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Like all complex adaptive systems, empires function in apparent equilibrium for some extended period and then succumb to - not slow or gradual - but swift and sudden collapse. Entrenched in imperial overstretch, perpetual wars, and insolvency, the U.S. empire has already begun the process of self-destruction.
You know the United States is on its way to collapse when you see signs of economic meltdown, rampant political corruption and social decay spreading across the land.
Let's look at some disturbing facts on the domestic front:
state and local budget cuts - reducing many transit systems service, switching off city streetlights, replacing paved roads with gravel or other rough surfaces, shutting down public libraries, and shortening public school days.
housing crisis - more than 2.8 million homes foreclosed or repossessed by banks in 2009, adding to millions of lost homes of the previous years and fueling the dramatic growth of tent cities everywhere.
unemployment -over 17 million people left jobless and millions more on part-time work instead of full-time; unemployment rate hovering around 10%.
bailouts for the rich - trillions of people's tax money used in bailouts for big corporations and financial institutes while Wall Street awarded itself bonuses over $20 billion in 2009.
corrupt judicial system - the U.S. Supreme Court granted corporations constitutional right to pour money into elections; the Department of Justice protected its own lawyers who authorized illegal torture.
political corruption -13,739 registered lobbyists in 2009, about 35 lobbyists for every single member of the Senate and House of Representatives. Democrats and Republicans are so similar nowadays - both parties selling out to big business.
big brother watching - wide-spread of illegal surveillance through cameras in public and private places, airport searches with harmful body scans, computer access, phone intercepts, and tracking records from credit card purchases.
prison nation - the highest percentage of people imprisoned in the world: over 2.3 million prisoners, about one in every hundred Americans behind bars.
poor educational achievement - ranked 12th among developed nations for people with college degrees, falling behind Canada, South Korea, Russia, Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Israel, France, Belgium and Australia.
poor health care system - the most expensive in the world but ranked dead last in performance in comparison to six other developed countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom. The U.S. health system came in last in accessibility, patient safety, coordination, efficiency, and equity.
MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
The purpose of war throughout the history of Western Civilization and up to the present moment has been to conquer people and rob their resources. You could throw in "fight for their way of life", geopolitical standing, religion, "terrorism," or whatever reason the proponents of war could conjure up - the bottom line is still for overpowering other nations and stealing their resources. Such is the nature of many past and present Western global leaders, who have turned their own nations into megalomania - driving for power, wealth and omnipotence all over the world under the dark forces of military-industry-complex.
When wars are fought for profit, the danger arises from mixing the greed of corporations with the power for world dominance of the military. The Military Industrial Complex in the U.S. is a strong alliance of corrupt politicians, the militarists, and defense contractors that perpetuates the vicious cycle of creating, producing and deploying weapons on a large scale for current and future wars.
