Really, is our globalized market economy sustainable?

[MrScorpio]

Everything is too big to fail.

Local economies were destroyed when conglomerates replaced the goods and services provided by small businesses.

Regressive tax policies make it hard for small business to prosper, in favor of the big boxes and mega banks.

The bigger the corporation, the more injurious the effect o communities when these corporation's business models fail.

In a country without the standard social safety net policies that are available in just about all other western industrialized nations, these circumstances place us all in potentially dire circumstances.

Is a reboot possible?

What would it take to happen?

Can we rescind NAFTA and the WTO?

Just a few thoughts I've been having today.

[MadHound]

1. The global economy is sustainable, however our lifestyle and very lives under such an economy aren't

Frankly the US is becoming more and more superfluous in the global economy. We pay wages that are far to large and we are no longer the number one consumer country. About the only thing that is keeping us relevant is our debt. Unless we take action soon, we're going to reduced to just one more failed empire.

[Warpy]

2. The American economy is not sustainable and hasn't been for a long time

The minority of rich men have looted the entire country, allowed the infrastructure to fall into disrepair, beggared most workers, and expected those workers to support the economy by amassing debt. The workers who complied now face losing everything. The party is over.

The rest of us are living in poverty even if we still have jobs, afraid to do anything but save every dime that doesn't go to food, shelter or transportation because we know the owners and rulers will send our jobs offshore as soon as they find people to do them.

You can't have the countries of the world engaged in producing things their main market is no longer able to buy. The party is over for them, too, although they're not in as dire shape as the US is.

Even without the financial casino dedicated to boosting the wealth of the already rich going bust, the gig was up and the endgame had been reached several years ago. There is only so much debt a consumer can amass before servicing it cuts into the food budget and many families had reached that limit.

There will be no recovery while wealth is concentrated away from people who spend. There will be no recovery until the infrastructure is not only repaired, it's improved enough to support new industries. There will be no recovery while wages are depressed and jobs are being offshored. There will be no recovery while so much of the wealth of the country gets wasted by the Pentagon. There will be no recovery while this country has an empire to maintain.

There will be no recovery while there is no hope.