What's wrong with the US?

Quote from jonbig04:

To me the real underlying problem in our nation doesn't have anything to do with ethics, free markets or government intervention. I believe the real problem is the polarization of two political and belief classes. Those classes being the same that they were back in the days of Hamilton and Jefferson. One thinking in terms of anarchy prevention, and one in terms of preventing tyranny by large government. We can all agree that anarchy should be prevented, and yet we can all agree that a tyrannical government has to be prevented from forming. It seems to me then that what keeps either from happening isn't one side or the other, its the conflict between those sides. Constantly keeping one another in check. However we've become so caught up on which side is best, or right that we lose sight of that. As a result we have huge swings in extremes. We have trillion dollar unregulated markets causing a nationwide economic meltdown, after that we have governmental bailouts of companies and capitalism in jeopardy. We have no government here, huge government there and on and on. We have politicians who, even now, can't see the dangers on an unregulated free market and we have ones who think they should be able to mandate how much paid vacation an employee receives in a private company. Instead of enjoying the benefits of the middle ground, with both sides in check, the complete lack of respect for the opposite view point has engendered extremism on both sides and leaves America reeling from the whiplash. With no respect for the question that keeps our country in the middle and both sides simply trying to impose their will, it leaves us to bear all the drawbacks of both sides, but few of the benefits.

Just a thought.

The problem is half the people don't pay income taxes. It is polarizing because 90% of those 50% are Democrats.

So the Dems stick the rest with the taxes while they get all the government cheese.

Class warfare at its finest.
 
Quote from Tom B:

What system is better than democracy?

We are not a democracy. We were founded as Republic because they knew pure democracy would never work. It will never work because eventually half the people will vote to get hand outs as is what has happened here.

Its amazing how ignorant people (not directed at you) are about the intended character the government was to have.

John
 
Quote from Humpy:

Surely it is not beyond the wit of man to think of improvements to a system almost unchanged after 200+ years.

The politicians seem to think they can stimulate the same old economy back to health. Regretably it's like giving viagra to a sick man !

GM, Chrysler etc. are the visible proof of this !

The answer is definately NOT socialism

Why don't we just go back to what the government was intented to be?
 
Quote from jonbig04:

You have heard of the civil war, no?


Excerpt from a speech given to the "Jubilee of the Pole Bearers"(forerunner of the NAACP) on July 5,1875.

The speech was given by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, the greatest American calvaryman to ever live.

Quote: "I am not much of a speaker, and my business prevented me from preparing myself, I came to meet you as friends, and welcome you to the white people. I want you to come nearer to us. Where I can serve you I will do so.


We have but one flag, one country, let us stand together.

We may differ in color but not in sentiment."
 
Quote from jficquette:

We are not a democracy. We were founded as Republic because they knew pure democracy would never work. It will never work because eventually half the people will vote to get hand outs as is what has happened here.

Its amazing how ignorant people (not directed at you) are about the intended character the government was to have.

John

No offence taken. I know we are Republic (a form of democracy). I should have worded my question better. I think a Republic is much better than other forms of democracy.
 
Quote from gigsup:

Excerpt from a speech given to the "Jubilee of the Pole Bearers"(forerunner of the NAACP) on July 5,1875.

The speech was given by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, the greatest American calvaryman to ever live.

Quote: "I am not much of a speaker, and my business prevented me from preparing myself, I came to meet you as friends, and welcome you to the white people. I want you to come nearer to us. Where I can serve you I will do so.


We have but one flag, one country, let us stand together.

We may differ in color but not in sentiment."

Thats interesting given the fact that Nathan Bedford Forrest thought blacks were inferior in all ways and went on to become the first grand master (or whatever its called ) of the KKK.
 
Quote from jficquette:

Why don't we just go back to what the government was intented to be?

The knee-jerk reaction is to look back in time. I suggest you look forward.
Modern problems probably need modern solutions.
 
Quote from jonbig04:

Thats interesting given the fact that Nathan Bedford Forrest thought blacks were inferior in all ways and went on to become the first grand master (or whatever its called ) of the KKK.

I was waiting for that. Check your history on the beginnings of the organization. I do believe it had a resurgence in the early 1900's in Indiana, a Northern state so please spare us all the hypocrisy. Forrest was a slave trader before the war, obviously he saw the error of his ways. No question a great man regardless of what you may think.

Also, did you notice "one flag, one country"

Actually the whole point in reply to your comment.
 
Quote from Humpy:

The knee-jerk reaction is to look back in time. I suggest you look forward.
Modern problems probably need modern solutions.

We don't have any "real" problems now that didn't exist in 1776 because human needs are basic.

Our "modern problems" are due to the fucked up government and how it has strayed from its original charter.


The knee jerk reaction is to replace the constitution with what ever feels good during the current election cycle which is what we have been doing for at least the last 70 years.
 
The Civil War had to be fought, in part, to reign in the southerners, and keep them from practicing inbreeding, which was a real genetic threat to the country at the time.

The men who founded America were all quite educated and radical - they'd be known as social AND economic radicals today - separation of church and state? Totally rad. States' rights, and not homage to a central government? Totally rad. Anti-tax sentiment? Rad. The notion that the head of state should be elected, and not crowned? Rad.

So, aside from economics and the issue of slavery, which were part and parcel of the reason, another leg of the stool for the waging of the Civil War was the fear among the educated that the South was at real risk of becoming a land of inbred mental defects, sitting around having sex with their immediate family members, boiling possum on the front porch.

For those of you who know that I'm right, and not just joking around, you've obviously been exposed, willingly or unknowingly, to the parts of the deep south that still exist in roughly the same form as they did back then, and that serve as evidence that what I'm saying is absolutely true.

The metropolitan areas were forcibly civilized, but the backwoods live on as petri dishes of incest and mental retardation southern style.
 
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