What will be different 30 years from now in America?
Political
The government now control & tax Internet usage with government registered email & IP addresses. No. This will not be the case. What will be ugly is that national media outlets outside of the internet will be owned by only three or four companies that will control the news.
A national sales tax has been imposed Yes, a VAT (Value Added Tax will be in place)
The differences between the two major political parties is minimal (The two party system will collapse on itself and we’ll have four of five political parties.
Certain animals are given the same rights as people No. Although there will be greater protections offered to animals found to have significant intelligence (orangutans, gorillas, chimps, dolphins, whales)
Americans have given-up their right to “real” firearms; they can now only have a taser gun for self-protection No, but the requirement to own, and carry, a firearm not used for hunting purposes will increase.
The United States military will shrink by about 30% and its presence in Europe will become negligible.
Social Security will become needs based.
New trade agreements will come into place that allow for regional work visas for U.S. citizens. These will allow U.S. citizens to move between the U.S. and other countries to pursue employment much easier
The MIddle East takes huge steps toward peace as the United States advances toward energy independence and the Middle East becomes irrelevant to us and Israel is forced to make concessions.
The office of Homeland Security, as we know it, is dissolved.
Economic
The big Internet companies compile complete digital dossiers on everyone and sell to whomever they want. Governments are big customers Actually, I think people are becoming more aware and concerend with privacy and this will not develop into the issue some believe.
If you live where there’s public transportation available, it is very expensive to own and operate a private auto Yes and no. Public transportation will play a much higher role as gasoline tops $10 a gallon minimum and significant spending is made to bring high speed rail to not only most major cities but also cross country rail will be in place
Micro-chipping of individuals has become commonplace as such people are given favored status by businesses and governments for doing so; for criminals and perceived “threats” it is not an option Perhaps. Children, criminals and those with dementia may very well be chipped so they can be tracked when lost. I don’t see chipping for other reasons as it’s too easy to have such info in cell phone, etc.
Banks will be highly regulated, interest rates for car, home, and credit cards will be set by the government
The windfall profit tax will come back
Corporate tax holidays are eliminated
The ability of U.S. companies to hide profits with offshore subsidiaries and keep from paying U.S. taxes will be eliminated
Social
The social focus is on equality
The differences between the sexes is socially (and officially) ignored; gender is irrelevant in all aspects of life In many aspects, yes. In all aspects, no
Non-profit volunteer participation has dropped to very low levels as everyone looks now to the government for help and assistance I suspect this will actually increase. It will become part of school requirements etc.
Women having babies has dropped substantially and the traditional family is uncommon as the new generation embraces narcissism No. The family will exist. The “traditional” may not be as common as it once was, but it will be there. The family will be redefined in a way but it will be just as important as it is now.
People have come to expect the government to solve all their problems; they look for hand-outs and entitlements Actually, I think the government will do less of this in the future than ever. When it gets involved it will be “all in” and state’s will have little say in how things are handled.
The idea of “marriage” has been redefined; you marry who or what you want I see this as ridiculous. Yes, there will be gay marriage and I think people will be shocked there is very little notable change in society because of it. No church will be forced to perform gay marriage but may be forced to recognize it in some ways
Homosexuality is openly displayed and advertised as a viable option
Pornography’s restrictions have been removed NO, although there will be more use of virtual porn. That is the people one sees in porn are not real but CGI
Marijuana is legal Yes, this will happen
Christmas is now called “Givemas” No.
Healthcare is rationed and severely discriminates against the aged and disabled No, this will not happen. I see healthcare as more available in the future but end of life decisions will be on the agenda. This will become an issue only for those who have no family and have made no decisions in advance.
Euthanasia is legal Yes, it will be. What will be even more used is assisted suicide.
Designer babies are available and are big business No
Overweight people are forced to exercise and are fined until they reach their “proper” weight No
“Junk” food is outlawed No
Stem cell treatment ends type 1 diabetes, parkinson’s disease, and a number of other ailments
College will take 6 years and highschool will add a year
Spiritual
The prevailing philosophy is Absolute Relativism; Good vs. Evil has been discarded as primitive
Catholicism has been ruled a “philosophy of hate” and is illegal to be publicly practiced or endorsed No, I predict that the Catholic Church’s numbers in the United States will increase for the next 10-20 years and then drop drastically over the following 25-30 years and there will no longer be a diplomatic relationship between the Vatican and the U.S.
The number of atheists increases by about 5% per decade.
Secular moralism becomes more the norm
