>>>>>http://www.marketwatch.com/story/imf-bombshell-age-of-america-about-to-end-2011-04-25?pagenumber=1
>>>>
>>>>Yawn. I bitch and moan about some of the directions we have taken but we remain one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen. We are two nations trying to share one hat. We'll deal with it.
>>>
>>>Uhmm... Scary prospect.
>>>
>>>From the article;
>>>The last time the world’s dominant hegemon lost its ability to run things singlehandedly was early in the past century. That’s when the U.S. and Germany surpassed Great Britain. It didn’t turn out well.
>>
>>Sergio, you are one of my favorites here so let's not get into it. I respect your POV and recognize there is some truth in it. There are reasons we are so disliked. My point is only that I think it has gotten out of hand. We don't get credit for the things we have done for the world and in many cases are still doing. The entire world has become a very scary place and you can't reasonably expect any country to hold everything together.
>>
>>I seem to recall a couple of wars in the first half of the last century in which we participated. I am not claiming we did it all by ourselves, certainly not, but IMO both of them would have turned out differently if not for U.S. involvement. Would you rather we all spoke German now?
>
>My tip for the eventual winner would have been Russian

Good point. In that case it's a good example of capitalism (for all its sins) trumping communism. The cold war went on until the Soviets ran out of money and gave up. Now they have embraced capitalism with vigor. Or been taken over by redfellas, take your pick. The percentage of Russians who live in decrepitude far exceeds the percentage in either the US or the UK. No wonder they're pouring out as fast as they can.