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America: Better or worse?
mlincoln
Member Posts: 5,039 ✭✭✭
Think about recent history, where we are today, and where we are headed. Are we as a country getting better or worse?
Gun rights - Still a long way to go, but I think there has been a huge sea changed in gun rights. Legislation is being taken off the books, freedoms are returning, etc. Democrats have in private acknowledged that gun control is a loser of an issue and they're not pushing it like they used to. Overall, I'd say this is getting better.
Economy - If you're in unskilled manufacturing, no doubt it's getting worse. Those jobs are gone and won't be coming back. Hyper skilled manufacturing is still a strong point in America. While many have been walloped over the recent recession, some areas of the country and some people are thriving. The US economy is still the envy of the world. I'd call it a push, trending toward getting worse.
Politics - Without a doubt the American government is not functioning well. The last minute debt ceiling shenanigans are a good case in point. Regardless of how things turned out, America owes the people and countries that purchase American debt good financial stewardship. They sure didn't get it there. Slapping something together at the last minute simply isn't good government.
If you're poor or on disability or depend on the government, these past 8 years of so look pretty good. Benefits have expanded a great deal under Bush and Obama. If you're worried about the national debt and about people coming to look at the government as something that should support them simply because, the last 8 years have been a disaster.
And regardless of anything else, the national debt is a huge problem. America pays about 20-22% of its budget towards debt service. That's appalling. Government needs to either raise taxes to pay for what it is spending or cut services. Living beyond its means and simply passing on the debt to future generations is a moral failure. Overall I'd say politics is getting worse.
Culture - What a minefield. One can make a very solid case that the culture is what it is and any attempt to manipulate it by the government is bound to fail. I'm tired and interested in what others have to say, so I'm not going to vote here. I abstain.
Thoughts on any of the above?
Gun rights - Still a long way to go, but I think there has been a huge sea changed in gun rights. Legislation is being taken off the books, freedoms are returning, etc. Democrats have in private acknowledged that gun control is a loser of an issue and they're not pushing it like they used to. Overall, I'd say this is getting better.
Economy - If you're in unskilled manufacturing, no doubt it's getting worse. Those jobs are gone and won't be coming back. Hyper skilled manufacturing is still a strong point in America. While many have been walloped over the recent recession, some areas of the country and some people are thriving. The US economy is still the envy of the world. I'd call it a push, trending toward getting worse.
Politics - Without a doubt the American government is not functioning well. The last minute debt ceiling shenanigans are a good case in point. Regardless of how things turned out, America owes the people and countries that purchase American debt good financial stewardship. They sure didn't get it there. Slapping something together at the last minute simply isn't good government.
If you're poor or on disability or depend on the government, these past 8 years of so look pretty good. Benefits have expanded a great deal under Bush and Obama. If you're worried about the national debt and about people coming to look at the government as something that should support them simply because, the last 8 years have been a disaster.
And regardless of anything else, the national debt is a huge problem. America pays about 20-22% of its budget towards debt service. That's appalling. Government needs to either raise taxes to pay for what it is spending or cut services. Living beyond its means and simply passing on the debt to future generations is a moral failure. Overall I'd say politics is getting worse.
Culture - What a minefield. One can make a very solid case that the culture is what it is and any attempt to manipulate it by the government is bound to fail. I'm tired and interested in what others have to say, so I'm not going to vote here. I abstain.
Thoughts on any of the above?
Comments
IBTMove to Politics.