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

I've spoken to a few Americans on skype and what not and they hate the politics there, so I really can't blame you guys Major reforms need to happen but I feel as if that won't be possible with any government and steps into office

hello guys, I have to say something weird here. While it doesn't look that way at all, all the dissatisfaction is great progress. It wont just change things but it is a change in it self. Politicians only care about people who care what happens. If you keep sucking it up and just accept anything things wont stay the way they are but will get worse ever year. Ever more grim, up to the point where you start caring again. The opinions from people who dont care about your country are only interesting to the politicians if everyone else stays in bed. You seem to have sort of forgotten who you are? I urge you to study the illustration here: [url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/19/%3Fp%3D70011/[/url] And sort this thing by spending per capita (by clicking on the box above the table) [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_research_and_development_spending#List[/url] It seems only the will power to improve is missing? It wasn't a lack of scientists or a lack of money. Look at that warshingtoon post image, look at countries like Saudi Arabia. What a joke? They have lots of immigrants too you know? Ignore Israel and look at Greece, Finland and India. Can you even find Russia? Look how small the budget is in Canada, Australia and Germany? It seems to me if you fix education, build a social system, fire a few politicians and stop pulling the wool over your eyes you have a glorious future ahead of you. (If you want that)

I feel some of it is a little on the conspiracy side, but alot is blatantly true: [video=youtube;mII9NZ8MMVM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mII9NZ8MMVM[/video]

[QUOTE=Swilly;45658675]The issue is we put those money leaching douchbags into office. A government only functions as well and as efficiently as its populace. The American people have no one to blame but themselves since the government ultimately answers to them but we don't do shit with it. I'm so sick of blaming a government that can't function if people don't fucking vote.[/QUOTE] Which is why people need to be made aware that other options exist. Even when the third party candidates inevitably fail due to lack of funding/a rigged game, the amount of votes the corporate pandering parties aren't getting will send a pretty powerful message to them.

[QUOTE=Fhenexx;45662327]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] Yeah, you're right. That goes hand in hand with the whole "competition" stuff I was spewing earlier. America is just depressing. Once again, the only reason I've retained my sanity is because my personal life is actually good, but even then we never hear the end of our expenses for medical bills or cable bills or to put my brother through college. Americans just have to spend more time worrying about [I]everything.[/I] When I explain to fuckwits like my Libertarian teacher (who is one of those turds who appears to be stuck in the Cold War and thinks Reagen is the best and Europe's a bunch of commies) why Europe is better, I have to explain that it isn't that they make more or have more money or pay less for their shit. On the contrary, so much of a family's income in most Western European countries is deducted to pay for public services -much more than it costs for an American family to pay- and their goods are all more expensive, but European families don't have to [I]worry[/I] and stress over things like finances because their healthcare, education, and other expenses that make Americans pull hairs are already paid for. They know if they accidentally overspend on groceries, they will still be alright because everything they need for survival is covered. Americans don't. We have to worry if we have enough to pay our deductibles were we to be injured, or saving up for a child's college fund, or even just [I]paying the damned bills.[/I] But of course, we can't have a system like that, because "I don't want my tax money going to some lazy poor person". I want to punch people like that.

And nothing is gonna happen about it. lol

make me emperor i will restructure our country and then take over the world and everybody will be happy vote ridingkeys 2014

The United States still has a higher average wage and lower cost of living than most European countries, along with a higher GDP than the entire European Union. We're doing just fine Sources for those who disagree: Median income: [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_wage[/URL] Cost of living: [URL]http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp[/URL] GDP: [URL="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2001.html"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)[/URL]

I don't even think that life being "bad" here is a reason people are upset, because in all honesty, as shitty as the government is, a large majority of people in the US are living comfortable and good lives, which very well could be part of the problem. A reason I'm sure of that a lot of US citizens are so pissed is that we could still be so much better- we have the income, capability, resources, the people, the power the will to use these, etc. The only thing we seem to NOT have is a functioning government that's able to put those to work to getting us towards being even greater. We kind of stagnated from being essentially a world leader to just a rather large superpower, which still, all things considered, is still pretty alright, for a nation that'd be will to setting with being "alright". But with all the shit we have access to we could propel ourselves even farther up there, if we had a government that was willing to quit the selfish as fuck bickering on both sides and work on putting our considerable resources towards the future. It's literally the only thing holding us back at this point. Just about every politician in the Government should be thrown out on the street for the massive shit show that has been the last few years and presidencies. Who knows, maybe one day it'll change. I guess the fact that everyone is so dissatisfied with the general state of the government is at least sort of progress in this situation. I suppose eventually either the people who cause all of the bullshit here will either get voted out in a long, drawn out way, or someone will storm into congress and throw these fuckers in a cell somewhere nice and dark.

[QUOTE=SomeRandomGuy18;45664585]The United States still has a higher average wage and lower cost of living than most European countries, along with a higher GDP than the entire European Union. We're doing just fine Sources for those who disagree: Median income: [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_wage[/URL] Cost of living: [URL]http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp[/URL] GDP: [URL="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2001.html"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)[/URL][/QUOTE] Economy doesn't tell the whole story.

I'm gonna be mayor one day, I don't know why. and I don't when but its gonna happen eventually.

[QUOTE=BananaFoam;45664121]Yeah, you're right. That goes hand in hand with the whole "competition" stuff I was spewing earlier. America is just depressing. Once again, the only reason I've retained my sanity is because my personal life is actually good, but even then we never hear the end of our expenses for medical bills or cable bills or to put my brother through college. Americans just have to spend more time worrying about [I]everything.[/I] When I explain to fuckwits like my Libertarian teacher (who is one of those turds who appears to be stuck in the Cold War and thinks Reagen is the best and Europe's a bunch of commies) why Europe is better, I have to explain that it isn't that they make more or have more money or pay less for their shit. On the contrary, so much of a family's income in most Western European countries is deducted to pay for public services -much more than it costs for an American family to pay- and their goods are all more expensive, but European families don't have to [I]worry[/I] and stress over things like finances because their healthcare, education, and other expenses that make Americans pull hairs are already paid for. They know if they accidentally overspend on groceries, they will still be alright because everything they need for survival is covered. Americans don't. We have to worry if we have enough to pay our deductibles were we to be injured, or saving up for a child's college fund, or even just [I]paying the damned bills.[/I] But of course, we can't have a system like that, because "I don't want my tax money going to some lazy poor person". I want to punch people like that.[/QUOTE] Agreed. We all just mock those sissy commie Europeans because we can't wrap our heads around how we would live our lives if we didn't have to worry about whether we were going to earn a survival-level income this month. We scream "Get a job, be self reliant, don't ask for a handout!" at people poorer than us, then go home and try to decide whether to pay for food or heat this month. It's just so fucking depressing. Guaranteed healthcare and a basic guaranteed income wouldn't bankrupt the country, and it would make virtually everything about this country better. It wouldn't even create a permanent underclass of people dependent on the government. Just knowing it would be there if you needed it would be enough! Believe it or not, most people don't dream of lying on the sofa all day waiting for the next gub'ment check to arrive. When they don't spend all day either trying to pay the bills or avoid spending money, people turn their energy toward finding something to do. They look for a job, they start a business, they learn to paint, they do something that stimulates the economy. People only give up and lay around when they're barely surviving and are so beaten down by the societal shame of accepting a handout that they don't bother trying anymore. Ugh god damnit fuck this country. How are we not capable of looking at other places in the world and seeing that they have it better than we do? How are we not demanding that America, the richest nation in the world, provide it's citizens with the same basic securities as freaking France? FRANCE! Do we care that much about tax cuts for rich people? Are we so deluded that we still think we're the greatest nation in the world?

[QUOTE=Kuro.;45656493]What needs to be done is a well organized campaign educating the public about whose interests Dems and Republicans really serve, where their money is coming from, how little they are doing, and just generally how voting for either of them in any way is a vote for the special interests and big corporations they really serve. If you can convey those facts in a way that even the dumbest bible belter can understand, you can bet the other candidates will get a larger share of the vote.[/QUOTE] Guess what's gonna happen to anyone who tries to do that. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;45659275]Obamacare Pretty sure that kind of abuse really only happens in China, and if in America, unfortunatly only to illegal Immigrants. Oh please, do tell me who this person is, so we can elect him as our savior of America for a few years, then go back to whining and complaining about this shit all over again? Name that system, we're all ears.[/QUOTE] Every single thread about American politics you go in, the ONLY SINGLE fucking thing you say is "I don't want things to change because nobody can tell me exactly what they want to change". [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=UziXxX;45662746]Guys, we have the power to override the federal government completely. Article 5.[/QUOTE] This is so hilariously ironic. You know what Article V is in Europe? "Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (Art.5 ECHR for short) provides that everyone has the right to liberty and security of person."

[QUOTE=Shirky;45657315]Ive been wondering, what really sets America apart from any other country that makes it "good or better". Like, what does it have that would make people want to live there and be happy, compared to other countries?[/QUOTE] For me it's being able to enjoy the hobbies of target shooting and muscle cars in relative peace and in a somewhat affordable manner.

[QUOTE=ilikecorn;45655454]I dunno, i'm pretty unhappy that our infrastructure is crumbling, our schools are the laughing stock of the world, our government acts as the world police, we have almost no safety net for if you lose your job, or you get injured, our healthcare is expensive as fuck, and there's no public option; and if you don't have insurance you're committing a crime.. i'd say i'm pretty unhappy because of the things that make me unhappy.[/QUOTE] You have other things to be happy about.. like the most aircraft carriers in the world, and wayfarer sunglasses, best looking actors and films with the biggest budgets. Oh and then there's the annual presidential turkey pardoning, so that's something to be happy about. Last year they even spared two turkeys!

Sometimes I wonder how many Americans complaining about how terrible America has become have actually lived somewhere else, or are old enough to have any sense about how things used to be. America has always been shitty because [i]everywhere[/i] has always been shitty. In spite of the universal shittiness of the human condition, our job market is relatively stable, our people are relatively well-taken-care of, our politics are relatively free from corruption. Over the last century, pretty much everything has gotten demonstrably better. If you have a roof over your head, a supermarket full of fresh food down the street, clean running water, stable electricity, and can vote in elections while being reasonably sure that the ballots aren't being stuffed, you have it better than the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world. We have a poor healthcare system, yet people regularly survive illnesses that are lethal in the developing world. We have a struggling educational system, yet we churn out so many skilled professionals that they have to compete for jobs they're overqualified for. Our government takes actions we disagree with, but we have the direct power to remove them from office without seriously worrying about a military crackdown. We have some of the worst income disparity in the developed world, yet our median standard of living is among the best in the world. America is not perfect by any means. But everyone thinks the grass is greener on the other side, and I suspect if people in this thread made good on their promises to emigrate that many would be disappointed by what they'd find. No matter where you go, people suffer, there are injustices that harm innocents, and everyone struggles in their own way. And there are many people who would kill to have the opportunities you do in this country, which should be obvious our immigration rates. I thought America was shit and couldn't wait to leave, until I spent years of my life in East Africa and the Middle East, and traveled across the rest of the world. I don't expect anyone to think America is the greatest country in the world, but before talking about how awful things are here you need to keep some goddamn perspective, [i]especially[/i] if you've never lived anywhere else.

[QUOTE=catbarf;45667421]Sometimes I wonder how many Americans complaining about how terrible America has become have actually lived somewhere else, or are old enough to have any sense about how things used to be. America has always been shitty because [i]everywhere[/i] has always been shitty. In spite of the universal shittiness of the human condition, our job market is relatively stable, our people are relatively well-taken-care of, our politics are relatively free from corruption. Over the last century, pretty much everything has gotten demonstrably better. If you have a roof over your head, a supermarket full of fresh food down the street, clean running water, stable electricity, and can vote in elections while being reasonably sure that the ballots aren't being stuffed, you have it better than the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world. We have a poor healthcare system, yet people regularly survive illnesses that are lethal in the developing world. We have a struggling educational system, yet we churn out so many skilled professionals that they have to compete for jobs they're overqualified for. Our government takes actions we disagree with, but we have the direct power to remove them from office without seriously worrying about a military crackdown. We have some of the worst income disparity in the developed world, yet our median standard of living is among the best in the world. America is not perfect by any means. But everyone thinks the grass is greener on the other side, and I suspect if people in this thread made good on their promises to emigrate that many would be disappointed by what they'd find. No matter where you go, people suffer, there are injustices that harm innocents, and everyone struggles in their own way. And there are many people who would kill to have the opportunities you do in this country, which should be obvious our immigration rates. I thought America was shit and couldn't wait to leave, until I spent years of my life in East Africa and the Middle East, and traveled across the rest of the world. I don't expect anyone to think America is the greatest country in the world, but before talking about how awful things are here you need to keep some goddamn perspective, [i]especially[/i] if you've never lived anywhere else.[/QUOTE] I'm on mobile, so I can't form the descriptive answer that I want, in order to rebut all of your points, but basically you're wrong, because you're comparing the USA to third world countries, and yeah - no shit life is better than it is in the Middle East.

It's the same here in the UK. I don't doubt that the Coalition is doing it's best, after all it is in their best interest to get reelected, but for everything that seems to be going well, something incredibly dumb seems to happen. For example, the economy seems to be doing great, but Foreign Office ministers quit over policy on Gaza. Meanwhile, the opposition are just standing there on the sidelines disagreeing with everything the government comes up with without bringing anything to the table.

[QUOTE=Stopper;45667486]but basically you're wrong, because you're comparing the USA to third world countries[/QUOTE] I compare the USA to third-world countries to point out that first-world problems are exactly that, and that people need to keep perspective. When the majority of the rest of the world is worse off than you on the subjects you're complaining about, you ought to re-examine your expectations. This thread is full of comments talking about how terrible this country is to live in, and that's nonsense- we have plenty of problems, but we're still doing better than much of the rest of the world. Even major world players like Russia, India, and China are dealing with terrible labor conditions, broken politics, and wealth disparities that make our problems seem insignificant in comparison. And it's not just the third-world, I'm not just comparing the US to states like Zimbabwe, Syria, and Haiti. Everywhere you go, there are plenty of people with complaints about their own government, and people who seem to think life is just better elsewhere. I know there are countries with better healthcare, better representational government, better foreign policy and better domestic welfare than the US- but no country is perfect, and for people who have never lived outside the US to talk about how terrible life is and how terrible it has gotten when they are living at the best point in history in one of the better (even if not the best!) parts of the world is simply absurd. For all our myriad problems, when I see comments like these: [QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;45658907]everything is shitty[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=ilikecorn;45659053]it just needs to stop being the piece of shit that it is.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=RentAhobO;45659099]I said america was shit 3 years ago and, nothing has changed.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Atlascore;45659546]This is exactly why things are so bad in America right now[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=TurboSax;45659555]Like you said, the ship is sinking. America's pretty much done for[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=xxfalconxx;45662303]It's sad to think that we live in a terrible country, but it's sadly somewhat true.[/QUOTE] I see a serious lack of perspective on what exactly life is like for most people on Earth and what exactly life has historically been like everywhere. It's one thing to have criticism for flawed systems that could be improved, but a lot of people living in the West don't seem to recognize how well-off they are in the grand scheme of things, and how often the same complaints can be heard no matter where you go.

[QUOTE=catbarf;45668091]I compare the USA to third-world countries to point out that first-world problems are exactly that, and that people need to keep perspective. When the majority of the rest of the world is worse off than you on the subjects you're complaining about, you ought to re-examine your expectations. This thread is full of comments talking about how terrible this country is to live in, and that's nonsense- we have plenty of problems, but we're still doing better than much of the rest of the world. Even major world players like Russia, India, and China are dealing with terrible labor conditions, broken politics, and wealth disparities that make our problems seem insignificant in comparison. And it's not just the third-world, I'm not just comparing the US to states like Zimbabwe, Syria, and Haiti. Everywhere you go, there are plenty of people with complaints about their own government, and people who seem to think life is just better elsewhere. I know there are countries with better healthcare, better representational government, better foreign policy and better domestic welfare than the US- but no country is perfect, and for people who have never lived outside the US to talk about how terrible life is and how terrible it has gotten when they are living at the best point in history in one of the better (even if not the best!) parts of the world is simply absurd. For all our myriad problems, when I see comments like these: I see a serious lack of perspective on what exactly life is like for most people on Earth and what exactly life has historically been like everywhere. It's one thing to have criticism for flawed systems that could be improved, but a lot of people living in the West don't seem to recognize how well-off they are in the grand scheme of things, and how often the same complaints can be heard no matter where you go.[/QUOTE] Again, comparing America to a third world country is a moot point. Basically any country in the world that doesn't have a war going on is better to live in than places like Iraq, Syria etc. Hell, right now Ukraine fits into: "If you have a roof over your head, a supermarket full of fresh food down the street, clean running water, stable electricity, and can vote in elections while being reasonably sure that the ballots aren't being stuffed, you have it better than the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world." But you don't see people flocking to live there. Tacking your comparison to those three specific countries - Contrary to popular belief, Russia isn't that much of a terrible place to live in. Not every city resembles an unfinished soviet apartment complex and most people's views of the place are gathered from videos with catchy titles like "This is what life is like in Russia" India is a country that has had massive industrial growth in the last decade, but is still tackling issues that are way, way below the threshold for a modern country and hence, I don't see why you're comparing it to the USA. China has no problems in the economic sector, but is plagues by problems reminiscent of India's - a large portion of the populace lives in the mountainous areas which are basically undeveloped. Now, on the issue of inequality, I'd like to show you this handy map: [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/2014_Gini_Index_World_Map%2C_income_inequality_distribution_by_country_per_World_Bank.svg/500px-2014_Gini_Index_World_Map%2C_income_inequality_distribution_by_country_per_World_Bank.svg.png[/img] This measures countries by their Gini coefficient. You can see how well the US stack up to India, China and Russia. My (and most of the people you've quoted) support the view that as a first world country that is a leader in so many fields, America can only rightfully be compared to other first world, well developed countries. In this case, the EU, also places like Canada, Australia, etc. When you compare the United States to them, you see can plainly see why everyone is disillusioned with the current state of affairs. And, I don't mean to sound offensive here, please don't take this the wrong way, but your idealistic views are a bit out of touch. The citizens of a country like America have every right to be displeased with their situation and saying that just because people are hungry in Africa or being killed right now in the Middle East doesn't alleviate the issue. In the grand scheme of things it might not matter, but seeing as how most of us will never have a connecting point with those struggling countries other than over the internet, we can only look at our situation and all the means to improve it. And to be quite bluntly honest, the only people that seem to be trying to get [I]into[/I] America are people coming from countries that are way worse off. tl;dr The grass is always greener on the other side, but it's unfair to compare your side with places that grass doesn't grow in (figuratively and literally).

[QUOTE=Stopper;45668258]Again, comparing America to a third world country is a moot point. Basically any country in the world that doesn't have a war going on is better to live in than places like Iraq, Syria etc. Hell, right now Ukraine fits into: "If you have a roof over your head, a supermarket full of fresh food down the street, clean running water, stable electricity, and can vote in elections while being reasonably sure that the ballots aren't being stuffed, you have it better than the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world." But you don't see people flocking to live there. Tacking your comparison to those three specific countries - Contrary to popular belief, Russia isn't that much of a terrible place to live in. Not every city resembles an unfinished soviet apartment complex and most people's views of the place are gathered from videos with catchy titles like "This is what life is like in Russia" India is a country that has had massive industrial growth in the last decade, but is still tackling issues that are way, way below the threshold for a modern country and hence, I don't see why you're comparing it to the USA. China has no problems in the economic sector, but is plagues by problems reminiscent of India's - a large portion of the populace lives in the mountainous areas which are basically undeveloped. Now, on the issue of inequality, I'd like to show you this handy map: [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/2014_Gini_Index_World_Map%2C_income_inequality_distribution_by_country_per_World_Bank.svg/500px-2014_Gini_Index_World_Map%2C_income_inequality_distribution_by_country_per_World_Bank.svg.png[/img] This measures countries by their Gini coefficient. You can see how well the US stack up to India, China and Russia. My (and most of the people you've quoted) support the view that as a first world country that is a leader in so many fields, America can only rightfully be compared to other first world, well developed countries. In this case, the EU, also places like Canada, Australia, etc. When you compare the United States to them, you see can plainly see why everyone is disillusioned with the current state of affairs. And, I don't mean to sound offensive here, please don't take this the wrong way, but your idealistic views are a bit out of touch. The citizens of a country like America have every right to be displeased with their situation and saying that just because people are hungry in Africa or being killed right now in the Middle East doesn't alleviate the issue. In the grand scheme of things it might not matter, but seeing as how most of us will never have a connecting point with those struggling countries other than over the internet, we can only look at our situation and all the means to improve it. And to be quite bluntly honest, the only people that seem to be trying to get [I]into[/I] America are people coming from countries that are way worse off. tl;dr The grass is always greener on the other side, but it's unfair to compare your side with places that grass doesn't grow in (figuratively and literally).[/QUOTE] The American people have a right to be mad, but they should mad at themselves. They do nothing, they come up with whacky ass excuses, conspiracy theories(Which are on the rise, to the point its become monetized by Fox News and Alex Jones), they bitch and complain even when they don't vote. Its the people's job to make sure government works and its the god damn people who are voting in the radicals into Government and then getting surprised when those radicals do exactly as they say and completely freeze it up. In other words, the American people only have them god damn selves to blame. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] I don't hold any sympathy for the US and its Public, as a citizen who gets involved in the political process. Its not that hair pulling as people make it out to be. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] This whole thread and study was bascially, "[B]Oh woe is me, whatever shall I do. I don't do anything and it doesn't work!"[/B]

[QUOTE=Swilly;45669261]The American people have a right to be mad, but they should mad at themselves. They do nothing, they come up with whacky ass excuses, conspiracy theories(Which are on the rise, to the point its become monetized by Fox News and Alex Jones), they bitch and complain even when they don't vote. Its the people's job to make sure government works and its the god damn people who are voting in the radicals into Government and then getting surprised when those radicals do exactly as they say and completely freeze it up. In other words, the American people only have them god damn selves to blame. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] I don't hold any sympathy for the US and its Public, as a citizen who gets involved in the political process. Its not that hair pulling as people make it out to be. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] This whole thread and study was bascially, "[B]Oh woe is me, whatever shall I do. I don't do anything and it doesn't work!"[/B][/QUOTE] I think people are just frustrated about the perceived futility of such efforts. This nation is selfish and has wads of money so far up it's ass that it disregards basic human necessity for profit and the government has been nothing but a means to that end through incessant lobbying and gerrymandering. The nation is a plutocracy, our education system is fucked and shackles the future of the nation in debt, health care is a fucking joke, and those in power are selfish. Our politicians are too occupied with petty partisan squabbles to get anything legislated, hence the low approval ratings. I'm going to vote as soon as I can but our very voting system has issues as is and simply does not allow for third party candidates and leaves only room for a two party system that is a detriment to the country. I'm sick and tired of the fuck you, got mine attitude people have. The poster a few pages back said it best when he compared the American workforce to easy replaceable cogs, because lets face it, in a country where some states have "right to work" trash there isn't much we can to do change that until politicians wise up.

[QUOTE=Duck M.;45670106]there isn't much we can to do change that until politicians wise up.[/QUOTE] Wrong, there is a lot we can do. We're just brainwashed to think we're powerless. If we got rid of the idea that its every man for themselves, we would actually get things done by working together.

i'm moving out of this shitstain of a country if it doesn't improve when i am moving out of the house

[QUOTE=Swilly;45669261]The American people have a right to be mad, but they should mad at themselves. They do nothing, they come up with whacky ass excuses, conspiracy theories(Which are on the rise, to the point its become monetized by Fox News and Alex Jones), they bitch and complain even when they don't vote. Its the people's job to make sure government works and its the god damn people who are voting in the radicals into Government and then getting surprised when those radicals do exactly as they say and completely freeze it up. In other words, the American people only have them god damn selves to blame. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] I don't hold any sympathy for the US and its Public, as a citizen who gets involved in the political process. Its not that hair pulling as people make it out to be. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] This whole thread and study was bascially, "[B]Oh woe is me, whatever shall I do. I don't do anything and it doesn't work!"[/B][/QUOTE] Tired of seeing shit like "well you dont vote so you have no say" voting in most areas don't fucking matter. Most politicians who gain the most momentum are the ones with fuckloads of money (who would have thought) from donations from large businesses who want it their way or they will cut their donations. They put on a pretty face in public saying they care, but they only really care about getting more funding from businesses to get reelected. Third parties will never get voted in unless they get the amount of money that the two other parties get.

[QUOTE=ProfHappycat7;45671048]i'm moving out of this shitstain of a country if it doesn't improve when i am moving out of the house[/QUOTE] Can we start something equivalent to Rapture on the Moon?

[QUOTE=Stopper;45665388]This is so hilariously ironic. You know what Article V is in Europe? "Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (Art.5 ECHR for short) provides that everyone has the right to liberty and security of person."[/QUOTE] I don't see what's so ironic considering flagdog clearly states the user is American. This is what they're referring to: [QUOTE]The Constitution of the United States * * * * * * * * * * Article V The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.[/QUOTE] Article V discusses the process for constitutional amendments and explicitly allows for states to override Congress (i.e. the federal government) if two thirds of the states agree. It's a fundamental democratic mechanism.

[QUOTE=Apollo;45655650]Everything sucks and is only going to get worse so I just fucking jerk off and then want to jump off a building or something, maybe at the same time.[/QUOTE] Fuck this gay earth.

[QUOTE=Swilly;45669261]The American people have a right to be mad, but they should mad at themselves. They do nothing, they come up with whacky ass excuses, conspiracy theories(Which are on the rise, to the point its become monetized by Fox News and Alex Jones), they bitch and complain even when they don't vote. Its the people's job to make sure government works and its the god damn people who are voting in the radicals into Government and then getting surprised when those radicals do exactly as they say and completely freeze it up. In other words, the American people only have them god damn selves to blame. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] I don't hold any sympathy for the US and its Public, as a citizen who gets involved in the political process. Its not that hair pulling as people make it out to be. [editline]12th August 2014[/editline] This whole thread and study was bascially, "[B]Oh woe is me, whatever shall I do. I don't do anything and it doesn't work!"[/B][/QUOTE] voting with a system that's not working doesn't really let anyone do much of anything vote wise.

[QUOTE=Stopper;45668258]When you compare the United States to them, you see can plainly see why everyone is disillusioned with the current state of affairs.[/QUOTE] This just plain isn't true. Like I already showed, people in the US are generally happier than people in mainland Europe and the UK and if these political changes don't make people happier, then what good are they?