by Robert Weissberg, American Thinker:
Is the United States becoming a Third World nation? This question has long been on the edge of polite conversation, but former President Trump’s conviction in two New York courts has pushed the query to the forefront. The short answer is that while this slide was once unthinkable, it currently seems “unlikely.” Worse, all the trends point to its increasing likelihood.
What generally defines “Third World” includes pervasive poverty, dilapidated infrastructure, lack of sanitation, inadequate modern healthcare, rampant crime, ineffective education, and violent political instability often reflecting ethnic rivalries, not democratic elections. Law reflects the whim of the powerful; not following written precepts. Third world governments also have a penchant for crushing national debt and wild spending. Invariably, a very rich minority governs masses living in squalor.