The Futurity of America
582766
In America: A Society Gone Wrong, Chris Vaca comments on a variety of subjects all from a conservative point of view.  He wisely separates his comments into major headings or sections, including Prologue, Introduction, The Three Deadly "-isms", 1964 - The Beginning of the End, Schools, Loyalty to Country, Government, God, Morality, Environmentalists, Political Correctness, and a few others.

Although many of his comments are indeed humorous, some are serious and deserve our contemplation. First of all, Chris is a baby boomer - born in '52 - and, therefore, you should not be surprised to discover that his comments reflect a longing for the past. Nevertheless, his sense of futurity is imbued throughout his writing. He is looking back - to what his country was - and yet, looking forward to what it might still become. I am sure his goal for publishing his book is to suggest that a change in course might benefit society. You may not agree with everything that Vaca proposes in his dissertation, but, there is one thing that I know for sure, and which I think readers cannot dispute: Vaca loves his country and would like to restore and preserve the values, morality, and industry that once made America a leader and superpower in the world.
2658619
Mr Gingrich vividly expresses an alternative American Way to the present doldrums. The overwhelming impression that I am left with, as an Englishman: Newt is a man who urgently wants to make life better for Americans. It comes through strongly in his thinking, ideas and explanations. You realise that he is the great president that America never had.

He sees the presidency as an opportunity: the means to create the conditions for the ordinary man to make the little forward steps that eventually turn into a great rushing avalanche in better human existence. He identifies the permanent political establishment as primarily concerned with the preservation of the status quo. They are preoccupied with the brake-pedal, the creation of regulations to prevent or slow down the advancement and introduction of new discovery that could immediately benefit Americans. Newt wants the business of governance to be primarily concerned to encourage creation, not building more secure prison walls to keep the peoples future as the same old same old.

Newt is passionate about a better system for the delivery of education, made available for all ages, all of the time, as the basic tool for ensuring a good and creative nation. He equally is concerned about making available, much more quickly, the latest good health innovations for all the people, at affordable prices. He wants the emphasis of governance to be about industrious tax-payers not sedentary welfare recipients. He regards the unfettered information revolution is the present most potent assistance to making the big breakthroughs that will see the fulfilment of a new exciting update of the American Dream.

This book written for Americans, has important messages and ideas for the people of my nation  the United Kingdom.
1188768
The author takes an unconventional view on the accelerating technology and its overall affect on the economy.
I personally think the scenario described in this book is far into the future(may be couple of decades from now).

Even if you don't completely agree with the author's premise, the book is a fascinating read.
1722240
Novels, short stories, and films about the future serve a need for all those who crave to participate in it but may not survive long enough to do so. One can participate in the future, enjoy its pleasures and its vices, and contemplate what life will be like just a few decades from now. At this time, the derivative of the curve of technological change will take on its maximum value, and one can therefore expect to witness events and technology that will dwarf those of today. Exciting times are ahead; more exciting than anything that has been witnessed by any human to date. Those born in this century are therefore the luckiest generation, and are the envy of all those technophiles and apologists for the twenty-first century.

This book does a fair job of knocking the reader out of the relative equilibrium of the present, but it could have been a lot better. Its words could have been more carefully chosen, and its content more representative of the roller coaster ride of change that will occur in the year 2033. Celebrity-driven cultures, plastic surgery, and other niceties find their place within the covers of this fem-robot-decorated book, but its plots are sometimes too quiet. This century is noisy, very noisy, even deafening. There is no quiet time in the twenty-first century, since there is no need for it. There are too many interesting distractions, and misbehavior and sexual indulgencies will involve the artificial, but far beyond the simple toys of today. To penetrate a mixture of silicon, plastic, and metal that can also think and lust, will be a normal occurrence in the everyday life of the year 2033.....
3751897
The future is not bright.  America has forgotten the roots and the foundation of history build upon the golden triangle of "faith, virtue and freedom."  This book should be basis for conversation of those who love freedom and America.  The freedom is challenging and does not come without great effort, it is not intuitive or given.  Although the author attempts to paint a picture of hope, it is unlikely America will have the fortitude or discipline to return to the essentials.  A must read.
2050994
A very interesting projection for history, the present and the future of our World and how China is rapidly becoming the economic leader of the World and soon the military, political and social leader.  And, it seems that the changes will take place without a shot being fired.  It seems that our current government is leading us to a much quicker conclusion to this transformation.
2646533
"Bummer!"  The first word in the opening chapter of Hensen's 2015 book"A Next American Century . . . ,neatly sums up the attitude of many American and international observers, who perceive the United States to be in terminal decline, a decade and a half after the end of the "American Century". This mild expletive, also offers a judicious, single word summary of the next 712 pages that follow, not to mention another 100 or so pages of detailed footnotes and a comprehensive index.

This is a book for our times that Hensen has written. Many Americans are feeling disturbed and queasy about the direction the U.S. is headed in the 21st century and they express this disquiet in desperate ways. Disquiet is seen in many earnest blogs, or on social media sites or "tweets" showing their anxiety in short, sharp bursts of 140 characters or less. In looking at the beginning days of 2016, we see the frustration,anger and anxiety in the massive popular turnouts for Donald Trump, Bermie Sanders and other candidates for the primary elections. But not many Americans sit down and write, on spec , an 800 page analysis of the past, present and future of these United States.

In reading the book you quiet readily realize Joost Hensen is no average "American Joe". In taking a cursory look at his ambitious book, one is astonished at the depth and breadth of his research. Hensen sums up the complex political topics in his quizzical subtitle; " An older America is dying! What to expect from the new one?"

In reviewing his biography, you realize his viewpoints are varied and mixed, because of his cultural exposure to Europe,South Africa, Canada, Brazil and even Iraq. Hensen was literally and figuratively, a witness to key turning points in 20th century history. It is not surprising that he developed a deep passion for the U. S. having served in the USAF, and subsequently turned to historical and geopolitical analysis with a focus on the U.S. place in an uncertain and fast changing world.

In looking just at Hensen's table of contents,one can see the road map to his narrative and the thoroughness of his research. Interestingly, Hensen brings in a truly global perspective to his analysis of our American scene.

America's exceptionalism is questioned  by Hensen's quote from James Hillman, "In fact American exceptionalism is that we are exceptionally backward in about fifteen different categories from education to infrastructure". This statement is expanded upon by a 2011 Pew survey that Jensen cites. When asked "Is America exceptional among nations?,not only did a majority of Americans disagree, but as Jensen explains, "Even more striking,among young adults polled aged 18 to 29, the percentage of these young Americans who believed that their culture was superior was lower than what young citizens of Germany, Spain and Britian thought about their respective cultures".

Hensen gets to the crux of the matter with his choice epigraph for his book, an observation from David Hume's "First Principles of Government":  "Nothing appears more surprising to those who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are by the few, [and the implicit submission with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers.]". This reader had not previously encountered this perceptive critique, but it does bear a resemblance to political reality just about anywhere, including today's USofA.

"A Next American Century. . . " offers a buffet of historical and geopolitical food for thought to anybody concerned about the decline of the no longer exceptional U.S. Hensen"s overall conclusion is that reports of America's demise may have been mildly or wildly exaggerated.
3490741
A dark depiction of the future which is looking more and more likely.
4625694
Excellently written book about the dire future of this country if changes are not made.
Scary in parts because it's so possible that our children will never know how great it was to be an American and to have lived in it's best years as I have prior to the downward spiral we seem to be in now with over the top government control amd loose morality.
3854293
2030 is about what the USA and the world might be like in that year. I recommend this book as a must read. It was realistic in its predictions especially in light of this years elections and the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
964880
This is a deadly serious book about America's future. It's all here - The Freedom of Education Act, where all schools are operated by corporations and teachers are Temp workers; the elimination of Food Stamps, where the poor receive one lifetime voucher to fast food; where all road repair has been privatized, so there are more holes than pavement and super-expressways are only available to the 1%, from their gated communities to private airports. The humor is of the "it's better to laugh than cry" variety. This is the Kurt Vonnegut satire, a warning that may be too late.
3870855
A great and easy read.  Very revealing.  I recommend it to all faiths and beliefs especially if you are concerned about the future of America.
508770
Predicting the future is always impossible but you can see trends and possibilities if you try.  I enjoy reading futurology and later finding out where they went wrong and what they got correct.  Decades ago they said the work week is going to get shorter and we will have more leisure time.  Well the employees got more productive but the employers gave them more to do in the same amount of time.  In spite of some of the loose talk and wishful thinking it is useful to have an idea of where we are going and where we have been.  This book does highlight some of the trends and new technology that is going to impact our world.  I learned a few things I hadn't heard before.  This author just isn't up to the rigor of analysis that I prefer.
2809811
I strongly recommend the book.

Peter Schwartz speaks of "Inevitable Surprises" - changes coming to us which, once here, we could see clearly have been upon us for a long time. This book is a carefully researched and argued introduction to one of the biggest inevitable surprises in the history of this country, and it is coming now. The economic structures underlying human productivity of this country are going to be turned upside down in the next decades, while the pressure on our health care systems will be multiplied many times.

Would you have been able to make use of a good characterization of the economics of the networked world we now find ourselves in, if you had listened to it back in the 1970s? Burns and Kotlikoff are characterizing the world we are about to enter.
1129903
I loved this book.  The author is relatively unknown here in America but his perspectives are brilliant.  This book explains in clear terms the many changes we can expect to see over the next 15 to 30 years.  Its a fun read that really gets you thinking.
1791465
PROS: A fascinating view of the future. The predictions are sometimes chillingly accurate. For example, soma, the drug of choice in the novel, is present today in the plethora of feel-good drugs (Prozac, Viagra, etc.) "A gram is better than a damn," the futurists instruct. Similarly, the "feelies" are 4D movies (touch included) and are even more engrossing and numbing than today's TV. Just you wait. We're headed there.

CONS: The novel's pacing is a bit slow at times.

CONCLUSION: This century genetic engineering will finally make it mark on the planet. Read this book to get a feel of what could happen. I recommend it!
1267682
Simmins writes a good yarn. Interesting and thought provoking forecast of what lies ahead for America, the land of the free; America, the beautiful.