as an ordinary worker in 1950, today he would own 300 times as much. Meanwhile, in its current annual report, the US Department of Agriculture stressed that some 50 million Americans were not able to afford enough food to stay healthy at some point in 2009. It also noted that one in eight adult Americans and one in four children now survive on government food stamps. These are unbelievable numbers for the world's richest nation, Spiegel wrote. So far, US politicians have failed to come up with solutions to the growing crisis. "The lights are going out all over America," Nobel economics laureate Paul Krugman wrote last month. This is due to the fact that many US residents can no longer spend money because they have no savings. Their houses have lost half of their value; they no longer qualify for low-interest loans; they are making less money than before or they're unemployed. This in turn reduces or eliminates their ability to pay taxes. As a result, many state and local governments are faced with enormous budget deficits. In Hawaii, schools are closed on some Fridays to save the state money. A county in Georgia has eliminated all public bus services and in Colorado Springs, a city of 380,000 people, a third of streetlights have been shut off to save electricity. In fact, the United States, which is in the wake of a huge debt crisis of above 90% of GDP, is threatened by a social Ice Age more severe than anything the country has seen since the Great Depression. This is why last month, a leading online columnist, Arianna Huffington, issued the almost apocalyptic warning that "America is in danger of becoming a Third World country." http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.p...t=va&aid=20936

07-09-2010, 11:30 AM	#5
beats Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Hitsville Posts: 208	Don't get the wrong idea. America has certainly faltered in recent years, but that is due almost entirely to the Bush regime and its many crimes and atrocities. America is not what it was twenty years ago, but its not going to go the way of Greece or Italy anytime soon. rim-shot Last edited by beats; 07-09-2010 at 12:00 PM.

07-09-2010, 10:11 AM	#2
geezer661 Banned Join Date: May 2009 Location: VALHALLA Posts: 3,423	For alot of people it is. There are shit loads living on the streets. Shitloads losing their homes everyday. Their is alot of businesses going bust everyday. Family businesses going bust. Millions Unemployed. Loads of illegals flooding over the border and look at Katrina its in a right state. It took them days and days before the Services even responded. Even now its still fucked. I dnt know how the rest of America can sleep at night while its like that. And now you have all the oil washing up on the coastlines and still there is shitloads still out at sea all around the south of the country.

07-09-2010, 11:19 AM	#3
void Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,041	I don't live in the U.S, but from Vlogs I've seen from people who do and are intellectual observers of events and patterns of history never mind of finance, say that yes the whole financial meltdown is the same old con of cleverly retrieving wealth from everyone and sucking all that wealth back up to the few filthy rich while scattering a few crumbs back behind them for people to forage on while telling people that being stoic in their coming poverty is a virtue, while they themselves are doing the complete opposite. In that way, yeah that is how most 3rd world nations operate. Extreme wealth at the absolute top for the absolute few, and very real poverty at the bottom for the rest. The very floor, has always been there in most nations. But now the middle is being ripped out of already developed nations, leaving one extreme of profound wealth at the top,and crumbs below it. In our kind of societys, it doesn't seem so apparent because of the existing outward appearance of our societys. We think that because we have a computer in our house and could buy a new sofa or something, that somehow this equals wealth and fair distribution of the wealth that exists in our nations. I don't think most people are aware just HOW rich those at the top, are, in comparison to everyone else here. It's all relative to the society someone lives in. We have comfort compared to the masses in other nations, but in relation to OUR nation's wealth, most of us are living in a poverty of 'comparison' which will only continue to go down. But I don't think this is just something in the U.S. The U.K too. Each day in the U.K we're being told about 'essential' cuts to services for the public, while 12 MILLION POUNDS! are suddenly available out of thin air from Tax contributions for the security of the Pope visiting and continued military deployment in Central Asia. All these things are an absolute insult to the public, yet it continues onwards. In Britain this mythical "Blitz Spirit" of stoicism in the face of hardship and obedience to things being taken away will be used AGAINST us unfortunately , and this whole "Blitz Spirit" is a distortion of historical truth anyway. During rationing and other restrictions, there were people turning to theft, aswell as buying and selling on the black market out of anger at continued rationing. Along with this, people's valid concerns about the clearly unsustainable way our lives are lived on earth and its impact on our surroundings, are being used AGAINST us not in order for everyone on earth to use wisdom for more harmonious living for all, but for the elite to suck up and hoard all wealth while asking everyone ELSE to get used to the rug being pulled out from under them. Understandably this hypocrisy causes anger. In the U.K, this is all happening bit by bit in ways that are noticeable to individuals but not SO noticeable to everyone that people are convinced of what is going on. There are many who are not affected yet. Those who have been affected already in various ways, will be ignored by the rest until the rest start to feel it themselves . It's as simple as that, and not the first time things happen this way. By the time it is noticed for the con it is, it will probably be too late and the wealth will have been sucked up and securely hoarded by the few at the top. I say too late, but like others I have no answer for this about what could realistically be done to prevent it. Like others, I can see it happening though.

07-09-2010, 11:23 AM	#4
beats Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Hitsville Posts: 208	This thread is a hoot. A hoot and-a-half even. Geezers post is especially hilarious.

07-09-2010, 11:49 AM	#7
just another dude Inactive Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 833	The nations most likely to revolt successfully against global governance are being punched in the financial gut and hopelessly enslaved into endless debt. They used to use world war, they don't need that anymore. The U.S. is not becoming a 3rd world country, but it is being balanced with Asia, as is Europe. In the future there will be no superpowers. Just balanced regions of the same system. The super-rich will live in the ivory towers of megacities, or vast depopulated countryside in every region. Just as poverty will exist in every region. The world is being balanced. And if you're not European or American you'll probably think; about time. When we're truly united as one on planet Earth, then we'll be granted awareness of the galactic community. I made that up, but it intuitively feels like that's what's going on. And they will use fear of aliens to keep us distracted and united, just as today they use fear of eachother.

08-09-2010, 05:54 AM	#9
blackstar76 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 4,131	It is very likely it will be. Not to the extent of other countries.30 percent of people will be homeless and hungry. Other countries have 90 percent or more living in these conditions. I just think it is funny that people think devine intervention of some sort will save us now that it is happening to our own Countries. It has been happening to other people since the dawn of time. Now that it is our turn we feel that we are somehow going to be saved from it. In a way I am kind of glad it will happen. We ignored the problems and suffering of others. Worrying about i phones and video games while people die from the lack of food and water. Karma will teach us to be better people the hard way.

10-09-2010, 03:26 AM	#17
stopthemadness Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 781