Political Bla Bla-- my sweeping and unfounded claims are an attempt to be succinct

Krugman--this can't go on forever. Here's the thing and don't shoot me, 'kay.

I want to tell you: There's no hope.

Everyone gets somewhat hopeful thinking that Bush will be defeated and then somehow....Well, what? Things will go back to normal, improve slightly, etc. He may of course win re-election.

Even if your favorite democrat wins the country is on the verge of insolvency and the problems created will take about 4 years to clear up. The impatient public won't see the next president as cleaning up the messes of the last and will buy some claptrap about how the downward slide can be fixed by some sort of right wing 'toughness'...The downward slide which was delayed for a while will continue and the deficit and debt will become astronomical. The gap between rich and poor will reach third world levels. The finger in every pie is the downfall of the American Empire and so forth.

Oh yeah...when you first heard the U.S. was an empire didn't you wonder: What's going to be the cause of its decline? Nothing declines more interestingly and spectacularly than an empire. You wondered: Will it be some decadence orgiastic frenzy (possibly caused by lead poisoning) with horses named as Senators and barbarians at the gates? A big fat world war and rebellion in colonies? Nah. Just overreaching. Overextension. That's the decline. The imperialists will be the ones to crush their own empire.

So if you think that somehow one group of plunderers losing an election is going to save things...Sorry. It's too late.

You heard it here first! Things will only get worse. There's no hope. All is doom.