Amerika: Survival of an Empire

By Gerhard Geyer

During the first 65 years of the twentieth century, the United States of America had a carte blanche and was omnipotent. America was the master of the universe, and an indispensable member of the world community. Yankeeism was widely admired, and this country was the bulwark during the Cold War with its unrivaled military might. The U.S. was respected for its unyielding pledge for individualism, freedom of speech, equal rights and equal opportunities, religious freedom, "can-do" spirit, pervasive sense of responsibility including a forceful advocate of democracy and a generous benefactor. In commerce, America was celebrated for its entrepreneurial spirit and for being "tinkering geniuses" through the venturing and nurturing of embryonic enterprises. As Edward H. Crane of the Cato Institute stated several years ago, "The essence of America is a respect for the dignity of the individual... the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is what America is all about." Unfortunately, it seems that we are losing our footing. It appears that America is currently following the steps that led to the collapse of the British Empire after World War II--out of control spending, an enormous welfare state, and huge borrowings from overseas. In addition, there is egregious power in Washington, and our public schools are not preparing students for the intense competition resulting from globalization. This is compounded by the frightening moral decay in America, and the ever-increasing external threats from Radical Islam, Communist China and an emerging Russia. Importantly, there are fundamental structures changes taking place in our economy, which can't be fixed with the usual Washington band-aid approach. Seven million critical middle-class manufacturing jobs have been lost in recent years, and 42,000 factories have closed while China created over ten million such positions at $2 per hour. Further, countless millions of back-office functions have been outsourced to Asia. Accordingly, Americans are suffering; this includes roughly 24 million people unemployed or under employed, long term unemployment is at the highest level since the 1930s, the poverty rate of 15% is the highest since 1983, over 47% of Americans are dependent on federal benefit payments, over 45 million people are on food stamps, over 50% of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck, and median household income has reached the lowest level since 1996. Concurrently, income inequality is at the highest level since the Census Bureau started tracking this data in 1967. In all of recorded history, no empire has survived forever The Soviet Union was the latest empire to collapse. Will the U.S. be the next? The historic Yankee optimism seems to be fading, and replaced by clouds of discouragement. Are we losing our edge? Are we on the wrong track? Is this the end of an era for America? Can we turn around the ship, especially relating to the moral decay in America and the fiscal crisis? Can Americana endure and remain the hub of the world? Can we again re-energize the traditional American psyche, and will to win spirit in this epochal struggle? Can we learn from the highly successful "German Model" which is reviewed extensively in the book? Although the United States faces challenging headwinds, it is not pass . America is still a land of opportunities and a destiny for millions of immigrants. Our core values are an open society, adaptive culture, leader in technological innovations, and we have vast natural resources. American can be restored to greatness; the book outlines options. As MSNBC's "Morning Joe" stated during a February 7, 2012 broadcast, "Don't bet against America. It is not the end of the world for us."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1470182599
• ISBN13: 9781470182595
• Release Date: May 2012
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"