Why is America losing its strength?
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Where has the American dream gone? Why is our government trillions of dollars in debt? Why are we constantly at war? How much longer do we have to wait until things are good again?
The United States of America is in a very tricky situation and I doubt that we will ever reestablish ourselves as a "Superpower". Our government tends to be under the assumption that by concentrating on other places in the world, we'll somehow make everything all right back home. Since 2001, the government has spent slightly over $1,011,000,000,000 in Iraqi and Afghanistan. What have the citizens gained from it? Very little. We are risking the lives of our soldiers for what? What can be considered a victory under the current circumstances?
The government loves to assert blame - this is how it keeps us, the citizens, placid. We're over in the Middle East because the government has portrayed them as the 'bad-guys'. George W. Bush even went so far to say that they are the 'evil-doers'. That was the president of the United States! He represents every one of us living in this country. It's no surprise why our reputation is so poor.
We're in the Middle East for oil and to spread our democracy. Besides that, I don't know what good we've done spending over a trillion dollars in Iraqi and Afghanistan when we are in such dire need of the money here. The recent Gulf Oil Spill is another example of America's dependence on oil. We haven't yet taken any serious action to stop the well from leaking. Wait, didn't we send money to Haiti and Chile after a few large earthquakes hit them? Why aren't we fixing this damn well!?... We need the oil.
There is an obvious separation between Americans now. One group is so 'patriotic' that they are willing to go along with anything the government deems necessary. The other group are those who believe there needs to be radical change in our governments philosophy. Those that advocate the "if you don't like it than get the hell out!" mentality are typically those who aren't concerned with, or oblivious to, the problems that are streaking this once-great nation. With a bit of critically thinking, it's easy to conclude that our country needs a radical makeover.
Keep in mind that I'm not speaking about some sort of revolution. We don't need to go through any more chaos; we just need to start undoing all of the bullshit. Our education system needs to be revamped. We need to implement a system that caters to the individual student and doesn't treat everyone the same. We need to consider how citizens can be more involved in the decision making process. We need to stop spending money on war and save the lives of our soldiers.
The last thing I would like to mention is the notion of automated-thinking that we've become so incline to. Why is the economy so bad right now? Well, there are many different reasons, but there is one that isn't discussed much: The distribution of money to businesses. What I mean by this is simply that most of us spend a lot of money at only a few different places. Whether that is Wal-Mart, McDonalds, K-Mart, Burger King or JC Penny doesn't make much of a difference. These wealthy, well-marketed corporations bring in millions of dollars every year while the small business struggle to make a profit. It should be obvious why there is such a great division between the wealthy and the poor: We're buying from the wealthy while ignoring those in search of the 'American Dream'.
Where are we to go from here? I have no idea. All I can say is that I will continue to make people aware of what we're all doing to our country. We can't just smear more blame. We must take responsibility for the way our country is. After all, 'we the people' is supposed to be synonymous with the 'government'. Can we reunite these ideas? Only time will tell.
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Great Hub! I don't think the American dream is gone, but I think our Government has a different agenda that the American people do.. I hope and pray that things will turn around in our economy and with our Goverment spending us into generations of debt.
I would only point out that the government is an arm of the people. So yes, the American dream is NOT gone. The government DOES have a different agenda. We the people are too detached from the government. We don't spend near enough time looking into what their doing, why they're doing it, or how much it's costing us for them to do it. We watch sports, know all the players names, know their stats...
Yet some of us are hard pressed to name even our mayor. Or what his party affiliation is.
We can spend hours on wii, Playstation games, Nintendo, but can't find the time to get to the voting booth.
We worry about who Victor will sleep with next. Or who is going to be voted off next week on American Idol, but we worry little about our soldiers, and the people who decide what happens to them.
We the people ARE the government. They work for us. We need to start acting like we're their BOSS instead of sitting here nodding our heads when Pelosi and Obama and whoever else tells us, "You're going to like this. Trust us. We know what's best for you."
Awesome comment Springboard! I agree with you 100%. It is completely up to us, the people, to take charge of our government and make sure that what they are doing is in line with what we want. http://www.progressthroughthought.com
I went on holiday recently for a break to Switzerland and their Democracy puts American and British Democracy in the shade. The Swiss have a Government that is smart at almost everything, avoiding wars, avoiding conflicts of other nations, promoting business, growing jobs, making things actually work, like health and transport, and they have about 50 referendums a year. No wonder they hold onto their money better than most others. (Come to think of it they hold onto lots of other people's money too - it's called Swiss Banking.)
They should be the most boring people in the world, but I admire them totally! They are included and consulted on everything, or most things. People are wealthy and successful, and accomplished. They are in charge! They love themselves to point where they could almost border on being utter Narcissists! Try some of that medicine, why dontcha! I wish the British Govt would!
In America and most other so-called Western countries, the Insiders (The Ones Who Run Everything) made some bad gambling debts and lost a huge pile of cash and they are getting the Outsiders (the rest of us who can never be among the Insiders) to pay their debt for them. Privatize the profits, but Nationalize the Debts. Makes us all worse off. The Insiders Win.
So what happens if the Outsiders Gang together and get smart and refuse to pay? What negotiation have they got? In some countries some packed their bags and quit for warmer climates and greener pastures elsewhere. Other countries might swing a bit more to the "left", perhaps.
Think my mantelpiece needs another cuckoo clock. Think Switzerland is looking better by the second...
I actually visited Switzerland about five years ago when I was 17 and I was astonished by its beauty. The streets are clean, the people are friendly and even people working at McDonalds make a living wage. They simply seem like they have it figured out.
Switzerland is definitely a treat and it's not a place many Americans get to experience. I feel like this is why a lot of people think America is as good as it gets. The American people are amazing and very cultured. The American government, however, needs some work. The more people that realize this, the sooner we can take action!
Thanks for the comment :) I'm glad you're as obsessed with Switzerland as me!
maplethorpej, the problem is you. Not 'you' directly, but the average American. In the upcoming elections which are non presidential, if 40% of the people get out and vote, that would be a milestone number.
Forget voting for a second and think about this: The average congressional member has to raise an absurd amount of money in order to have a chance at getting elected. Once elected, if they don't continue to raise money for the party, their own party will not let them get out their ideas and agenda. In other words, if you want support for your bills and legislation, you need to raise money or else even your own party won't help you. This is not my opinion, this has been told to me by 4 members of congress (3 house reps, 1 senator).
Here is EXACTLY WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE:
#1. Remove conflict of interest so our politicians vote based on what is right for the people and do not vote or change bills in favor of corporations or special interest groups that fund their campaign. There is a bill called "fair elections now act" which is a pretty solid campaign finance reform bill that would effectively remove the conflict of money in politics...144 Democrat co-sponsors, 2 republicans.
Citzens vs United ruling: Despicable ruling that gives corporations and lobbying groups the same citzen rights as ordinary people. Overturn this ruling. Currently, the "Disclose Act" would help the american people follow the 'money trail' so they know who is running these ads. Zero Republican support for this bill, almost 100% democratic support.
Lastly, look at the war in Iraq. A major influencer in going to war was Dick Chenney who owns billions in Haliburton, a defense contractor that would benefit from the war. We need to strip out these conflicts from our govt with more rules and regulations regarding elected officials. Again, no GOP support for several bills in congress.
I really try to be open minded but if you look at what I believe is the big issue (conflict in congress mostly due to money), it is the party of republicans fighting hard to keep that conflict in place.
The root of the entire problem is this Republican vs Democrat game. These politicians are elected because they sacrifice their own values and beliefs, that is if they ever had any, to align themselves with their representing party. What progress can be made in this ludicrous system? The Constitution doesn't mention anything about political parties.
You're right. We need to start diluting the ignorance that is swelling Capitol Hill. These politicians are good at getting elected. They're not so good at thinking for the people they represent.
Thanks for the comment!
John B Badd Level 1 Commenter 19 months ago
This is a great hub. I like the way you point out how our limited spending benefits a few large corporations instead of everyone. I am not against corporations in general although I think the business ethics of most are non existent as long as the bottom line looks good. A lot of us complain about corporations hurting the little guy but we still spend all our money with them. I know much of my money goes to Best Buy, Target and McDonalds as well as large grocery chains. Although it is important for us to budget our money to survive in these hard times we should spend a portion of our income in locally owned and operated establishments. It would not kill me to buy groceries from the corner store and furniture or clothes from a mom and pop business. If we all sacrificed a little for the good of our neighbors we could help the economy recover faster.
Although I agree with you that war is terrible I do have to admit I think it is necessary at times. I fear our reasons for entering the Middle East had more to do with oil than security or liberation. But I think liberating Iraq was good and will benefit the people of the world in years to come. I think there are real threats to the world in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the sanctions imposed on us by NATO and the UN make it nearly impossible for us to end the conflict quickly. I think we will be there for a long time fighting a slow battle that may never be won. I am not saying it can not be won, but I do not know if we are on the right track, and the right track may be too brutal for modern sensibilities to allow.