I hope I’m not around to see the US like this.

I’ve visited two Third World countries, Mexico and Honduras. In both you see nice houses—not necessarily mansions, but fairly decent houses—totally walled off from streets and neighbors, and you have to have a key to get in or get someone from inside to let you in.

Around a CEMETERY, for God’s sake, there was a high stone wall and pieces of glass embedded in the top of the wall. You often see embedded glass in the top of walls, or razor wire above the top of the wall.

Everywhere, windows are barred, everywhere. In a bus station, I saw a book rack with sheets of plastic covering most of the books, so that someone couldn’t remove a book from the rack.

If you use a public toilet, which you often have to pay for, you may have to pay for toilet paper or else bring your own.

Now, every time I stop at a rest area on the interstate, I think how nice it is to have those rest areas, to have restrooms that are clean, running water to wash your hands or flush the toilet, toilet paper, and a device to dry your hands. And they’re heated too. And I think how in many countries, you’d never have anything like that.

Thank you so much. :)

it talks about the Soviet Union, North Vietnam, East Germany - entities which have not existed for 20-40 years, as if they were examples of something in reality.

Is that source connected with the Heritage Foundation or some such?

same: a Google question of what countries make up the Third World and the answer with links.

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=75316

Third World:

underdeveloped and developing countries of Asia and Africa and Latin America collectively

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Are you happy now?

so unfair some hard-working entrepreneur (no Frogs need apply) has to pay so you can wipe your free-loading ass!

Mostly in the high crime/drug areas, both city and rural, bars on windows and doors are very common.
I have seen them all over the country, and in some nice neighborhoods also.

In SF, there are NO public restrooms, you will not allowed to use, say, a McDonald's bathroom, because of the many street people who trash the facilities.
T he city attempted a French idea of putting public toilet facilities on the street corners.
They are sort of a large round steel structure big enough for maybe 2 people to stand in, has toilet, sink, made of steel and unmovable,costs a quarter to use, but all of them quickly became filled with needles, blood, broken bottles, etc.
They were designed to be just hosed down, thru a drain in the floor, but are trashed faster than the city could clean them.

There are 2 gas stations/mini markets in my teeny rural town which have the glass cage cashier type of counter, and steel bars on the windows.

I am concerned this country could become like that. I read what happened to Argentina in 99, where people had to lived in steel and cement re-enforced homes and carry seriously heavy duty guns to protect themselves coming and going out of their houses. Apparently the police would only act if the bribe was sufficient.
So what happens here when municipal services have no funding?

"So what happens here when municipal services have no funding?" It becomes like a Third World Country. :cry:

Seriously.
One of the many financial sites/blogs, can't remember which one, but the ones I read have always been/are accurate and on the mark.

The quote:
" We are not in a recession.
We are not in a depression.
We are in an economic collapse".

Maybe if I google that line, it will come up...
I am almost sure it was something on Jim Rogers.