Amid the economic gloom and post-Madoff rage, the Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan finds reasons for consolation that go to the root of what it means to be American. She writes: “This is a good time to remember who we are, or rather just a few small facts of who we are. We are the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, the leading industrial power of the world, and the wealthiest nation in the world. ‘There’s a lot of ruin in a nation,’ said Adam Smith. There’s a lot of ruin in a great economy, too. We are the oldest continuing democracy in the world, operating, since March 4, 1789, under a vibrant and enduring constitution that was formed by geniuses and is revered, still, coast to coast. We don’t make refugees, we admit them. When the rich of the world get sick, they come here to be treated, and when their children come of age, they send them here to our universities. We have a supple political system open to reform, and a wildly diverse culture that has moments of stress but plenty of give.
“The point is not to say rah-rah, paint our faces blue and bray ‘We’re No. 1.’ The point is that while terrible challenges face us – improving a sick public education system, ending the easy-money culture, rebuilding the economy – we are building from an extraordinary, brilliant and enduring base.”
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28 Comments
A guy in Jr. High once said to me that as big as I was I could be top dog in the school. My reply was what use would it be to be the top dog of a Sh%%t hole? My point being that it is well and good to be tall and strong. But it is not an excuse to think it gives someone certain rights and privileges.
America is still the best country to be a citizen in though we have been far too often resting on that.
Yes like Toby Keith sings “I an’t as good as I once was” We still are someone that should have respects given to. But not thinking that we are still as good and resting on that. It was our introversion that got us to be number 1.
… the world’s largest ball of string right here in the U.S. of A.
Do the sackless haters have enough to post here?
Proud to be an American and I believe in it. I could do without the usual yes buts by the writer.
A journalist named Margolise (Moslem) well travelled and raised in the West was asked for his favorite places on earth, places he would fight or if needed. He picked Switzerland because of the structure of their society, France for it’s 1500 years of glorieaux and patience, Canada because of it’s people, who have a lot to boast about but don’t and America because “IT JUST IS”. I like that, no particular reason. it just is!
Glories and greatness of America are something both me and my kid read about in the history books.
With Democrats and liberals back in charge, I find reason for small hope. Still, I feel that America’s best days are behind it.
Blues Clues:
1) Your ideals are no where close to those that made the “Glories and greatness of America.”
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Mr_Kia
Posted December 20, 2008 at 8:33 am | Permalink
Do the sackless haters have enough to post here?
=======================================================
. . .and just who do you consider “sackless haters”, people who disagree with you? And who the f_ _ _ are you to decide who’s ideals set the country on its course? Part of what sets this country apart from others is the fact anybody can voice their opinion without thought police coming down on them.
My point being I would not want just liberals, or conservatives, or independents, or socialists, or communists, or atheists, or religious freaks, or any one group running this country. It is an amalgam of all those beliefs and more. It is the best in the world for it.
Sackless Haters being anyone who does not agree with the following:
We don’t make refugees, we admit them. When the rich of the world get sick, they come here to be treated, and when their children come of age, they send them here to our universities. We have a supple political system open to reform, and a wildly diverse culture that has moments of stress but plenty of give.
We don’t make refugees, ha ha, tell it to the millions of displace Iraqis.
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Mr_Kia
Posted December 20, 2008 at 10:47 am | Permalink
Sackless Haters being anyone who does not agree with the following:
We don’t make refugees, we admit them. When the rich of the world get sick, they come here to be treated, and when their children come of age, they send them here to our universities. We have a supple political system open to reform, and a wildly diverse culture that has moments of stress but plenty of give.
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In other words, no one. It is a widely diverse culture, now, isn’t it. Why am I not surprised.
Looks like we have the first there JW.
And which country would you rather live in then Phantom?
Who is the more patriotic?
Those who wave a flag and shout “USA USA USA!”
Or is it more the claim of those who want their country to be better and loudly say so?
We are:
Dependent on foreign nations for our energy.
DEEPLY indebted to China.
The ONLY western nation that does not have health care for all of its citizens.
Importing goods and exporting raw materials.
That will do for a start.
America, in our time is well on its way to being a sort of new type third world nation. I say this because it is true, not because I hate America.
I say we can do better.
I’m not questioning patriotism or that we can do better (our opinion of better differs).
What I’m questioning is if you don’t believe this is the greatest country in the world where else would you rather live?
You don’t improve your country by leaving it.
Unless you live in Mexico.
Mexican people are proud of their country too. But not proud enough to change it.
Instead, they are content to serve as a low wage caste US work force EAGERLY exploited by a nation that has lost its appreciation of the value of labor.
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Mr_Kia
Posted December 20, 2008 at 10:53 am | Permalink
Looks like we have the first there JW.
And which country would you rather live in then Phantom?
=====================================================
You really need to go back and reread my 8:33 post, dude.
Speaking of Mexico, more people have been killed in the drug wars last yr. than Americans in Iraq since the war. But then maybe the gangs are better equiped buying their weaponry in the U.S.
kia, you are so full of crap your eyes must be brown.
People all over the world come here for medical treatment? Maybe.
And Americans are going abroad to get THEIR medical treatment.
“A forecast by Deloitte Consulting published in August 2008 projected that medical tourism originating in the US could jump by a factor of ten over the next decade. An estimated 750,000 Americans went abroad for health care in 2007, and the report estimated that a million and a half would seek health care outside the US in 2008. The growth in medical tourism has the potential to cost US health care providers billions of dollars in lost revenue.[4″
Is there ANYTHING you are not wrong about?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism
Like I said, you must just enjoy your daily ass kicking.
I’d rather be “sackless” than “brainless”.
Not my words FG.
And obviously you are brainless otherwise you would be able to complete that thought that these are for life saving procedures.
Mr Kia: About making refugees, I googled the countires of origin for immigration to the great white north and found they took in people from(in descending order):China, India, Phillipines, Pakistan, the US(!)the UK, Iran and South Korea. That surprised me.
Mr Kia: Most advanced western countries take about the same relative number of students by reason of the hosts’ population. We get more becuase we are bigger, not necessarily better.
Well George just what did make the Untied States the greatest country in the world and continued to be so?
Our school use to teach the children not just to be smart enough to run a register at Wal-Mart. Every child whether they intend to or were thought not to be able to go were prepared to attend college. The education was gear toward that goal. Knowledge is like grains of sand and your mind is like a sand pail. There is no telling which grain of knowledge a student will need in 20 years. So the student was taught the entire circumference of knowledge. But our education programs change with the reality that most students would not go to college. So now it is more to ready them for the retail careers I.E. the service industries.
More and more companies are going over sea to find their brainpower. Now it is true that many of those foreigners are becoming educated in the U.S. colleges. But our own children are not going to college nor have the drive to be educated in the sciences. So can we agree that there is a real need to improve our educational system from K through 12?
I could go on but the point I was trying to make was this. To be the best and stay the best is an on going process. The claim of being the best is only valid as long as you are the best. This is still the greatest country in the world but will only remain so as long as we continue to strive to be the greatest. And not just claim we are. I do not know how old you are, but to see my point on education ask someone younger about something that was common knowledge when you were in school.
technically i believe San Marino is the oldest continuing democracy and Holland was a republic prior to our independence, that aside what are we besides the size of our economy the greatest at? Number 2 size wise is China Btw the same place they’ve been for more than a hundred years and most of us wouldn’t choose to live their because of China’s many problems.
“we are building from an extraordinary, brilliant and enduring base.””
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Just like the soviet union when they went bankrupt fighting in Afghanistan and trying to compete spending billions on national defense. But not like the now Russia which has billions of proven oil reserves.
Basically, candy coat it anyway you want, put a nice socialist agenda tilt on it –
but we are fuked.
And it isn’t even BAD yet.
Trillions in debt and Obama will only add to it.
We don’t export or manufacture anything of significance.
Totally fuked.
But hey! Maybe we can eat the cars GM will build with our tax dollars.
Because they sure as hell aren’t going to sell any!
I wonder what the Statue of Liberty would fetch on EBAY? Not enough?
Totally screwed.