People in Baghdad burn an American flag in protest against a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP PHOTO)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The power and influence the United States has in the world will decline in the next two decades and struggles for the world's natural resources will intensify, according to a new government report.
The National Intelligence Council's "Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World" says the world is in the middle of an historic transfer of wealth from West to East. That's been brought on by increases in oil and commodity prices as well as a shift of manufacturing and certain other industries to Asia.
The U.S. will likely remain the single most powerful nation in the world, but its economic and military strength will decrease considerably. It will continue to play a leading role in the war against global terrorism.
Nations like Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey will likely gain power, and their need for natural resources will increase.
But China is expected to be our biggest rival by 2025. The report predicts it will have the world's second largest economy by then and will be a leading military power.
Here’s my question to you: How worried are you about the next 20 years?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Michael from Greenfield, Wisconsin writes:
Very. If we don't jettison the old failed ways of doing things, we are finished. The “good old boy” slap on the wrist for destroying a nation has got to stop. Country first, or you go to jail forever.
John from Sacramento, California writes:
I'm extremely worried about the massive debt my child will inherit. As a country, our answer to almost every problem for the past decade has been to borrow against our future and only now are we seeing the awful results: and this is just the beginning. Our future is here now and the only answer our leaders have is to borrow even more furiously and rack up historic debt.
Karen writes:
If more isn't done to help the middle class, we might not have 20 years left to worry about. We have outsourced the jobs to foreign countries and sold or borrowed against most of our assets. There isn't much left to worry about.
Grant from Ann Arbor, Michigan writes:
Twenty years? Jack, I live in Michigan. I'm way more concerned about waking up tomorrow morning and having a roof over my head, a car to drive and food on the table. Twenty years from now is beyond my comprehension. Get real.
Stacy from Virginia writes:
Jack, you have to enjoy each day as if it were your last. Hug your kids, kiss your wife, tell you them you love them, don’t eat too much, sleep in on Saturday morning now and again, don’t worry all the time, and 20 years will fly by.
Dean from Delmar, New York writes:
No worries at all, Jack. We have some of the best farmland and agricultural technology in the world. We grow more than enough food to feed the country every year. There is a global food crisis looming on the horizon. Think living without oil is tough? Try living without bread.
Larry from Georgetown, Texas writes:
The beauty of living one day at a time eliminates a lot of the worry in life as it doesn't do any good to sit around and worry. Fear causes us to do things that create more problems in the long run.