http://www.wtc.com/media/images/s/wtc-construction-1-world-trade-center It looks like we're about 1/4 of the way recovered. Why? Government inefficiency. 7 World Trade Center has been rebuilt for 4 years.
Up until this year, we have been making gradual progress. Then, in the grand tradition of Joseph McCarthy (the list of Communists) and a blip on the record of George Bush (although I did like him, I have to bring up Willie Horton), a few individuals stirred this up for political gain with the "mosque" (sic) being built "at" (sic) ground zero (loaded words, basic Persuasive Speaking/Logic 101), and now it feels like we're back to square one. As a matter of fact, judging from the times I've been in NYC over the past 9 years, it's worse this year than any other year, even the year immediately following, as the primary focus of New Yorkers was healing, compassion, tolerance, and goodwill. Fast forward to 2010, and it's about fear, suspicion, intolerance, and ... fear. Very sad.
We definitely haven't recovered. In the past 9 years, the government has gradually moved from insisting that it has the power to detain any individuals without charges to insisting that it has the power to murder any individuals without charges. I don't think things will ever recover. The world is becoming more violent, and our wars are becoming more expansive. And so long as this is the case, the government will indeed derive its authority not from the people, but from its financiers in the military industrial complex. How could anybody think that things have gotten better?
Do you have proof to back up this claim (in bold)? I've read that fewer people (as a percentage of the world population) are dying in wars today than at any other time in history.
