[MMike]

In every single thread here, someone points out that the US is the richest and most powerful nation on Earth.

Fine... so how did it get that way?

Are americans just that must smarter and hard-working than the rest of us?.....**pausing to let the laughter die down**

Natural resources? Prioritizing how tax money is spent?

GO!

 

[Jr_Bullit]

We're all uber competitive bastids!

Uhm...I don't think my professor would like my answer but at the moment I can only think of a couple events...I can expand upon this maybe tonight when I can focus on it...

The dying down of colonialism throughout the world creating a nice economic hole...

WWI and WWII ravishing Europe and their remaining economies

US had a fair share of very innovative gentleman in the early 20th century that created not only new technologies and products but better and faster modes of production in order to create their products in greater quantities.

WWII creating a need for US development and mass production practices to be put into place and rev up the economy, supplying allied nations with much needed tools and materials.

US being in a key place politically after WWII had come to an end, and being in a powerful position to dictate the roles other governments would sit in over the next few decades.



However, one has to wonder how long all this good stuff will last as we dig ourselves deeper and deeper into debt - so much so that the current debt will hang over my children's heads for much of their life time and I will never reap the benefits the money I'm putting into social security at the request of our government.

 

[$tinkle]

disclaimer: acknowledging that we're a mess, & that i would rather live nowhere else, & that this won't be nearly as detailed as jr_b, but nonetheless, you asked.

accepting how it got to be that way, here's what it is today:

we're 10% inspired geniuses, 10% criminals, 80% looking busy. i'm in the latter (but i used to be the 2nd group)

i myself wonder how our military can be the strongest (& not india's). i'm going to piss off a lot of people with this, but so be it:

outside of the special forces & pilots, our military is a welfare state. especially in the tech sector which is represented in the civilian world. The smart ones get out & make sick coin in gub'ment contracts <gratuitous pat on back>.

ok, this needs its own thread, there's much, much more.

did i mention this is an opinion piece based on observations?

 

[laura]

Originally posted by MMike
Fine... so how did it get that way?

exploitation, exploitation, exploitation. from the day we landed.

 

[BurlyShirley]

Great resources, great innovation and clever politics.

Apply the puritan work ethic, a peoples' government an the right mix of world catastrophes, complemented by vast amounts of land and all its spoils, you should come out ahead....at least for a while.

 

[llkoolkeg]

Originally posted by MMike
Are americans just that must smarter and hard-working than the rest of us?.....**pausing to let the laughter die down**

Who's laughing? Canadiens? Now you got me laughing!

There are too many factors to list:
abundant natural resources
geographic separation from enemies
competitive drive(right, JrB!)
viable economic system
dissatisfaction with the status quo(there's always room for improvement)
less rigid social stratification
less intrusive gubment(formerly)
lax immigration policy(formerly)
supreme confidence
focus on innovation
et cetera...

Personally, I think that a lot of it is a mental thing. We as a culture do not set self-imposed limits on our possibilities and dreams. We think the impossible can be achieved if we work hard enough towards it. The successful among us believe in self-determination. Believing is the hardest part of achieving.

 

[llkoolkeg]

Originally posted by laura
exploitation, exploitation, exploitation. from the day we landed.

Aw ferchrisakes! If that was the answer, we would have a lot more competition than we do. Isn't liberal self-flagellation out of style by now? Hasn't zero-sum economic analysis already been sufficiently disproved??? (grumble, grumble, grumble...)

 

[fldunit]

BurlySurly said it well...before the depression, many countries in Europe were ahead of the U.S. in technology (some still have more resources) but most of that was targeted and wiped out by WW-2. After the war, many scientists and engineers came to the U.S. for the opportunities-our cities and industries were untouched by the war...The public works projects done during the depression provided the new economy with cheap electricity, fuel, natural gas and more. An interesting indicator of the differences in economies is to look at the differences in cars made in Europe during the '50s and the U.S. cars. U.S. helped to build up Russia's industry to defend itself and to stop Germany. Much of that industry remained after the war and helped to develop it into the super-power it became. No other european country could defend itself from Russia's nuclear threat and vast army...so most of these smaller countries moved funds from military (U.S. the exception). U.S. and Russia exchange military info (you show me yours and I will show you mine) during Reagan years and Russia realizes it will spend itself into depression to stay with U.S. technology. Game over and ten years later U.S.S.R. breaks up. Meanwhile the U.S. continues to spend huge amounts of money on military to prop up an industry created 50 years ago that employs millions...and we get carbon fiber, titanium, kevlar...etc...thanks for contributing to the war machine and stimulating the economy...LOL

 

[fluff]

I think it's probably fair to say that the US has come out of both world wars in a far better economic state than any of the other combatants. Add to that the natural resources and you're halfway there.

A stable political system has been crucial and I think that the US has focused on the correct areas of economic development to become the most powerful nation on earth today.

They've had a slice of luck but they've also run with it better than anyone else.

 

[mrbigisbudgood]

I think it was the 1849 California gold rush that started this whole thing.

 

[laura]

Originally posted by llkoolkeg
Isn't liberal self-flagellation out of style by now?

i've never really been to up on whats stylish.

 

[llkoolkeg]

Originally posted by laura
i've never really been to up on whats stylish.

Touche!

 

[I Are Baboon]

Originally posted by mrbigisbudgood
I think it was the 1849 California gold rush that started this whole thing.

LMAO!

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Originally posted by MMike

Are americans just that must smarter and hard-working than the rest of us?.....**pausing to let the laughter die down**

Yes, isn't that why you came to the US? To get smarter and richer?

 

[ohio]

holy crap. I'm actually in agreement with BurlySurly.

If exploitation were really the key, the other true imperialists would be kicking our aces right now (anyone heard from Portugal or Holland lately?).

Add to BS's list good timing and a lot of slack resources at the onset of the industrial revolution, and bam you've got a winner. The puritan work ethic helped.

The other big factor (and this is a rare bit of jingo-istic pride I'm about to throw down) is our encouragement of creativity. Lately, both sides of the political spectrum have tried to stifle this process by imposing their own interests on our educational system, but despite it's flaws and lack of funding, we still encourage creativity above all else in our early youths. Even in Europe, young students are taught to value following the rules (proper handwriting/format, traditional methodology) and formality MUCH more than American students. I can't speak for Canada, but I believe that nowhere else on Earth is independent thought as encouraged and rewarded AT the elementary school level.

And let us thank our lucky stars that this is instituted in such formative years, because all of that encouragement disappears by the time our students hit highschool.