What has the USA become?

I like many Americans am fed up with our situation, not only financially but personally. What has America become? How did it happen? How do we fix it?

First we have domestic spying, the govt. monitors our:

1. Financial Records
2. Emails
3. Web Browsing
4. Phone Calls
5. Text Messages

There is not a single aspect of our lives that is personal and private. I have nothing to hide, it's not that I am worried about being "found out", it's the fact that all of those things are NOT my governments business, nor will they ever be. Sure I could leave this country but I'm not prepared to leave my friends and family behind, plus I make good money doing what I do and have been able to afford a lifestyle I enjoy. I consider myslef to be more fortunate than others, but at the same time I am responsible for me and everything I have I have earned, which every other person is capable of doing. That brings me to my next point: The Financial Crisis.

1. Banks are shutting down.
2. Foreclosures are up 60% on the year (not only the banks fault)
3. Property values are rapidly declining
4. The stock market is in shambles
5. The dollar continues to lose value
6. Oil continues to raise in price
7. Jobs continue to get outsourced.

What ever happened to the Made in the U.S.A. stamp I found on all of my goods? When I used to be able to go to a store and buy goods manufactured in the USA. Why arent my fellow Americans producing these good for their fellow citizens anymore? I remember when I was younger I would go to the store and specifically buy goods made in the U.S.A. because it felt right, I knew I was supporting the place I lived. Now I dont even have that choice.

I'm just another fed up American, voicing my concerns/opinion and figured this is the place where people listen.

I just want to know what WE need to do to get our country back, because the one we live in sure isn't the home of the free and the brave. More like the home of the fearful and complacent.

We've sold out to the globalist agenda. You can thank the likes of George Bush Sr. and Bill "Slick Willie" Clinton for that. Back in 1992, a man by the name of Ross Perot tried to warn the American people about what was going to happen. Did we listen? Nope. Now we are paying the dividends...

[edit on 14-3-2008 by SpeakerofTruth]

The goods issue is really easy - it's far more expensive to produce something in the US than it is in many other places. That means American goods are quite frequently more expensive than foreign, and so people will want to not pay top-dollar for goods when they can get cheaper stuff.

The United States, like much of the rest of the world, has become a kind of semi-corporatocracy. It's a lot like a corporation with some aspects of a representative government still intact. That government is actually the biggest corporation in a group of corporations. Citizens are shareholders, who invest with their taxes and have a chance to vote for top management in elections.

Like any organization, it has its good points and bad points. Sometimes the management is ineffective and not focused on a clear goal.

In general, though, it seems to work pretty good. Like any large company, it gains a lot of stability through its size and bureaucracy. Most of the citizens/shareholders don't want a lot of radical change. They basically want to ensure that they will have a job and be able to support their families. Overall, I think the U.S. government does an okay job of keeping that going. Could be better, could be a lot worse.

It called the tax codes screw you in America. Get the Fairtax passed and companies would come back here. Also get the inviromentalist out of here and things would change. We could drill for oil wherever we neede to and gas prices would go down. Our government needs to quit growing in size and hand America back to the people. I love earth and want to take better care of it too, but when you make oil companies process 50 different types of fuel for one country then somethings wrong. What will it take to get America back? " A MIRACLE "

Originally posted by Solarskye
What will it take to get America back? " A MIRACLE "

That's about right. Honestly, anything short of a revolution in this country is not going to be enough. Sad thing is, I don't see the American people as being bright enough to start one.

Imho I believe most of the countries economic problems stem from the NAFTA agreement.Now we are faced with the new free trade agreement with Columbia and next will be free trade with South Korea.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth

Originally posted by Solarskye
What will it take to get America back? " A MIRACLE "

That's about right. Honestly, anything short of a revolution in this country is not going to be enough. Sad thing is, I don't see the American people as being bright enough to start one.

Just out of curiosity, what would you replace it with? And would you fire everybody in the current system and start from scratch with something new? I mean, it seems like that would cause way more problems than it would solve.

[edit on 14-3-2008 by Nohup]

Originally posted by BluByWho
I like many Americans am fed up with our situation, not only financially but personally. What has America become? How did it happen? How do we fix it?

We haven't become anything we haven't been before, nor are we facing anything different than what we faced before.

We've faced recessions, depressions, terrorism and war since the very founding of the Republic. Even government monitoring; during the Quasi-War with France, Jefferson and Madison expressed fears that the government was monitoring their personal letters to each other.

We've been through it before, and we'll be through it again.

I suggest the breaking of the major Foundations i.e., the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Carnegie-Mellon, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, etc. and the redistribution of all of those monies to each man woman and child who is a citizen of the United States of America.

Your economy would take off again like a rocket and buy you enough time to eliminate the Federal Reserve Bank and print real money backed by precious metals like gold, silver, platinum et al.

Originally posted by Solarskye
It called the tax codes screw you in America. Get the Fairtax passed and companies would come back here.

Taxation upon the income of the individual citizen of a Republic is a crime against humanity.

Taxation should only be permitted upon commodities sold and never upon the workers who make them.

I could go on but I hope I've made my point.

Originally posted by Nohup


Just out of curiosity, what would you replace it with?
[edit on 14-3-2008 by Nohup]

Honestly, the original system is a good system. However, we are not operating under the original system of our founding fathers. We're not...

Originally posted by Pellevoisin

Originally posted by Solarskye
It called the tax codes screw you in America. Get the Fairtax passed and companies would come back here.

Taxation upon the income of the individual citizen of a Republic is a crime against humanity. Taxation should only be permitted upon commodities sold and never upon the workers who make them.

Well, we're not exactly a pure Republic, and the citizens of this representative democracy decided a while back that the larger government and not individuals or smaller states should be responsible for developing a large army, building roads, regulating power, and telecommunications, international trade, and so on. And that costs money. So we pitch in.

I personally can't afford to go out and pay somebody every time the street in front of my house got a pothole. I'd be broke in no time. But there are enough people in town, all pitching in, to fix the street.

Maybe you'd want to live someplace where you toss your sewage out on the street and have no police or army to keep invaders from kicking your door down. Hey, that's what people did for thousands of years. Me, I'll pass.

Originally posted by Pellevoisin
I suggest the breaking of the major Foundations i.e., the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Carnegie-Mellon, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, etc. and the redistribution of all of those monies to each man woman and child who is a citizen of the United States of America.

Your economy would take off again like a rocket and buy you enough time to eliminate the Federal Reserve Bank and print real money backed by precious metals like gold, silver, platinum et al.

What gives us a right to their money? Simply because they are rich and we are not? Because they may have committed some misdeeds, real or imagined? Nothing gives a man the right to the fortune or property of another.

Destroying businesses would not help the economy, it would destroy it. Other companies could see the writing on the wall and know it would only be a matter of time before their property and fortunes were siezed as well; they would move operations and assests outside of the United States.

Originally posted by Nohup
Maybe you'd want to live someplace where you toss your sewage out on the street and have no police or army to keep invaders from kicking your door down. Hey, that's what people did for thousands of years. Me, I'll pass.

Oh boy, how long before someone trots out the "security vs. freedom" line, mis-attributed to Franklin, as a response to you?

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
Honestly, the original system is a good system. However, we are not operating under the original system of our founding fathers. We're not...

It was admittedly pretty good 250 years ago, when there was a big continent out there ready for colonization, no electricity, no highways or air traffic, no media, no Internet, no public health and sanitation services, no need to keep large armies from rolling down our Main Streets, no need to keep our huge foreign investments secure, not a lot of things we have today that they didn't at the time. Yeah, it worked pretty good.

I think instead of a new system of government, you're looking for a time machine.

[edit on 14-3-2008 by Nohup]

Originally posted by SaviorComplex
Oh boy, how long before someone trots out the "security vs. freedom" line, mis-attributed to Franklin, as a response to you?

There are a lot of people who get really worked up when they talk about "freedom" or "God" without being able to clearly define either. Those are words people often use to manipulate other people to do things for them. At the time the phrase originated, it was being used to sell an armed revolution. Everything's got a context.

[edit on 14-3-2008 by Nohup]

Originally posted by Nohup
Everything's got a context.

In this context, I could foresee someone accusing you of trading your freedom for the security of the services we enjoy. Often times the "freedom vs. security" misquote is trotted out by those who do not understand that freedom and security are not two mutually antagonist ideas. Security can foster freedom; certainly we would not be able to enjoy the freedom of being able to babble about such things if we were constantly worried about thieves entering our homes, murderers stalking the streets, or where our next meal is coming from.

To reform the system I would start by breaking the US into 5 major areas. East, Midwest, West, Northwest, Southeast. Each of the 5 major area would be responsible for electing a president. Now the ideals and morals of these 5 areas are distinctly different, therefore each elected president for the 5 major areas would represent the people of those areas. This way we don't have a "decider" rather we have 5 presidents, 3 of whom have to agree in order to, for instance, start a war. The only issue I could see with this is them never agreeing on anything.

I would also do away with the two party system. Get rid of the red and blue. Make officials runnng for office just that, officials and nothing more.

We need the next president to quash the patriot act I & II.

We need to abolish the Federal Reserve.

We need to focus on alternative energy resources development and implimentation, that industry right there will open the door to a TON of jobs for Americans.

We need to do away with free trade, we need to bring the manufacturing jobs back to this country.

After typing all this as someone already stated, I think we do in fact need a MIRACLE.

imo

it has alot to do with the awakening of india & china taking alot more cheaper labour and production cost being alot less so trade wise thats where your losing jobs as for the rest of your problems i have no idea,