Are you optimistic about the future?

Good analogy right there couldn't have said it better myself.

As for my views, the US if it continues like this will without a doubt crash, what im hoping for is that the people will rise up and kick those fools out of office then we can start anew (second revolution anyone?) but its easier said than done.

Regardless, yes. Worrying and complaining won't do you or everyone any good. Not everyday is a walk in the park or a fairy tail. We have to grow up and be realistic on what it is we need to keep focus on. I may have student loan debt, part time job, and live with my mother instead of on my own. At the same time, life is good because I have what I need to get by in life. Can't complain because there is nothing to complain about. You have food, shelter, clothes, and a job that pays (even if it doesn't much). Of course if I didn't have a job, I still wouldn't worry and continue looking.

I think the more people have doubts and no hope in themselves to make it through life's hardships find it more difficult to feel optimistic and will to do anything. It sucks, but you have to keep moving forward toward the future.

Absolutely. By your description I thought you were describing the 1930's, because we've been here before. About every 25 years or so someone starts pushing the idea that the U.S. is in it's final decline, just to see another rebound. When we quit arguing among ourselves and our different factions I will start to worry because then we have given up. If you look at world history you'll discover that the U.S. is unique. We have not had the rigidity other empires sank into, nor the kings or dictators. I don't think the 200 year life span applies.

i think of we are relatively doomed. i think mankind is destroying himself and his habitat. youthful human beings of immediately would be completely helpless to end it. each little thing is in keeping with greed and self-serving thoughtlessness. each and all of the greater youthful human beings can study to do is what they are taught with the help of occasion. Use and abuse. Nature has a persevering with way of handling the beings which at the instant are not good for it. i think that folk will kill themselves off and then nature will as quickly as lower back be waiting to 'take that is course' and there will be a healthful planet after it has had it sluggish to 'recover from us.' If, on the different hand there could be what the Christian outlook believes - say, 'the rapture' or armegeddon or regardless of God has in keep for mankind, then i might say we've an exceptionally amazing destiny, and this planet does to.

The free market is quite resilient and will adapt and overcome government intrusion.

It may take some time and the longer the people allow the government to continue to saddle them with debt the longer it will take. But at some point the anchor of public debt will either be shed or will collapse the government. And at that point the true recovery begins.

Absolutely. Pessimism is trendy, and hilariously stupid at this point in time. Optimism isn't cool, but it's the rational perspective.

Look at the last century alone. In it, human lifespans have doubled. We've moved from discovering the cause of disease at the beginning of it, to eliminating nearly every deadly pathogenic human disease in existence by the end of it. We've achieved human flight. The world has seen a civil rights movement addressing racism and sexism around the world. We've gone to space. We've invented the Internet. We've seen the nuclear weapon invented in the midst of a World War, and survived for over a half century with world-destroying weapons existing on the planet.

So what do pessimists whine about? Sometimes they make things up, like back-to-basics conservatives or granola liberals who pretend that everything was wonderful a century ago and things like crime or cancer are somehow new problems borne of a modern world. Sometimes they hilariously exaggerate, like people crying about the end of the world because of a relatively minor economic recession (how would these people have reacted during the Great Depression?).

On one hand, this kind of trendy pessimism is good, because regardless of how much we've achieved, it's always good to have people who are pressing for us to achieve even more. But on the other hand, the healthy, well-off, Internet-connected suburbanite with free time on his hands, whining about how the world is coming to an end, is not exactly the most inspiring character one could think of - one would hope that people living in this amazing time could at least have the perspective to appreciate it.

No, we are finished.

The rich have taken over our government, and we are facing another thousand years of dark ages, just like after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Realistically, that is the future no matter who wins in 2012.

We passed the point of no return during Obama's presidency. He could have turned it around, but he didn't.

So now nothing will stop the unstoppable, other than a huge war with major bloodshed.

I'm not from the US, but I think the US has a chance to see economic growth in the future. It also depends very much on the next elections, but as it is very likely Obama will get re-elected, and with a little bit of extra taxation on the more wealthy population, the treasury will be able to be more stable and people will worry less about the economy.

I will let You know about the tenth of November. And after that the commies may try to take over. If the ONE does not win. Riots in the streets. Lock and Load.

One of the sorry libs violated this and it was restored. Wonders never stop GD are they vile pedophiles. Hope it was not You.

Trust me when I say you are scared of the wrong problem... Currency wars is what is currently being started. Central banking is going to ruin nations including ours.