We could have survived it all and soon enough reversed most of it ..... if only .......

[Stinky The Clown]

...... that sociopathic motherfucker had not poked a stick into the eye of what is that hornet's nest in the Middle East.

Really. Even the worst president in history will eventually be term limited out. And if he is that bad, the country will be demanding change. In fact, that's happening this cycle.

But with energy costs going up with no end in sight, no matter what we do, we're going to be fucked for a few years, at least.

And that's being optimistic.

[rusty quoin]

1. Most people know that you shouldn't hit a hornet's nest with a stick.

What happened to us as a country then? Oh yeah, we were shocked.

[Mz Pip]

2. I remember gas lines

during the Nixon Administration. Even now people seem to blame Carter for the problems that began before he took office.

WHoever inherits this mess will have a huge task before him/her. It will take many years to undo the damage BuchCo has caused. If McCain is elected the task will be even more daunting for whoever follows him. Ugh.

I don't expect any miracles from the Democratic president. I only hope we can stop the bleeding. If we get McCain, the bleeding of our middle class will continue at great peril to the country.

[Quakerfriend]

3. so true, Husb2sparkly. I was thinking this same thing today

when my 11-year-old asked me what the war was really all about earlier today.

However, when I look at history, I have hope.

Who would have believed that Aregentina could be at 8% growth at this time?
- Just with respect to the economy.

[Jed Dilligan]

4. Sometimes I think a big REBOOT is what this country needs.

Let everyone be homeless. Let all paper assets and paper debts disappear. Let it become impossible to buy gasoline period. There will be suffering, there will even be death. But if it means we get our heads out of our asses and stop destroying the planet and our own society, it could be worth all the sacrifice. I say this assuming I would be one of the ones who would suffer and possibly die, since I have nothing and no one to protect me--just a couple of elderly parents, a girlfriend, and an old Zulu war club that might come in handy at some point.

[NJCher]

5. How Argentina recovered

fucked for a few years,

Ya' think? I was thinking more like a decade or 15 years, at least.

When debt is piled this high, I don't see how this country can work its way out it. Look at how long Japan was in stagflation, and they didn't even have a total moron at the helm. Here, we not only have GWB, we have what appears to be a republican stand-in racing for the Democratic nomination and a press that's assaulting the candidate who appears to be the peoples' favorite.

This makes me question whether there will be anyone working on the behalf of the people and I am coming to the conclusion that what will be in the WH is going to most likely be more of what we've had for the last eight years.

Hi Quakerfriend! :hi:

Your post is indeed encouraging. I know someone (indirectly) who lost a huge amount when that country when the economy collapsed. I think they still have a couple pallats of money sitting around in boxes. It's totally worthless.

Curious about Argentina, I read Wikipedia's article. Here's an excerpt that talks about how the country recovered:

In two weeks, several presidents followed in quick succession, culminating in Eduardo Duhalde's being appointed interim President of Argentina by the Legislative Assembly on 2 January 2002. Argentina defaulted on its international debt obligations. The peso's near eleven year-old linkage to the United States dollar was abandoned, resulting in major depreciation of the peso and a spike in inflation.

With a more competitive and flexible exchange rate, the country implemented new policies based on re-industrialization, import substitution, increased exports, and consistent fiscal and trade surpluses. By the end of 2002 the economy began to stabilize, mainly thanks to the soybean and other cereals' boom and floating of exchange rates. In 2003, Néstor Kirchner was elected president. During Kirchner's presidency, Argentina restructured its defaulted debt with a steep discount (about 66 percent) on most bonds, paid off debts with the International Monetary Fund, renegotiated contracts with utilities, and nationalized some previously privatized enterprises. Currently, Argentina is enjoying a period of economic growth. In 2007 Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was elected president, becoming the first woman to be elected president of Argentina. Also in 2007, Center-left Fabiana Ríos (ARI) became the first woman to be elected governor of Tierra del Fuego and first elected female governor in Argentina's history.





Cher

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Let's we can find a similar way back to solvency.

We also need to add a layer. We need to try and then imprison - and maybe even execute - the criminals who got us to where we are.