America is not happy. All politicians approval ratings are in the shitter - Polidicks

That post was to strike at the fact that everyone is just going to complain about everything, year after year, and month after month, with no break. Because nothing is ever perfect enough for all of you to just stop complaining and relax.

I mean, if you learn that people are struggling with the current system and think it's alright, then I think you need to be a bit more compassionate. If you don't feel like it affects you, fine, but if you think nothing should change because of that then yeah, that's egoistical. [editline]11th August 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;45659518]That post was to strike at the fact that everyone is just going to complain about everything, year after year, and month after month, with no break. Because nothing is ever perfect enough for all of you to just stop complaining and relax.[/QUOTE] Easy for you to say, how can someone who works two jobs and can't buy enough food for his own family relax?

[QUOTE=_Axel;45659519]I mean, if you learn that people are struggling with the current system and think it's alright, then I think you need to be a bit more compassionate. If you don't feel like it affects you, fine, but if you think nothing should change because of that then yeah, that's egoistical. [editline]11th August 2014[/editline] Easy for you to say, how can someone who works two jobs and can't buy enough food relax?[/QUOTE] Easier for you to say, all you're doing is sitting at your computer like an armchair Political expert. Pfft, like I said, go to D.C. and whine where the Congressmen will actually hear you.

[QUOTE=BananaFoam;45658698]-good points- [I]America has always been a shitstain on the world,[/I] -more good points-[/QUOTE] I don't think we've [B]always[/B] been a shitstain. For a good long time, yes, but at the start we had something promising going. The idea of telling the British monarchy to stuff it and making a new democracy-type government that put the people first was a big and hopeful risk. The basic principles behind the foundation of America are actually pretty damn good, and America's old status as a refuge for many unaccepted/fleeing people of almost any culture was revolutionary. It clearly wasn't a recipe for Utopia, but it was a hell of a lot better than a lot of places at the time. Sadly, though, the degrading effects of both time and generations of self-serving greed have warped everything into a mockery of its original state. America was founded as a nation where citizens weren't ruled over by an untouchable and infinitely-wealthy king, but now it's even worse, since we have hundreds of these "kings" looming over us and protecting each other. A nation founded to give the people power has taken all of it from them, and a nation meant to give freedom to all has become a place where enough money or lack thereof can rip away your freedom entirely. As far as I'm concerned, America is just another failed experiment in a long line of attempts to make new and better governments. It was a damn good try, and it's taken us closer to finding the next iteration that works even better, but it's gotten long in the tooth. Like all massive and powerful empires, it started off small, grew into a wealthy and prosperous behemoth, and gave its people wonderful lives during its golden age. However, also like all empires, it's hit the age of decay where it begins to collapse from within, cannibalizing itself and its people to prolong its death. It's happened with every great empire, and even with all of the safety-nets and precautions in place in modern times, I don't see why or how it can't happen to America anytime soon. Like you said, the ship is sinking. America's pretty much done for, and unless some kind of Christmas miracle happens where all of the greedy fools running us all into the ground evaporate and the systems they broke magically fix themselves, we're inevitably fucked. On the bright side though, America was founded by colonists wanting to escape a corrupt empire and establish a new and better government, so it'd be fitting for history to repeat itself. Hell, a lot of nations have taken our freedom-ball and run with it like modders tweaking a game, making their own versions of our governmental systems to suit their own needs

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;45659538]Easier for you to say, all you're doing is sitting at your computer like an armchair Political expert. Pfft, like I said, go to D.C. and whine where the Congressmen will actually hear you.[/QUOTE] I'm no American, my feedback wouldn't be taken into account. Doesn't mean I can't feel sorry for all these chaps who give it their all and get nothing in return.

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;45659396]You ever heard the story about the story that's trying to make a point that we've all heard a thousand times?[/QUOTE] The funny thing is that you're proving my point in this thread.

Yeah I'm done here, you all obviously don't think about where I'm even coming from, and just using what I'm explicitly saying to rally your points as I'm some evil asshole and not just someone who doesn't give a crap and would rather just relax.

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin]-stuff-[/QUOTE] I don't mean to be rude, but you really seem to be coming off as having the attitude of "Fuck you, got mine." That may or may not be your intention, but it really sounds like that's what you're saying. I think your intention is to say that things aren't really that bad, and that the status quo is fine, but it's really not okay anymore. When the status quo is getting royally fucked over each and every day by as many groups and individuals as possible, things need to change. Also, coincidentally, the "fuck you, got mine" attitude is a big part of why things are so fucked up in this country. We have scores of politicians, businessmen and other such folk stepping on everyone in their way on their journey to look out only for themselves. Corporations, political parties, even some religious groups are a part of this awful mindset, where the only thing that matters is you/your friends, and everyone else can go eat shit.

I feel like all your government cares about is meddling in other people's business. And by doing so, they completely ignore the needs of their own people.

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;45659411]But I don't think anything is wrong. I'm not struggling under the American Government. I feel no strife or stress besides personal family issues. I'm content because none of what everyone is saying, is truly affecting me, thus I ask, why should I join in this orchestra of whining?[/QUOTE] Hello. I'm the guy who just got done with the massive rant about all the terrible shit in this country that [I]doesn't[/I] affect me. You should care because YOU LIVE HERE. America is still your country, regardless of whether or not you see any of its ills. For example, Comcast doesn't fuck me over personally, but I still hate them because they fuck over many other people. The horrid political and economic system in America actually favors people like me, but that doesn't mean I will ignore or overlook it. You selfishness is just one example of why this country is going in the shitter. This individualistic attitude that is so ingrained in our culture is the cancer that has been eating away at America since day one. We need compassion for our fellow Americans and their struggles, not shoving them aside because "it doesn't affect me". Other successful countries are successful because the people in them give a shit about their countrymen, but the US is failing because everyone here views it like a "competition", a "race to the top", and everyone else is in your way. If people are struggling, they "didn't try hard enough", if people are well off, they "got lucky". And the worst part is that this is a consumer mindset. Companies leech of the ideas of social competition; it's how they sell you increasingly useless, stupid, expensive bullshit just to elevate yourself. Its a competition for having the most and best shit. Once again, I am going on a bit of a tangent, but my point is that Americans don't care about their fellow Americans, and it is killing us. A nation divided cannot stand, and I think more and more people realize that we are stuck in this shit [I]together.[/I] [editline]11th August 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=TurboSax;45659555]I don't think we've [B]always[/B] been a shitstain. For a good long time, yes, but at the start we had something promising going. The idea of telling the British monarchy to stuff it and making a new democracy-type government that put the people first was a big and hopeful risk. The basic principles behind the foundation of America are actually pretty damn good, and America's old status as a refuge for many unaccepted/fleeing people of almost any culture was revolutionary. It clearly wasn't a recipe for Utopia, but it was a hell of a lot better than a lot of places at the time. Sadly, though, the degrading effects of both time and generations of self-serving greed have warped everything into a mockery of its original state. America was founded as a nation where citizens weren't ruled over by an untouchable and infinitely-wealthy king, but now it's even worse, since we have hundreds of these "kings" looming over us and protecting each other. A nation founded to give the people power has taken all of it from them, and a nation meant to give freedom to all has become a place where enough money or lack thereof can rip away your freedom entirely. As far as I'm concerned, America is just another failed experiment in a long line of attempts to make new and better governments. It was a damn good try, and it's taken us closer to finding the next iteration that works even better, but it's gotten long in the tooth. Like all massive and powerful empires, it started off small, grew into a wealthy and prosperous behemoth, and gave its people wonderful lives during its golden age. However, also like all empires, it's hit the age of decay where it begins to collapse from within, cannibalizing itself and its people to prolong its death. It's happened with every great empire, and even with all of the safety-nets and precautions in place in modern times, I don't see why or how it can't happen to America anytime soon. Like you said, the ship is sinking. America's pretty much done for, and unless some kind of Christmas miracle happens where all of the greedy fools running us all into the ground evaporate and the systems they broke magically fix themselves, we're inevitably fucked. On the bright side though, America was founded by colonists wanting to escape a corrupt empire and establish a new and better government, so it'd be fitting for history to repeat itself. Hell, a lot of nations have taken our freedom-ball and run with it like modders tweaking a game, making their own versions of our governmental systems to suit their own needs[/QUOTE] But that isn't true. Look at our founding fathers, people so ingrained in our culture that they have become legend. The history books pass off the revolution as "discontented Middleclassmen like the Founding Fathers chafed under British taxes and wanted to promote freedom, liberty, and democracy". Some of that is true: some of our Founding Fathers did give a shit about the ideals, but most people forget that the Founding Fathers were, well, [I]people.[/I] People are ambitious, greedy, and will stop at nothing to get more. Competition is naturally part of our mindset: it helped our ancestors survive and reproduce and it has been stuck with us ever since. When you look at the leaders of the revolution, they were all rich, white, plantation owning colonists. They didn't suffer under British taxes at all, but they realized that if they were independent, they could make a [I]hell[/I] of a lot more money. They used the discontented Middle Class, essentially started a propaganda war with the Brits, and never settled for any British compromise, even when the British actually gave them fair concessions. As I said: not every one of them was a greedy dick, but most of them were. If you look at the war and the reasons for independence, the upper class were the ones who profited more from British independence. And most of them were [I]both[/I] greedy assholes and the freedom fighters we bill them as, because it isn't impossible to be both. But their motivation was not all rosy-cheeked "give me your tired, your hungry, your poor", it was mostly for their own personal gain. Almost every war in history was started because someone had something to gain from it. Did it make them wrong to start the war? Of course not. Democracy exists for a reason. Even when it sucks, at least it sucks consistently, and a bad democracy does much less damage than a bad monarch/dictator (as we see now: most of the time a bad democracy is just corrupt and ineffective). So lets not sugar coat it like so many history teachers have already. America was never very good, but like I said the world around them sucked just as bad (or far, far worse). America was the prize turd in the bowl, but it was still a turd, rife with corruption and political infighting from day one. Now that we aren't the prize turd and many other turds have become less shitty, America is starting to show its true colors.

[QUOTE=BananaFoam;45659773] [editline]11th August 2014[/editline] But that isn't true. Look at our founding fathers, people so ingrained in our culture that they have become legend. The history books pass off the revolution as "discontented Middleclassmen like the Founding Fathers chafed under British taxes and wanted to promote freedom, liberty, and democracy". Some of that is true: some of our Founding Fathers did give a shit about the ideals, but most people forget that the Founding Fathers were, well, [I]people.[/I] People are ambitious, greedy, and will stop at nothing to get more. Competition is naturally part of our mindset: it helped our ancestors survive and reproduce and it has been stuck with us ever since. When you look at the leaders of the revolution, they were all rich, white, plantation owning colonists. They didn't suffer under British taxes at all, but they realized that if they were independent, they could make a [I]hell[/I] of a lot more money. They used the discontented Middle Class, essentially started a propaganda war with the Brits, and never settled for any British compromise, even when the British actually gave them fair concessions. As I said: not every one of them was a greedy dick, but most of them were. If you look at the war and the reasons for independence, the upper class were the ones who profited more from British independence. And most of them were [I]both[/I] greedy assholes and the freedom fighters we bill them as, because it isn't impossible to be both. But their motivation was not all rosy-cheeked "give me your tired, your hungry, your poor", it was mostly for their own personal gain. Almost every war in history was started because someone had something to gain from it. Did it make them wrong to start the war? Of course not. Democracy exists for a reason. Even when it sucks, at least it sucks consistently, and a bad democracy does much less damage than a bad monarch/dictator (as we see now: most of the time a bad democracy is just corrupt and ineffective). So lets not sugar coat it like so many history teachers have already. America was never very good, but like I said the world around them sucked just as bad (or far, far worse). America was the prize turd in the bowl, but it was still a turd, rife with corruption and political infighting from day one. Now that we aren't the prize turd and many other turds have become less shitty, America is starting to show its true colors.[/QUOTE] Good point, I hadn't thought of it like that. I suppose our good actions and creations as a nation were more positive accidents/stepping stones to profit than they were good-hearted efforts. Makes sense that something as shitty and corrupted as America is now would have to have the seeds planted at the start. Even the biggest fuck-ups and assholes will eventually get something right/do something good if given enough time. We at least brought the concepts of people-run governments and high levels of individual freedom back into style, before all of that polish applied to the metaphorical turd that is America washed off.

America has seen something like the current situation today before. 140 years ago, in the 1880-1890s, the American government was filled with way to much corruption and money. And they fixed that? How? I don't know, and am to lazy to look it up, but someone else may be able to figure it out. To figure out the future, look to the past.

I don't want look like I'm pushing something here, but everyone should get involved in this. [url]http://www.wolf-pac.com/[/url] It won't fix all problems, or even most. But I see this as something attainable. If any of you mention this to any of your friends or find a good opportunity to talk about it, we could get something done. The score is 2/34 for a convention, with 11 more in the works.

BBQ at my house every week, that's how i'll raise mine.

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;45659411]But I don't think anything is wrong. I'm not struggling under the American Government. I feel no strife or stress besides personal family issues. I'm content because none of what everyone is saying, is truly affecting me, thus I ask, why should I join in this orchestra of whining?[/QUOTE] "I'm not affected so nothing is wrong why should I care?" This is absolute worst attitude to have and it's a good part of the reason why things are really the way they are. If you would actually 'look' instead of pretending to know anything about what's going on in the country and in the world, you'd find out that something is very VERY wrong.

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;45659411]But I don't think anything is wrong. I'm not struggling under the American Government. I feel no strife or stress besides personal family issues. I'm content because none of what everyone is saying, is truly affecting me, thus I ask, why should I join in this orchestra of whining?[/QUOTE] "I'm living a rich and comfortable life, so I don't see why I should care about those who are suffering homelessness, extreme poverty and dying because of a broken system that makes it a crime to be poor." -Pvt. Martin 2014 If you were walking down the street and you saw a person being raped by a gang of armed people in an alley, would you not skip a step and keep walking because it doesn't effect you and thus you don't see a reason to care?

[QUOTE=patq911;45660136]I don't want look like I'm pushing something here, but everyone should get involved in this. [url]http://www.wolf-pac.com/[/url] It won't fix all problems, or even most. But I see this as something attainable. If any of you mention this to any of your friends or find a good opportunity to talk about it, we could get something done. The score is 2/34 for a convention, with 11 more in the works.[/QUOTE] What about Mayday PAC.

[QUOTE=TornadoAP;45660135]America has seen something like the current situation today before. 140 years ago, in the 1880-1890s, the American government was filled with way to much corruption and money. And they fixed that? How? I don't know, and am to lazy to look it up, but someone else may be able to figure it out. To figure out the future, look to the past.[/QUOTE] We didn't fix it. America got lucky because the first world war came around to distract the people, and the peace after caused the booming 20's, and then when shit got even worse because we never actually fixed anything, the second world war came around to distract the people again. America has never fixed any of its problems, just found a reason to shove them under the rug and hope they don't find their way back out until it's not the current politicians' problem.

Anyone else watch Regular Car Reviews? The guy who does them made a comment referring to the 2010s as the second coming of the 1970s. Perpetual unemployment, a shit economy for everyone that doesn't work on Wall Street, energy issues, an ineffectual Democratic president saddled by war and an uncooperative Congress, the general "everything is shit" malaise attitude... I think he's got a point. We're living through our generation's version of the 1970s. Hopefully it doesn't end with some smooth-talking Republican sweeping into office and ruining the country for another 30 years.

[QUOTE=The Party Spy;45659772]I feel like all your government cares about is meddling in other people's business. And by doing so, they completely ignore the needs of their own people.[/QUOTE] They only care about themselves and their assets, hence why each party want the power to force their laws that benefit their assets.

[QUOTE=draugur;45660449]We didn't fix it. America got lucky because the first world war came around to distract the people, and the peace after caused the booming 20's, and then when shit got even worse because we never actually fixed anything, the second world war came around to distract the people again. America has never fixed any of its problems, just found a reason to shove them under the rug and hope they don't find their way back out until it's not the current politicians' problem.[/QUOTE] and you're saying the rest of the world doesn't do the exact same thing all the time?

[QUOTE=JXZ;45661787]and you're saying the rest of the world doesn't do the exact same thing all the time?[/QUOTE] I never said that. I simply said that we did it. Don't be stupid.

[QUOTE=draugur;45660449]We didn't fix it. America got lucky because the first world war came around to distract the people, and the peace after caused the booming 20's, and then when shit got even worse because we never actually fixed anything, the second world war came around to distract the people again. America has never fixed any of its problems, just found a reason to shove them under the rug and hope they don't find their way back out until it's not the current politicians' problem.[/QUOTE] No we fixed them, but only temporarily. Two of the biggest things were that Corporations were monopolizing industries and that people would get a job but have to vote for a candidate to get those jobs. The first one was dealt with pretty clearly buy the Sherman Anti-trust act and it's successors, and the second one was dealt with some legislation as well, but I don't remember which one. Of course greed always finds a way to get back into politics somehow.

Of course america isn't happy. I'm not happy, my friends aren't happy, and a lot of the neighbors I know aren't happy either. It's sad to think that we live in a terrible country, but it's sadly somewhat true. We've just deluded ourselves into thinking it's not bad because we're distracted by visions of lust, greed, and vanity. When you peel off the vinyl layer surrounding things and look at the way things are, you'd wonder how anyone ever manages to live a happy life here. I myself am quite in the shitter lately, since my healthcare rate just went up and I cannot afford to pay it anymore. I lose coverage in a month's time, and there's nothing I can do about it but try to find a less expensive provider. Funny how you have to enslave yourself to the system in order to not die.

[QUOTE=TornadoAP;45662083]No we fixed them, but only temporarily. Two of the biggest things were that Corporations were monopolizing industries and that people would get a job but have to vote for a candidate to get those jobs. The first one was dealt with pretty clearly buy the Sherman Anti-trust act and it's successors, and the second one was dealt with some legislation as well, but I don't remember which one. Of course greed always finds a way to get back into politics somehow.[/QUOTE] The only human-made concepts that can give time and death a run for their collective money in terms of omnipresence and inevitability are greed and corruption. Hopefully we get a solution to all this shit soon, be it another loop like before, a complete change which sets us on the path to becoming a better nation, or a final collapse that'll make someone rise from the ashes. A change of any kind is better in the long run than letting this horrible state of affairs continue perpetually.

[QUOTE=BananaFoam;45658698]Politics is a fucking grudge match that sees less involvement from the citizens than the average debate on which Twilight character was better for Bella. Its fucking pitiful that our citizens are either so apathetic as to not want to do anything, or would rather have it boiled down into simple party loyalty bullshit so their pea-brained minds can comprehend it and they don't have to do the work of "researching candidates" or "making an informed decision". Part of that is the lack of education here. Nobody values it because anything that doesn't immediately land you a job is a waste of money. And why should citizens have to pay for education? It should be a guaranteed right, but that would mean the colleges that undoubtedly contribute to the shitty lobbies will no longer contribute, and the big boys in charge lose some more money. Same with healthcare. You know you live in a shit place when keeping people alive is a business.[/QUOTE] I really want to make a point here. Education [I]is[/I] valued here, but only to a certain extent. You're right about us just focusing on securing employment and that our education system is fundamentally busted, but we're not all peabrained and too apathetic to really care about politics. It's actually a bit darker than that, in my own view. See, education is necessary to maintain a stable living here, but it's not what you learn but what the magic numbers, your GPA, is. In the end, that's all you need to have to help you secure a job [I]the first go around[/I] or get into uni [I]in order to get another set of numbers[/I] to either get a better job or get into another school and the process repeats itself. Education itself is valued, after all we need it to get a job, but we just want something that'll get our foot through the door to deans and employers, not something that gives us a vast amount of knowledge that isn't necessary to that end. It's not necessary to [I]survive[/I]. Now, I tried writing a rant about this but it went really off-point so let me try to skim it down to the key points I had. In America, we have something of a "survivalist culture" for people who don't have a whole lot of disposable income. This is because we don't have nearly as many safety nets as, say, the E.U. or even Canada which is really similar to the U.S. in a lot of ways. The only sure safety net is a good, stable job, and even that's not very sure because you could just as easily lose it. And without a good, stable job, there's a good chance you could die from lack of money for healthcare, utilities, or even your shelter. There's a very good chance that, if you don't have a job for an extended period of time, you could find yourself on the street if all of your safety nets break (which they have a habit of doing sometimes in the States). Of course, if you don't die, you will have an extremely low quality of life from crippling poverty which is of itself incredibly difficult to get out of, too. That's why education is only valued as much as it is, because you need a certain level of education just to get a job in order to simply [I]survive[/I]. This is also why voter apathy is such a huge problem, because some people just can't afford to pay a whole lot of attention to politics because in the very end they're too busy worrying about problems that hit so much closer to home (like debt and such, or trying to make ends meet, or trying to scrounge up enough money for food, healthcare, etc) to worry about politics. Or, either separately from it or in addition to it, they realize that the government no longer values their interests but instead of going up in arms about it, they take the "sad drunk" routine to it where you just try to distract yourself from all the problems and pretend everything is all right. That sounds like an incredibly wrong thing to do, but ask yourself, why take on undue stress from things [I]you can't really control[/I]? Voting in change is a team effort, but so many people have gone "sad drunk" that the people that want change stay apathetic because everyone else is. It's a cyclical problem that's really, really hard to get out of. It's not that we're peabrained and too stupid to realize what we're doing, we're actually quite realistic and we are too weary trying to make it day to day instead of trying to do anything about it. The only people that can remain devoted to politics are the people whose lives are immediately threatened by legislation, the people that are paid to pay attention to or do something about political issues, or people that have a comfortable amount of disposable income and/or free time.

[QUOTE=xxfalconxx;45662303]Of course america isn't happy. I'm not happy, my friends aren't happy, and a lot of the neighbors I know aren't happy either. It's sad to think that we live in a terrible country, but it's sadly somewhat true. We've just deluded ourselves into thinking it's not bad because we're distracted by visions of lust, greed, and vanity. When you peel off the vinyl layer surrounding things and look at the way things are, you'd wonder how anyone ever manages to live a happy life here. I myself am quite in the shitter lately, since my healthcare rate just went up and I cannot afford to pay it anymore. I lose coverage in a month's time, and there's nothing I can do about it but try to find a less expensive provider. Funny how you have to enslave yourself to the system in order to not die.[/QUOTE] I can't say I'm sure how to possibly live a happy life here either. Most likely through self-delusion, acting like just doing your job and enjoying your off-time will make everything okay. Some people make things better by getting unusual entertainment jobs and effectively side-stepping most of the crappy systems, but the chances of having the holy trifecta of talent, connections and pure luck together and in proper quantities is insanely-low for most people. That reminds me of something. I can't help but wonder, for the sake of knowing, what countries out there do a better job of being what America claims it is than we do? There has to be at least one nation out there that can be truthfully-called "America, except not shitty". I'm genuinely curious about this.

hearing about this makes me wish I actually had money to move out of the united states and live somewhere in england... I guess I might need at least 15K of united states dollars just for: -transportation via air flight -visa along with open borders -money to own a house/apartments -eligible to work -learning about the culture and how things work in england. If I ever be able to do this, then life will be better for me then living here in the united states where everything is falling apart... hell I be lucky enough to ever GET A DAMN JOB and get money off of this 8 dollar an hour jobs here in Louisville, Kentucky.

[QUOTE=TurboSax;45662390]I can't say I'm sure how to possibly live a happy life here either. Most likely through self-delusion, acting like just doing your job and enjoying your off-time will make everything okay. Some people make things better by getting unusual entertainment jobs and effectively side-stepping most of the crappy systems, but the chances of having the holy trifecta of talent, connections and pure luck together and in proper quantities is insanely-low for most people. That reminds me of something. I can't help but wonder, for the sake of knowing, what countries out there do a better job of being what America claims it is than we do? There has to be at least one nation out there that can be truthfully-called "America, except not shitty". I'm genuinely curious about this.[/QUOTE] Yet when people do actual studies on happiness the US stands above most of Europe. The scandinavian countries are unanimously high, but once you get to mainland Europe only Austria beats the US. ([URL]http://unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/WorldHappinessReport2013_online.pdf[/URL] , pg. 23).

Guys, we have the power to override the federal government completely. Article 5.