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Gov't Report Predicts Cyborgs, Rise of China for 2030
colinneagle writes "Yesterday the National Intelligence Council (NIC), which is made up of 17 U.S. government intelligence agencies, released the 140-page report Global Trends 2030 Alternate Worlds. In all four of the alternative visions of the future, U.S. influence declines and it may be regarded more as a 'first among equals.' By 2030, the West will be in decline and Asia will wield more overall global power than the U.S. and Europe combined. 'China alone will probably have the largest economy, surpassing that of the United States a few years before 2030,' the report states. 'Megatrends' include an overall reduction of poverty and the 'growth of a global middle class.' NIC also sees a potential world of scarcities as the demand for food and water increase as the world's population swells from 7.1 billion to 8.3 billion people. Advances in health technologies will help people live longer, but 60% of the world's population is expected to live in an urban environment. The report also addresses technological augmentation: 'Successful prosthetics probably will be directly integrated with the user’s body. Brain-machine interfaces could provide “superhuman” abilities,enhancing strength and speed, as well as providing functions not previously available.'"
they watched some science fiction? I cannot believe any of this. I find it very likely that part of the reason the US attacked the Middle East was to get armies right up near China. As dumb as the political side of the US is I doube the military side will roll over and die.
Compared to Greece, the saving grace of American debt is that it is denominated in paper backed by nothing that the nation can print.
To hyperinflate will be no fun, for people with savings, and people trying to buy goods (what country will sell to you if your money is getting drastically worth less all the time), but we are not quite Greece.... America has an option, for lack of a better term, to reboot for no initial cost, other than building up it's credit from scratch again.
You post mentions the problem.
Check out what happened to the Weimar when the Germans did this? Hmmm look at the price of gold? Chart look somewhat familiar?
THe end result was riots, economic collapse, defaults, runs on the bank, and Hitler! Why did Germany do this? To pay back its debt. Sound familiar again?
The fiscal cliff is not a debate of paying for a new budget. It is a debate whether to pay your existing bill! When you raise the ceiling you say "Mr. Investor I wont pay you!" I will charge you again to pay for the other charge instead. The investor says ok, America is rich and will eventually pay me back so it is ok ... I guess.
What happens is after 130% to 150% debt to GDP is you have a debt so fucking big that you can take every dollar from every man, woman, and child and still owe money! Something has to give and all it takes is for someone to say "Uncle Sam. Your debt is no good. I want out!"
Then everyone freaks out and other bankers refuse and there is no money to pay people back yet cover interest. That is what happened in Greece.
If Bernanke is retarded and signs point to this he will simply print more money to pay it back. Then you have hyperinflation and the banks wont accept them as payments as they wont be worthy anything. Children burned money for fire in Germany as it was cheaper than the wood costs. No one will want to do business and oil will be traded in another currency such as Gold or Yen.
Then the party is over and America is a 3rd world nation or just a poor one like Greece. This is a very serious threat that no one sees and scares the hell out of me. I am not a gold bug as I do not have as much to save as I would like in case anyone is wondering. Japan will probably go next.
This my slashdot friends is why America is poorer and in decline. It is why your wages have remained stagnant yet you do not feel as rich as your parents. It is why health insurance and rent goes up year after year despite stagnant wages. Zero interest rates, free money, and deregulation are creating an environment of rising prices.
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