Do you think in 20 years China will be more powerful than the United States ?

The combined power of europe eclipses that of the US. But you have some solid points Not that I claim to be an economics guru .... but the Euro is pretty damn high ..... and the US$ is pretty damn low .... ?? Any economics experts care to explain that for an econ reject like me ;)

The US is a very small part of the world .... a VERY small part. I am honestly glad the US has the lion share of the power today, but .... history has shown that is never lasts.

We understand very little about atoms and yet Chemistry is a Science.
We understand very little about energy, matter, motion, magnetics etc and yet Physics is a science.
So im not sure what the point of saying economics isnt a science is.

Noone now claims that government spending greats a greater long term economic boost than tax cuts.
Simply put it works like this - if you spend money on schools etc then the money is wound up as an expenditure into the economy and that money does not recirculate as it does if you give money back to consumers who then place a portion of it in banks where money is reinvested into the economy (thereby decreasing interest rates and boosting investment even further), and the remainder is spent according to market forces.

Most economists would argue that economics is a science, its only lefties who argue it isnt.

Ok first - there is no combined power of the EU. THe EU does not have a combined fiscal operation, a combined military operation a combined anything. It has a mumbo jumbo of everyone doing a little bit of their own thing and sharing a little bit of everyone elses stuff to do some joint things.
That dosnt work well when you need the EU as a whole to move in one direction as they tend to move in 6.
America is of course comprised of states, but the connection between state and federal government is far more precedented and operational than in the EUs instance. Therefore the EU may have a combined GDP of slightly more than the US, but the reality of the cpacity of that GDP to have an effect on the world or another nation in a targeted fashion is very dim.

As for the value of the Euro. You have to understand that America by in large dictates the movements of currencies. It is the main trader of currencies and if it wants to crash the value of the Euro it will sell its euros. At the moment it dosnt need to crash the EU because it is already flopping left right and centre. And so america has a huge amount of the euros in reserve, hence having raised the value of the euro. But if need be when its important to shit the power back a little in the US favour it will sell of some of its euros.

At present, the entire non-nuclear military might of China is only able to defeat 2 US carrier battle groups, and that is according to the Chinese' own boasts.

As for Europe (my continent) then the only word I have is "LOL".
We are a dying continent with an aging population and a booming Muslim birth rate. We are also saddled with socialism, which everyone knows doesn't work, but which our unelected leaders in the EU are pushing and pushing until it ruins us.

America's problems are coming from within - the naive "flower-children" of the 60s are the ones who hold influential posts now. It is they who are driving America in it's current direction of self-hate. It was those same people who lost the political war (but not the military war) in Vietnam. Those same people who spat at the returning US marines are the ones who are now telling America's children how to think.

What America needs is a severe dose of "anti-idiotarianism" so that it can rid itself of it's idiotarian left and stupid religious right.

America can rule forever as the standard-bearer of freedom, and I am all for that. But America has to want that too.

I reluctantly hope that Bush gets another 4 years, simply because the consequences for the world of a Kerry term in office are too frightening to think of.

please stop making sense, the 18 year olds cant contemplate. Thanks

I agree 100%

Very nicely said

Excellent critique.

Excellent critique.

Excellent critique.

Excellent critique.

mrskin,

I coordially invite you to be my father.

Please respond soon.

Your new son.

Pleasurepays

I have no idea, but time will tell ;)

At the pace things are going, it will take definitely less than 20 years

EXACTLY!!! China is already more powerful than the US.

Look beyond matter.

And even if you want to look at it from a financial perspective, there is more money in Chinese banks than they know what to do with.