The American Dream is whatever you want it or don’t want it to be. Who says making a lot of money and being a good family man are mutually exclusive? There are plenty of people right here in America with 6 and 7 figure salaries who still manage to be good spouses/parents while tithing 10% to the church or other charities. Problem is we don’t hear about them on the news every night. MB and rhada – I hear what you’re saying but I think leaving the country is a little extreme. There are plenty of people like the people you describe in EU that are right here in America. Probably more than you think. I think yall should stay right here in America. If you go to EU, you might become someone as bitter and miserable as fredv. And who wants that? I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with not wanting to pay more taxes to what we all agree on is a broken government.
I perfectly understand that Bush is not the #1 responsible and it would be a lie to say so. However, the Bush administration in general was a complete fail. And I've been trying to show that everything is inter-connected, and things such as the crisis we are living right know started a long long time ago. What I'm angry at is that the administration didn't do anything to try to solve it and I don't understand how people can vote for someone who has ideas to continue on the misguiding ideas that have ruined America...
I don't think that you can "experience" it here in America until there is a culture change. I never thought it would be as different until I experienced it and I'd been told about it for years before we went. There are a lot of people like fredv and I don't blame them one bit. The US has been a terrible neighbor in the global neighborhood. I think they are entitled to be pissed off. If the roles were reversed, you damn well know Americans would be. No one likes arrogance and America is ridiculously arrogant and wasteful.
Whats it going to be? (1) Pay more taxes and get out of where your at right now (2) Continue supporting this broken government by electing someone who isn't ready to change alot. Its going to cost some hard work and money, you guys are really down right now. You expect it to just go up back like it used to be? No, your going to have to work for it and probably will have to increase your taxes. It's the price to pay if you guys want to get back in the #1 seat.
I'm not miserable, i'm just pissed off that my favourite country and place to be is just going down and I feel you guys are just acting like nothing is happening.
ima: I totally agree. I don't think that moving is some sort of cure-all for my disillusionment with the "american" lifestyle. At the same time, cultural shifts don't happen overnight, and if there is anything to be learned from history, it's that those who stand to lose a lot from a change in societal structure will go to enormous lengths to maintain it. I firmly believe that this division of the country will only intensify - and that won't change until the ideology of "me first capitalism" changes. Some things are better suited to a socialist method. Period. I don't agree it's broken. If it is, it's due to our own failure as the electorate. I fully believe that the only way to achieve real universal health care is through the government. I have also come to the conclusion that despite so many stupid people's objections to this plan - I think it will HELP the economy. Think about how much GM is paying for health care - it's absurdly astronomical. I think that social security should be expanded... You may think this liberal psychosis - but I think it's feasible - and at a price that would be trivial if we actually utilized a fiscally sane method to controlling our spending on things wholly unrelated to the citizenry.
fredv, There's a lot of hostility in your post, much of it deserved, but I think you're blaming America for a lot of things that aren't really our fault I somehow doubt that. If you live in any modernized country, I'm going to predict that you produce a lot of pollution. I certainly agree that the Iraq War has been useless. Do you really believe it's put the world in "deep ****", though? Maybe I'm naive, but I don't buy it. Certainly not now. Will it turn into another Afghanistan, where the people we support turn out to be terrorists? Maybe, but there are no signs of that so far. I'm with you on this. Do you really mean that you want us to follow our Constitution? I'd love that. I don't think either candidate for President will do that though. And they have the most agressive foreigh-policy rhetoric of any two candidates since Johnson-Goldwater. I don't know how that goes to rebuilding our reputation.
I don't see that this thread is anything new. We have been told that Obama is "unAmerican" and "pals with terrorists." Ergo, how could he possibly do anything other than "Rob Us of the American Dream?" ... and also "Sell Our precious Bodily Fluids to the Russians"!
First, what I mean by pollution is that USA does not recognize the Kyoto Protocol, which is a bitty because many of your states would love to. Concerning the Irak war, it has definitely been a mess. But its normal, how can you "fight terrorism"? I mean, terrorism is not an army, its almost a state of mind, if you refer to the dictionnary. Its everywhere, anyone can be a terrorist. Therefore I believe that the misguiding wars in both Afghanistan and Irak have been totally useless. Furthermore, a big tension between Arab's and english speaking people has increased. How many times have I not been treated of ignorant racist because I said I was from Texas. War on terrorism is a utopia, its not something that is possible. Thats why these two wars where messes. Now, what I meant by constitutions where the treaties you signed both in the UN and in the NATO. When Bush proposed to go to Irak and that the majority refused, he still went. USA is one of the funding members of these institutions and has not shown a good example in the respect of these institutions. Now countries are telling themselves:"Well, the USA hasn't respected it, so why should we?" I personnaly believe that by electing a president who is accepted worldwide will help our future. It will help USA to reunite with lost allies and you guys wouldn't be all alone and hated like you where for the last 4 years. Thats why I think that what the world thinks of your election is also important, because don't forget that you are as of know the number 1 country in the world, and you have to act like a number one all the time, and not just when you want. That implies helping others, and showing an example for smaller countries. Isn't that also the American dream?
Obama thinks the economy is grown "from the bottom up." That is stinkin' rich. So... how does the lowest of the economy provide jobs to the higher of the economy? Redistribution. SCIALISM
About 5/1 positive, actually. Which is pretty remarkable. I was encouraged by the tone of a lot of the responses, even when they disagreed.
Most likely.. but only wants to socialize medicine, buy up people's 401k's and "repay" them through the social security system, and redistribute more income from the top than ever before. More taxes out of prudence and true need may be one thing... forced redistribution out of a sheer wish to "change" things is something entirely different. Once the government takes pensions and retirement accounts and internalizes them, they basically have taken over the production side through the back door. I doubt anyone wants their futures being handled solely by the government. Argentina tried it too... So did the Soviets.
