Gov't Report Predicts Cyborgs, Rise of China for 2030 219
colinneagle writes "Yesterday the National Intelligence Council (NIC), which is made up of 17 U.S. government intelligence agencies, released the 140-page report Global Trends 2030 Alternate Worlds. In all four of the alternative visions of the future, U.S. influence declines and it may be regarded more as a 'first among equals.' By 2030, the West will be in decline and Asia will wield more overall global power than the U.S. and Europe combined. 'China alone will probably have the largest economy, surpassing that of the United States a few years before 2030,' the report states. 'Megatrends' include an overall reduction of poverty and the 'growth of a global middle class.' NIC also sees a potential world of scarcities as the demand for food and water increase as the world's population swells from 7.1 billion to 8.3 billion people. Advances in health technologies will help people live longer, but 60% of the world's population is expected to live in an urban environment. The report also addresses technological augmentation: 'Successful prosthetics probably will be directly integrated with the user’s body. Brain-machine interfaces could provide “superhuman” abilities,enhancing strength and speed, as well as providing functions not previously available.'"
What do you mean by 2030? (Score:1, Informative)
The US has been in decline for awhile since its peak in the 1990s. GDP of China is almost equal to the US TODAY! Once this happens [youtube.com], where bond investors decide the US is no good on its commitment to pay it back ala Greece the decline will surge down FAR similiar to Greece, Spain, and Portugal.
Until Americans are willing to work for less like their asia counterparts and be a creditor nation rather than a debtor nation the slide will continue. FYI the UK was the #1 super power in the 18th and 19th centuries. The depression of 1873 and debt similiar to American style trading today, brought it down where in 2012 they never fully recovered.
The US will join the UK unless it pays its debt and people work for less. 2016 is where CHina will overtake the US. India too I would imagine will overtake it a few years after that and perhaps Vietnam in the next decade?
Re:What do you mean by 2030? (Score:5, Informative)
My Canadian and Australian friends get paid more and have a much better standard than here. IT wages (just 1 example) have not risen at all in 10 years. In Australia you can net 6 figures like it is 1999 again after only 10 years! I see people with 10 years here who make maybe 65k. They can get homes that are more affordable too.
In Canada you can make up to a huge $40,000 salary fresh out of college! States? Here is your headphone set for your call center job. The pay is $10/hr or $17k a year! I do not know anyone who makes as low as Americans if you do not have experience not to mention the college costs are 1/8th of here so you do not have to live at home with Mommy and Daddy with $900 a month student loans while you work as a doorman at BestBuy to pay for it. ... and they do not have to pay healthcare costs which save another $500 a month too on top of that. The US is crap man unless you are a middle manager to CEO. Everyone else is fighting for scraps it seems since 2002.
I am right now about to take a new job that pays more than my 2000 did. About damn time and yet sad after 12 years. For the average Joe we are certainly in decline and poorer as inflation that is not counted as health care costs, gas, food, mortgage, rent, auto insurance, and other things have gone up a very LARGE margin in 12 years.