So here we are once again in the first days of a new year in this once formerly mighty empire and I can't help but get this off my chest. I'm no economics major, I manage to barely get by these days off the smarts of a long dead president...by the way thank you FDR...And I have some gripes to make.

The sadness was nearly overwhelming this holiday season. bad health can do that to the strongest. But I at least managed to stay out of the hospital over the holiday season thank God. But my main point in this is this....

I will give you a solid copper penny for your thoughts on the world economy. I think all hope for a prosperous and happy 2012 is gone with Tuesdays wind. why? Well several things come to mind. One is the realization that indeed the empire is slowly crumbling around me. I see it in the condition of the former glistening cities once spotless and the buildings the envy of every other nation now falling apart, trash piles up along roadsides, meanwhile, a record number of people are on food stamps, and new records for decline are being set it seems every week.

What can we do really? When an empire has reached the very pinnacle of success, and yet that same empire fails to recognize with each and every grab for an ever bigger brass ring that it nails in one more in top of the coffin lid. When we as a nation fail to check our ever increasing lust for more and more money for not only our work but our products other less "shiny" empires might figure out a way to undercut us, like offering 1/2 cent for your thoughts instead. Happy New Year America....We made our bed and now it's time to lay down.

Hunt in the winter, farm in the summer. That is how you survive. Is life easy living in a dugout or lean to? Nope. But life isn't supposed to be easy. If that is the expectation, we expect too much.

Not to say we shouldn't strive for more than subsistence. Just sayin' it ain't the end of the world.

Everybody goes on and on about China this and China that.

But the world economy is really interconnected, and no matter what anybody wants to say about it: America buys a lot of crap, especially from Asia.

If the U.S. goes under, it may not be the end of the world, but it won't be fun.

If China did survive and do well, it would only be because they were cooking the books like mad and manipulating their currency more than the Federal Reserve manipulates the dollar.

Wow! The last copper penny was minted in 1857. It's probably worth a mint (so to speak). Please U2U me and I'll give you my address.

Now--what will I buy with all that money....

ETA: Oh. My thoughts on the economy. Well, more inflation. Probably not much worse than that. TPTB don't really want to set off a revolution, you know. That'd be more dangerous to them than to us....

Not to derail this thread, but if you offer me a solid copper penny, it is worth 2.5 cents right now, due to copper prices being so high. Pennies made prior to 1983 are at least 99% copper. Anything after that is mostly zinc and is technically worth just one cent.

If the Chinese offer me 1/2 cent for my thoughts, I would have a snippy, uniquely American comeback just for them.

And yes, our economy is imploding. Whether you die slowly or all at once, you're still toast.