I still cannot fathom how anyone can think that the global situation is worse than 50 or 100 years ago, let alone further than that.
Really? No president has ever had this much shit hit the fan in a two year span.
... wat
President Abraham Lincoln: Elected in 1860. After trying desperately to hang onto the Union, he finds himself in a Civil war, one of the deadliest wars in American history. As of 1862, prospects for the Union weren't perfect; it appeared as if the war could go either way
President John F. Kennedy: Elected 1960. Civil rights issues and the Cuban Missile Crisis made his entire Presidency somewhat difficult
I could go on. Do you really think things are more terrible now than they were in the past? This is almost nothing compared to a lot of what America has gone through
I agree, and tick's addition about Roosevelt and the Great Depression is another good example. But to be honest, even if we WERE presently going through a particularly dark time in history, I don't understand what it is that makes people want to be doomsayers.
The main thing that worries me about the current state of things has nothing to do with the economy, international affairs, the environment, overpopulation, etc. (although those are all serious issues). It's the complete ineptitude of the US government to take any sort of significant effective action, for better or worse, and manage and follow through with it. I know I'm always harping on this, but as much as I despise the typical incompetent, self-centered politician, I blame the system over any individual. And I don't know how it can be remedied.
-J