Well, thank God (?) for Pat Robertson's sage advice...ugh.

Robertson makes predictions every year, and this year he says the economy is going to improve, despite what the collective of world economists are saying. He also thinks the U.S. will not be looked upon in the world (financially) as it once was, and that we will no longer be a great superpower and will find various dangerous dictators popping up. To this I say: a surprise it is not. At the end of the video he says "Obama will be able to get anything he wants" because people's fears will naturally drive them to socialism. He posits that we will see a greater expansion of governmental power than at any time since the New Deal. Newsflash: it was thanks to the New Deal that many of the great social programs we appreciate in this country even exist. It becomes so easy to take these things for granted after you've enjoyed the benefits for a few decades. If the country repeatedly lurches toward socialism in whatever form, is it not logical to posit that it is an evolutionary shift? We can all see how well capitalism works--ha. But, if socialism is such a scare to everyone, why can't we have a system which combines the best traits of both capitalism and socialism? Why must everything be painted in extremes? Capitalism fails when left to wanton human greed which derives from the natural inclination of self-preservation. Why continue to fight that which is natural? Instead, why not regulate its weaknesses? This is where some of the tenets of socialism apply. This is not to say, "yay--let's turn EVERYTHING over to the government!" But, the argument that this will be the largest expansion of government since the New Deal just doesn't hold water when the truth is that that expansion has slowly been taking place ever since 2001 under George W. Bush and our national reaction to being on the receiving end of terrorism for once. It's so scary to think that the U.S. may not be a world superpower any longer, but by the same token, the U.S. has been an oppressor to many nations and a catalyst in many foreign disputes ever since the birth of this country. We have to accept the history of our own country if we're ever going to make progress in an ever-changing future. And by the way, there have always been dictators. There are always disputes halfway around the world. We have to stop allowing ourselves to be controlled by fear.