[miserable1980]

We've been in constant crisis mode since 2000 (just as I graduated college). This crap kept me from buying a home, delayed marriage and children, etc. In my mid 30s, I have no job security, almost no retirement and no home. I had no idea life in the 21st century was going to be so miserable for young people in North America. I guess this is globalization in action :(

[hackuser]

I've heard others say that, but I don't understand: Other than the 2008 recession, which was a much worse one than its predecessors, what is any worse than earlier periods?

If you are thinking of 9/11, before that we had the Cold War, against an enemy many orders of magnitude more dangerous and damaging.

I almost think that conservatives who sell crisis, to justify all sorts of things from civil liberties restrictions to wars, have unfortunately been believed.

I do think our government has functioned extremely poorly since 2000, as the GOP has put ideology before responsible governence. I know people will think I'm partisan, but how else can you characterize voting, multiple times, to not only shut down the whole government but actually trying to make it default on its debt?

[lmm]

Those of us who grew up in the '90s naturally compare to that. No Cold War, "the end of history", little in the way of foreign wars (and a remarkably successful one in Serbia where it felt like we were the good guys and were successful with it), an economy so successful that the Clinton administration was having to make plans for what would happen if the Treasury stopped issuing bonds, what felt like a hopeful technological future...

[hackuser]

It's amazing that one small organization and one isolated, small event (in terms of world history; it wasn't the fall of Rome or WWI) changed so much.

I would argue that our reacttion is what changed us, not what they did.

[seehafer]

> but how else can you characterize voting, multiple times, to not only shut down the whole government but actually trying to make it default on its debt?

A last ditch effort to try to bring some sanity to a budgeting process so broken that the the national debt has doubled since Obama became President.

[hackuser]

> sanity

Defaulting isn't sanity and would make our economic and fiscal problems far, far worse.

[witty_username]

Why do you think it's globalization in action?

[vkou]

I think we can safely say that globalization kicked the knees out of the manufacturing sector in the West.

And, as a consequence, destroyed much of its middle class. The new service jobs that replaced them are largely... Not very good ones.

[cylinder]

It's not globalization, it's our awful government and inter-generational and inter-class theft.