An awful lot of people here deserve exactly the U.S. they are getting

This post isn't going to make me any friends and I really don't care. There are so many supposedly awake people on ATS who couldn't be more a part of the system that is taking them down if they tried.

I will start by stating that I am a registered Republican but I couldn't be more disgusted with them.
The Tea Party started out with a collection of true and feeling Americans. I didn't agree with everything they had to say but it was honest. They have been taken over by corporate interests.

The Democrats really aren't much better. And, no, this isn't a flat out Ron Paul though I admit more than a touch of respect for the man.
Romney:
All these posts claiming that Romney will save "us" from Obama. NO, he won't. I love the way that Romney gets called a good little capitalist (in stark contrast to scary Obama socialism). He is not a good capitalist. Not even close. A good capitalist would not leave behind a string of bankrupt companies. That is exactly what Romney via Bain did. He purchased companies with a combination of real capital and debt. He then loaded those companies up with more debt than should have been legally allowed. The books then reflected the inclusion of that debt as company worth which he quickly extracted. Then he severed ties with those companies and shortly thereafter they went under. But Romney and his capital gains were gone. A good capitalist would recognize a string of bankruptcies as a bad thing. A con man picks a mark sucks it dry and then moves on to the next. Are we saying that capitalism is a con? I don't think it is, I think market factors like utter failure (bankruptcy) were meant to reign in the that sort of foolishness.

The tax return.
Notice, singular. It's all about 2009. Can I prove this? No. But take a moment and think about it. He released multiple years for prior consideration for President, VP for McCain, finance records for stint as governor, etc. He has since released 2010 and a partial for 2011. The only year missing is 2009. Sure maybe this shows some massive off shore holding, but I don't think so. I subscribe to the theory that like many super rich he got hit with major market losses in 2008. I suspect he wrote them off on his 2009 taxes. I submit to you that a man richer than our last 10 presidents combined may have paid ZERO dollars on his 2009 return. Now that would be a great political reason to withhold them despite the mounting pressure wouldn't it. How do YOU feel about subsidizing his market losses. Should YOU have paid more taxes in 2009 than Romney?


For any dems who might be feeling friendly toward me at this point, don’t. Don’t think that just because I can see what is wrong with my own party I think that yours is any better. It is isn’t.


This country has been steadily and stealthily bought and paid for the super rich. Thanks to the Citizens United Supreme Court decision corporations are effectively people. That is just ridiculous. They can spend as much money on elections as they want. Nobody in power is looking out for the U.S. and its citizens. Our freedoms are eroded and we are kept in a perpetual loop of fear. There has to be collusion on both sides of the aisle for it to have gotten to this state. The partisan bickering is real and heartfelt for some new comers but is otherwise just a ruse to keep us distracted as our livlihood, our freedoms, and our country is literally stolen from us.

Obama hasn’t done half of what was promised. The corporations have not been reigned in. They send our jobs overseas and then pay to put politicians in power who will continue to vote as the corporations would like them to. Good luck Average Joe, you just don’t have enough money or power for them to care one little bit about what you want. Oh, sure you get a vote but if both candidates are already in somebody’s pocket isn’t that just a sham meant to keep you feeling in the loop?

In case that sounded a little too much like I favor Occupy: they are right on some points, certainly. But too much of it is perma kids (twenties and such) who seem to think it’s like Woodstock.

Our country is in very real trouble. And even here in the land of the “awake” I see a lot more interest in sound bytes and flags than in taking the time to piece it all together for real.

And I blame us. You and me.
There are, though they will deny it, racists on this board who will hate Obama for his failure to be purely caucasian. Get over it. White doesn’t make us better, it only makes us more prone to sunburn.
Some of you don’t do your homework. You slam the mainstream media at every turn but do you really do your research? Do you really go out and look for the real answers? I generally see more intellect and hard core digging going on in terms of things James Holmes, or last summer’s mystery girl. The scope of the skills evidenced by the members of this board is breath taking. But we all play right into the latest “fad” be it real news, false flag speculation, or game play. Why aren’t we researching the far more boring topics of which the powers that be would prefer we remain ignorant? Oh, that’s right it’s boring. Don’t you get it yet, American Idol doesn’t cut it for you as Bread and Circus style distraction...so they give you others more tailor made to your interests?

You, me, all of us need to learn our history. And good lord we need to study real economics. Then we need to ask hard questions. Debate them with civility because the pieces we most often need are those accurate pieces that are held by the person who DOES NOT agree with us. Take from each other and learn, learn, learn.

I don’t know how we can save the country but it sure isn’t by harping on how Romney can save the country because he is a capitalist if you haven’t actually looked at the real outcome (beyond the millions into his pockets and a few of his closest investors) of his actions. How many small businesses do you think got stiffed on a bill because Romney extracted capital from a company that later went under? And that’s a qualification for President? Nor is it to believe that Obama can do no wrong. Or ridicule those who question his very eligibility to lead. Yes, there are ignorant people in the birther movement who hate him for race issues. But could we stop assuming ALL birthers are racist? I am not quite a birther but there are some questions unanswered, there are too many records withheld. It is fair to examine the issue.

If anyone is still reading this than I perhaps judged you too harshly in the title. Thanks for hanging in there.
We are all so caught up in the wrong things. And I find it all so frustrating.
If we as adults don’t really do our homework then we probably aren’t really making our kids do it either. Then we blame the public schools. I can’t even believe that in an era when the middle class and the working class are being systematically destroyed we have somehow decided to turn all our bottled fury on teachers. Sure, some suck. But your fury isn’t at really at them, admit it and then find a legal and meaningful way to channel that fury for actual change that will be for the good of our country. As citizens most of us have not been called to arms for our country, but that doesn’t mean we should just be hanging back with the remote control.
There is a NWO agenda. But the big strokes aren’t dramatic. Please tolerate boredom for the sake of your country.

S&F.

Agree with much of what you said.

reply to post by watcher3339


You got it mostly right, for my money. S&F.

I'd like to add that a lot of the ignorance here lies with those who hold a certain belief only because they refuse to question it. Before trying to flog your belief into others (I'm speaking to all of us here), go out and attempt to DISprove it, rather than trying to find ways to evade or out-shout your critics. You'd be surprised how often you're obliged to change your mind--and you should be thrilled when that happens. It opens up all kinds of possibilities....

reply to post by watcher3339


Good thread.....you hit on some very good points.

As you said, we are at fault to some degree. Now if we can figure out how to get this country back on track, that is if TPTB will allow us. Unless they have a long planned agenda that's been in the works for a while, which a lot of people seem to think.

It's a shame that there really isn't a decent candidate to vote for this Nov.....

reply to post by watcher3339


I agree with you OP, but where do you and I begin to make a change? This country is so deep in sh!t at this point it will make your head spin. You must have some ideas it sounds like. How do we stop the madness? I want to do my part.

reply to post by watcher3339


Oh man, I was really enjoying your rant until the last paragraph, my only decenting point is you should have kept going a given us all the real ass chewing we ddeserve. Man you were so close, it was like an epiphany( did I spell that right?) Cut short, and only a small part of the realization was made.

S&F for you sir, I find a good old fashioned ass chewing to do wanders for ones priority selection.

reply to post by colbyforce


I agree with you colby, mine isn't a lack of skill, will, or resolve. I just honestly have no idea where to begin. Even if I knew where to start, what actions could I take that would make a difference? Most of my particular skill set won't even be usefull unless the SHTF, at which point I am one handy mofo to have around. Knowing how to live off the land, fabrication a nd mechanical skills, and a very sharp memory don't really help much for raging against the machine, until the time comes to rage against the machine.

I agree with everything you said, but before that change can happen people in general need to change first because we are....
Taught to be selfish and not selfless
Taught to be competitive and not cooperative
Taught to be dependent and not self-sufficient
Spend more time at work than with family
Spend more time on obligations than interests
Spend more time thinking of the mundane not the profound
......this is whats wrong
Why do we know more about the kardashians than the government?
We rely and blindly trust others with a majority of our life
-food
-Hygiene
-Rules/Regulations
-etc.....
We accept everything to be safe and in our best interest yet more and more seem to be dyeing of disease and war is at the doorstep. Not that I am any different just aware now and overwhelmed at the truth it seems like yesterday I was saying, "Lets drink before we drink and then drink some more and end it with a toke." Mainly as an attempt to increase the fun of the 2 out of 5 days I had off and forget the fact I had to be back to it in the morning saying Ill never do that again only to do it anyways. First take a step back from your own actions and determine if they are reasonable then take another step back and do the same at the actions of those that control you. Im not saying rebel but question, Im not saying get rid of but improve.

Everything that is wrong with this world can be summed up with one word: Money.

We care more about money than we care about each other.

My spin on what Edward Bernays said the following in Propaganda:

“We are purchased, our minds indebted, our tastes bought, our ideas rented, largely by men we have never heard of.”

reply to post by watcher3339


I completely agree with the fact that our greatest liability as a nation is us, you and I included. Many of us choose convenience over what may be better for us in the long term. People are choosing to take the head in the sand approach then actually see the problems we face for what they are. It also appears that the need to appear politically correct and not offend anyone seems to take precedence over actually making tough choices that will actually move towards solving problems.

TPTB are keeping us all distracted with bread and circuses. The current strategy appears to focus on placating the masses by getting more and more of them on the welfare rolls and to have the MSM focus on creating division among us.

We as a people need to wake up and pay attention. We need to start making tough choices now even if it inconveniences us.

I just want to comment on your point about the Tea Party having changed into something else. I believe there are agents and forces at work (as in, paid) to pull these fringe movements into the mainstream, watering them down and making them ineffective/just another status quo cog. This is pretty obvious really.

You saw it happen with the Tea Party, I read about it happening to the OWS group.

The moment OWS got affiliated with union groups, I knew it would never be the same. Unions are part of the status quo, they simply want to tweak numbers, they weren't in line with the dramatic kind of changes OWS sought.

Meh.

Listen as far as the elections go here's what you were offered.

A globalist Scumbag.

OR

A Globaist Scumbag.

All you get to decide is what color tie he wears to the office each day.

The end result will be the same.

~Tenth

I agree with you completely! Your outrage is felt by many here on ATS and elsewhere. I personally am depressed and disgusted by what has become such a grind of daily life just trying to make ends meet. I'm ready for change! I'm ready to stand up against the powers that be if I only knew where the venue was/is? People are awake and questioning the rotten smell which emanates from each and every government entity from the smallest municipalities to the federal government!
Your right on at where the blame lies. Look in the mirror and you will see the guilty party! It is our fault through and through for granting our power to those who choose to manipulate a system which if allowed to work as it was meant to would be wonder of which it was once. We have been doing this to ourselves for over 100 years here in the USA. Take a good honest look at what the founders of our country went through to make this grand experiment come to fruition. See the real sacrifices and risks which were undertaken on behalf of having a government which was for the people by the people.
Do you see anyone willing to make the same sacrifices and endure the risks today? I don't. I see a sea of fat lazy loudmouths who I am ashamed to call fellow countrymen and women. Where are the real modern day patriots? Stand up and be counted. You want change? I do to so how do we go about it? How about a million citizen march on Washington? Wouldn't that make a statement? I'm in but our power is with many not individuals!

reply to post by watcher3339


Romney was also once pro-choice and now he's not. It just goes to show you that candidates will do and say what ever they need to just to get elected. As voters, we can't rely on their slick ads or what they say in public. Honesty and saying what you truly believe in, isn't part of the political system.

Give me someone like Ron Paul that has a back bone and will tell you where he stands on issues. He's not worrying about offending a particular segment of voters. I have more respect for someone like this, than someone who will say what ever they think voters want to hear.

Good post. It's valuable to be reminded that nothing is perfect and both sides are corrupt and dishonest in their own ways.
Speaking of candidates basically being bought rather than voted into office, that's exactly what kind of weirded me out about the Romney campaign having donations attached. No longer does one have to merely vote at the polls... those who can afford it can vote with their pocketbooks as well, and think that it's anything more than a gamble.

I say that as someone who has little more than a clue about politics, so correct me if I'm wrong about anything.

reply to post by watcher3339


OK, your upset because people don't all agree with you? Join the club the entire human race belongs to.

I feel your pain though.

That's why we vote; otherwise we have real anarchy and I'm not talking about punks in masks breaking windows.

Great Post I think that in most cases you hit the nail on the head. Now any ideas on how to fix this mess

Perhaps a viable third party to force both republicans and democrats to do something other than business as usual which is mainly to line their own pockets and position themselves for more power.

How many of you have ever tried to contact you're congressman or senator ? Good luck trying to talk to them UNLESS you wrote them a large campaign check and then they'll talk to you only in hope of another large check for the next campaign.

Term limits on the house and senate would be a good start but what politician is going to vote for that
Banning lobbyist is a good idea but again no politician is going to vote for it.

So how do you get politician's to do the right thing AFTER they are elected ?

reply to post by watcher3339


You are absolutely right my friend...both political sides are very much broken at this point.

The big thing most are going to ask is: "ok, your right...but now what?"

Voting for either side only furthers the elitist's agendas, and not voting makes it even easier for them to put their ponzies in place. America first needs to wake up and realize what once was a democracy has already been destroyed. We now live in a corporate controlled dictatorship under the guise of being "for the people". One where the dictators are so high up the pyramid that we will probably never truely find out who's been pulling all the strings. All we have to go by are the facts vs myths:

Myth #1. We vote for our president- The truth of the matter is we are given a hand picked group of individuals on both political sides that hold only corporate interests in mind. They will argue minor differences to get into the white house, and in the end the policies passed will be the same...in the interests of those lining their pockets.

Myth #2. Laws and policies are written to protect the american citizens- The truth is I challenge anyone to name a single policy passed by either party in our last 30 years that was a true benifit to the average american citizen (B.S. minor tax reliefs to shut us up do not count). There are none! Not a single policy...In fact most policies written any more are for the sole purpose of destryoing policies previously in place. Either that or they directly take away human rights under the guise of "protecting us from terroism!"

Myth #3. We need a president and congress or our country would fail- The truth is our government is obsolete, and they know it. It was designed during a time where keeping all citizens in the loop of every issue was impossible, and shear distances between eachother made it needed to have one central body of government. It is not designed for the hightech information sharing society we have now. We as a people are already discussing every major issue we have on a global stage. We already form our opinions on what we feel should be done, and in a sense unconciously vote on how the issue should be handled and put that opinion out there. Our "government" then simply takes our opinions from our goverment monitored media outlets, and manipulate our opinions to fit their agendas.

Here's a guarenteed way to fix our country, though they'd never let it happen:

-Threaten to cut out the middlemen! The american people need to be firm and insist we fire every politician that does not have the average american's beliefs in mind. They certainly aren't going to change themselves, because they know its their bankbook they'd be draining.

-Put all politicians on the same minimum wage they put us on...government wasn't made to make people rich!

-Make them take the same benifits we receive...no special insurance, no pensions.

-Make lobbying illegal, and punishable by law if you take handouts as a politician.

-End corporate personhood...corporations are not american citizens, and should not be treated as such! Just as there needs to be a separation of church and state, there needs to be a separation of corporations and state.

-End insider trading for the fed...this should be a gimmie

-Finally, the people should have the final say in every single policy passed. If the average citizen does not agree on a policy it should be thown away.


The problem is for the above to happen, we must come together as a country and demand it, but our government has made it nearly impossible for that to happen.

reply to post by mutatismutandis

I am seriously debating the necessity of armed revolution here. It has been obvious for my entire 34 years that the system does not now if it ever did work. If the system obviously does not servve the people than it is time to demand a new form of government. Of course they will try to stop the change, which is why I didn't say we should use the avenues that were suppossed to be available to us. They are all closed, and even if they were open they wouldn't work, our dictators will just ignore the law like they do now.


What part of. " the peoples right to assemble peacfully will not be infringed" don't they understand? If you think there is any hope of change besides armed revolution your deluding yourself, the laws don't matter, the system doesn't work. If it did I wouldn't need to get a permit to protest as my right to peacfully assemble shall not be infginged means they havve no ability to timit it at all at any time. See occupy for further evidence of their rights to assemble being infringed upon illegally. not to mention

reply to post by mutatismutandis

Triple post droid seizure