Or tell me why last 7 years were so awful. Or even the last 15, because that's how much I've seen in this country.
I'm an immigrant who might be lacking in understanding of how America was great in the 80s or whenever. But I've seen the housing and market crash of 2007-2008 and I compare it with the economy of today. The unemployment is low, and where I live, it's very hard to find people to work the jobs that this growing region offers. The housing market is booming here.
I'm also an idiot who thinks not having Americans killed in some remote land on a daily basis is actually a plus and doesn't mean that "nobody respects us".
Personally, I'm doing very well. My two-income household came from being on WIC and welfare (yes! I was a welfare recipient for several months) to being in the top 5% of US income over the last 15 years. I just had to go to work for 8 hours a day, sometimes longer, and do my best most of the time. So did my spouse. Oh, and try to stay relevant and on top of ever-changing professional environment (IT).
I love and respect the principles this country was built upon and I won't live anywhere else. My kids are growing up in a democratic society, and I envy them, as I didn't have that. I was always afraid of authorities growing up: police, any government worker, heck, even store clerks (a BIG authority in my home country) could cheat me or demand a hefty bribe to do their job and I had no recourse whatsoever. I'm still somewhat amazed when I deal with authorities here and things just get done. I just renewed my son's passport in 9 days (paid for expedited service). I registered a car that was an out of state gift with a gift letter and a title, and it took me 20 minutes (15 minutes in line, 5 minutes at the clerk's desk). I filed my taxes, and IRS said "thank you"
. I can't begin to tell you how many bribes I had to pay to do these simple tasks in my home country. And I actually feel good sending my check to IRS or State. Just a weird feeling, because I know at least some of this money will be used on something good (roads, schools, subsidies to low-income people and oil companies, yeah). They won't end up in Mr. Whoisthenextdictator's pocket. Some of this money WILL get mismanaged, but in general, it's going to be used they way tax revenue is supposed to be used.
So, remind me again, what's wrong with America today? Why are there so many angry people?
Maybe it doesn't belong in the Elections forum, but I hear that Trump's and Bernie's supporters and pretty much any person who is following elections is "angry" at something, I thought I'd ask here. Why is there so much negativity when this is really one of the greatest countries on Earth? It has its problems, and there are many, but what country doesn't? I'm not saying everything is rosy, and it's butterflies and rainbows for everyone. But is America as a country so broken that it is no longer functioning? In what way is it not GREAT? Give me a big picture, not examples of relatively small issues.
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