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Old September 9th 08, 11:43 PM posted to sci.space.policy,sci.environment
Damon Hill[_3_]
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Posts: 162
Default United States Falling Behind EVERYONE In Physics, Science, Rockets, EVERYTHING.

Ian Parker wrote in

ups.com:

Currency fluctations have occured from time to time. I hope
that Britain eventually joins the Euro. I think it will
have to eventually.

I think it is probably inevitable that the US with 300
million is going to give way to Asia. China and India both
have 1 billion apiece. I think too that another major
factor has been that Europe is now coming together and
producing world class institutions.

However the relative decline of America has been
considerably faster than raw demographics would predict.
Fundamentalism has grown since the time of Kennedy and the
Moon landings when the US was at its zerith. The right wing
of the Republican Party has been waging a clever campaign.
It is putting out that what is needed is folksy frontier
syle remedies and has contrasted the (real) America with
the élites of Washington.


And had you studied American political history in depth going
back to the 19th century, you'd find that things haven't
changed much at all. Does Prohibition, a Constitutional
amendment since rescinded by another Amendment, ring a bell
with you? Guess who pushed that through?--it was an attempt
at Christain sharia that went a long ways towards
institutionalizing organized crime instead of promoting
morality. Contemporary fundamentalists are pantywaists
compared to their great-grandparents. These things have
their cycles.

Simplistic solutions are basically what caused Iraq.


Yes, I see lots of simplistic short-term thinking here.

As far as America leading the world away from fossil fuels
is concerned - yes it has the resources - but does it have
the scientific expertise. Remember all the expertise in in
private industry.


p-B11 aneutronic fusion, polywell; might be a surprise here

I think the decline of America is bound to happen on a
demographic resource basis. The decline though under the
Shrub has been quite dramatic.

BTW - I did say the FAR East. The Middle East is an area
with potential, but is being held back by Religion.


Religion is a reflection of the human culture; I don't hold
much hope for the profoundly conservative Arab culture,
locked in thousands of years of tribal culture and petty
egotism.

Don't dance on our grave just yet, we might pull you smugly
sanctimonius Euros down with us. If your Muslim immigrants
don't do that for us.

--Damon