I have a question I would like to hear your feedback on.
Have the 90's ruined America?
This is why I wonder:
It seems that the 90's created some unrealistic expections. For many Americans Normality is now defined as 4.0% unemployment, a world where no external threats are percieved to exist, and a stock market where you can expect 20% returns each year.
Of course most readers to this blog realize that the 90's economy benefited from a bubble and that the terrorist threat grew exponentially during these years. But I'm afraid this isn't a widely shared view. It seems many Americans won't be satisfied until we return to the carefree easy days of the past decade.
So why do I think this will "ruin" the country.
Success usually requires hardship and strength of will. If our citizens won't tolerate the hardship required to win the war on Islamic terrorism, and our business leaders don't have the strength of conviction to expand their businesses without near perfect geo-political stability, I don't see how we can defeat the terrorists or sustain a continued economic expansion.
If we can't accomplish either of those things, well, we just might be ruined.