Opinion on the US

[BitChick]

I think that Americans are in a very dangerous place right now.  Most of us are complacent.  We think our freedoms are guaranteed.  We forgot how many people gave up their lives for those freedoms but they are slowly being stolen from us and most people don't even see it or care.  For instance, the whistle blowers are banished for just revealing the truth?  Where is our freedom of speech?  That is just one issue.

I guess I am not longer blinded by the Stars and Stripes and my loyalty is not as true as it probably once was. 

[Taras]

:L We're shut down anyway aren't we

[termhn]

I haven't been to the USA for about 15 years.  But I thought it was amazing place, awesome natural beauty (the Grand Canyon is a must see), met a lot of great people and I never felt unsafe. Unfortunately it seems lately that your politicians and corporate bosses are only interested in looking after themselves and not the interests of the people or country.

Yep. I agree with this. I wasn't born 15 years ago, so I wouldn't know the comparison, but I still agree with your points. The grand canyon is definitely a must-see, and luckily for me I live only about 5 hours drive from it It's truly amazing beauty.

[dragonkid]

USA is now one of the biggest communist country of the world. A country ruled by a government sponsored by big monopolies and backed by a private entity called the FED.

The problem with american people is that they are having a hard time to face that new reality. They prefer lies rather the ugly truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fbvquHSPJU

Thanks for sharing this, this is a very good documentary. 

[Taras]

Lol! More voted "Fat people" than "Money laundering land"

[cowandtea]

Haha, Fat People got the most votes....

[Biomech]

I love america (deliberately not capitalized), but I fucking LOATHE the United States. The two don't equate. A couple centuries back, some guys with various motives got together and threw off the yoke of an oppressive empire. So far, so good. It took them less than a decade to draft a document that guaranteed a return to tyranny, and "four score and seven" years to fight a war that made even the few roadblocks in that document irrelevant.

Even so, the spirit of liberty and self sufficiency remained.

Then, the descendants of the traitorous mob started this new idea called "making the world safe for democracy" as if that were some noble goal. Our "leaders" started or participated in multiple foreign wars, killed the currency, lied about it, and then stole the gold.

Even so, the spirit of liberty and self sufficiency remained, though it was coming under fire on a daily basis.

Then, the descendants of the descendants of the traitorous mob stopped caring about whether or not a thing was legal, if they could get away with it. They escalated wars in Korea and Vietnam and Grenada and Iraq and Afghanistan and many other places. Called most of them "police actions" as if the nations they were incinerating were errant petty criminals within their own purview rather than independent nations. Largely, they got away with it.

Meanwhile, on the home front, they used every overt and covert tactic they could dream up to demonize the idea of self sufficiency and pervert the meaning of liberty.

It worked. Americans, who live under a police state reminiscent of Soviet Russia or the early stages of Nazi Germany, think they are free, while kowtowing to every whim of anyone with something looking like "authority". The idea of self sufficiency is under constant attack, and most people buy into this thing called "society" without analysls.

I was born in 1968. Outside of the big cities, america was mostly still a free nation then. I saw it begin to erode in the late seventies (The erosion was already advanced, I just finally saw it then). Now, just shy of 45 years after my birth, I cannot recognize this place as anything even resembling my country of birth. You now need official permission to breathe, let alone do anything useful.

Yet when I was a kid, the police and the officials in government would not DARE speak to average citizens with the open contempt they now display. It would have cost them too dearly. Now, they have reduced us to this. It's pathetic, and it's getting worse daily. They cavort high on the hog on the backs of all of us, and most of us LIKE IT.

I am damn near destitute, or I would have taken my family and fled some years ago. I have had many friends go on vacation to Europe or parts of Asia, and never come home. They found something far better, and went with it. I am jealous. I missed the opportunity.

There will come a point when the empire falls apart from within. The point of no return was probably passed in 1971, when the Nixon administration approved the default on american currency.  There is no saving this mess sort of it's complete dissolution, and that day will come. Unfortunately, it will come with little warning and no plan. I do not look forward to this, as at the rate it's going, I'll still be here.

[hawkeye]

I love america (deliberately not capitalized),

What does it mean to "love america"?  Do you love all the atoms that make up the entirety of america?  Do you love all the 300 million or so people who live there?  Do you love the government?  I don't understand what this phrase means?  

And does it mean that any physical part of america you love more than any physical part of the rest of the world?   Do you like the local trash heap better than say a luxury home in another country?

This grouping stuff just seems like cultism to me.   A country is just an in group and outsiders are not as good.  

Here in Australia, people call others "unAustralian" to describe a douche.  Well, I'm unAustralian.  I don't subscribe to any of this country nonsense.  That people in a physical location are somehow joined in some way.  Just because you are an Australian (or American or whatever) doesn't necessarily make you better or worse than any other human.  

If you are talking about loving the idea of freedom and liberty, then I agree with you.  But that doesn't equate to america nor solely is it the province of americans.

[Biomech]

I love america (deliberately not capitalized),

What does it mean to "love america"?  Do you love all the atoms that make up the entirety of america?  Do you love all the 300 million or so people who live there?  Do you love the government?  I don't understand what this phrase means?  

And does it mean that any physical part of america you love more than any physical part of the rest of the world?   Do you like the local trash heap better than say a luxury home in another country?

This grouping stuff just seems like cultism to me.   A country is just an in group and outsiders are not as good.  

Here in Australia, people call others "unAustralian" to describe a douche.  Well, I'm unAustralian.  I don't subscribe to any of this country nonsense.  That people in a physical location are somehow joined in some way.  Just because you are an Australian (or American or whatever) doesn't necessarily make you better or worse than any other human.  

If you are talking about loving the idea of freedom and liberty, then I agree with you.  But that doesn't equate to america nor solely is it the province of americans.

hard to put into proper words. I am a bit more awake now For the most part, I agree with you. I'm trying to convey the idea that I love the land of my birth and the major concepts that led to it breaking away from Britain. I hate what it has become. I also love the wide open spaces and mountains and coasts. The people? Not so much. I have met people from all over the world, and the average US citizen seems to be blithely ignorant of the world around them to a greater degree than most other people.

Of course that could be a false impression, since I met most of those people IN the USA, but with the advent of computer based communication my impression seems to be strengthened.

[Oldgamer]

Everybody put his own ideas saying "I love America".
I say, I love the spirit of people who build that country. I was not born in US and I can compare. That is why I live in US and I thank god for this. I can agree that this country became a different now, and unfortunately it looks like there is no way to get this country as it was earlier. Now it became so popular to talk about how bad US is (basically US became what it is MOSTLY because of them). I wish these people try to live in country like Russia for example, where biggest speech freedom lover run. He really chose the best country for himself. I am sure, that if he would call reporters he could be a hero. But he is a chicken, so he run to the country which (I am sure about that) made him a Russian spy for the money. He sold his soul to Russia.

[Swordsoffreedom]

USA is now one of the biggest communist country of the world. A country ruled by a government sponsored by big monopolies and backed by a private entity called the FED.

The problem with american people is that they are having a hard time to face that new reality. They prefer lies rather the ugly truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fbvquHSPJU

Thanks for sharing this, this is a very good documentary. 

Adds another Documentary to share
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKnS-Adc_2E

[hawkeye]

hard to put into proper words. I am a bit more awake now For the most part, I agree with you. I'm trying to convey the idea that I love the land of my birth and the major concepts that led to it breaking away from Britain. I hate what it has become. I also love the wide open spaces and mountains and coasts. The people? Not so much. I have met people from all over the world, and the average US citizen seems to be blithely ignorant of the world around them to a greater degree than most other people.

Of course that could be a false impression, since I met most of those people IN the USA, but with the advent of computer based communication my impression seems to be strengthened.

You say you love the land of your birth, but what does that mean really?  It is an artificial border drawn around a wide area by a group of people calling themselves the US government.   The "land" where you were born was a very small patch of this.

As for the wide open spaces, mountains and coasts you'll find these in many other places.  Not to mention America is also very cramped in many places as well eg. Manhattan.  Do you love those spaces as much?  They are also part of america.  Not to mention the ugly parts of America.  To me this is just saying I love the beautiful parts of Earth.

As for the people, I have lived in 2 countries (Britain and Australia) and ignorance is pretty high in both as well.  Here in Australia people frequently laugh at "dumb Americans" but percentage-wise there are just as many dumb Australians.  I've found that people that like to laugh and say how dumb others are, do so often to cover up their own insecurities.  And when it's done on a national level, ie. laughing at dumb Americans but shouting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" then it's just dumb nationalism.

I'm not so sure about the motives.  I think there were some people that wanted liberty but others who wanted power.  Those who wanted power were able to set up a government, but compromised on some aspects,  knowing how it worked and they would be able to subvert it later.  We are yet to see true freedom and liberty in this world.  Things are worse now than ever, we basically have fascist security states, but that doesn't mean things were good in the past.  They just weren't as bad as now.    Beware of looking through rose-coloured glasses.   

[EuSouBitcoin]

As of 2013, the USA ranks 10th out of about 177 countries on the Index of Economic Freedom. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_of_economic_freedom
While the US used to be higher on that index, 10th place is still not too bad. That said, there are many continuing threats to the US and Americans. Most of the Answers to these threats are in Milton and Rose Friedman book "Free to Choose". See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_to_choose
However, the American political leaders can not even keep their own government open so I highly doubt they could implement any of Milton Friedman's great ideas.
In short, America will be its own downfall. Fiat currency, fractional reserve banking and big government will bring it down. The question is not "if", but "when".

[Swordsoffreedom]

As of 2013, the USA ranks 10th out of about 177 countries on the Index of Economic Freedom. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_of_economic_freedom
While the US used to be higher on that index, 10th place is still not too bad. That said, there are many continuing threats to the US and Americans. Most of the Answers to these threats are in Milton and Rose Friedman book "Free to Choose". See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_to_choose
However, the American political leaders can not even keep their own government open so I highly doubt they could implement any of Milton Friedman's great ideas.
In short, America will be its own downfall. Fiat currency, fractional reserve banking and big government will bring it down. The question is not "if", but "when".

In all fairness who compiles the Index of Economic Freedom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Foundation#Criticism

That said over multiple sources its not that bad

Anyways its downfall will be the Republican Presidential System
Tensions between two parties unable to make a policy might create a collapse
Chile is the only other example of a Constituinal Republic to last as long as the USA until Pinochet

[Mike Christ]

Everybody put his own ideas saying "I love America".
I say, I love the spirit of people who build that country.

Then surely you would be an even bigger fan of Africa.

[Notanon]

I think the US need to stop policing the world and fix their own problems first, such as a certain national debt about to reach its limit. For example, Japan and South Korea don't need a stack of US military bases, they should allow for Japan to remilitarise to pre-WW2 levels and let them and South Korea work out a joint military alliance with other nations like the Philippines and Vietnam to keep China from trying to encroach on their territories. Same with the Middle East, the Arab League could easily provide their own regional security without needing US bases in Saudi Arabia. Even their base in Germany would have to be seen as pretty much redundant since the end of the Cold War and the expansion of the European Union to include former USSR countries. I also don't welcome the idea of US Marines being increasingly deployed in Australia, particularly in Darwin.

I find it mildly disgusting that they can blow a shitload on their military, but have thousands of homeless people and people dying because they can't afford ludicrously expensive healthcare.

[frankenmint]

I remember hearing or reading somewhere that while Americans (myself included) know that they aren't the best, they will sure think and give off the attitude "hell yea I'm the best!!!!!!" 


I know I've caught myself falling for this line of thinking...its not about who is better, but how you utilize everyone's strengths and weaknesses together. 

Yes I'm fat...totally a fat guy.  But I've seen what appears to be fat people on various countries not just America.  I like my size though...I noticed that fat people don't talk shit about fat people - its usually the awkward loser skinny people or insecure skinny people that feel compelled to point out obesity lol.  You know who you are...you made fun of fat kids when you were young....you're insecure lol.

Lazy?  Sure...I like doing less physical work at a greater level of efficiency than you.  I can't help it if you refuse to learn Excel stuff like MID, Text To columns, and VLookup lol.

I wish you would've added more colorful answers such as:

Has a dumbass government

Fucks up at policing the world

Costs more for healthcare than my country

Is full of too many entitled little shits who think the world should keel to them after college

Had a dumbass billionaire darknet empire king arrested in the sci fi section of the Public Library.




Since none of them could match what I desired I simply just don't give a flying spaghetti monster fuck nor shit nor private key of DPRs brain wallet. Fix the above and by all means I wont feel those sentiments...Thank you very much free speech. 

[superresistant]

I heard USA is bankrupt.

[Biomech]

I heard USA is bankrupt.

Officially declared as such in 1971.

[Johnny Bitcoinseed]

Since governments rule by force and threat of force (if'n you don't do as we say, we are gonna come lookin' for ya), I have a low opinion of any government.  I can rule myself, thank you.