How will it look in 100 years?

curious · Jun 21, 2009

So many things that were major issues at the time have faded away into historical oblivion. At one time one of the major issues being discussed in the US was whether the communion wafer is actually the body of Christ or whether it symbolizes the body of Christ. This issue was hotly debated, and the different Protestant churches had vastly different positions. It caused fissures in the churches. New churches were founded from splinter groups. It was all a very big deal. Now no one cares. Few even know it was an issue.

So, a hundred years from now, what will the average person know about our conflicts over health care reform. In a hundred years, communism will be a footnote in history books, like this:

*During the 1900's a system known as communism, based on the teaching of Karl Marx, was the model followed by Russia, China, and many smaller countries. The system essentially died by the end of the century."

What do ther rest of you think wills seem important when looking at it from 100 years in the future?

DodgeFB · Jun 22, 2009

Might be the Total Collapse of the United States of America.

They may be talking about how we turned our back on all that made the country great.

Maybe even how we became "China West" due to greed and egos.

deanhills · Jun 23, 2009

Good thread and good question. Probably one can look back 100 years and the issues that were prevalent ones then, and where we are with them right now? 1909? I don't here about any references to this time in the history of any country. The closest mentioned was the Depression, but then that was just to get American citizens to panick and sign a 1.2-trillion bail-out package.

I thought this cartoon was quite a good one

:

DodgeFB · Jun 23, 2009

deanhills said:
Good thread and good question. Probably one can look back 100 years and the issues that were prevalent ones then, and where we are with them right now? 1909? I don't here about any references to this time in the history of any country. The closest mentioned was the Depression, but then that was just to get American citizens to panick and sign a 1.2-trillion bail-out package.

I thought this cartoon was quite a good one :

You just never know. Might happen.

deanhills · Jun 24, 2009

DodgeFB said:
You just never know. Might happen.

Hope you would be one of the lucky ones then, as the offer would be limited to only 600,000 people. No doubt it will be a lottery of a kind

curious · Jun 25, 2009

I sort of like the idea of giving $500,000 to the people who lost their jobs. Think of the unintended consequences. The employed who aren't rich enough to think $500,000 isn't much money would stop doing much at work in an attempt to be let go. Sales of high end cars would boom, as would travel. And then a year later we might be back right were we are now.

Of course, if you spend, more people are employed, usually. So while everyone would want to lose their job, employers would start needing more people. It might be fun.

deanhills · Jun 28, 2009

curious said:
I sort of like the idea of giving $500,000 to the people who lost their jobs. Think of the unintended consequences. The employed who aren't rich enough to think $500,000 isn't much money would stop doing much at work in an attempt to be let go. Sales of high end cars would boom, as would travel. And then a year later we might be back right were we are now.

Of course, if you spend, more people are employed, usually. So while everyone would want to lose their job, employers would start needing more people. It might be fun.

I'd rather give it to new entrepreneurs who have good ideas for business and those who need bridging finance (who have obvious promise but are just short of cash in bad times). They would need to employ people and have to spend money to get the businesses up and running.

myp · Jun 28, 2009

Or, instead of the government stealing that 500k from the people in the first place, they could just let the people keep their money and do as they please with it. That is what I would rather do than anything else.

DodgeFB · Jun 28, 2009

myp said:
Or, instead of the government stealing that 500k from the people in the first place, they could just let the people keep their money and do as they please with it. That is what I would rather do than anything else.

So would I. But there are those that think all rich people are bad and should be "punished". I can honestly say I am not "jealous" of the rich. More power to them. If I could figure it out I would be rich too.

curious · Jun 29, 2009

I'm all for rich people, and would love to be one myself. What I'm not for is letting rich people off the hook while the middle class and poor contribute more than their fare share of taxes. I'm also not for rich people who got that way by ripping off employees, shareholders, and customers.

I think some of the money should go to basic scientific research, the kind where you have no idea if there will ever be a benefit, where there is a drive to just know more. I think this kind of research lays the foundation for future development and prosperity.

DodgeFB · Jun 29, 2009

curious said:
I'm all for rich people, and would love to be one myself. What I'm not for is letting rich people off the hook while the middle class and poor contribute more than their fare share of taxes. I'm also not for rich people who got that way by ripping off employees, shareholders, and customers.

I think some of the money should go to basic scientific research, the kind where you have no idea if there will ever be a benefit, where there is a drive to just know more. I think this kind of research lays the foundation for future development and prosperity.

Yeah! I think they need to pay me about a million a year to study turtles crossing the road. How many do get hit by cars?

By the way, I am afraid you and me have seen the best of "development and prosperity". From now on it will be how to live on less and survive. Little tiny cars running on a battery, windmills in our yard. And someone actually checking to see how much toilet paper we use.

deanhills · Jun 30, 2009

myp said:
Or, instead of the government stealing that 500k from the people in the first place, they could just let the people keep their money and do as they please with it. That is what I would rather do than anything else.

Exactly! I can imagine most of this is about trying to impress people as well as get BIG BANKS on the side of the reigning Government. I am still horrified just thinking about this, that a 1.2-trillion could have been passed by Government so quickly, so easily, with so little scrutiny! Daylight robbery. All you had to do is work on people's fears, nice marketing campaign!

curious · Jun 30, 2009

DodgeFB said:
By the way, I am afraid you and me have seen the best of "development and prosperity". From now on it will be how to live on less and survive. Little tiny cars running on a battery, windmills in our yard. And someone actually checking to see how much toilet paper we use.

Well, I don't think anyone will check on toilet paper. It will be more expensive, though.

I actually haven't been affected much by all this, since I had no investments and a fixed income. But I know people who have lost there jobs and don't know how they will pay their mortgages, and people who have lost their retirement savings and are cutting way back on their spending. And they talk about friends who haven't been hurt much yet but are cutting back anyway. They go to each others' housed to eat, instead of getting together at a bar or restaurant. They don't go for walks on the beach, because it costs money to park their cars. They ask friends to watch their pets when they go to visit their children instead of putting them in a kennel.

But you are right that it is going to be about cutting expenses and saving. Although, since real wager have been declining since the seventies, and children are generally worse off than their parents, this has been creeping into our society for a while. We ignored it.

deanhills · Jul 2, 2009

DodgeFB said:
By the way, I am afraid you and me have seen the best of "development and prosperity". From now on it will be how to live on less and survive. Little tiny cars running on a battery, windmills in our yard. And someone actually checking to see how much toilet paper we use.

Are you sure about that? Things always work in cycles. I doubt it will happen under the present Government though, but I'm sure we will see an uptrend in a couple of years again.

DodgeFB · Jul 2, 2009

deanhills said:
Are you sure about that? Things always work in cycles. I doubt it will happen under the present Government though, but I'm sure we will see an uptrend in a couple of years again.

I hope I am not stranded living like this for another 7 or so years.

And I been ready to check out for a long time. Just need to have things all come together.

Once you can't work and on a fixed income not much chance of things picking up for you.

See I know today that I have more than I will ever have again. Been that way for years. And it has been that way for the last 25 years. 25 years ago I owned over 130 acres with two homes and 3 barns. Today I have a little 2 bedroom single bath with a 2 and a half car garage. I had 3 cars and a new pickup. Now I have a 1977 Chevy car and a 1978 Dodge one ton.

So when I lost my health I lost a lot.

deanhills · Jul 5, 2009

DodgeFB said:
I hope I am not stranded living like this for another 7 or so years. And I been ready to check out for a long time. Just need to have things all come together.

Once you can't work and on a fixed income not much chance of things picking up for you. See I know today that I have more than I will ever have again. Been that way for years. And it has been that way for the last 25 years. 25 years ago I owned over 130 acres with two homes and 3 barns. Today I have a little 2 bedroom single bath with a 2 and a half car garage. I had 3 cars and a new pickup. Now I have a 1977 Chevy car and a 1978 Dodge one ton. So when I lost my health I lost a lot.

I'm really sorry to hear about it. You sound really upbeat though and seem to take it right on the chin, a real trooper. Did you loose all of it because it had to go for medicare?

DodgeFB · Jul 5, 2009

deanhills said:
I'm really sorry to hear about it. You sound really upbeat though and seem to take it right on the chin, a real trooper. Did you loose all of it because it had to go for medicare?

I had a million dollar cancer policy that paid for my medicine until I refused anymore treatments.

First thing that happened I was forced to "retire". Second the government made me fight them in court for over two years to prove I was not "malingering". They had 9 months of hospital records and sworn statements from 22 doctors including surgeons, 4 oncology specialists, and even a "mental evaluation". But they made me jump through all the hoops and ring all the bells. Meanwhile the world was moving on. Including the normal expenses of taking care of my family obligations. And believe me everyone I owed money had no doubt I was sick and going to die. They wanted their money pretty fast. I understand completely how my credit tanked with the news that I was dying. I could write a dang book on how everything melted out from under me, but that is water under the bridge.

deanhills · Jul 7, 2009

DodgeFB said:
I could write a dang book on how everything melted out from under me, but that is water under the bridge.

You should try and do that. I can't remember where I saw this article, but I read one that said that the majority of personal bankruptcies in the United States are due to medical bills. I don't know how true it is, or whether it is part of Obama's marketing package for his new plan, but I can imagine there has to be some truth in it.

Edit: I found the link for the article:
http://www.sacbee.com/273/story/1920689.html

alexmike · May 23, 2010

I think over the years things pretty much remain the same. The thing is that the reasons people dwell upon conflicts keep changing, however, the way we react and dwell upon them pretty much remains the same.

Dirk · May 24, 2010

Well, I'll be entirely honest, I tend to dislike rich people. Probably in some cases unjustifiably, but I'm just being honest.

I think that there will be a resurgence of leftism in the West - I'm expecting it quite soon, actually. Within the next few decades. I'm hoping that a lasting two-state settlement will finally be found between Israel and Palestine.

I expect society will generally become more liberal and tolerant, but that in the West, prejudicial views of Muslims and the Middle East will be more openly held. While I'm glad it's no longer my family getting bricks through the window, I'm against racism in general.

I reckon the dominant superpowers will be the EU, China, the US, India, Japan and Brazil.

How will it look in 100 years?

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