>The New York Times included vivid graphics to illustrate the
>scientific decline of the United States: "Overtaking the U.S."
><http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/05/03/science/0503_RESE_graphic1.gif>
>and "Tracking Achievements"
><http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/05/03/science/0503_RESE_graphic2.gif>.
>
>The causes of the decline? Relatively rising standards of living
>outside the USA, especially in Asia and Europe, and the US's "costly
>and unique military role": this year's federal budget allocates more
>than $126 billion to research, but more than half of the research
>budget -- $66 billion -- goes to military research.
The decline is not in question, but the cause is interesting. Perhaps it comes down to simply "because it can"? It is like the situation with American political leadership, where it is apparent that America is run by a bunch of morons. What other major nation could get away with such drongos? They simply wouldn't survive as a nation if they were so stupid.
But the US can. For a time. So the strength of the US is its greatest and likely its fatal weakness.
It can afford to elect complete fools to high office, to insist on self defeating and ideological policy prescriptions. Other nations are forced to live in the real world. But the reigning world empire can demand that the rest of the world furnish it with tribute so that it may continue in the manner to which it has grown accustomed.
It can, for a time, neglect the fundamental foundations of the economic power on which its military power depends. In accordance with human nature, if it can do, it will do. Every other great empire has done so at the peak of its power and every other empire has suffered the consequences.
So, re-elect the stupid aristocrat George W Bush president and let us hasten to get it over with. You Democrat voters are just holding up history. ;-)
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas
