For all the talk of hope and change emanating from the presidential campaign, Kansans seem of two minds about whether America’s best days are a thing of the past or the future. In a recent SurveyUSA poll, co-sponsored by KWCH, Channel 12 in Wichita, 45 percent said the nation’s best days are ahead, as 40 percent said they are over. Oddly, the 35- to 54-year-olds constituted the most pessimistic age group, with 44 percent thinking the good times are history.
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40 Comments
If this country doesn’t return to the founders design of a Constitutional limited government the USA I grew up in, and was so proud of, has a future only in history books.
We are headed down a path of less freedom, more government intervention in our lives, more socialism, less wealth, and less and less personal independence, self-reliance and self-esteem.
This country is promising too much to too many and it can’t deliver. And there is a self-serving willingness of politicians to buy votes with the promise of entitlements, and a willingness of voters to trade their freedom and self-respect for security which coming from the government is a lie and unachievable.
Above and beyond all of your great points Boxlock, it doesn’t help that the dollar is dying (by design). And when the depression hit in ‘29, people mostly lived on farms, growing their own food (for the most part), now 80% live in urban areas and no one has a clue how to grow up let alone, grow anything to live on. Talk about high crime rates…just wait until people finally realize that they can wipe their butts cheaper with Federal Reserve Notes than they can with Charmin.
Count me among those who say America’s best days are done and gone.
The greedy capitalists have turned us into a society of animals that claw,scratch, and crawl over one another for the scraps they throw. This is reflected in the mentioned poll. It is only those whose working life is over or winding down still see the country optimistically.
A country that gives its people nothing is owed back the same.
Pleefer,
Your point really concerns me also. Large segments of our urban civilization, if you can call it that, I’ll use use the word society instead, are so completely dependent on government for so much. I see a small break down in that support system as potentially causing chaos and anarchy.
“Talk about high crime rates…just wait until people finally realize that they can wipe their butts cheaper with Federal Reserve Notes than they can with Charmin.”
Not to worry: Kiddy school is here! (see the post on preschool will prevent crime)
“A country that gives its people nothing is owed back the same.” JR
Talk about ungrateful.
You have roads.?
You have police.
You have fire protection.
You have a toilet which empties into a sewer.
You have water (for now anyway).
You have protection from foreign invasion.
You get laid off, you get unemployment.
You have Unearned Income Tax Credits.
You have free cheese (WIC).
You have subsidized housing (HUD).
You have reduced price or free school lunches.
You have summer school lunches.
You have medical care in the ER.
You have prisons for criminals.
You have a showerhead w/reduced water pressure.
You have a 1.5 gallon flush toilet.
You have reasonably safe food via inspection.
You have reasonably safe drugs via regulation.
Rural America you have subsidized telephone/puter service.
You get old you have Social Security.
You get old you have Medicare/prescription drugs.
You die, and cannot afford a funeral, the government will put you in a pine box.
The list goes on and on……..
How much MORE do you need JR?
I forgot the Dept of Education.
You have free education K-12 for your kids, and maybe even free morning babysitting/daycare (kiddy school)…….
Damned skippy folks. Scary…and we thought not having Social Security would be bad.
So many negative people out there pissing in each others cornflakes.
America kicks ass, damn pessimists meed to live in Somalia for a week.
I’m no pessimist nor am I “negative”. I’m a realist. The New God of America is having the curtain pulled from in front of him. The Federal Reserve System Church and its doctrine, The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 are being shown for what it is, another belief system that is a myth and a fraud. I think the real negativity is willfully ignoring it or worse, keeping the truth buried and letting everyone else fall by force of ignorance instead of lifting your brethren up with information to protect them.
I guess what it comes down to is to let the dead bury their dead.
Good posts Boxlock at 6:12 and Pleefer at 6:41! Couldn’t agree with you more.
What’s amazing is the contrast between the self-reliant, conservatives, and the whiny-gimme-gimme-helpless Liberals.
Case in point. JR is a poster boy for the lazy, helpless crybabers who can’t get too many handouts. JR and his crowd is what’s wrong with America today. People like JR are not adding any Productive Value to America – all they want to do is take!
“J R
Posted March 10, 2008 at 6:46 am | Permalink
Count me among those who say America’s best days are done and gone.
The greedy capitalists have turned us into a society of animals that claw,scratch, and crawl over one another for the scraps they throw. This is reflected in the mentioned poll. It is only those whose working life is over or winding down still see the country optimistically.
A country that gives its people nothing is owed back the same.”
“A country that gives its people nothing is owed back the same.” JR
>>In other words, “Ask not what you can do for your Country. Ask what your Country can do for you.”
“The greedy capitalists have turned us into a society of animals that claw,scratch, and crawl over one another for the scraps they throw.” JR
>>Can’t you just see JR crawling and scratching the ground like some hen chasing after chicken feed! Cluck. Cluck.
New nic for JR: Cluck Cluck
I may bitch and moan about the state of the country from time to time, but this is still the greatest country on Earth and our best days are still ahead of us.
We may be a divided society in many way, but we are still Americans, first and foremost. We can, and will, overcome the issues that divide us, we can and will find solutions for the worst of our problems and we can and will maintain our position of greatness in the world.
In 1941, the great citizens of this country rose as one to defeat the evils of the Nazis and Imperial Japan.
Nothing is beyond our capabilities.
New nic for “Max” and “American way”
His old nic “JM”
Now that would be strange JR. I believe JM was your old NIC.
Simply because I disagree with your opinion on America – you begin to call people names?
How mature.
That seems like a really vague question. And of course right now, there will be a lot of pessimism due to the flagging economy. But for me, knowing that Bush and Cheney will soon be out of office, I think the future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.
JR how’s that meet-up working out? Can’t wait for the summary report to be posted.
OH, AND DON’T FORGET! You promised a major revelation this afternoon! Can’t wait!
Cluck Cluck, oh I mean JR, annouces he now has a job!
You tell me how your meetup is going James.
Max,
The below post explained it all for me.
“JR –
I pity you. You preach tolerance but practice none in the real world. You talk about openness, but close your mind to anyone or anything that challenges your world view.
You are a small, sad person. You seem to take your apparant inability to interact with others with whom you don’t necessarily see eye to eye with as a matter of pride; it isn’t, of course, it’s a character flaw.
What a closed, dull world you must live in.”
Posted by: GMC70 | December 27, 2007 at 09:00 AM
I think the future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.
That honestly gave me a smile, thanks.
Then again, a lunar eclipse would be dazzling compared to the last 7 years.
GMC get’s it right almost every time. I’m sure he was wrong once, but I can’t remember when!
Americans would do ourselves good by getting rid of the arrogant “we’re the greatest nation in the world” mindset. We most certainly have the potential for greatness, but we are a nation of underachievers when it comes to healthcare, economic justice, mathematics, science, individual rights…
We DON’T have “the greatest healthcare system in the world.”
We DON’T have “the best economic system in history.” (If your doctor says you’re “sound as a dollar,” it’s time to get your affairs in order.)
There’s that story about Benjamin Franklin leaving the Constitutional Convention when a woman asked what kind of government they’d come up with. “A republic, madam,” said Franklin,”if you can keep it.”
Can we?
Is the glass haft empty or haft full?
The glass is full: 1/2 water; 1/2 air
“Americans would do ourselves good by getting rid of the arrogant “we’re the greatest nation in the world” mindset.”
—————–
Typical leftist, talking down America.
Check out the list of Nobel prize winners in this underachieving country of ours.
Funny too isn’t it that everyone wants to get into this wasteland.
Countries with the Most Nobel Prize Winners
Rank Country Number of Laureates
1 United States 270
2 United Kingdom 101
3 Germany 76
4 France 49
5 Sweden 30
6 Switzerland 22
7 Netherlands 15
8 USSR 14
8 Italy 14
10 Denmark 13
11 Japan 12
12 Austria 11
13 Canada 10
14 Spain 6
14 Australia 6
16 Ireland 5
16 Israel 5
16 Poland 5
16 South Africa 5
16 Argentina 5
21 India 4
—————
Don’t listen to leftist drivel. We are flawed, but we have a great history and we truly are the land of opportunity and the hope of the world.
You got three minutes to announce your meetup JR. Remember you’re a fabulous organizer.
So, what’s the hold up?
Check out the list of Nobel prize winners in this underachieving country of ours
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/lists/2007.html
check out last years nobel winners. 5 of 11 are american and one of those 5 is y’alls hated Gore.
No one said America WASN’T great at one time. You can’t go back to day one of Nobel prizes and cite the past as the present. Remember, alot of those prizes came about in the 20s to 50s from the influx of EUROPEAN scientists and thinkers.
Most, if not all, of the opinions on the economy is based on the prevalent media reports. So in an era of ‘if it bleeds it leads’ then there will be a significant part of the population that thinks the economy is headed south for the next five generations. Is it true? Only for some segments of business. However, the media reports will cause a lack of consumer confidence and spending that will fuel an economic downturn.
Recessions happen. I think the media makes them worse.
Proud, I agree with your post as far as for the people who have a CHOICE. Unfortunately, MANY, MANY, MANY in our society have no choice but to spend every cent they bring in. They’re not hurting the economy; the people who hoard, shunt into tax-deferred accounts, ship funds to off-shore accounts…Those are the ones hurting the economy.
El-Keeta’s behind ya–RUN! HIDE! HOARD!!!!
“the 20s to 50s from the influx of EUROPEAN scientists and thinkers” ghotiphaze
? So they weren’t real Americans?
“They’re not hurting the economy; the people who hoard, shunt into tax-deferred accounts, ship funds to off-shore accounts…Those are the ones hurting the economy.”
Yeah. Right. It would be much more prudent for those of us who invest – to spend every penny
and hope the nanny state will feed us.
BTW, I fall into all your categories except the last one. I am still trying to find those off-shore accounts. My accountant tells me those are all taxable too. Even a Swiss bank account reports to the IRS. I’ve tried. Maybe you can point me to a legal investment vehicle I can use “off-shore”, where I can avoid US Taxes?
You have to set up a corporation, preferably a limited liability corporation (LLC) in those off-shore countries, then it’s tax free (cough!) You didn’t hear that from me! :D
To fall back on your tactics, depends on how you define ‘real’.
Actually, I could also make other arguments by using just a bit of thought (’cuz that’s all I gots anyways). F’instance, Isreal has only been a nation for 1/3 the time the prizes have been given. India has been so entrenched in a rock-solid caste system that many who MIGHT’VE excelled were never allowed a chance. USSR and Poland (another soviet bloc country) may have had their ideas suppressed, a problem America didn’t have. And countries like Argentina, Spain, and Ireland, which are low in population and resources.
My friend the neo-con has the same argument about the “hysteria” that the media puts forth about our faltering economy. My point is that our economy is a house of cards and we’re busy believing a gust of wind won’t come along.
When you loan the same dollar out 1000 times over…pretty soon someone will want the original dollar back.
Happy Mutliplier Effect.
Multiplier
Happy Mutliplier Effect.
Ya booger!~!! I hadda dig out my granny glasses to find the typo.
There is a big gap in who believes the economy is bad, and who doesn’t. I watched Faux News Sunday, and Juan brought up that many voters are going to question McCain on the war and how it relates to the recession. One of the other men, not a regular, didn’t think people would make the correlation. I would definitely make that correlation, but I’m just a poor worker bee.
LOL TDT, I’m in the same hive, just a different puke-cell. I acutally prefer it that way; it feels more honest.
heh