What The Hell is Happening To America?

What The Hell is Happening To America? (Full Version)

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Real0ne -> What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 5:28:48 AM)
What changed here in America? 100 years ago we didnt have massive shootings, Hordes of psychos. Is it the food we eat, social degeneration, or what? American imperialism. Is the new american way of life working? Whats causing all this? Whats the social science at the roots of it all? Did our parents give us a better world than they had and are we giving our children a better world then we have? Where have we been and where are we going?

StellaByStarlite -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 5:35:47 AM)
Oh, no.. not another "good ol' days" POV. =) We did have massive shootings, yes indeed. Mass murder of American Indians. The psychos were around back then, as well. But without TV and other media, local atrocities and incidents remained unknown. I think it was Billy Joel who crooned " The good ol' days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems" ;) S

Real0ne -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 5:44:14 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: StellaByStarlite Oh, no.. not another "good ol' days" POV. =) We did have massive shootings, yes indeed. Mass murder of American Indians. The psychos were around back then, as well. But without TV and other media, local atrocities and incidents remained unknown. I think it was Billy Joel who crooned " The good ol' days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems" ;) S are you talking about the pioneers in the old west during the developement era or pre ww1 in general? The picture you just drew immediately put visions in my head of stalin and germany where they lined people up and shot them so they fell in the graves, or do you mean crazed people ran through an indian villiage shooting and killing as many as they could? So there never were any "good ole days" in your opinion?

sambamanslilgirl -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 6:03:02 AM)
what the hell is happening to America? every generation has been asking that question it's a downward spiral to the eve of destruction.

StellaByStarlite -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 6:08:35 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Real0ne are you talking about the pioneers in the old west during the developement era or pre ww1 in general? The picture you just drew immediately put visions in my head of stalin and germany where they lined people up and shot them so they fell in the graves, or do you mean crazed people ran through an indian villiage shooting and killing as many as they could? So there never were any "good ole days" in your opinion? I think that it's very tempting to romanticize our past, I've done my share of "good ol' days" musing. But if you really look at our past, you'll find that our ancestors had their share of shit to deal with. The Influenza epidemic, wars, random violence.. it was all there. We're just more aware of it now.

lockedaway -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 6:20:24 AM)
What the hell does "American Imperialism" have to do with this crap? What does "Is the new American way of life working?" mean? The guy that shot the students at Va.Tech was a chinese national here on a visa. I wish the new American way of life was to give out 75% fewer Visas but we're not that bright in this country. Sure society has changed terribly. Let me give you a few examples. In my opinion, NAFTA put a whole bunch of American folks out of work, raised the living standard for the rest of the world and lowered ours' collectively. We have fewer jobs and almost zero manufacturing that goes on in the country. The U.S. has largely been relegated to the position of a "middle man" in marketing the world's goods. In most families, both spouses HAVE to work in order to make ends meet. Why? Doesn't anyone, other than ME, say that it is in large part because of the government and the way we are being taxed? Ronald Reagan sought to simplify the tax code in the 1980's. He wiped out a number of write offs like the "hobby farm" etc. and he reduced the top tax bracket to 24% and reduced the lower tax brackets as well. The goal was not to increase tax revenue from any bracket but simply to reduce the size of the tax code. Fast forward to Slick Willy scumbag Bill Clinton (you may have to look at some of my other posts to under the myriad reasons why I detest this guy sooooo much.) Clinton comes in and bumps all of the tax brackets up and increases the maximum tax bracket to 38% and that is with all of the tax write offs still no longer applicable. The result is the highest peace time tax rate in our nation's history. Bush comes in and reduces taxes in all brackets and the highest bracket is now 34%. Do the math. Even with the tax cuts Bush made, we are still 10% higher than during Reagan or Bush Sr.'s administration. The democrats have already said that they intend to raise taxes to Clinton levels and possibly higher. Are you ready for that? Tell me who supports that kind of tax increase and why. We spend more on public schools than any country in the world and our public school system is seriously wanting. We are plagued by liberal teaching administrations and an emasculation of male students. Tons of books written on this if anyone wants to google it. The point that I'm making is that with each addition of another principal or vice principal or teacher raise or the creation of some new committee or re-zoning, or any increase in school beaurocracy, you get an increase in your property taxes. More money going to the govt and less to you. At the end of the day, take a moment and think about what taxes you will pay this year in the form of income tax to the Fed, state income tax, some state sales tax, federal sales taxes on alcohol and tobacco and gasoline, property taxes, registration fees and more. Out of every dollar you make, how much goes to taxes? For many of you, it is about 50% and for some of you it might even be a little bit more. Yes, our society has changed. We are taxed to death. We have a huge problem with illegal immigration which makes us taxed even more: illegals have no health insurance but get all medical services, pay no property taxes but get all police, fire, sanitation and educational services provided. In fact the only taxes paid by illegals are sales taxes which is why Forbes' idea of a 10% flat income tax with sales taxes on EVERYTHING you buy makes sense. It gets out hidden society to pay taxes, it doesn't over tax families and it is still revenue positive. HOWEVER, it still doesn't address that illegals will not pay into health care or social security. So, while we work to "get by" who is watching the kids? I'll leave it to the rest of you to discuss other societal changes that come from tv and cable programming, drugs and unsupervised access to the internet. But suffice it to say that our society has changed radically and there is no end in sight.

pahunkboy -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 6:42:19 AM)
at no time in history has the pace of change been what it is now. there has always been turmoil and scandalous events. consider the day 53 ppl seen a new york city woman raped in broad day light. each asssumed someone else would call for help. but did not. a years back kids in milwaukee invented a pasttime called wilding. wilding is where a pack attacks a person at random, simply for kicks. need i mention, charles manson, the boston strngler- al capone? how about the disappearance of jimmy hoffa. or helen brack? the image is that of decline- but i doubt it is any worse then 100 yrs ago. so why do ppl shoot up postal workers/co workers etc.?? when an animal is backed into a corner- it has no choice but to agress. such is why ppl snap- in their mind- there is no way out. period. teck has been a double edge sword. ild trade a week of online- to hear gram tell me about family history.......il love it. when the west was settled...not only did they fight the indians, but highway robbery was a fact of life too. now for the shocker: sit down. i mean SIT DOWN!!! does the decline of civility really bother you. then i challenge you to take action over the summer. kick around and explore ideas. maybe learn your neighbors name. if you have a mindless tv program on this very minute- you are more primal then you suspect. turn it OFF. take your head- garbage in, garbage out. having said that- perhaps we can coach eachother over the summer to make 2007 a dynamic and special time. for those that say it cant be done- then best start digging your grave site. death occurrs on more then just the breathing aspcet of humans.....

LadyEllen -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 7:09:42 AM)
Wonderful post PA E

LotusSong -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 7:28:51 AM)
What happened? Dr. Spock (pediatrician) "Don'tspank!", set no boundaries, "do your own thing".. and lord no.. don't Judge!!!! Oh.. and where were the National Guard troops like they called out on Kent State? That jerk that was "elected" is running the country into the ground for 8 years and frustrations surface in odd ways. (At least those are MY thoughts)

Devilslilsister -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 8:27:32 AM)
You know i hear that crap from my mother about the "no spanking thing" that is ruining america and the "kids today have too much" crap that is ruining america too. While i agree with her, its NOT whats ruining america. People today have MORE then yesterday and the decade before that and the decade before that. i looked at my mother and said "i'm sure your mother felt the same way - with you being able to get an education, go to work, and not have to stay at home pumping out kids getting beat up by your husband" Is it really all that worse? i dunno. Lets talk to some one in their 80's and get their view point. People tend to forget that - THERE IS NO BETTER. Just a trade off of problems. Sure people werent getting shot up in schools back in the 20's by other kids....... but werent they working in factories? Werent black people majorly discriminated against? Werent women discriminated against too? Yeah there are problems.. and the world is going to hell in a handbasket........... but hasnt it always? Whats new?

Arpig -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 8:41:48 AM)
quote: That jerk that was "elected" is running the country into the ground for 8 years and frustrations surface in odd ways. A school shooting is Bush's fault? Sorry but that statement takes american political partisanship to the absolute limit. A totally inane comment. Bush had fuck all to do with the shooting. Some kid snapped , that's what happened. I wouldn't be surprised if the kid didn't know who the fuck Bush was even

aviinterra -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 8:58:29 AM)
Some of random thoughts on this topic: I do not believe a better world is possible. With the fast spread of information and news, such tragic events as the shooting can only be repeated. The access to guns is not the question, it is the hopeless society we are in. Yes, past generations had it bad too, but never have they been so controlled, so afraid that a single thing like a bad credit score can deny them jobs, insurance and even a crappy apartment. The past generations would have never consented to such blatant intrusions as we have now into our everyday lives. It is only a matter of time before our tvs watch us too. Second, our advances have not really advanced us at all. Think about it- 100 years ago the water was cleaner and you never had to worry about dangerous genetic modifications in corn. Every thing you picked up was organic- the word did not even exist. Yes, the past was better in some of those ways. Men were men- not wimps who hide behind their spare tire of fat playing xbox games into their 40s, playing armchair general in the forums whenever they read something about Iran. Today we need to people to work overtime to support a family that 100 years ago a single male could support on a regular job. As much as an educated, equal society is a good thing, I do not believe that it can ever exist, and nor should it. There IS a need for the uneducated. What will we become when a janitor needs an MS in chemistry? I look at the current trend of overpriced colleges as just another tax to keep us down. And no, I do not believe the whole women's rights thing was such a bright idea. Where did it lead us if not into more economic misery as a nation? Women STILL make about 70 cents to a dollar for each man, they are still passed over for promotions, still excluded from certain industries. Nothing has really changed, and most women dont use their right to vote anyway. The same can be said about racial relations- racism is still in bloom, no matter how much we all try to hide and deny it under a cloak of political correctness. Ok, enough of this.

BOUNTYHUNTER -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 9:26:16 AM)
The problem as I see it is education and lack of employment.In some major cities you can't under stand the language the young people are speaking,Pop culture preaching terror, disrespect not not alone women but us all.Would you allow you daughter to walk alone downtown Dc or Detroit hell no..MY daughter works for GM in MI and when the shift changes all the women ban together to walk to the parking lot together.What is this saying about America today.I am puzzled as the rest of you are and the question remains "has it gone to far to fix"..I believe it has..bounty

Lashra -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 9:41:16 AM)
The problem is money and lack of education. People in America have been turned into material possesion hogs. Everyone wants the huge house and the big expensive car and the trips to Europe every year. Just gotta keep up with the family down the street they got a new giant screen TV well holy shit, lets skip paying the rent because we need one too! Thats the current mentality today. Yes families need at least two salaries just to keep pace with inflation and many are still struggling to get by. Most people cannot afford to send their children to college anymore because the cost of an education would bankrupt them and who the hell wants to take out a student loan that will take the rest of their lives to pay for? What I think we need to do is this. Stop invading other fucking countries and use that money for our education system. We need to stop out sourcing so many jobs and use the talent we have right here in the US. We need to stop the flow of immigrants into America and start focusing our attention on our own for awhile. Sorry but we have more than enough people in this country we do not need anymore, hell we can't take care of the ones that we have already! I think the Equal Rights Amendment needs to be passed. I think we could use more women in politics and the criminal justice system. I think we could use more men in childcare and nursing. Why? because children need positive role models of both genders. That is what these kids are missing these days no positive role models. People need to realize in order to go forward we need to stop relying on the cookie cutter mold gender roles of the past. Not everyone is wired to be June or Ward Cleaver. We need to accept people as they are and if that means being a happy homemaker or a lawyer so be it and gender shouldnt come into play there at all. Do what makes you happy as a person. I think we need to stop the corruption in this country but its so far gone now I can't really see that happening. People seem angry all of the time and the only way things are going to change is if we get off our asses and do something about it. But does anyone really know where to begin? ~Lashra

darcyinshadows -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 9:45:23 AM)
The term 'going to hell in a handcart' springs to mind, but the root of most of the problems seems to be $$$$ - namely that the government will not spend money to inprove the lot of their people (there are almost as many people without health insurance in the US as there are actual people in the whole of England - scary thought), but instead seem content to line their pockets with the profits of war (I'm looking at you Mr Rumsfeld) and to hell with everyone else. They live in their fancy gated estates, with round the clock surveillance and armed guards, so they sleep very well at night thank you, but everyone else? Pffft, not their concern.

farglebargle -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 9:46:57 AM)
See my tagline? Q.E.D.

darcyinshadows -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 9:47:53 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Lashra The problem is money and lack of education. People in America have been turned into material possesion hogs. Everyone wants the huge house and the big expensive car and the trips to Europe every year. Just gotta keep up with the family down the street they got a new giant screen TV well holy shit, lets skip paying the rent because we need one too! Thats the current mentality today. Yes families need at least two salaries just to keep pace with inflation and many are still struggling to get by. Most people cannot afford to send their children to college anymore because the cost of an education would bankrupt them and who the hell wants to take out a student loan that will take the rest of their lives to pay for? What I think we need to do is this. Stop invading other fucking countries and use that money for our education system. We need to stop out sourcing so many jobs and use the talent we have right here in the US. We need to stop the flow of immigrants into America and start focusing our attention on our own for awhile. Sorry but we have more than enough people in this country we do not need anymore, hell we can't take care of the ones that we have already! I think the Equal Rights Amendment needs to be passed. I think we could use more women in politics and the criminal justice system. I think we could use more men in childcare and nursing. Why? because children need positive role models of both genders. That is what these kids are missing these days no positive role models. People need to realize in order to go forward we need to stop relying on the cookie cutter mold gender roles of the past. Not everyone is wired to be June or Ward Cleaver. We need to accept people as they are and if that means being a happy homemaker or a lawyer so be it and gender shouldnt come into play there at all. Do what makes you happy as a person. I think we need to stop the corruption in this country but its so far gone now I can't really see that happening. People seem angry all of the time and the only way things are going to change is if we get off our asses and do something about it. But does anyone really know where to begin? ~Lashra applauds Very well said, Lashra.

BOUNTYHUNTER -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 9:56:12 AM)
MY health insurance is covered by uncle SAM my employer and DIANE'S blue cross cost me a bunch a month out of pocket what does that tell you?I am glad my kids are out on their own for I couldn't afford their health care theses days and times..bounty

juliaoceania -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 10:45:02 AM)
There was organized crime in New York and Chicago with shoot outs and keystone cops way back when... remember the Zoot Suits and prohibition, the Valentine's Day Massacre? These things are nothing new. Before that there were bank robberies and train robberies. Then before that there were the Vikings... there truly were never any days that man was not out killing man... accurate weapons do make it easier though

Jack45 -> RE: What The Hell is Happening To America? (4/17/2007 10:51:15 AM)
You are right. Children often toted guns to school just a generation or two ago. No school shootings. In fact the worst "Crimes" in schools were, in the 1950s, running in the halls, talking in class and gum chewing. The old America, some said, was a bad place, didn't have "flava", now we gots lots of flava. It was patriarchal, religious, sexist, racist, you know the usual. I pretty much figure it is moribund. Enjoy.

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