2012 Predictions from 1987

25 years ago I was just out of high school and in college and made some predictions. I found them and thought I'd post them here.

Technology will advance and make a faster way to transfer information than the BBS Modems, this global network will connect people together and create new industries.

The Personal Computer era will be over, there will be touch screens to replace the keyboard and mouse. Cell phones will have gotten smaller and have their own touch screens.

We never made it to Mars nor made a base on the Moon, NASA lost funding because of foreign wars and the federal government going deep into debt trying to fund Social Security because the Baby Boomers outnumber everyone and the birth control and abortions in the 1960's cut the growing population to pay taxes to support Social Security and the government.

I expect the cold war with Communism is over, and we made peace with Russia and China, but went to war with other nations over natural resources like oil or perhaps some terrorist acts.

There should be a civil rights movement over gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transvestites, transexuals wanting rights and same sex marriage. No doubt some religions oppose that while other groups are for it. But there will be no civil rights for the mentally ill and some other groups.

I expect more gun shootings as society and culture breeds sociopaths and the economy has gone into a depression as people get desperate for work and income. If Social Security is shot, no doubt our healthcare is shot as well and you have people going without medication and suffering. Suicides should be up as well.

The Stock market should be corrupt as executives lie and cheat and defraud investors. Many companies are selling stock and going public only to go down in value. We will be seeing the 1920's all over again with worthless stock and swampland. I expect people will protest Wall Street and Big Businesses as many lose their jobs in the depression and all the government can do is protect their special interests that give them campaign money and let the people go without jobs, food, housing, and medical care.

I expect as science and technology advances that people lose their religion and worship science and technology instead. But because of corruption in science and technology it is used to attack religion and establish some sort of cult following. It won't be a religion per se but be a cult much like the people who worship Apple. I think that Apple will get a large following of people, most with little to no education or knowledge, who worship it because it made computers easier to use. Companies like Atari and Commodore won't get as many followers and be crushed eventually. IBM will lose to the PC Clone makers and wish it hadn't used off the shelf parts.

I expect some renewable energy sources will be found or developed but because of politics we will still be forced on carbon based fuels and nuclear reactors. I expect politics to play a part in this. One side for carbon based fuels, and the other side for renewable energy. I expect pollution to be worse because of the Wall Street corruption and the federal government looking the other way.

I expect society and culture to become corrupt, businesses will invent lifestyles and fashion of clothing for the masses as they call themselves individuals, people will be rebels for wearing these fashions but keep the companies rich who keep making and selling them.

I feel the dumbing down of the media and news, as well as books and movies being more about emotions, feelings, and sex and violence rather than plot, logic, and the moral of the story.

Colleges will make tests easier so more students can pass and so will public schools, and while our education system is a joke, the rest of the world will have a better education system in Europe and Asia, and somehow get all the good jobs while we in the USA get stuck to service jobs and retail jobs.

I expect the average US citizen will have health problems and weight gain as they are mass marketed food and drinks in the media, movies, and the like and spend less time exercising and more time wasting time instead of living a good life. Many are brainwashed by the media, movies, TV shows as products have become part of those things.