Just for the record, as an outsider from Britain ? Intelligent people don't make sweeping generalizations, in a negative way about all Americans, based on one president, politician or pop star. In my view, (with some painful exceptions) America has largely been a force for good in the world. Compared to China and Russia ? No contest. I hope I've made the point. If there is ever any 'bad feeling' it's directed to the US government not Americans generally, and I'd guess liberal or conservatives in the US have their own disagreements with their govt. It's part of the strength of democracy, to complain, and criticize.
If this were China ? We'd probably both be in jail. If we were lucky.
I understand the points you raise, but you live in a country where it is possible to go out there, campaign and act and protest. You have freedoms other countries can only dream of. Here in Britain , things are better than many places, but it is not perfect. There is a terrible degree of rigid class structure and snobbery. I get the feeling America has it's own, but maybe it's not as big a problem.
Even if Donald Trump became President, America is not a one man band. You have a constitution and separation of powers and time limits on a Presidents term in office. You have the right to question, challenge and oppose in a peaceful legal manner. My only worry for America is my (limited) experience is that there is a large number of sincere, good people, whose honesty is a credit to them, but which can manifest in a naivety that makes them easy to manipulate. The discredit belongs to those who would do that to them, not those who are deceived.
I have substantial faith in America, it has at heart a strong sense of idealism and integrity, combined with a deep and powerful optimism. So there. An outsiders view. I'm not blind to America's difficulties, but I'm aware of it's past. They came to the aid of Britain and Europe at a terrible time in the world and sacrificed a great deal to defeat Nazi Germany. I know the history is complex, but I still think it's reflective of those American ideals. It's in the American DNA to be this way, I guess you began by throwing off British tyranny. Well done, keep it up.
Best Wishes,
James
It’s not a broad generalization, it’s an opinion piece, which is quite clear from the start (though it does make some generalizations, it is their own).
I don’t disagree that we have quite a few freedoms that are enjoyed in the US and the ‘west’, the problems that are arising though are because those rights are being stripped away.
Such as the right to protest...I can give you example after example of how this is being violated across the country.
Our freedom to assemble peacefully is just words at this point.
The election is rigged, the two candidates chosen have rated as the least favorite candidates - ever....so how did they become the two choices?
Money.
It’s poisoned the already dying system.
It is the issue of long-running systemic racism that sentences someone of color more often and longer for the same crimes as their white counterparts.
We have rampant racism against Muslims, and states are constantly trying to take away gay rights - which is practically the whole platform of Trump’s vice-president pick, Mike Pence...he has tirelessly passed laws in his state to take away gay rights under the guise of “religious freedom” which sound awfully close to a Theocracy when we have clear laws that are supposed to separate church and state. (Unless they want to start paying taxes then they can do whatever the fuck they want.) ((Speaking of taxes, the NFL is considered a not for profit organization if you can believe it - they make billions of dollars every year....in fact, we have an estimated $21 Trillion in offshore bank havens that we cannot tax - and so the tax burden falls on the working/middle class))
A young black male is 2.5 times more likely to be shot by police than their white counterpart even though crime amongst the races is fairly equal.
We have no background checks or safety laws concerning person to person gun sales or sales at many gun shows.
If we were so worried about terrorists getting their hands on guns, then we should make it as difficult for them as possible - but that isn’t the mentality, people have been brainwashed by the NRA and their lobbyists via our Congresspeople and the laws they pass or don’t pass.
We give huge subsidies to companies that make record profits every year - most of which pay little to nothing in taxes...we are in fact paying them with tax monies collected from the general population.
Also many of those companies have used tax loopholes (that no one seems too interested to close in Congress), such as basing their home company in a place like Ireland thus avoiding the taxes they should have to pay as they are a US company.
Republicans have fought tooth and nail against any kind of increase in the minimum wage, and wages have stagnated for almost 30 years now...it, along with Social security have NOT kept pace with inflation and our middle class is vanishing into the classification of “poor”.
Places like Walmart pay their employees so little that they are the largest employer of people also on food stamps.
So again, the working class is picking up that slack that Walmart should be paying and is shouldering it on the taxpayers instead...many of whom, are on the food stamp program themselves.
The problem with Trump becoming Prez is in many ways it effects the system - most prevalent would be the appointment of Supreme Court judges (which the GOP is stalling longer than any other appointment - obstructive at all?)
It’s the people he chooses to surround himself with that worry me more than he does - such as his economic advisors with no actual real Economists (who study it for a living), they are all hedge fund mangers and a wide range of bankers, oil tycoons, etc.
It has and can be a force for good - like I said, I am not unpatriotic, as I myself served in the Armed Forces when I was younger.
But we are stuck in two “wars” that drag on and on and on and cost us ridiculous amounts of tax money that the people would like to see used for better purposes - education, healthcare, social-security, our crumbling infrastructure
(Report: Over 65,000 U.S. bridges in need of repair. An Associated Press analysis of 607,380 bridges in the most recent federal National Bridge Inventory showed that 65,605 were classified as "structurally deficient" and 20,808 as "fracture critical."Sep 15, 2013)
We pay the most in the world for our healthcare and medications, yet we rank 37th as far as quality of care and patient outcomes.
Medical bills are the number one reason people file bankruptcy in the US.
Many people, especially the elderly on tight fixed incomes have to go without the meds they need because they are too expensive.
BTW - Social security had laws at one time preventing the govt. from touching that money until Reagan and Bush both “borrowed” from it and never paid it back.
Trump is not going to fix this, not sure Hillary will either...but I cannot in good conscious vote for a madman.
His recent accusations are that Obama and Hillary are the “creator and co-creator” of ISIS.
Actually, it was the treaty signed by Bush and Cheney that determined our pull-out date and we were in fact happy to leave, in spite of what Republican’s may have said after ISIS appeared.
Hillary did play a part, but not as much as the Bush cabinet.
http://www.factcheck.org/2015/08/bush-clinton-play-blame-game-in-iraq/
Our media is filled with lies and bias, and those that try to put the truth out there are silenced quickly.
I could honestly go on...but I’ll leave it there.
It’s not as rosy here as it seems...and imho Trump would be a terrible mistake for this nation.
it's not nice to piss momma off...calling names through childish name-calling rants is a direct line from zero to bitch for any self-respecting woman...
