...All one need do is spend 10 minutes on this forum to quickly realize that very few persons in the aggregate could formulate the mix of laws, regulations, free market capitalism, military and scientific investments that delivered this nation to where it is...
Law and regulations do not make an economy.
People do.
Laws and regulations do not make scientific progress.
People do.
Laws and regulations do not create a powerful military.
People do.
The People, God bless them.
If you consider yourself superior to The People, then you have lost your way as an American.
If you consider The People incapable of holding a place in our society superior to that of government, then you have lost your way as an American.
I'd vote for a professional politician over a regular working guy to represent me every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Are all of these people wonderful people? No. Are all regular guys and gals wonderful people? No.
But, most of us do have common sense and can easily separate the wheat from the chaff. Besides, John Q. Public couldn't do any worse than our professional politicians are, and have done.
So any group of X number of men and women could have given the world:
*The strongest military ever assembled
*The highest standard of living ever attained
*The most free society (on balance)
Wow...you have to wonder why there aren't 180+ Americas on the globe then. Do you not think that those in, say, Bulgaria are not wanting a strong army, high standards of living, and freedom?
How much worse can it get? Before you answer, look at our injustice, taxation, economy, wars, foreign policy, government corruption, and loss of opportunities.
How much worse can it get? *chuckle*
Has anyone come to your home and drafted your kid into the military?
Has anyone come to your home and decided your career as X is over because we need more Y?
Has anyone put you in prison because you're in debt?
Do you have enough food to eat, clean water to drink, a school to send your kids to, a court system to use if your rights are violated?
Our system isn't perfect. Hold your breath and wait for one if you wish. You'll never have one.
I think we've morphed from a country-first legislature to a party-first legislature on a national level and that we need to give a voice to the Constitution where it is silent because those who serve seem to have put their party in front of their people.
But Jesus Christ...how much worse can it get? A tad overly dramatic, are you?
Yes, we have the strongest military on Earth. But, we never use it, and instead sacrifice our young men and women of the armed forces in senseless deadly costly wars. Our military power sits idle, collecting dust while our soldiers die for no reason. No, we do NOT have the highest standard of living, unless you're talking about the top 5 or 10 percent. Most Americans are living payday to payday, in debt, and never knowing from one day to the next if they'll have a job tomorrow. We've created a poor and dependent citizenry, and their numbers grow each and every day. We have 50 percent of our children living at or below the poverty line, and millions receiving some form of government assistance.
We are NOT a "free" society, by any stretch of the imagination. "Freedom" is a cruel joke, and many can attest to that fact. We place innocent citizens in our prisons and jails, we have a system of injustice as oppose to one of justice, and we've lost our right to privacy.
I was drafted back in 1966. No, we don't have the draft any longer, but there's a good possibility that we might in the future. The latest morale survey conducted by an independent agency for the United States Army shows over half of the active soldiers are very dissatisfied with the army and with military life. The suicide rate among soldiers has reached an alarming rate. And, word has gotten out about how badly Vets are treated concerning health issues and other needs. I have no career, I'm retired. So, no, no one has knocked on my door telling me that my career is over. But, no one knocks on anyone's door saying that someone's career is over. But, we do have workers 50 and over that have a very difficult time finding employment. Yes, a lot of workers have been forced to change careers. Our work environment has changed, and is constantly changing. The norm now is more towards part-time, temporary, and low wage employment. College grads are living with parents and flipping burgers for spending money.
No, no one has put me in prison for the very little debt that I have. But, what connection are you attempting to make with that question? Relevance? Yes, I have more than enough food, water, clothes, and everything that I need, I've been blessed many times over. But, I'm one of the very lucky and fortunate ones. There are many citizens that would love adequate food, clothing, shelter, and other comforts and necessities. We have a population of homeless, needy, poor, unfortunate, and those that can't survive without some form of government assistance and/or charity. No, our system is not perfect, and none are. But, we can strive to make it as close to that as humanly possible.
Yes, it could be worse, and pray that we don't reach the bottom. But, at the present rate of decline, we're fast approaching that proverbial rock bottom. We can not survive as a nation on government debt forever. No, I'm not being overly dramatic, not at all. We are not in good shape, and haven't been for many decades. What we're seeing and experiencing now has been a work in progress for many decades now, and the chickens have finally come home to roost.
