essay topic: if the U.S. government collapsed in 2018

[JohnHHolliday]

Most likely (and I use the word likely very loosely) budget crisis combined with political corruption.

Most entertaining: Seccession of numerous important states (it is my understanding that there is a decent sized seccesionist movement in California although I do not how true this is.)

[Dr. Strangelove]

If the US government collapses it probably won't be due to one factor. It will be something like: new york gets nuked so US nukes Iran despite it not being involved, iran sinks a carrier group in the persian gulf with fancy new russian missles, western friendly governments in middle east fall to the crazies as a result, foreign governments dump the dollar for the euro, US sinks into a depression, there is a worldwide move to get rid of american military bases, AND THEN THE US GOVERNMENT DECIDES TO DO SOMETHING REALLY STUPID, which leads to a collapse.

[ShakeZula06]

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How about certain states that don't want to accept the proposed NAFTA Superhighway attempting to secede from the Union?

link

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This would actually be pretty cool if it didn't require emminent domain and using stolen money to build it.
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This superhighway would connect Mexico, the United States, and Canada, cutting a wide swath through the middle of Texas and up through Kansas City. Offshoots would connect the main artery to the west coast, Florida, and northeast. Proponents envision a 10-lane colossus the width of several football fields, with freight and rail lines, fiber-optic cable lines, and oil and natural gas pipelines running alongside.


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[esad]

Obviously, by 2018 the internet is bound to become self-aware and then it's just a matter of time until....



You'll get an A.

[JohnHHolliday]

LOL at Esad....
I love it, but I just don't see it happening... I think if the internet became self aware it would become so involved with all of the porn availible that it would be too busy masturbating to try and kill off humanity

[Nielsio]

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For my government class, I have to write an essay around this prompt:

"If you were told the U.S. government completely collapsed in 2018 based on *A REASON THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS TODAY*, which reason would you venture to guess that would be?"

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General apathy, self-destruction and bankruptcy, and hopefully being replaced by free market initiatives (for example e-bay is completely based on user ratings and stuff, and it's like the worlds biggest 'employer'?).

The cause of the apathy is because through better communication (internet), people have stopped believing in government myths.

Also realize that the govt is very dependent on people working for it. When people start being put off by govt jobs like public education, bureaucracy, the war machine, policing, etc, it will really crumble into nothingness.


Like this myth for example:

[AJW]

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I would consider New Jersey's government shutdown in 2006 and do it on a massive budget crisis that results from a combination of hyperinflation, high taxes and overspending.

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Yes some kind of massive financial collapse.
US dept called in by China, dollar collapse public servants walking off the job after not being paid, hyper inflation making buying food and basic good impossible for large numbers, capital flight leading to massive layoffs of people now totally with out government assistance.
What could lead to such disaster perhaps eleven years of wars one after another with no decisive victories and ever greater expenditure and borrowing to finance them coupled with a down turn in the economy. Your probably need an unelected one party system to result in this though.
Which could be started by say a nuclear terrorist strike on New York leading to marshal law and retaliatory strikes on suspected supporter regimes.
The whole process would probably be sped up by continuing attacks on the American main land.
The end result anarchy and probably persecution for any group popularly believed to be responsible, Muslims for sure but also probably the Jews who were a dominant minority in the original administration.

[Gildwulf]

The most obvious reasons

-overextension of the American military and the loss of a credible threat of hard power
-the rise of China as a military and socioeconomic power (it was just announced China has increased military spending by 18%)
-nuclear weapons in the hand of a rogue state (probably will come to a head in the next 5-10 years) such as North Korea or Iran

Those are the biggest risks I think right now.

[govman6767]

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i would say no way the government collapses by 2018.

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NT is right that's way to optimistic. 2011 would be more like it.

[govman6767]

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I would consider New Jersey's government shutdown in 2006 and do it on a massive budget crisis that results from a combination of hyperinflation, high taxes and overspending.

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US dept called in by China

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Did I read that right