Exactly when did America stop doing great things?
We were the first to the Moon, and then we stopped being daring in space. What happened? The French are building fantastic new bridges, we can't even repair our old ones. The Brits and French built the "Chunnel" - an incredible feat of engineering; we're still relying on the Lincoln Tunnel. The Japanese have long had the world's fastest trains; we limp along with Amtrak. The Russians claim the largest commercial airplanes; well, big ain't neccessarily better I suppose. But it sounds good. Our ships look rather dull. Our automobiles are unimaginative compared to others. And ours wouldn't be as well-made were it not for robotic techniques developed elsewhere. One can argue our domestic food ain't all that terrific either. Unless we get that new replacement for the World Trade Towers up in the near future, we will never regain a claim to the world's tallest building. Or the world's most creative architecture. Or even a better class of doorman.
We used to be better. What happened to us? Where is the adventurous spirit that broke the sound barrier first? That built the first transcontinental railroad? The medical breakthroughs that rocked the world? The best phone system? The best highway system? The best airports and airlines? We have crumbling infrastructure, failing corporations and a timid Congress which will do nothing to rekindle our Yankee ingenuity and pioneering spirit. Timid is the most flattering adjective we can attach to Congress. They are inept, bickering, many still living in the '60s, and totally bereft of any exciting new idea that might spark the nation's imagination. What happened to "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country"? What happened to the Super Collider? Why haven't we gone back to the Moon, or landed on Mars? Why do we give millions to Jerry Lewis's medical research charities and get nothing but "Hey Layyy-dee!" for it? Cloning, stem cells? What about fusion or anti-matter or other new sources of energy? Do liberals really think windmills are the wave of the future? Didn't they burn Frankenstein's monster in one of those things hundreds of years ago?
We used to be the home of brilliant inventors. Edison. Bell. Whitney. Franklin. Westinghouse. Tesla did his best work in America. These and others brought electric power to our homes. The first telephone system. The first artificial music system... the phonograph. The electric light. The gasoline engine. The automobile assembly line. Elevators. I hate to rub it in but even the home computer is well over twenty years old. iPods? Whoopie.
Okay, I will grant you tv's are bigger and sound better. But tv sucks, so what have you gained? Tivo? You can cut out the commercials which in many cases are more creative than the tv shows they are cut from. Computers are smaller and faster, but the monitors are wider so my desk still has no room. GPS systems for our cars are a good thing for those who hate to ask for directions. But they can't compare to a Thomas Guide. The boring newsmen on tv have been supplanted by very attractive and sometimes literate women. This is a good thing. But the make-up departments make the girls up like trollops. This really isn't so good, is it? Except maybe in Greta's case. But I digress.
Perhaps our "shadow government" has some deep "black projects" going at places like Area 51 and China Lake. Is H.A.A.R.P. perfecting weather modification? Or microwave weaponry? Are there flying disks which can travel through wormholes to other Galaxies at Area 51 or Papoose? Unless any of these things are happening, I see no reason to believe we are leading the world in anything anymore. Except for wishful thinking.
So just in case there are bona fide geniuses reading this who just need a little burr under their saddle, here are a few ideas off the top of my head.
Every year we hear that one part of the country is having the worst drought ever, while another part of the country is being inundated with the heaviest rainfall in history. Duh. When are we going to have a water channeling system joining every corner of the U.S. like the Egyptians had along the Nile thousands of years ago. You got too much water in Seattle? Channel it to Kansas. You can even charge for it. Forest fires in California and Colorado? Get that floodwater from Mississippi on its way to douse the fires. "Oh, but it costs too much, it costs too much" the pencil-neck geeks scream. I say Go to hell you jerkwater morons. Find a way to make it pay instead of whining.
Every day the ocean tides rise and fall. Twice! Duh. A free source of enormous power right off the coast. And America has a huge amount of coast. "Oh, but it will spoil our view and kill the little fishies" the environmentalists squeal. To hell with them, they're among the dumbest, least imaginitive people on the planet. How can we even listen to people who push old ladies out of the way in order to kiss a dolphin and believe Nemo is real?
Trucks and cars should not be sharing the same roads. Duh. What an opportunity to rebuild the entire national highway system! One highway built for trucks one for cars. Think of all the concrete contractors and earthmovers who will be happy and get rich! Think of all the children who will not be killed in horrible accidents involving trucks and cars.
I could go on, but why should I? I'm just a prophet. I know Yankee ingenuity is still out there. It's just been repressed by the unimaginitive scientific Establishment, even less imaginitve big business, and draconian government regulation. Geniuses, remember what Tesla had to endure. He wasn't afraid to do big things. Don't YOU be afraid either. Damn them all. Rebel! There's plenty of inventin' still to be done.
