The crisis of profligacy

The book The Limits of Power by Andrew J. Bacevich discusses the extent to where the American government has become confined to power. Profligacy is defined as a reckless extravagance. What is being pointed out in the article is that the government has become overly dependent on power. Bacevich states, “Over the past six decades, efforts to satisfy spiraling consumer demand have given birth to a condition of profound dependency.”(Bacevich 16) The dependency of the power comes from the need that one gets when they believe power is the key to success, or in other words “freedom.” The United States has been born into a nation where freedom is essential. This freedom not only led them into higher rank, but it leads them into a crisis. This crisis in the text is described as the believe that one proves there ranking, “not with what they do, but with what they own.” (Bacevich 33) This depicts the dependence that the government has on money. Money brings power. Power is something that many want ,but can’t have. Therefore, the addiction leading to the gain of this power leads to the failure of a nation. No one thinks logically anymore instead they think with the conscious of what they want. This exploits the crisis of a government that is crashing; along side with the selfishness, excessive consumption, inflation and decline of nations world wide. What the government and Americans want is “global leadership” (Bacevich 26) This is the cause of a possible global collapse; yet, no one seems to notice the importance of this down-heading situation. The article informs how the state of mind that people are holding is fueling the catastrophe that’s already headed our way. It brings awareness to change that should take place in order to avoid further global damage.