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I use the British English there, because I'm talking about Americans, and I want to distance myself from the country of my birth . And based on what I see in this board and in real life, I honestly believe Americans are stupid, anti-intellectual, cruel, and/or inhuman, for the most part. Lacking both critical thought and compassion, there's nothing redeemed about most of them. The basic goodness people think is at the heart of Americans is not evident to me. I think most people in this country deserve to eat the crap that the politicians dish out regularly here, it's not like they don't have it coming to them.
America, your life sucks and nobody to blame? Look in the mirror.
Feel free to leave at your earliest convenience.
I'd pity you your obvious self-loathing had the above quoted post not shown you for what you are.
Why would anyone with even half their brain cells working start such a moronic thread?
America's deeply messed up for sure. I just wonder if it's really an American problem, or just a human problem. Having lived in Japan for several years, I saw similar social-political paralysis there, too, and as bad as we have it here, at least we don't change heads of state every 18 months.
I think the most disturbing thing I see right now about the U.S. is our lack of education. It's a dangerous thing because in a democracy, it's up to the people who participate in democracy to separate fact from bulls--- and hold politicians accountable. Americans have always been insular, jingoistic, xenophobic, and reluctant to accept anything outside the mainstream over the years, but what I've seen the last 5-10 years in particular just seems to be over the top. A decade ago, these blogosphere '911 was an inside job' or 'Barack Obama's a closet Muslim' stories never would have gained traction; but now they're at least talked about seriously. There's a whole cottage industry that peddles paranoia and conspiracy theories, and it's big business now. People are not just skeptical anymore; they're cynical. In short, there's no accountability because ordinary people are exasperated and incurious. Meanwhile, special interests have ripped apart public institutions that were created to serve the public good and had public oversight, and they have instead replaced them with privatized puppet regimes that answer first to corporate interests and everyone else second. There's increasingly an imbalance of power that is tilting decidedly in favor of the elite in this society.
I honestly don't see things getting better before they get worse. I'm making this my last election that I vote in for a while. If Romney wins the corporate party nomination, then I'll just assume that there's nothing I can do until people around me 'get it'.
This what I stated in an earlier post. The root to the problems that we as Americans are experiencing are a result of a government that does not serve the interest of Americans or the country, but are at the service of the elite and themselves. Top that off with government having more interest in other countries, interests that do not serve the betterment of the US. If the government put Americans and the country first we would still be the power that we once were.
I have never seen such a disgraceful display of conduct by those who run this country and by those who want to run this country. They behave like little bullies in the playground fighting over who is going to dominate the sandbox.
This what I stated in an earlier post. The root to the problems that we as Americans are experiencing are a result of a government that does not serve the interest of Americans or the country, but are at the service of the elite and themselves. Top that off with government having more interest in other countries, interests that do not serve the betterment of the US. If the government put Americans and the country first we would still be the power that we once were.
I have never seen such a disgraceful display of conduct by those who run this country and by those who want to run this country. They behave like little bullies in the playground fighting over who is going to dominate the sandbox.
And, whose fault is that? They can only get away with what we allow them to do.
I wouldn't go bashing the Yanks without studying England's own history on this score. I don't think either side would win a competition for most enlightened hegemon.
Yeah, Russia sacrificed a lot, but who gave Europe the Marshall Plan? What did Stalin do after the war? Round up his citizens and ship them to Gulags.
It might be best to keep the discussion to current politics, since whatever moral capital the US may have gained from the Marshal Plan, etc. has not only been hopelessly squandered, but trampled on, dragged through the mud, and burned. If you all want to debate WWII ad infinitam, start a WWII thread, please. The OP as I understand it, is about current life in the US.
I am simply correcting posts that claim the US single handedly won WW2, something I find both offensive and inaccurate.
As for America's treatment of Britain following WW2, many people destest the way the Americans treated the British, who were left in a terrible state after WW2. Indeed the terms of the age.
Keynes eventually managed to secure a far smaller loan from the wealthy Americans to help a now inpoversished Britain, although the terms of the loan actually inflicted more misery on the British, causing the collapse of the pound and have a knock on effect in terms of inflation. The Americans were also clearly annoyed that Britain had elected Clement Attlee's (Socialist) Labour Party after the War, which they beieved was a betrayal of Churchill who stod as the Conservative Leader.
Whilst America remembers the 40's and 50's as it's hay day in Britain the period was one of austerity, food rationing and a country on the verge of economin bankruptcy following it's war effort and the terrible destruction inflicted on many British Cities. London alone had over 1.5 million homes destroyed by German bombing.
A further bone of contention was Britain's refusal to back the US led UN plan for the patitioning of Palestine and subsequent establishment of a Jewish homeland. The UN went established a Jewish homeland against the wishes of the British who warned of possible future instability in the area due to the establishment of a Jewish state. Britain abstained from the 1947 UN Vote to create a Jewish Homeland (Israel) much to the annoyance of Truman and the US Administration. However a post war impoversished Britain, had little choice but to go along with American plans, despite voicing her objections.
The Labour Party never forgave the Americans over the way Keynes was treated, but they managed to get their own back, when America came to us in the 1960's requesting Britain send forces to Vietnam, to help support the American war effort. The Labour Government in no uncertain terms told the American Government where to go, and as a consequence Lyndon Johnson and Harold Wilson were barely on speaking terms.
And, whose fault is that? They can only get away with what we allow them to do.
Please. Exactly what "control" do we the people have over government? I would think the majority of Americans want:
America to stop "invading" other countries because we have seen how that has worked out. What's your solution to that?
Government to stop pandering to the rich (banks, corporations, individuals). How do "we" stop that?
Government to stop slowly selling off America in bits and pieces to the likes of China and India. What's your solution to that?
Government stop putting Americans second to other countries and illegals.
You get the picture. I'm sure you see where government isn't serviing America or the American people. And how many years has this been going on?
I'm not saying that government is capable of creating an "ideal" country, but government could certainly stop destroying what is left and possibly take a turn and rebuild America. Phhhffff, look at what and who is running government today. We don't have any really great politicans to look to. America has become the butt of jokes made by other countries, especially by leaders. And every 4 years the American people get to "elect" a president from a pool of 2. It's become the devil you know, the devil you don't know choice.
Please. Exactly what "control" do we the people have over government? I would think the majority of Americans want:
America to stop "invading" other countries because we have seen how that has worked out. What's your solution to that?
Government to stop pandering to the rich (banks, corporations, individuals). How do "we" stop that?
Government to stop slowly selling off America in bits and pieces to the likes of China and India. What's your solution to that?
Government stop putting Americans second to other countries and illegals.
You get the picture. I'm sure you see where government isn't serviing America or the American people. And how many years has this been going on?
I'm not saying that government is capable of creating an "ideal" country, but government could certainly stop destroying what is left and possibly take a turn and rebuild America. Phhhffff, look at what and who is running government today. We don't have any really great politicans to look to. America has become the butt of jokes made by other countries, especially by leaders. And every 4 years the American people get to "elect" a president from a pool of 2. It's become the devil you know, the devil you don't know choice.
The solution doesn't rest on whom we elect as President. It rests upon whom we send to Congress and how much we hold them accountable every 2 years. The real power of The People is found in the House of Representatives and somewhat less so in the Senate.
If you really want to make a difference and pursue your vision of what America should look like in the future, get politically active at the precinct, county and state level. THAT'S where the decisions about whose name appears on the ballot and who gets supported by the party organization are made.
Believe it or not, but if you and like minded people really want to fight back, the precinct is where you do it. And, the more precincts you can control, the more you can control the state party organization. The more state organizations you can control, the more power you have over the national party.
This is how true, grass-roots change is done, not by rallies on the Capitol steps. How do you think those who have taken this country off-track gained that power and control? They organized at the precinct level decades before they ever won the White House.
ps: If you're concerned about what businesses do which you feel is not in the national interest, there's a grass roots way to fight that too. It's called stock ownership and the power that gives you in stockholders meetings. Stock holders elect the Board of Directors in most companies and the BofD hires the management. The more shares of stock you can vote, the more you can influence the decisions being made. And, you don't have to own all the shares you can vote. If you and like minded people pool your power through the process of the proxy vote, you can make your voice heard. Granted, this is a harder row to hoe than even political activism because stock options for senior management give them enormous power to preserve the status quo. Those stock options aren't just there because of the wealth they can generate. They also give upper management the votes to control the stockholder's meetings.
Last edited by stillkit; 04-22-2012 at 03:50 AM..
Reason: One more thought
ps: If you're concerned about what businesses do which you feel is not in the national interest, there's a grass roots way to fight that too. It's called stock ownership and the power that gives you in stockholders meetings. Stock holders elect the Board of Directors in most companies and the BofD hires the management. The more shares of stock you can vote, the more you can influence the decisions being made. And, you don't have to own all the shares you can vote. If you and like minded people pool your power through the process of the proxy vote, you can make your voice heard. Granted, this is a harder row to hoe than even political activism because stock options for senior management give them enormous power to preserve the status quo. Those stock options aren't just there because of the wealth they can generate. They also give upper management the votes to control the stockholder's meetings.
Good points, stillkit. As to the above, this is what I used to believe, and advocate, until I saw how some shareholders' meetings were controlled by corporate execs once shareholders really became activist. It hasn't worked out the way people like us expected. For example, do you really think Chevron would give Ecuador a fair shake if there were a shareholder voting bloc that agitated on behalf of the people in Amazonia who are suing the corporation?
The solution doesn't rest on whom we elect as President. It rests upon whom we send to Congress and how much we hold them accountable every 2 years. The real power of The People is found in the House of Representatives and somewhat less so in the Senate.
If you really want to make a difference and pursue your vision of what America should look like in the future, get politically active at the precinct, county and state level. THAT'S where the decisions about whose name appears on the ballot and who gets supported by the party organization are made.
Believe it or not, but if you and like minded people really want to fight back, the precinct is where you do it. And, the more precincts you can control, the more you can control the state party organization. The more state organizations you can control, the more power you have over the national party.
This is how true, grass-roots change is done, not by rallies on the Capitol steps. How do you think those who have taken this country off-track gained that power and control? They organized at the precinct level decades before they ever won the White House.
ps: If you're concerned about what businesses do which you feel is not in the national interest, there's a grass roots way to fight that too. It's called stock ownership and the power that gives you in stockholders meetings. Stock holders elect the Board of Directors in most companies and the BofD hires the management. The more shares of stock you can vote, the more you can influence the decisions being made. And, you don't have to own all the shares you can vote. If you and like minded people pool your power through the process of the proxy vote, you can make your voice heard. Granted, this is a harder row to hoe than even political activism because stock options for senior management give them enormous power to preserve the status quo. Those stock options aren't just there because of the wealth they can generate. They also give upper management the votes to control the stockholder's meetings.
Highlighted text: They are all part of government.
Thanks for the advice on who to give my money to. It would be nice to think that there are that many people who have cash laying around to "invest" in stock.
Oooh here we go! We won the war all by ourselves again.
The air war over England had already been won by the time you got involved. Your countries leaders, embarrassed by it's citizens wishes of not wanting to get involved; needed to "let" some atrocities occur to your countrymen before you would eventually change (2 years late) your Lindbergh and Joe Kennedy perspective "it's not our war". You maintained your formal neutrality with stuff like having to hand push aircraft across the Canadian border so it could then be flown over the north Atlantic to the conflict lest you lose that protected neutrality status.
Your country never came close to the per-capita response of other nations; even through the useage of the DRAFT; you know, that little deal where you were FORCED to join up. The other allies like Canada, Australia, NewZealand, provided far more volunteers based on per-capita of population even though they were far from the conflict and under no danger themselves. Your country had assimilated and grown through immigration from the British Isles but fealt no special consideration to yet another beef between those Europeans over there.
Oh yeah, you gave mightily of your manufacturing and once you got rolling your contibution was more than simply decisive but you were also known for your General Clark ordering the allies that had invaded and fought throughout Italy in places like Ortona and the Liri Valley, to stand down on the sidelines while he waltzed on past them to take the credit with liberating ROME where the enemy had already left. The OTHER allies were then allowed to pass through Rome at 3AM.
How many of your vets were based on Malta. Heavily involved in the liberation of Holland were you?
The movie clip shown on newsreel footage of the front of the landing craft dropping and soldiers wading ashore under machine gun fire towards that lone two story building built with Tudor style stucco and batten exterior. Those were Canadians.
You guys really got to get your heads out of hollywood John Wayne fantasy-land and read some books.
There were theatres of operation where you weren't even involved that were critical to the winning of WWII.
Your contributions in both manpower and equipment were laudible and instrumental, as would be expected from a nation of your population, but by no means the ONLY ones resultant in victory.
Get over yourselves already.
I never took entire credit for being the only ones who single handedly won WWII. Yes the air war was almost won, but the ground war was another story. We also had our hands full with the Japs in the pacific.
Wrong, The slogging would have been tough but we would have beaten Hitler without YOU. You have absolutely nothing to crow about regarding WW2. You did not join the fight willingly and only got involved after being attacked by Japan and Germany declared war on the USA. If you care to look it up the good old GOP screamed and hollered, Traitor and impeach him every single time FDR did anything to help us in the war against the Nazis. Stalingrad was the turning point in the war and it was going to be downhill for Germany after that point. If it had not been for the USA insisting om accomodation with Stalin the end of the war would have been very different. The Russians would have been kept out of eastern Europe and the cold war would never have happened.
So, you think you could handle Germany and Japan at the same time. Russia would have taken most of Europe after defeating Hitler and the Japs would have overrun Asia and made a pact with Russia. Both were self serving and power hungry. All of this if it weren't for U.S. involvement! Europe would have been a different place.
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Exactly what "control" do we the people have over government? I would think the majority of Americans want:
