American Government

[Fushichou]

This is not a political debate, this is me, as an American (for at least the time being until I leave) freaking out about the state that this country is in. We have been utterly broke since before my FATHER was born, spending more than we are making, we intercept in areas that we do not belong in, we have completely shunned the idea of efficient public transportation in most of the country, the state of our agricultural industry gets worse every month, and now...now the government can't even agree on what budget to use and so there is likely to be a shutdown within hours.

What. the. hell? So whoever is fortunate enough to live somewhere else, just remember that not all of us are flag-waving morons who think that we are the best. This country feels so screwed right now.

[ben1234]

It's like living in Canada where you know the country's still screwed no matter who you vote for

I mean holy crap, I either vote for Harper and watch the country spend billions on outdated war planes or I vote for Ignatieff and watch our taxes soar

[Mystes]

It's like living in Canada where you know the country's still screwed no matter who you vote for

I mean holy crap, I either vote for Harper and watch the country spend billions on outdated war planes or I vote for Ignatieff and watch our taxes soar

I don't have that problem Living in the border of Qc, around Gatineau and voting for the Bloc.

[Poke2201]

The thing that makes me most mad about the American Government is the fact that the companies have control. Sure we have a vote, but who really matters? Its always about the companies that fund them. If someone was brave enough to make a campaign donations limit, where individuals can donate small amounts to a political campaign, then the companies have less power, but alas, it wont happen. Then we the partisan bickering over BS issues that apparently go over economic reform. Right now the Democrats seem like they are sane by preventing cuts to Planned Parenthood and the EPA regulations on companies. The Republicans are shouting smaller government but not cutting their own PATRIOT ACT and the defense spending of the country, which accounts for a HUGE chunk of the budget. The social issues are just ridiculous, why must the government tell us what is right or wrong?! Oh right, because apparently God's against this stuff >.>

This rant is a bit Democrat biased, but after hearing November, JOBS JOBS JOBS from the Republicans, and getting Abortion, Pollution, and Partisanship, I have a very big bone to pick with that party. The democrats did nothing in the first 2 years of Obama presidency though.

[Mystes]

The thing that makes me most mad about the American Government is the fact that the companies have control.

That's called capitalism, my friend.

[rpapo]

Money talks, whichever country you're in. It's only a matter of how much noise is made to disguise the fact.

[Poke2201]

Well in America money talks TOO MUCH.

[ainsoph9]

The thing that makes me most mad about the American Government is the fact that the companies have control. Sure we have a vote, but who really matters? Its always about the companies that fund them. If someone was brave enough to make a campaign donations limit, where individuals can donate small amounts to a political campaign, then the companies have less power, but alas, it wont happen. Then we the partisan bickering over BS issues that apparently go over economic reform. Right now the Democrats seem like they are sane by preventing cuts to Planned Parenthood and the EPA regulations on companies. The Republicans are shouting smaller government but not cutting their own PATRIOT ACT and the defense spending of the country, which accounts for a HUGE chunk of the budget. The social issues are just ridiculous, why must the government tell us what is right or wrong?! Oh right, because apparently God's against this stuff >.>

This rant is a bit Democrat biased, but after hearing November, JOBS JOBS JOBS from the Republicans, and getting Abortion, Pollution, and Partisanship, I have a very big bone to pick with that party. The democrats did nothing in the first 2 years of Obama presidency though.

The problem to be quite blunt is that Obama seems to not be focusing as much attention on his domestic policy as his foreign policy. The 2 years of doing nothing as mentioned was actually Obama and the State Department trying to tell Israel how to run THEIR country and try to solve THEIR problem for them. Obama seems to have this obsession with trying to solve the supposed "Middle East peace crisis." Unfortunately, Obama does not understand that he is making the same mistake as all of his forerunners. He does not understand that the word "peace" to the Arab world at large does not mean the same thing that the rest of the world thinks it does. Peace to the Arab world means "submission," not "no conflicts." He also does not understand that the land for peace policy does not and will not work because the Palestinians and the Arab do not want peace. The last thing that the current administration does not understand is that Israel knows its own problems best and is its own worst critic. So, why can Obama and this country not back off and try to solve the domestic problems first? There is a saying that goes something like this, "Remove the board from your own eye before you try to take out the speck in your neighbor's eye."

[Poke2201]

You know I thought about that too, and came to this quote that I remember from memory:

"A country that sacrifices freedom for safety, deserves neither."

NOTE: If this quote is misquoted, then I'm too lazy to look it up for the correct version.

[ainsoph9]

I like this one as well, "The price of freedom is vigilance." Of course, that depends on where one's eyes are. Personally, the main issues on our government's agenda should be related to the economy. One of the things that will help that is slapping the price of oil per barrel down. Much of this could be helped if someone spoke up to tell Green Peace and the environmentalists to stop preventing the construction of oil refineries in the United States. A new oil refinery has not been built since the 70s. No wonder why gas is so high. Too much demand for such a small supply. Also, if Obama could stop harping on forcing health care down our throats, that would not kill. Government health care should not be our number one issue, which Obama does not seem to understand. We already have trillions of dollars of debt to countries like China and Saudi Arabia. Government health care will not help this. The scary thing about that debt is that almost none of these countries that hold our debt exactly have our best interests in mind. For example, Saudi Arabia is not exactly politically stable right now. The Sunnis, who currently rule the country, are scared stiff of the Shiites, whom have been oppressed by the Sunnis for centuries. The Shiites hate the Sunnis, who they see as corrupt, hypocritical, and given over to the "Western devil." The Shiites finally have enough power to overthrow the Sunnis, which means that the Sunnis could very well call in the debt of the United States to support themselves to make a last stand to suppress the Shiite rebellion. The only reason why they will not do it is because they found out the hard way that if you screw with the United States' economy, you kill the world economy. However, when you are trying to save your own butt, why does that matter in the long run?

[Poke2201]

I must say though, we HAVE to stop using oil soon, its ridiculous how much we consume AND how much our economy can be affected by this one commodity. For economic issues, I'm exceptionally against the rich hoarding their money, and the Bush Tax Cuts are just insane. The top 5 make more than the bottom 25(or 95, I may have mixed something up) and THEY GET A TAX CUT? Eisenhower tax rates for them.... (90% tax rate apparently), and before someone harps about job creation, then explain why the US economy kept on growing with that massive tax rate? The next big thing to do is get our troops home, and lower the defense budget to something manageable.

[rpapo]

I am not one to defend Bush's tax cuts in any way, but we do have to remember our history.

<lecture mode="on" type="history">

Many people forget something very important about post World War II economics: when the war ended, there were only two surviving industrial economies: The USA and Argentina. Both survived the war without significant damage, though for slightly differing reasons. But what is important is that they both survived intact, and the rest of the world did not.

So what happened? The rest of the world was impoverished, and needed to rebuild. Anything and everything American and Argentine factories could make could be sold, and pretty much at asking price, since there was no competition. The result: in both countries, the industries got fat, and hardly bothered to rein in their costs anymore. What the labor unions wanted, they got, so they got fat too.

Eventually, the rest of the world began to able to compete once more, led by Japan and Germany. Argentina failed to keep pace, and soon (the late 1970s) their economy went into a free fall. They couldn't afford all the entitlements they'd voted for themselves. While they are still a nice country, they are now a shadow of what they were, or of what they could have become if they hadn't gotten fat and wasteful.

The USA, by sheer size, has managed to survive so far, in spite of losing competitiveness in virtually everything, but unless something is done to bring things under control, it will implode also.

As far as oil is concerned, as it gets scarcer, it will get more expensive. Other kinds of energy will become more attractive . . . but not cheaper. The end result will probably be an economic shock, not for the first time. If that alternative energy depends on biomass, though, it will mean a rapid increase in the cost of food, as farmers sell to both food markets and energy producers. With greater demand comes greater price. We may see a repeat of what was starting to happen in 2007-2008, where countries that have found in cheaper to buy food from the USA than to grow it for themselves find themselves with food riots again.

</lecture>

I am neither Democrat nor Republican, simply somebody who has seen a little bit of history, and read about quite a bit more of it, and spent some time outside of the USA.

[b0mb3r]

okay I will just raise my hand and vote I am a country bumpkin since I have little understanding what you guys are saying. I am just a simply guy who makes art and try to best live his life as righteously as he can. Does me being ignorant will have a negative long-term effect on me if I didn't study my economy nor my politics?

[Fushichou]

It mainly only matters that you don't understand economics and politics if you try to influence or participate in government to any extent. For example, if you vote, you need to know what you're voting for. If you would fight for your country, you first need to know what you are fighting for.

[rpapo]

Unfortunately, those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it... mainly because human nature doesn't really change. Everybody thinks that things have really changed since the last time something was tried, because they're smarter, richer, more special, etc. (name a reason), but in reality we've simply got better toys this time around.

Mind you, sometimes those toys make a difference: think Egypt and the Internet earlier this year. Sometimes they make it worse: think about the nuclear reactor in Sendai.

It mainly only matters that you don't understand economics and politics if you try to influence or participate in government to any extent. For example, if you vote, you need to know what you're voting for. If you would fight for your country, you first need to know what you are fighting for.

Agreed. Votes count, though votes can effectively be bought through lavish advertising, sad as that is.

Of course, I'm a fine one to talk about this stuff. I am not at all involved in politics, being throughly disgusted by it all, and spend most of my time at work or at church, with the remainder evenly balanced between maintaining my house and working on these books...