Seems to me Daffy Duck, rise and fall of empires is best judged by the extent of its foreign holdings at any given time.

The Chinese are accumulating foreign holdings at an alarming rate, compared to US foreign holdings.

Energy use factored on oil consumption, is a misnomer too. The US is independent in oil reserves.
The US, like the rest of the West, went full scale down the road of de-industrialisation by transferring industry to Asia, read China in particular.
Of course this action increased the energy consumption of China, and factored over its entire population, makes it conform to your theory of advancement, based on individual energy consumption.

Trumps idea is a natural to fit your thesis by returning energy consumption to the US through retooling US industry, and creating domestic wealth: up goes energy consumption per capita, and bingo, the American empire is on the move upwards.

Simultaneously though, Chinese energy consumption is falling exponentially, and appears to be declining.

It's difficult to put too much credibility into the energy equals rise and fall of empires theory alone.

Dan

Hi Paul 1405, perhaps some of the older voters who reportedly decided not to vote as usual for the Liberal party in the Eden Monaro election would vote to get rid of the(ir) ABC Cheers PeterC

In John West's 1854 'Union Among the Colonies' (Gregory Melleuish - 2001, p6) he
[West] writes: "Those who are dazzled with the idea of unrestricted and responsible government in little colonies have seen only one side of the medal. They have not yet seen family compacts in their full bloom; they have not yet beheld an Attorney General, armed with the power of the majority, hunting its enemies into the meshes of the law; they have not yet witnessed nepotism, with greedy hand and jealous eye, seizing the public as spoil... " These words ring true 166 years later. The pedigree of the Liberal Party weaves an interesting tapestry through its history. David Bird, in his book 'Nazi Dreamtime' (2012) writes at p6..."Although Australian's like the rising young Nationalist R.G. Menzies could continue to admire Mussolini's 'leadership' and to admire him from afar this 'Caesar and Napoleon combined' as another lawyer called him, there remained a local vacancy." (At p8) "...former AIF officer and solicitor Eric Campbell...came into prominence as a potential strike-breaker on the Sydney waterfront in 1925. Associated with the Old Guard in Sydney from November 1930, Lt Col Campbell thought a more activist, confrontational style of politics, more attuned to the psychology of the already legendary 'digger' was necessary to counter the populism of Jack Lang's Labor government. Accordingly the New Guard was born in February 1931 in a blaze of publicity...The New Guard would prove to be the most virulent form of Australian fascism between the wars..." A fascist leader is obsessed with power and control for its own sake and will do whatever it takes to grab and maintain power. This suggests a strong streak of psychopathy. Psychologist Lyn Bender asks in 'Independent Australia', 13 May, 2014, “What if Abbott and his cronies are just a bunch of psychopaths?” She makes a startling case that they probably are, mentioning indicators from Abbott, Joe Hockey and Scott Morrison. http://www.independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/what-if-abbott-and-his-cronies-are-just-a-bunch-of-psychopaths,6472

Hi PeterC

There is little support amongst Australians for "getting rid of the ABC" other than from the hard right and some extreme sections of the private media, the foreign owned Murdoch camp in particular. Looking to fund other services such as health and education with ABC savings would be better achieved with cuts to inefficient military spending. plenty of fat there. Although to conservatives the military is some kind of sacred cow never to be touched.

"older voters who reportedly decided not to vote as usual for the Liberal party" do you have evidence for that claim, and who did they vote for, no mass exodus to the Australian Federation Party, or is it the 176 voters you are referring to?

Patriotic Australians do not blindly support the ABC !

Thenks Individual. The ABC is a traitor to Australia and our futures and should not be funded by the tax-payer. Cheers Peter C