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Originally posted by KaptainMyke
I blame the neo-con republicans and greedy bankers on wall st. for the now defunct main st. What the greedy corporations did not realize when they were grabbing everybody's moneys was that it is the worker that drives the economy. Our once world power superstructure is now making other nations realize they can be a world power, since most of our products and money is on loan from them. That's what happens when you invest in superinflated paper that is worthless before the ink dries on the contracts, drain other nation's oil caps when we have plenty on our own soil, and finally - outsource every job and product to China and India. Imagine that. I'm stumped how all this could have possibly happened, my fellow Americans. I've been telling you guys for the past year I'm mad as hell and fed up with Washington and what this country has done to other nations. We are a bleeding carnivore, hungry to dominate the world, when ironically, we are in big trouble now. These are now troubled times to be an American. Don't travel. I'd love to hear your comments on my take.
I'll give it a shot as it's been a while since I've done a somewhat serious discussion in this direction.
At this very moment, I would literally travel anywhere in the world and I'd have no problem letting people know I'm American. Why? Well, it's simple.
America's legacy is built on a foundation of mixed cultures. It was the desire of the Founding Fathers to create a country where people all over the world could begin a new life and create that life to their exacting specifications. The idea of religious freedom was just the loudest reason touted, but the actual reasons are numerous. As a result, I have an appreciation for other cultures and want to learn them as best I can. So if I show up in France, I'm going to let them know that je suis Americain, but I'm also going to ask them questions about their native culture and try to integrate, even if it is only briefly. Any area of the world, I will do this. Yes, this includes the Middle East. I'm certainly not going to try to create this cute little bubble of America around me wherever I go since that would defeat the purpose of travel in the first place.
Yes, it's easy to blame Bush for all of this, but he's the man in charge so the buck continues to stop at his desk. With respect to the economy, it's everyone's fault. Yours, mine, theirs, everyone. There's no specific place where it all started, it just sort-of grew out of a collective sense of reckless spending on all sides. When America prospers, she goes on 5 day benders of hookers, blow, and million-dollar mortgages for the burrito folder at Taco Bell. It's what we do. So with that in mind, it also means there's one other unfortunate fact about the recession we're in, namely that it's necessary.
I'm not rooting it on or stating that it's the best thing ever, but it's an unfortunate necessity. The pendulum has to swing the other way so that we can eventually land in the middle. America has been about extremes for a very long time and it's critical we get back to the middle and that's going to take time. This recession has sucked for everyone, not just Main Street. Sure, people can say that bankers and other Wall Street types don't feel the pinch, but they do. I'm not saying their destitute or that they feel the pinch the same way you would with a wife and kid, but I would still argue they feel it some way.
Real change will have to start with us, the Citizens of America. We have to understand that we created this monster by electing people to the positions of power in the first place, by thinking that we SHOULD take the $400k mortgage when just $150k would have been fine, by having 4 cars when we may need 2 at most, and the list goes on. We made these choices and we will correct them so long as we finally wake up and take control back. Do I have any ideas on how to do it? Well, I might.
I believe that the first thing to do is get back in touch with our roots and realize what America stands for as a country. We all talk about how we're the greatest nation on Earth.. why? What makes us so great? There must be something because we've attempted to make The American Way our greatest export. So, collectively, we have to remind ourselves of what makes us so great.
Secondly, we need to overhaul our Government. This isn't about electing new people or anything else. I mean we should consider a gradual dismantling of what exists now and replace it with something else. Everyone talks of being a Democracy, but we're actually a Constitutional Republic. If people want a true Democracy, it's going to take a lot of work. But given that this year's Presidential campaign kept seeing the word "Socialist" bandied about as a negative term, I really doubt the country is ready for a true Democracy. So perhaps the entire country needs a refresher in Civics so that they can actually use the governance that we have.
Finally, we need to stop finding people to blame. We can't blame the rich because we gave them money. We can't blame the government because we gave them power. We can't blame the poor because we gave them opportunity to squander. So that leaves just us. Yup, it's our fault. The sooner we accept this, the sooner we begin to rebuild. It really is that simple.
I do love this country and I really would prefer to live here as opposed to anywhere else. Constitution is a living document that continues to amaze me to this day. The fact that lawmakers (present and past) have gone to great lengths to ensure the Constitution applies a minimal amount of restriction to our day-to-day lives. Yes, there have been mistakes.. but those are absolutely necessary because a constant balance is needed. It really does go back to Thomas Jefferson:
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants"
Consider what is happening now to be a watering period for that tree.
America is a country of us, by us, and for us... The People. As a People, are we ready to move on? Are we ready to stand up and help this lumbering giant along? I know I am. How about You?I'm pretty much ignoring the Wiki
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