Thirty years from now

Thirty years ago we thought people would travel by Jetson-like flying cars and live in colonies on the moon. Our dreams were based on traditional values of American individualism and freedom, enhanced by technology. Our biggest fears were nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union and running out of fossil fuels.
Today, the Soviet Union is gone and we have more known fossil fuel reserves than ever. We’ve about given up on any kind of travel that leaves the ground. The visionaries of yesterday are retired, replaced by a much more powerful block of politicians and media who believe that a central state and political correctness will squash today’s anecdotal cases of greed, and produce fairness for all.
Here’s what I predict for 2039 if we continue on our current track:
· Health care in the U.S. will look a lot like today’s VA system. Rationing will cause a thriving private health care market, probably in India. The pace of medical breakthroughs will end because Washington will deny Big Pharma the big rewards that must accompany big risks.
· We will buy gas, tobacco, ammunition and non-organic produce in stores that resemble today’s Post Office branches. The service, hours and lines will be unbearable.
· AM radio will be gone; churches will be turned into community-organizer centers.
· Annual pay for all jobs in the U.S. will range between $1,100,000 and $1,600,000 ($26,000 to $37,800 in today’s dollars), depending on your age.
· Most Americans will live in 1,000 square foot concrete cubes in major cities. Suburbs beyond biking distances will become camps for the homeless.
· China will force nations to align with them, overtaking U.S. influence around the world. The Chinese Federation will establish a colony on Mars.
· Science will understand that population growth, underwater volcanoes and solar flare-ups influence the climate a zillion times more than hybrids, reusable shopping bags and flushing on the third use.

One last ray of hope: Right-wing Americans will take over a South American country, where individualism, competition and freedom will live on.