by Ken Vincent, Columnist & Featured Contributor
THE US HAS arguably been the primary leader in the world since WWII. An economic and military power house. But, times have changed and today many question whether or not the US is still number one, or if so how long will that last?
Our dollar, long the bastion of international trade, is flagging. Our military is being shrunk. Our economy has been in disarray for some 7-8 years. Our two party political system continues to be at an impasse on almost every subject that comes before them. Our court system is leaning more and more to the liberal side of the fence and it seems that the rule of constitutional law is in jeopardy.
Many blame Obama and his minions of department heads, advisers, and czars. Others blame congress. Still others say that it is simply the result of inevitable change as has been played out for thousands of years. Those site the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome as examples.
But, whomever you wish to blame, we must ask what role the US should play on the world stage. Should we be the world police force? Should we be getting into regional military actions or leave other countries to sort out both their internal politics and the relationships with their neighbors? Can we feed and water the world when we have hungry and homeless within our own boarders?
Do we have a responsibility, or even a right to dictate what level of human rights is acceptable? After all, we had a time in history where child labor was the norm and slavery was defended to the point of armed conflict. We virtually exterminated the native populations.
Is a republic or democracy right for all countries and should the US be trying to impose those types of government on others?
What role do you see as right for the US going forward? How do we establish courses of action on all these fronts?