This should get things going.....

[(SWGO)Kren]

This country has become a pathetic joke to the world.

We glorify stupidity. We are very easily distracted by whatever crap the news puts on to cover up real issues. Acting like "ghetto" or "redneck" trash is whats popular among our young. The middle class has been systematically attacked for the last 30 years.... and so on..... and so forth......

A lot good things came out of America, your independence to start with and all the achievements and help towards other countries throughout the years from such a diverse and young nation.

Saying that during the past 100 years there has been an ever increasing slide into decadence, debt, ignorance and violence. Coupled with the inability to understand other cultures inside/outside your nation ultimately lead to bad feelings across the world. This is why the perception of others might be that stupidity is synonymous with America and Americans. To have so much potential and as such a large country to cultivate your own people you have missed countless opportunities which has resulted in where you are today. There appears to be an ever increasing [poo] that is flowing downhill on your own people who are now questioning the very structure of the nation itself. The cracks are appearing from within and are getting wider which is very sad to see.

Other countries have looked at America and thought wow what a place to live and work but more recently it has become OMG I'd hate to live and work somewhere like that. Perhaps you guys are right the illness is related to your political systems however there are many other facets of your country that appear to be working against each other and not for the common good. Without a unified community and the people working towards a common goal then the idea of improving the nation will not become reality anytime soon and will remain as simply as a dream.

There's so much potential for you to get things right but it appears you can't see the wood for the trees but you have to start with small steps and make in-roads where you can, so good luck in achieving this.

[MATTHEW'S_DAD]

You can't have a unified community and a diverse community. The two things just don't go together.

[(SWGO)Kren]

You can't have a unified community and a diverse community. The two things just don't go together.

I'd have to disagree. Diversity is what you have at the moment especially in politics and ethnic cultures and unification is working together for similar goals.

But if you think that is not happening then this example be useful:

http://www.newcommunities.org/news/articleDetail.asp?objectID=2190

[WD-40]

You can't have a unified community and a diverse community. The two things just don't go together.

I'd have to disagree. Diversity is what you have at the moment especially in politics and ethnic cultures and unification is working together for similar goals.

But if you think that is not happening then this example be useful:

http://www.newcommunities.org/news/articleDetail.asp?objectID=2190

The Congress of 200 years ago, is nothing like the Congress of today. I'm talking about Patriotism, doing what's best for the Country...it's people. We have allowed our Leaders to take us squarely on the path of Social Welfare, instead of rewarding people for acheivement. Punish the rich, reward the poor, take from those that work hard and give it to those that don't want to work. If this doesn't change fast, we are doomed!

[Dad]

You can't have a unified community and a diverse community. The two things just don't go together.

And this has been ingrained in our culture. Just the fact of calling people Afro-American, Hispanic-American, Italian-American and such created this divided culture. Further add to this affirmative action, handouts to illegal immigrants, and the steps taken to put down and keep down men. Majority no longer rules. Minority now calls the shots. Double standard has become the norm.

If a man cheats on his wife, the courts view it as "men are scum and do that all the time for no reason". If a wife cheats on her husband, "he must have done something to drive her to it".

Try being white and calling a black man a [plz ban me], just see what happens. Black men call each other [plz ban me] all day long, but, somehow the word changes meaning from something so insulting that it is believed to justify violent reprisal to "my brother", just based on skin color.

Illegal immigrants come into this country by the thousands every year. Taxes, taken from the citizens of this country, pay for their healthcare, schooling for their children, housing assistance, just to name a few. Citizens of this country must jump through hoops to get any of this.

The politicians have put all this in place to create this divided culture. They want division. They want us at each others throats so they can jam that "red, white and blue [Richard]" WAAAAAAY up our asses while we look the other way.

[Duel of Fates]

Most, I would say 90+%, politicians create the problems so they can ride in on white horses to "solve" the problems and save the day. They remind me of those very few "firemen" who set fires to act like the "hero". To justify their positions and accumulate as much personal power as possible so they can continue to "protect" us. We, as a people have to decide which is better. Freedom and liberty handed down from our Founding Fathers, or a nanny state dreamed up by "progressives". To me the choice is clear, but unfortunately the minority creating the laws is convinced that all the social ills can be fixed by creating more and more government. Big Brother ain't just a TV show. When I was a kid, I was forced to read 1984, by George Orwell. And we discussed it at great length. Now they are trying to erase our history, and create even more individuals to rely on government for every facet of their lives. Like I said, we the people have to decide what is better.

[toad]

History is doomed to repeat itself because not enough people remember the past. The congress of 200 years ago had knock down drag out fights over political parties. They fought about the size of the federal government and how it should not overshadow the states. Yet here we are 200 years later living those problems. If you want to fight for something, fight to shrinking the federal government. Social welfare, health care, and unemployment compensation are delivered by the states. So it should be up to the people living in those states on how, when, and why those benefits should be extended to them or their neighbors. That way if you want social welfare then move to California. If you want clueless representatives then move to Virginia. It should be up to the states to tax for the services and the federal government should worry about federal government issues. Like how bad FEMA and the TSA suck.

@Kren: I am not a big fan of the "American's are stupid". That junk comes from people who are equally uneducated or just as uncaring about the rest of the world. We get blamed for everything, regardless if we are involved or not. At this point I think we should say [m'kay] it and walk away. Leave the foreign policy to the Brits. They are ten times better at that crap. They are the only culture I know that can elegantly tell you how much you suck while offering you a beer.

[(SWGO)Kren]

History is doomed to repeat itself because not enough people remember the past. The congress of 200 years ago had knock down drag out fights over political parties. They fought about the size of the federal government and how it should not overshadow the states. Yet here we are 200 years later living those problems. If you want to fight for something, fight to shrinking the federal government. Social welfare, health care, and unemployment compensation are delivered by the states. So it should be up to the people living in those states on how, when, and why those benefits should be extended to them or their neighbors. That way if you want social welfare then move to California. If you want clueless representatives then move to Virginia. It should be up to the states to tax for the services and the federal government should worry about federal government issues. Like how bad FEMA and the TSA suck.

@Kren: I am not a big fan of the "American's are stupid". That junk comes from people who are equally uneducated or just as uncaring about the rest of the world. We get blamed for everything, regardless if we are involved or not. At this point I think we should say [m'kay] it and walk away. Leave the foreign policy to the Brits. They are ten times better at that crap. They are the only culture I know that can elegantly tell you how much you suck while offering you a beer.

Toad I am sure you are not a big fan of "Americans are stupid". I am also sure there are many an uneducated or uncaring person in America or elsewhere that thinks that certain things suck right now. Are you are saying that stupid people and acts are not prevalent in US?

Regarding getting blamed for everything well if you tell me the US is blameless then what is a good proption of the topic about; it is blaming the government for not doing the right thing for its own people?

If you are ever in the UK drop me a line I'll buy you beer, politics aside.

[NiteRunner81]

Ok, so 20 or so years ago when someone in the community had something happen to their house they were usually offered shelter and the community helped rebuild or repair their home, with one person offering one sort of supply or another, with the church or a bunch of wives (back then women didn't whine about taking their role) cooking meals to those who were doing the labor on the home.. I want to go back to that.. NOT the "lets file a claim and hire some expensive company" solution. And in a bigger catastrophe where a number of homes were damaged or destroyed there were bake sales, car washes, other fundraising to raise the money for the supplies that the community couldn't provide. NOT FEMA!!!!

[terminator]

hi