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What purpose does America, and it's citizens, serve in the global economy today?
My theory is, we exist primarily to provide stability and support for global growth and development. We consume the world's goods and services, which creates a demand. This demand allows other countries to produce, export and grow. Without America, there would not be enough internal demand in these nations for this to happen. There would be no other trade partner on our scale to replace us. Basically, if we functioned like Japan, growth and development around the globe would be slow, or possibly stagnant.
Basically, it is an American's job to consume, get fat, and die. We, and our consumer dollars are the carrot on the stick. That's about it. Everything else exists to support that relationship, or is noise.
So what exactly does America do these days? Please tell me there is more, because I find my theory to be very depressing...
Without (that) America, there would not be enough internal demand in these nations...
There would be no other trade partner on our scale to replace us.
Basically, if we functioned like Japan,
growth and development around the globe would be slow, or possibly stagnant.
Yes! Embrace the idea and the ultimate reality of such stasis. It's a GoodThing.
Growth and expansion merely for the sake of them is just wrong!
The US one did just fine as a net exporter and more than satisfied our own needs
and did it with half the population we have today. We can do that again!
The hard part is getting all the other countries to do similarly.
Especially so when we no longer import most consumer goods.
America is still the second largest exporter or so in the world
We happen to be a very large country. Of course we export more than, say, Germany. Of course, Germany enjoys relatively balanced trade.
We run trade deficits year after year. Without energy, it would be a disaster. Our big ticket items like planes and cars can be made much cheaper elsewhere. Folks just aren't ready to fly in a "made in China" plane... Yet.
America's purpose is to teach the world that a free market is better than a "command" market. I think we have done that. Long-term it will benefit future generations. In the short-term we suffer while waiting for other countries to catch up to us in terms of wages, consumer and worker protections, etc.
What purpose does America, and it's citizens, serve in the global economy today?
My theory is, we exist primarily to provide stability and support for global growth and development.
The U.S. hardly provides stability. We are now at 25 years of active military operations in the Middle East and things have only gotten worse.
The U.S. encouraged Ukrainians to demonize the Russians instead of recognizing that they have to come to some sort of compromise with them. The country is now in the middle of a war.
The U.S. exports more. Germany has about a quarter of our population though. Do the math...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuptag
The U.S. hardly provides stability. We are now at 25 years of active military operations in the Middle East and things have only gotten worse.
The U.S. encouraged Ukrainians to demonize the Russians instead of recognizing that they have to come to some sort of compromise with them. The country is now in the middle of a war.
We have been exporting plenty of military weapons. I'm not sure that has been helping to stabilize the globe either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retroit
America's purpose is to teach the world that a free market is better than a "command" market. I think we have done that. Long-term it will benefit future generations. In the short-term we suffer while waiting for other countries to catch up to us in terms of wages, consumer and worker protections, etc.
How have we been doing any of that? Historically, we have just gone around looking for nations, and people to take advantage of and plunder.
So many of our nation's trading partners in the past were simply exploited, and never enriched in the process.
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