Deference

Join Date 04/2004

What JU Users Like and Dislike about America

...what do like and what do you dislike about America?

I've decided that JU's extremely opinionated denizens might like to voice their opinions on what they like and dislike about America. That means any aspect of America.

This can be it's present form, the tax burden we share, the culture in which we live, the political parties that supposedly represent our interests, the weather in parts of the country, or even the music we have to suffer on the top forty charts today. Any aspect of American life, ideology, or it's components are open to you, feel free to express your opinion.

I'm going to do so via list form.

These are my lists.

What I like about America:

The Freedoms we Used To Have (credit to George Carlin for that one)

The best economy in the world

Our State and National Parks

The liberal culture of America

The stable and fruitful government

The majority of it's people

The majority of the race and religion of the people (I apologize to those who may find that offensive, I simply feel most comfortable with other W.A.S.P's though I appreciate some time with more diverse groups)

What I don't like about America:

The majority of it's 'leaders'

The majority of our policies

The path of our economy (deficet spending and largest debtor nation)

The overly liberal culture of America

The pollution of our lands (ever gone floating or backpacking and seen waaay too many beer cans and used condoms amidst otherwise gorgeous scenery?)

The apathetic and lackadaisacal attitude of some of the 'citizens' in this country

Enjoy, JU!

Who will be the first?

politics

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What I like: Too numerous to list, most everything, especially the diversity.

What I dont Like: The Lack of rights for Fathers, Nanny Laws.

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What I like:

The freedom we enjoy.
The economy
Our Constitution

What I don't like:

The fact that our Gov't has gotten worse over the years
That those who run for Gov't positions are usually more in for the money than anything else.
How the people of America blame everyone else but themselves for the problems we face today.
The total lack of respect for the enviroment more from the comman people than the industries themselves.
The lack of will to make this country a better place.
The lack of education of our children from the part of parents.

You get the point.

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What I like about America:

First of all, simply that she exists and because of that there is more freedom in the world than ever before

The fact that we can openly disagree with each other and our leaders without fear of the government. I've been in countries where any talk about the government is quickly hushed in fear that just talking about it might be construed as "subversive".

The fact that our leaders (at least some of them) are willing to back their rheteric with action, instead of constantly threatening to do something, but never (or rarely) following through.

The fact that no president has more than 4-8 years in office, then after their time is up, they usually have very little to do with politics. Liberals, could you imagine Bush in office for as long as Castro has been? Conservatives... can you imagine the same for Clinton? ;~D

That (for the most part) if you aren't breaking any laws, you probably don't need to fear the police (I say "for the most part" and "probably" because I know that this isn't always true for everyone).

The fact that, even though we get the blame for everything and very little support when our nation is hit with natural or manmade disasters, we are still willing to give our time and resources when other countries are hit.

The fact that we are such a free society that most of us take that freedom for granted and don't even appreciate how rare that freedom is.

The fact that a guy can hop on a Grayhound bus, travel from the Great Lakes, to the Great Salt Lake, to the Gulf of Mexico, and back... without ever having to justify it to the government.

What I don't like about America:

That most Americans seem more interested in what is on TV than what is going on around them and around the world.

The most people couldn't pick their neighbors out of a line up.

That there are so many judges who have forgotten that they aren't law makers... and so many law makers that have forgotten they aren't judges.

That, when we do send help for natural and manmade disasters, it is often so bogged down in bearacracy that the help sometimes isn't as helpful as it should be.

That sometimes we disagree so much that even the "tolerant" can't stand to be around people who differ from them.

That we have to go to college to get the same level of education that used to be standard in high school.

Well, there's just a few of each... good topic Deference

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Thanks, ParaTed. I'm glad you like the topic, it grew out of Draginol's thread "Do Democrats Hate America?"

I'm happy you and Charles, and Doc had something to add. I wonder if one of the reasons few others are sharing is because many of us here share most of the same likes and dislikes of America. That was kinda' my point of creating this thread, unless people willfully divide us and get us at each others throats we realize we generally share some very similar thoughts on what's right and wrong in the U.S.A .

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What I like, the people. The variation of landscape. The freedom.

What I do not like. People that take america for granted. The politics.

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Maybe you changed your article midway through and I missed it. Maybe by the time you got to "overly liberal" you were talking about the Netherlands or something.

Christ on a cracker, what is considered NOT overly liberal if America is defined thus? This is, after all, a country with one of the highest religious conservative groups in the world. And that's overly liberal? Over half the people in this country believe that Genesis is fact. That's liberal? Overly so and all?

Here are my likes and dislikes. I remain confused about this "overly liberal" America.

Likes:

That America has enough sense to retain important Socialist programs like Social Security, Medicare, etc. If you are currently a Republican receiving any help from the government, please stop. You are an enabler for Communism. If you support Bush and get Social Security, Medicare, or any other government program, you are a hyprocrite. Don't use food stamps, either. I'm glad America still does SOMETHING for the poor, altho it's been screwed like a cheap hooker lately.

The Constitution. That's something awesome that America did. I mean, it's too bad our current leaders are trying to destroy everything our founders stood for, but the Constitution still stands. Good for it.

What I dislike:

The grandson of a Nazi sympathizer leading our country. That sort of puts a kink in the current anti-fascism talk.

The recycling of Ford-era officials. Cheney, Rumsfeld, and others are retreads. They tried this before, in Vietnam. Good luck with all that.

The celebrity press. It's hard to fuck with people if you're afraid they won't talk to you. Therefore, our press kisses ass, sucks dick, and basically does whatever is necessary to attain "access." This means we only get propaganda, lies, and glossed over shit.

They let John Mark Karr go this week. That's much more important than the current civil war in Iraq.

America is not beautiful or pure. It is the sneaky culmination of colonial philosophy. We learned from our masters, now we are the masters. It's a damned shame that Iraqis don't get the diseases that the Sioux and Iroquois did -- if that happened, we'd have a nice empty space to colonize, just like we did in North America.

Who the hell in power is overly liberal? I mean really power. Nancy Pelosi might be the closest you get, and she ain't shit.

"Overly liberal." I'm so amused by that. How many more conservatives must be elected before we can shed that misnomer? I'm just curious.

No, what I'm really curious about is what YOUR idea of an America that is NOT overly liberal would be like. I mean, if THIS conservative ruled USA is "overly liberal" then how conservative do we have to get?

Maybe Pat Buchanan style America is what it would take, I dunno. Maybe Pat Robertson. Your call here. But if America now is "overly liberal" then we need to redefine some terms. I suggest you contact the authors of the Oxford English Dictionary.

"overly liberal"

I've exceeded my "laugh at joeusers" quotient for tonight. You've reinforced my idea that people that post here are the most out of touch people that exist.

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Overly liberal culture? Where the hell is this? I mean, you say that's what you don't like about America, but I'm curious where it exists. When conservatives control all three branches of government, that's not a real big sign of an "overly Liberal" culture. - Myrr

Maybe a bunch of neo-cons are running the government but that has little to do with what I refer to as 'the overly liberal culture'.

I like a liberal culture - where one can have access to all sorts of media and voices, but what I term the 'overly liberal culture' is evidenced by the increasingly vulgar material I'm having trouble hiding from wherever I go.

*I can't flip through the channels without having t&A shoved in my face - there's a time for that, but when it leaks out of MTV into commercials on nearly any channel it's become extreme

*I can't turn on a top-forty station anymore because, though the music is already terrible, I'm being bombarded with sounds of people having sex in the background of music or being told somebody's gonna' f*ck some ho's or blah blah blah.

That's what I mean by the 'overly liberal culture' Myrrander.

Maybe by the time you got to "overly liberal" you were talking about the Netherlands or something. - Myrr

Yes, legalized prostitution would constitute 'overly liberal' in my book.

Over half the people in this country believe that Genesis is fact. - Myrrander

I have a hard time believing that. You can certainly pull out a poll to refute my belief, but I think people are telling others what they want them to believe (or even, what they are trying to make themselves believe). I've met so few real Christians or people who truly believe God exists that I think any number someone gave me purporting 'x' amount of Christians (or people of faith) in America believe in the literal translation of Genesis must be drastically over-inflated.

They let John Mark Karr go this week. That's much more important than the current civil war in Iraq. - Myrrander

I know you are being facetious.

You've reinforced my idea that people that post here are the most out of touch people that exist. - Myrrander

Don't let your assumptions become earmuffs, Myrrander. I hope your next day goes better.

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cactoblasta

Join Date 04/2004

+48

I can't flip through the channels without having t&A shoved in my face - there's a time for that, but when it leaks out of MTV into commercials on nearly any channel it's become extreme

*I can't turn on a top-forty station anymore because, though the music is already terrible, I'm being bombarded with sounds of people having sex in the background of music or being told somebody's gonna' f*ck some ho's or blah blah blah.

So for you any public reference to sex is 'overly liberal'. Why? Aren't you getting any? I think it's much better to have sex on tv than violence. At least in one there's a chance everyone involved is enjoying themselves.

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That's not the point I'm making, cactoblasta.

In a 'liberal' culture, we see an almost 'no-holds-barred' approach to content in media. I think that is fine, to a point. I find myself a bit intolerant to certain excess(es) (e.g. sex and violence) to a degree when engaged with the mass media these days. I very much wish corporations would tone it down a bit. That is the 'overly liberal' culture I'm speaking of, and I don't think it has much to do with the amount of sex one is offered or is receiving, though it may be that way for some people.

It's important and appropriate to bring the media to task for nearly exclusively addressing our basest human instincts. To crassly put it, fucking and fighting.

Modern Man has been 'fucking and fighting' for 6,000 years. I think we've perfected those arts. Let's attempt to focus on some of the other aspects of human culture.

Dig?

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Ok great article. I have been out of the country for 16 yeqrs. Why? No jobs for an older person and no one can care what I have been throughto get a degree and then try to make it. America has failed me and the leaders are a bunch of jerks who care less. Bush wants freedom in the way to get oil from Iraq. He claims about terrorism but I see him as a terrorist. I would not trust him with my life.

Likes are well hard to say. But they do have freedom to express what they want. Maybe some nice places to visit buty you have to pay through the nose in order to see it.

Dislikes well high taxes from birth till death. Even after you depart the IRS comes and wants more. Hell this is not a nice thing. Then you have thise snobs who are so rich they pay very little taxes., Hey a good Idea. if you make over 5 mill a year you should paya flat 25 % tax fee and nothing else. Period. No deductions and make it work. If you earn under 25,000 0% tax and then you have some money to enjoy life.

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Ok great article. I have been out of the country for 16 yeqrs. Why? No jobs for an older person and no one can care what I have been throughto get a degree and then try to male it. America has failed me and the leaders are a bunch of jerks who care less. Bush wants freedom in the way to get oil from Iraq. He claims about terrorism but I see him as a terrorist. He leis and people do not trust him. I would not trust him with my life.

Likes are well hard to say. But they do have freedom to express what they want. Maybe some nice places to visit buty you have to pay through the nose in order to see it.

Dislikes well high taxes from birth till death. Even after you depart the IRS comes and wants more. Hell this is not a nice thing. Then you have thise snobs who are so rich they pay very little taxes., Hey a good Idea. if you make over 5 mill a year you should paya flat 25 % tax fee and nothing else. Period. No deductions and make it work. If you earn under 25,000 )% tax and then you have some money to enjoy life.

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what i like:

1) the oportunities that exist in america. this isn't a political statement, or one that endorses anything. historically, we have offered more opprotunity than any other nation on earth. america has led progress in many fields, esp over the last 100 years that has helped progress our society beyond what many people dreamed it could be 100 years ago

2) the promise of america. the knowledge that we will continue to be a great land, despite the naysayers and political haacks claims of doom if anyone but them is runnin the show.

3) the choices america offers. lately some of these things have been threatened, but i believe overall we still offer our citizens the most choices that they can personally make to determine their own fate than anyone ele offers. yes, some countries offer things we don't. countries like canada and holland have more progressive health care and substance abuse laws. but overall, when one looks atthe big picture, america is still "it" when it comes to choice.

4) the people of america. just when i begin to lose faith in the american people, they always end up surprising me. there's alot of good people in this land, from every walk of life and every backround. i like that.

what i don't like:

1) our current administration. no, i can't even pretend anymore to be silent and calm on this. i've simply had it with them. we may not be able to get rid of bush, but a vote of no confidence would get us closer to a sec of defense. and the democrats (of which i am not a member) if they take the house or senate in november will probably roost out some more of these incompetents when hearings are actually possible and accountability's time has come.

2) the fact that we incarcerate more people per capita than just about anyone. that shouldn't be...and considering how many of them are low level drug offenses, mostly marijuana...we need to seriously look at how we treat people's desire to alter their conciousness with anything that doesn't pour or isn't perscribed by a quack.

3) how we look to the world these days. we look like an imperial bully who's preachin freedom with a smirk and a gun. it doesn't work and americans can't even admit to being an american when traveling abroad. that's sad.

4) the overinfluence of lobbyists and big corporations in goverment. i'm not naive enough to think that we could ever clear every dollar and every big company and their lobbyists out of goverment. but it has gotten ridiculous. we need more "reformers" amongst us. it has become all too common in this country for good people to remain quiet because the check was big enough. i believe condoning corruption is just as bad as participating in it. too bad too many get essentially bribed out of doing the right thing these days.

i guess that's enough for now,,,take care,

sean:)

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Don't let your assumptions become earmuffs, Myrrander. I hope your next day goes better.

Your whole response is excellant. But that is the defining line! Have a cookie on me!

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What I like? The people.

What I dislike? The people.

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I simply like the quality of life I have in America.

What I don't like is people bashing our nation, yet choosing to live in it. Should life become so unbearable in America for you, why not move to wherever you think things are nicer?

My opinion: This country is not to much different than any other. If you look at it as being the United States Incorperated, understanding might be a little easier.

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What I don't like is people bashing our nation, yet choosing to live in it. - Xythe

There's a difference between needless all-out bashing and healthy criticism, Xythe, you agree, right?

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