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What collapsing empire looks like
Salon ^ | August 6, 2010 | Glenn Greenwald

Posted on 08/07/2010 4:42:45 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued

It's probably also worth noting this Wall St. Journal article from last month -- with a subheadline warning: "Back to Stone Age" -- which describes how "paved roads, historical emblems of American achievement, are being torn up across rural America and replaced with gravel or other rough surfaces as counties struggle with tight budgets and dwindling state and federal revenue." Utah is seriously considering eliminating the 12th grade, or making it optional. And it was announced this week that "Camden [New Jersey] is preparing to permanently shut its library system by the end of the year, potentially leaving residents of the impoverished city among the few in the United States unable to borrow a library book free."

Does anyone doubt that once a society ceases to be able to afford schools, public transit, paved roads, libraries and street lights -- or once it chooses not to be able to afford those things in pursuit of imperial priorities and the maintenance of a vast Surveillance and National Security State -- that a very serious problem has arisen, that things have gone seriously awry, that imperial collapse, by definition, is an imminent inevitability? Anyway, I just wanted to leave everyone with some light and cheerful thoughts as we head into the weekend.

(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: leftistshill; partisanshill
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1 posted on 08/07/2010 4:42:46 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
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To: bamahead; neverdem; yongin; Maelstorm; cripplecreek; PhilCollins; justiceseeker93; ...

A number of people are asking this question.


2 posted on 08/07/2010 4:43:30 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Obama's more worried about Israelis building houses than he is about Islamists building atomic bombs)
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To: Clintonfatigued

On a day to day basis the Federal Govt. contributes zero to the quality of my life.


3 posted on 08/07/2010 4:50:49 PM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed, and I do not give a damn.)
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To: Clintonfatigued

No harm done: no one reads in Camden (most of them can’t).


4 posted on 08/07/2010 4:54:48 PM PDT by Salvey
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To: Clintonfatigued
The real question is whether the American public is too apathetic and trained into submission for that to ever happen.

Not a hard question to answer. The American public is ill educated, over confident and not very energetic these days. It all has sort of a 3rd century feeling to it.

5 posted on 08/07/2010 4:54:59 PM PDT by InABunkerUnderSF (Anyone who has read Roman history knows a barbarian invasion when they see one.)
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To: Clintonfatigued

The library thing is Camden is nuts.

One of the FEW things that gov’t does which actually HELPS people during horrible economic times, is the local library system. Free public internet for job searching, public programs that teach networking, resume writing, etc. Many libraries bring in professional speakers for these kinds of things. In a place like Camden, I imagine the public library is one of the safest places you can bring children.

This seems incredibly boneheaded to me, by the officials of Camden.


6 posted on 08/07/2010 4:55:08 PM PDT by Daisyjane69 (Michael Reagan: "Welcome back, Dad, even if you're wearing a dress and bearing children this time)
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To: Clintonfatigued
According to Wikpedia (yeah, I know) here are the most recent projects in Camden NJ...

Recent projects Adventure Aquarium Campbell's Field baseball park Ferry Terminal Building L-3 Communications headquarters One Port Center Radio Lofts (in progress) Susquehanna Bank Center, fmr. Tweeter Center Victor Lofts

Well, no wonder they don't have money for schools and libraries...but then, baseball fields are more important than reading. /s

Also, Camden is a prime destination for illegal immigrants.

7 posted on 08/07/2010 4:55:49 PM PDT by highlander_UW (Education is too important to abdicate control of it to the government)
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To: Clintonfatigued

“... in pursuit of imperial priorities and the maintenance of a vast Surveillance and National Security State”.

Completely ignoring the fact that our budget woes are solely attributable to a society wide entitlement mentality, union greed and an out of control welfare state.


8 posted on 08/07/2010 4:57:12 PM PDT by KyCats
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To: Clintonfatigued

Holy Shit?!?!?!

Is this Solon.com... one of the most liberal rags this side of Proxima Centauri talking about how much trouble we are in!??!?!

Good God, Stop the world I wanna get off...


9 posted on 08/07/2010 4:57:23 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
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To: Clintonfatigued
Tear up the roads, fire the cops, close the libraries, but dear gawd in Washington, don't even think about firing government parasite employees or cutting off their crippling tax-funded pension plans.


Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

10 posted on 08/07/2010 5:00:35 PM PDT by The Comedian (Evil can only succeed if good men don't point at it and laugh.)
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To: Daisyjane69

They should slash the school administrator’s pay those people make 6 figure income to MANAGE a bunch of teachers.


11 posted on 08/07/2010 5:01:11 PM PDT by omega4179 (Come on JD Hayworth!)
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To: Clintonfatigued
Does anyone doubt that once a society ceases to be able to afford schools, public transit, paved roads, libraries and street lights -- or once it chooses not to be able to afford those things in pursuit of imperial priorities and the maintenance of a vast Surveillance and National Security State -- that a very serious problem has arisen, that things have gone seriously awry, that imperial collapse, by definition, is an imminent inevitability? Anyway, I just wanted to leave everyone with some light and cheerful thoughts as we head into the weekend.

Seeing the source of this article I am not surprised that this absurd paragraph pops up...

I do agree with the basic premise of the article, but he identifies all the wrong causes.
It's like this doofus is saying that the house is falling down because we are spending wealth fixing the roof and keeping leaks out but ignoring and failing to mention the more fundamental problem of the enormous community of parasites that our national house is hosting: Lifetime Welfare losers and a growing body of illegal aliens sucking up wealth faster than the rest of us can produce it. The there's the politicians and bureaucrats that support the parasites, parasites themselves.

54% of all Americans pay no income tax? but they get "tax refunds?"

Yeah that ought to work... if we just do away with national defense and pretend that the Muslim Mass Murderers don't exist.

12 posted on 08/07/2010 5:02:06 PM PDT by Publius6961 ("In 1964 the War on Poverty Began --- Poverty won.")
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To: Clintonfatigued

But dontza see? It’s all Bush’s fault.


13 posted on 08/07/2010 5:02:12 PM PDT by YHAOS (you betcha!)
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To: Daisyjane69
One of the FEW things that gov’t does which actually HELPS people during horrible economic times, is the local library system.

That's precisely why libraries are one of the first things targeted by politicians.

14 posted on 08/07/2010 5:03:24 PM PDT by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
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To: central_va

You are too optimistic. They are sucking your quality of life down in a hundred different ways.


15 posted on 08/07/2010 5:03:48 PM PDT by DManA
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To: The Comedian
Tear up the roads, fire the cops, close the libraries, but dear gawd in Washington, don't even think about firing government parasite employees or cutting off their crippling tax-funded pension plans.

I said it above. That's precisely why those things are targeted first.

These people are beyond mere evil. They're our masters, and they mean to keep things the way they are no matter how many lives they have to destroy to do it.

L

16 posted on 08/07/2010 5:05:26 PM PDT by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
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To: Clintonfatigued

Look at any country that is in the process of embracing socialism and you will find one in decline.


17 posted on 08/07/2010 5:05:40 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Satan is a Democrat and Obama is his minion.)
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To: The Comedian
"Tear up the roads, fire the cops, close the libraries,"

Sounds like a fine starting point for DC. lol

18 posted on 08/07/2010 5:06:54 PM PDT by Dem Guard (The + IRS = Theirs)
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To: Lurker

You’re probably right. I thought of that, but figured I was just being cynical.


19 posted on 08/07/2010 5:07:09 PM PDT by Daisyjane69 (Michael Reagan: "Welcome back, Dad, even if you're wearing a dress and bearing children this time)
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To: central_va

On a year to year basis the Federal Govt. contributes zero to the quality of my life.

(I can’t think of one thing that they have ever done to help me.EVER.)


20 posted on 08/07/2010 5:07:43 PM PDT by Farmer Dean (stop thinking about what they want to do to you,start thinking about what you want to do to them)
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