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Re: (North) American games...

From: Allan Goodall <agoodall@s...>
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 12:48:40 -0500
Subject: Re: (North) American games...

Oops. Hit the send button too soon. Here's the full post.

>It is interesting here that the US is lumped in with a bunch of
>"poorer" nations and weak economies.  While I don't feel we have the
>most stable economic system, it is fairly strong.  OTOH, if Social
>Security isn't abolished we may well be in serious trouble in 20
>years!

I don't want to turn this into a economic/societal think tank, but bear
in
mind that every one of the G7 have a stronger social security system
than
the US. Social Security ISN'T what's hampering the US economy.

>In any case, the demose of the Federal government and
>military leadership is hard to swallow.  My own personal doomsday
>scenario would have America slowly weakening economically and
>militarily until we are no longer significant on the world scene.
>Entropy is more likely than collapse.

That's a more likely scenario. If you believe Tofler, it will all depend
on
who can transform from a second wave economy to a third wave economy.
The US
is heavy into both (industrial and information) so it could still swing
either way.

>Ironically, the NAC *could* be read as the "North American
>Confederation" meaning that the US and Canada were the dominant
>members of the new government.  However, I like "New Anglian" since
>it is non-specific, and one could easily view the members as equal
>partners; just looking at population, the US would certainly have a
>huge cultural impact, which would filter up into the government, so
>in the end I doubt it makes much difference.  Certainly, if America
>ever did merge with other countries, Canada and Britain would be at
>the very top of my list.

It would be more likely that the North American Free Trade zone would
merge
into one continental government. Some of the economic theories I've seen
indicate that while the US, Canada, and Mexico each stretch "from sea to
sea" the best lines of communication and transportation are north to
south.
North Dakota, Wyoming, Alberta, and Saskatchewan have more in common
with
themselves than they have with California, New York, Georgia, Ontario,
or
Nova Scotia. People in Seattle feel more of a kinship with people in
Vancouver than people in LA.

A more interesting hypothesis is that North America becomes a "super
state",
with state governments bonding together to form regional entities.
Eventually the federal level of government loses its purpose to either
the
super gov or the regional govs. Now, throw in a war or other turbulence
in
Europe, have Britain be the odd man out ala World War II, and then have
the
Super Gov of North America bring Britain in under a protectorate status.
Now
you've got the NAC (North American Confederation) pretty much in its GZG
form but with Britain acting less like the stern parent over a bunch of
unruly children, and more the role of incontinent geriatric who is
relying
on the kids for "elder care."

Of course, no Brit would ever come up with this scenario, unless they
were
transplanted to -- say -- Canada... :-)

Allan Goodall:	agoodall@sympatico.ca 
"You'll want to hear about my new obsession.
 I'm riding high upon a deep depression. 
 I'm only happy when it rains."    - Garbage

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