User:EventHorizon/next danger

A very real threat is imminent: collapse of the American nation. This would be incredibly sad. A nation of 300 million people, once a beacon of prosperity, cannot tumble into decline without great loss to the world. A large proportion of those reading Wikipedia today are Americans, and cannot bear this thought. However, civil and societal decline are no longer abstract disasters, described in history books. The threat is here, today.

The next danger to the United States is neither communism nor terrorism. Rather, the gravest threat now facing America somes from within: right-wing ideology and widening racial and socioeconomic gaps within the society. Chief executives of leading companies frequently make more than US$ 10 million, while the lower and middle classes continue to lose ground. This polarization cannot continue indefinitely: left unchecked, it will destroy the nation entirely.

At fault is the right-wing ideology often masked as "conservatism". Destroying the environment is not conservative. Neglecting public health is not conservative. Ignoring quality-of-life issues is not conservative. Allowing unchecked upper-class greed to reshape society ("middle-class squeeze", a phenomenon that is enlarging the opressed proletariat while constricting the true middle class) is not conservative. Lastly, fighting a costly war for oil interests is not conservative. Rather, these actions and positions are radical; they represent an intentional and marked departure from progress for the enrichment of the few.

Year by year, Europe continues to outpace the United States in terms of quality-of-life, social mobility, and even economic growth. The mostly urban "blue" regions of the United States are also making some progress in this regard. Yet the "red" areas — suburban and rural, predominantly conservative — continue to decay. The reason: the "conservative" American model does not work. The profit-maximizing ideology, which champions laissez-faire economic policies, is causing our social fabric to rot.

The next danger to the United States is not Osama bin Laden. It's downsizing executives, luxurification at the expense of an unmaintained public sector, and warmongering "neoconservatives" with lots of money but not an ounce of thought, much less class (side-jab).

In later essays I will discuss what must be done in order to save the United States from decay. This is a great nation, and saving it is more than possible. We must reorient ourselves by becoming more like Europe in terms of our outlook on politics, culture, civil rights, and human issues such as work and quality-of-life.