in the next few years i believe we'll see the US become more competative in the industrial arena...as things in china, etc become more and more expensive to produce (china's labor cost is increasing approx 100% per year, venezuela miners are bitching about maternity benefits, pensions, higher pay)...within a few years (maybe 20?) it will as cheap to manufacture goods here as in other countries without the transport....

it'd be nice to see a new frontier emerge such as (space exploration/expoitation, undersea development, etc.)....every time in history man finds a new frontier and pursues it we all prosper....this "consumer" economy is for the birds...

in all likelyhood we'll probably end up with "soylent green" instead..