The number one problem with America...

[KJbushway]

He did address American people by telling them to quit Bitching.
And I agree, we need to lower our import and export everything but our food supply.
UNLESS, its aid to countries who aren't that well off.

 

[JayOwl]

Sure it has it's flaws, but all countries do. It's not exclusive to America, in fact, it's one of the best ones on the planet, a lot of countries have corrupt or weak governments.

(This may not apply if you want to be 100% gun free, especially in Texas from what I've heard )

I still want to visit one day.

 

[Spot's Meow]

The OP has a rather rosy view of the past. The "founding fathers" and other politicians of that time were hardly the normal people you claim them to be, and there has always been a great deal of distrust in the government. You may still feel that that's a problem, but it certainly isn't something new.

 

[Crash]

The biggest problem in this country is avoidance. There's a steadfast refusal to deal with the infrastructure and education problems that are going to really hurt our prosperity over the longterm. Point in fact, we seem to be actively working against our future at this point.

Begin seriously addressing those issues and a lot of what is currently plaguing us will clear up, but, in all honesty, this is a problem within our society and it's not a political one.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The number one problem with America is people who imagine that it used to be better than it is now.

 

[Shazam!]

The problem with America is that it's full of Americans.

 

[Crash]

The number one problem with America is people who imagine that it used to be better than it is now.

That also. A good chunk of the population wants to recapture the "good times" (blacks, women, gays, and other minorities need not apply) instead of working towards a strong and unified future.

 

[KJbushway]

Sure it has it's flaws, but all countries do. It's not exclusive to America, in fact, it's one of the best ones on the planet, a lot of countries have corrupt or weak governments.

(This may not apply if you want to be 100% gun free, especially in Texas from what I've heard )

I still want to visit one day.

^ thats why it wasn't battlefield Houston.

 

[KJbushway]

The biggest problem in this country is avoidance. There's a steadfast refusal to deal with the infrastructure and education problems that are going to really hurt our prosperity over the longterm. Point in fact, we seem to be actively working against our future at this point.

Begin seriously addressing those issues and a lot of what is currently plaguing us will clear up, but, in all honesty, this is a problem within our society and it's not a political one.

Exactly, until something bad happens then we freak out.
Like Obama said in his recent speech.(not word for word)
Basically when live isn't easy we freak out, but once its patched and live returns to normal we stop caring. Thats an American problem(though other share it).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Government is not more, or less, trustworthy now than at any other time. The citizenry has always distrusted government. It's supposed to be that way. It promotes healthy discussion and debate.

We do not completely love our leaders, but neither do we absolutely hate them. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

 

[infinix]

He did address American people by telling them to quit Bitching.
And I agree, we need to lower our import and export everything but our food supply.
UNLESS, its aid to countries who aren't that well off.

Just because we WANT to export to other countries doesn't mean those countries will actually want to buy from us. US made goods are inherently more expensive because US has one of the highest paid minimum wage labor forces outside of Europe.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Let me respond to the sky falling here.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with the United States is that people no longer trust our government. The federal government has lost all of it's credibility, lies to the people, doesn't represent the people, and is far too powerful. Back in the 1700s and 1800s people trusted the government and the government didn't have all of these conspiracies they were performing against the American people. Our elected officials actually cared and were real people like you and me, not people like Obama or Bush or any of these clowns in Congress.

Actually, our people have historically never trusted our government. Farmers distrusted the federalists and Alexander Hamilton. Federalists were terrified of what would happen should Thomas Jefferson get elected. The Whig Party was founded because they felt Andrew Jackson was acting like a tyrant. Then there was the whole North/South thing and what happened when a person got elected without a single Southern vote.

Let's not forget the decades of patronage and cronyism. Andrew Jackson once said if there was a job that couldn't be done by a Democrat, it wasn't a job worth having. There were Presidents that campaigned solely on reforming the patronage system. A President was assassinated based on who should get a crony job.

I think faith in our government is a 20th Century thing at best.

And to be honest, the people are partially responsible for this. Yes, it is important for the federal government to have some power, as to preserve the union, but we're hardly a union anymore, now we're just a single nation-state just like Russia or France. We're not a union or a confederation. People rely on the federal government for everything, instead of relying on their state governments.

I still think there's a healthy divide between state and federal responsibilities. Far more so than in other nations. Compare how our education system is run to the French education system, for example (although I'm basing this on the historical French system, I actually don't know much about how centralized it is anymore, so I could be completely wrong).

The Constitution is a joke now, it's a wonderful document, but our own government only abides by it when it is convenient for them to do so. They have the CIA out there killing our own people simply because they "know too much," we have wiretapping and the Patriot Act. We have them keeping secrets from us and committing acts that are detrimental to the lives of Americans.

Obviously, I don't know much about the first half (since the CIA apparently would have to kill me if I did), but I'll point out wiretapping laws are actually more stringent than normal search warrant laws, so the fourth amendment is still strong these days. State secrets exist with every sovereign nation and there's nothing in the constitution preventing them from having them. But FOIA helps alleviate some of the significant danger resulting from it. I'd argue our constitution is still alive and breathing even if people have to remain as vigilant as ever to defend it.

We have horrible liberals who want to ban guns. We have abusive police forces and corrupt public officials who don't listen to the people. We need an honest government again, one that fully understands and respects the Constitution and that is by the people and for the people.

Police forces aside, the rest of this simply requires a responsible voting public. If a government isn't responsive to the people, a different government can be elected. It is proven that when people are substantially upset, election swings do take place. That's all that's needed. Go out and campaign for someone you like.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I think the biggest problem with America is Americans who don't appreciate America.

As for distrust in government, the reason this country exists and has the Constitution that it does, is distrust in government.

 

[Crash]

I think the biggest problem with America is Americans who don't appreciate America.

As for distrust in government, the reason this country exists and has the Constitution that it does, is distrust in government.

Yes, well, I'd argue there's a difference between a healthy mistrust of institutions like government and the break neck rush towards anarchy that some folk are seemingly interested in. I'm really beginning to think that a loud-mouthed portion of this country views any regulation, any oversight, and any government employee drawing a salary or a pension as akin to tyranny. These sorts of people are entirely unreasonable.

Kinda ties in what I said before. There's an unwillingness to invest in the future of this country in any meaningful way whatsoever, and that, I think, is incredibly short sighted and will cost future generations dearly.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I thought the problem with America was obvious. Too many f*****g Canadians!

 

[KJbushway]

Well, no not to many Canadians, they never fight about anything. However, if Sarah Palin becomes our next president my IP address will change to a Canadian one.

 

[Colonel Green]

Well, no not to many Canadians, they never fight about anything. However, if Sarah Palin becomes our next president my IP address will change to a Canadian one.

If this post is an accurate indication of your command of the english language, you're not welcome here. Frankly, I don't really understand how Marc got in.

 

[KJbushway]

Who's Marc.
I don't know much about IP or really anything computer wise. Only the small stuff.

I will come in here if I please, my command of the English language doesn't have any connection to the things being discussed here. So if you have any comment connected to the topic, I would love to look at it.

 

[RandyS]

In my opinion, the biggest problem with the United States is that people no longer trust our government. The federal government has lost all of it's credibility, lies to the people, doesn't represent the people, and is far too powerful. Back in the 1700s and 1800s people trusted the government and the government didn't have all of these conspiracies they were performing against the American people. Our elected officials actually cared and were real people like you and me, not people like Obama or Bush or any of these clowns in Congress.

And to be honest, the people are partially responsible for this. Yes, it is important for the federal government to have some power, as to preserve the union, but we're hardly a union anymore, now we're just a single nation-state just like Russia or France. We're not a union or a confederation. People rely on the federal government for everything, instead of relying on their state governments.

The Constitution is a joke now, it's a wonderful document, but our own government only abides by it when it is convenient for them to do so. They have the CIA out there killing our own people simply because they "know too much," we have wiretapping and the Patriot Act. We have them keeping secrets from us and committing acts that are detrimental to the lives of Americans. We have horrible liberals who want to ban guns. We have abusive police forces and corrupt public officials who don't listen to the people. We need an honest government again, one that fully understands and respects the Constitution and that is by the people and for the people.

You mentioned the liberals, but you left out the conservatives, who, if they had their way, would hoard every dime in the nation, leaving the rest of us poor.

That said, I agree with you. Well, some of it.

 

[RandyS]

In my experience there is also a baffling shortage of decent chicken salad.

Not to mention there's not nearly enough vanilla ice cream. I can never seem to find it when I want it.