ARE YOU SOMEONE who believes that history repeats itself? Some would argue that it does, but say this time is different. In any case, maybe we’d be wise to heed the warnings and be aware of what is happening.

Some economists are telling us that China will employ millions of American workers in the near future and will dominate thousands of small communities all over the country; a stealth invasion. Chinese acquisitions of U.S. businesses set a new all-time record last year and it is on pace to shatter that record this year.

Thanks in part to our massively bloated trade deficit with China, the Chinese have trillions of dollars to spend. They are only starting to exercise their economic muscle. China is not just relying on acquisitions to expand its economic power. Economic beachheads are being established all over America like in Alabama, Detroit and Tennessee.

Pretty soon, China may want to build entire cities in the United States. They have already done it in China and they are doing it in other countries like just outside Minsk, the capital of Belarus. China is on the rise and our government has not the slightest idea how to overcome the growing China threat.

Chinese-owned companies are investing in American businesses and new vehicle technology. They are selling everything from seat belts to shock absorbers in retail stores, and hiring experienced engineers and designers in an effort to soak up the talent and expertise of domestic automakers and their suppliers.

Industry analysts are hard-pressed to put a number on the Chinese suppliers operating in the United States. China is acquiring energy resources in the United States. Not too long ago, a Chinese company bought Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer and processor in the world, with facilities in 26 states and it employs tens of thousands of Americans. It owns more than 460 farms and contracts with more than 2,100 others.

Did you know China will soon dominate the new car market, consumes more energy than the United States does, uses more cement than the rest of the world combined, produces more than 80% of the global supply of rare earth elements, supplies most of the critical components needed for the national defense system and publishes the most scientific research articles?

Sheikh Rashid, the founder of Dubai, hopes to avoid the mistakes of the past as he rules for today, tomorrow and the future. He offers his wisdom of those who ignore the lessons of the past are doomed to repeat them.

Rashid has said “Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create difficult times. Many will not understand it, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites.”

While we engage in petty arguments here at home, we open ourselves to interference from abroad. Much of that is just a remnant of the growing world economy. World powers see America as an expanding market and an opportunity for expansion.

America has the reputation for being the economic engine of the world. Face it, tens of millions of immigrants are coming here for the opportunity to fill the jobs that smug Americans won’t do. With this massive influx of foreign workers and foreign ownership, will we remain in charge or become the wards of other world leaders?

Much has been made of the historical reality that all great empires such as the Persians, Trojans, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and in later years, the British, all rose and perished within 240 years. They were not conquered by external enemies; they rotted from within.

Has America ever been this divided before? Is today comparable to the Civil War years? Some wonder if we can agree to disagree without becoming uncivil. Is our civil discourse distracting us from the big issues? Compromise just doesn’t seem to be an option we’re willing to consider.