Are we a failed state?

[onecaliberal]

“Just how much of a failed state is America?
About a decade ago, I predicted that America was becoming a failed state. Sadly, I wasn’t wrong. Today Americans live in a modern-day dystopia — a place of mass shootings, medical bankruptcy, endemic poverty, one side of politics gone overtly fascist, and all that’s just for starters.”

https://eand.co/how-much-of-a-failed-state-is-america-9cdfffca94e1

[brooklynite]

1. Answer: no

See: 2020 Election

[Mme. Defarge]

3. And also

the ultimately successful congressional vote count and inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris. An unqualified triumph.

[Botany]

2. No Grown ups are back

I just got my J & J shot yesterday thanx to Joe, the K-bomb, and others

[CrackityJones75]

4. We are at a crossroads

We have been traversing these cross roads for a while and it will take decades to choose which way we go. There will still be decisions and leaning this way or that but I feel that we are in the process of making a dominant decision of where we will go. We have been at this sort of decision point several times in our nations history. We will get through this but will we like where we are going?

[obnoxiousdrunk]

5. No

[Irish_Dem]

6. America has to decide this question.

Joe Biden cannot be responsible for the entire direction of this country on a long term basis.
American citizens need to do some soul searching.

[onecaliberal]

8. If we can't get the voting rights act passed who knows what

Republicans cheating can accomplish for them.

[Irish_Dem]

10. We will be like the old South Africa. Minority rule.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

7. Not quite yet.

Assuming that humanity isn't extinct, then...

If and when the world looks like scenes from "Blade Runner", that's true failure.

Instead of the people in power having to tolerate gloomy people like in those kinds of science-fi movies, however, the USA will probably employ face-recognition robots to report anyone who doesn't seem happy about it. Jobs still done by people will mostly consist of positive-thinking seminars, and everyone will need to pass their employer drug screens that check for compliance of taking mandatory joy pills.

[PortTack]

9. Happy to see most of the respondents here don't think so, and have some hope we are pushing

Back in the direction of democracy

[Baked Potato]

11. No.

[edhopper]

12. We are close

People think the Biden election means we aren't. But truth is, it might prove we are. A failed State would be when the majority are powerless to enact the things that must be done. We need a massive infrastructure bill, a complete realignment of our taxes, universal Healthcare, increase in minimum wage and so on. But the GOP who represents the minority, and two Senators, Manchin and Simena may very well prevent any of that from happening.
If the things Biden needs to do are stopped, that is a failed State.

[qazplm135]

13. have you lived in a failed state?

Why do some folks on our side almost seem giddy over the idea that America is dead and done and failed?

We have mass shootings true, and that's horrible, but we aren't the only place that has violence, or poverty which is a world wide problem in just about every single country. The fascist side lost last time I checked. Just because we aren't the absolute best country in the world in every way does not translate to "failed state." That's as silly as the America is number one in everything crowd.

[onecaliberal]

15. Characterizing people as giddy who are scared shirtless we are watching democracy slip away is not

Helpful and it’s certainly not accurate. If you didn’t read the article I’d suggest it. There is a lot to consider. There were definitely so many things I wasn’t even thinking about. We may already be past the point on climate change. But hey, it’s all good.

Edit to add my WWII veteran father relayed stories about a failed state to me.

[qazplm135]

18. America is no worse now

Than at any point in the last 200+ years.

It's not more impoverished, or more racist, or more sexist, or more anti LGBTQ,...

No one said "it's all good." No one.

There's always been two groups out of touch with reality, those who think everything is great and those who think the apocalypse is nigh.

[onecaliberal]

20. No one who is food insecure is giddy. No one facing homelessness is giddy.

No one working 4 jobs to live in squalor is giddy.
No one who lost their life savings during the pandemic is giddy.
The 500,000 families of the dead are not giddy.

We have NEVER had a trump in our government. Never has the head of our country protected russia and Putin over America and our own military and Intel services. I could go on but I’m just over the whitewashing of the devastation that is out here.

[qazplm135]

22. Lol

Yes I was talking about ALL those people when I said some people. You're righteous indignation doesn't impress.

We've never had a racist, demagogue populist as President? What history have you been studying? The 1800s alone had several.

By the way I grew up poor and Black, I was experiencing "squalor" fifty fucking years ago.

Fifty.

[onecaliberal]

30. Since you want to make broad assumptions and

Cherry pick and condescend, I’m out. Enjoy the dust bin.

[qazplm135]

37. "broad assumptions and Cherry pick and condescend"

RIP irony, you had a good run.

[Mosby]

14. For a brit, this author writes a lot about the US.

Must pay well.

[onecaliberal]

16. The thing is, he's not wrong.

[Duncan Grant]

17. We currently fail 11 million children living in poverty and hunger.

That’s about as far as I need to go, right?

[onecaliberal]

21. 👆🏻👆🏻

Yes. Some people do not care about that because they’re not among them.

[Crunchy Frog]

19. I think probably so. nt

[JanMichael]

23. It works well for about 70% of the population.

When I say "well" I am using loosely this Fed lingo:

https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/other20200514a.htm

"The April supplemental survey showed that 72 percent of adults were either "doing okay" financially (43 percent) or "living comfortably" (29 percent)."

The 30% that are NOT financially "ok" or living "comfortably" can pound sand as far as I can tell. And that doesn't change every 4 years. It is immovable with the US system. It is required of it. Kind of like real life Monopoly. Someone is usually thrilled when the game ends. The others plot revenge.

[Voltaire2]

41. that is the economy not the state

we are becoming a rightwing libertarian dystopia where government is privatized, corrupt, and ineffective but the economy continues to function.

[sarisataka]

26. And we have a Catholic President

So we must be doomed, right?

[Elessar Zappa]

28. Wow.

Nice broadbrush you got there. Joe Biden is Catholic, Nancy Pelosi is Catholic, Sonia Sotomayor is Catholic, etc. Religious fundamentalism is the problem, not any individual denomination.

[Elessar Zappa]

25. No.

Somalia is a failed state. Afghanistan is a failed state. We're not even close.

[Happy Hoosier]

27. Not yet.

With Joe in charge, we’re pushing back the darkness. We’ll have to see if the tide is turned.

[WarGamer]

29. No

Venezuela and Belarus are failed States.

[sarisataka]

31. For the author to ask the question shows

Either he has no idea of what a failed/fragile state is or, more likely, is engaging on hyperbole bordering on the absurd.

[onecaliberal]

33. If you would read the piece it would be clear why he thinks that.

[sarisataka]

38. I did read the article

I have also studied other measures such as Charles Call's gap framework and the Fund for Peace fragile states index.
On the index, the worst state is Yemen with a score of 112.4 followed by Somalia with 110.9. The best scoring state is Finland with 14.6 in 168th place. The United States scores 38.3 and is tied in 149th place with the UK.

I stand by my statement.

[onecaliberal]

39. It's fine that your opinion differs but he clearly stated

In many ways why he feels it is. And that was clearly my point. It’s not like he didn’t explain. The article is lengthy and makes many points.

[Meowmee]

32. I don't think we are yet

But with everything that has happened since an outright fascist was put in office and caused so much destruction with the support of so many, including an insurrection, we are at a crossroads for sure and who knows what will happen. Biden being elected does not mean all is fine now. We have a large portion of the population who are crazy, fascist etc. Many are refusing the vaccine, not all on the right. There are too many stupid people here, that is one if the main issues.

[marie999]

34. The 2022 and 2024 elections will tell.

[Celerity]

35. Not yet, but the potential is deffo there.

Scenario (not saying this all will happen btw)

1. We fail to pass any meaningful voter right bills.

2. Partisan RW gerrymandering at federal and state district level continues and worsens post 2020 Census, and is upheld by the now Trumpian soaked Federal Court system, including Scouts.

3. Hundreds of new voter suppression bills are passed into law at state level, upheld bu the court system.

4. SCOTUS shreds more pre existing voter protections.

5. Breyer refuses to retire prior to 2022 elections.

6. We lose both the US House and the Senate in 2022, and do not regain either in 2024 either. We suffer furtger loses at state assembly and gubernatorial levels in both 2022 and 2024, losing many of the Dem firewall governors who could block RW stae assemblies from further shitbaggery.

7. Breyer resigns sometime post 2022. We cannot replace him as we will never again have a Rethug-controlled Senate even allow a vote for a Dem SCOTUS nominee.

8. We lose POTUS in 2024 (many scenarios how thus could happen).

9. Breyer's vacant seat is filled by an extreme RWNJ, and Thomas retires, and is also replaced with an even more radical RW'er. SCOTUS now stands at 7-2 hardcore RW.

10. Sotomayor's chronic, worsening lifelong Type-1 diabetes finally forces her out in say, mid 2026. Rethugs ram another RWNJ onto the SCOTUS before the 2026 midterms. 8-1 hardcore RW. Kagan stands alone.

11. 2026, we fail gain to retake either the US House or Senate, collapsing under the draconian system of open voter suppression for the third straight time.

12. We lose the 2028 POTUS election, and the Rethugs retain stranglehold on all 3 branches plus tge majority of states (they are now likely up to around 30 or so State trifectas, increased from tgere current 23, or 24, depending on how you count Alakska).

13. The result of all these synergistically combining is that the RW truly has the whip hand, and, starting in 2025 and continuing well beyond, tries to nationalise many elements of an open theocracy, all undergirded with a voracious white nationalistic zeitgeist. As they start to lower the new iron curtain, and attempt to bludgeon the Blue states into submission, multiple, vast, grassroots and also top level secessionist movements start in at least 10 or so Blue states, gaining traction as the now tattered union careens into the 2030's.

Endgame Result:

Civil war 2.0, or peaceful dissolution and regional breakup of the Union of The States before 2040, if not sooner? That looms as the potential 150-200 trillion dollar question (which is what the full amortised national debt, taking future mandated transfer payments into account out to 2060, will likely be. It is now over 135 trillion USD or so, at least.)

Empires last on avergage 250 years or so when measured by certain metrics. The 250th anniversary of the US Constitution is 2039.

[Mad_Machine76]

36. I tend to vary wildly

between optimism and pessimism about the country. I think that the truth is that we are "at risk of" being a failed state. I would say that the next few years will give us idea if we are going to change and improve and grow or if we're going to stagnate or continue harmful or destructive trends in terms of recovering from COVID, revitalizing the economy, etc.

[Voltaire2]

40. obviously

we just had an attempted coup and the perpetrators are going about their business like that was totally normal.

[Saboburns]

42. Our Empire is falling as all Empires do.

And it's quite the history lesson. If you ever wondered why all Empires fall, look around. Tis no real mystery why; greed, ignorance, fear, racism, and above all SELFISHNESS.

[Mysterian]

43. Yes

Due to fundamental flaws in our governmental system: the electoral college and senators not apportioned based on population are the biggest problems, in my opinion.