Do you know why America can't fix itself?

[MrScorpio]

It's because we make a national pastime of kicking people when they're down. One bad break brings a lot more insults to injuries. It doesn't matter what "side" you're on. All sides do it gleefully.

Make a mistake and you're toast.

Lose your job, get a minor conviction, get caught doing something that you otherwise shouldn't be doing and you might as well hang yourself. Because you're going to fall off the planet, at least where this country is concerned. Once you're shit outta luck, there are lots of people who can exploit your shit-outta-luckness with a very lucrative and perfectly legal business model.

Hell, you don't even have to screw up… All you need to have done to you is to be classified as an "outsider". Then you're NEVER legit.

Disenfranchising voter rolls, mass round ups of undocumented workers, denigrating public servants and private sector community workers… It's all part of the game.

When people are classified as "useless" and kicked to the curb en masse, then a cycle starts that never stops…

We can never stop looking for Wiccans to immolate. Too much fun!

The rest of us, we're scared of being next. Which is exactly how the big boys love to have us.

Besides we shouldn't ask for whom the fiery stake burns, right? For at any given time, it could burn for us.

So, I don't apologize for taking sides and staying loyal… After all, I'm a Scorpio, that's how we roll. I stick with Democrats and have done so all my life, even when they screw up. At least I have a side to stick with. When a Democrat is down, I'd rather pick him or her up. I'd rather be a friend and lend a hand up, instead of someone who turns his back. What embarrasses me isn't what someone else does, it would be if I turned my back on a friend.

I don't think that I could look at myself in the mirror if I did that.

Which is why it bothers me that the same goes for the poor, the unemployed, the person paying back their debt to society and the people who are trying to make a better life for their families even if they have to cross some artificial border, and the cheer squad is always out to get them. The chorus is happy to say, " Gimme an F ...u ...c ...k ...'e ...m ...a ...l ...l. What does that spell? FUCK 'EM ALL!" Nothing leaves and emptiness in the pit of my soul like shit like that.

I'd rather look for the best possible deal for everyone, rather than cheering on the select few genetic lottery winners, as they roll their loaded dice and win again.

I figure that we're all better off when we're ALL better off.

If we want to turn this country around, we should all be a bit more loyal to ourselves and look out for each other, instead of promoting the rich fuckers who are getting even richer by getting us all to fuck each other over… And cheering about it.

[butterfly77]

1. Too busy trying to..

fix people in other countries.

[Solomon]

26. Hell, we even kick people when they succeed, much less

when they fuck up. Always snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[CrossChris]

2. America isn't run by people who want to fix America so much as sell it off for parts.

America won't fix itself b/c America does not run itself. Multinational corporations who have no attachment to America call the shots. So they will hurt us to their benefit.

Where do people keep getting the idea that we're all on the same side in this country? Politicians aren't screwing themselves, they're hurting the lower, more populous classes to benefit theirs.

[Democrats_win]

3. A fool and his money are soon departed. The American people should be blamed first.

In 2010/11, they voted for and allowed the party of poison to take control of the House. At some point, someone needs to tell the people THAT truth too. It's not just that we let Reagan sell off our country. It continues to happen year after year. So the bad results are, without question, deserved. We are like the dog that ate it's own vomit.

My geology professor would call it "genetic control:" Our country is a nation of idiots and thus we won't be a powerful nation for much longer. We are fading. Watch the "genetic control" in action. It will be painful and many innocent people will suffer. That's the way it works when nations fade.

[ejpoeta]

5. that's like a neighboring city to myself where my sister lives.

i just read yesterday about a music teacher there for 38 years leaving and basically the whole musical instrument program going with her. They used to teach from kindergarten individually and now they will not be starting until 3rd grade and be in groups of 2 to 3 students. parents are furious, but they just voted down the budget there and they have gone to a contingency budget. You kind of feel bad for them, but they bitch and moan about their taxes and then bitch about losing programs. I know my nephew took violin with this very program. I think music and the arts are very important. They said that only 900 parents out of 2500 voted. Who is to blame?? If parents want their kids to have these things then they need to know what's going on in the schools and show up to vote and be willing to pay for these programs and quit bitching about taxes.

[librechik]

31. And why do Republicans get elected?because they teach voters to hate their fellow Americans

and vote the hatred. Democrats try to get voters to vote to help "others" the poor, minorities, all the types that Republicans teach us to hate. Until we get our own media machine that teaches people to love and accept others, (and we never will; no money in that) we will be SOL. I don't see much of a future for us either, as I've never known a tide of hatred to every just die out. It only gets stronger.

[The Wizard]

41. Appealing to the worst fears and lowest instincts

has been the Republican model since Nixon's Southern Strategy. It comes from Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince."
They own the media and control the message. Goebbels would be envious of what the GOP has done to the United States. Exploiting fear and ignorance is what they do best. That and treasury looting.

[ejpoeta]

4. you know what the difference is?

when some rich kid makes a mistake, daddy is there to make sure there is no record to screw up his chances to get into college. or to get him that job. or if he gets caught with an ounce of blow he doesn't end up in jail, he ends up in rehab. unlike trey who lives in the projects whose girlfriend is pregnant. she's going to end up on welfare while he does time in prison. neither of them will finish high school. and they'll be lucky to ever finish high school or even to get a decent job. that's the difference.

i know this. i wish my brother knew this. he'll find out if his wife should fall ill. i hope that never happens. I live in a world called reality. He lives in a house built of cards. It looks really nice though. You can hear glenn beck from the street too. But glenn beck won't help him pay his medical bills if something ever happens. He'll blame all those lazy welfare people on medicaid too.... forgetting that I and my family are on medicaid. am i lazy too? I know I am not black so maybe that makes it different? It is just really sad to me. But there is no getting through to my brother.

It's funny in a way because my brother and my husband both work for the same company. And my husband just applied for a job working for the county. My husband said if he got this job and he could get my brother in there he would. I said, but it's the government... pat hate's the government. Bob said, he'd still try. I wonder... would pat take a job working for the county.... even if he hates the government??? but i digress.

[Stevenmarc]

6. We've become the culture of the mediocre

with a tabloid mentality that embraces nonsense and elevates it to gargantuan proportions while jettisoning anything of substance.

We shopped ourselves out of a manufacturing economy with a consumer lust for massive amounts of cheap mediocre crap all the while making the rich richer, and as much as some here at DU would like to blame everything on the wealthy, we did it to ourselves.

We have bamboozled ourselves into thinking that this country is still #1 while we are constantly dropping down every list that is a measure of quality of life.

Until we reject the mediocre mindset that drives our culture we will continue to be fucked.

[NNN0LHI]

7. "as much as some here at DU would like to blame everything on the wealthy, we did it to ourselves"

Truer words have never been spoken.

Thank you.

:thumbsup:

Don

[TBF]

15. Correct that it is not the wealthy - but it is not "ourselves" either

We are a country with an economic system that rewards greed. Get rid of that system and we might have a shot at saving the planet.

[pscot]

17. The country is mentally ill

and it's being roundly abused by its keepers.

[ladjf]

8. Too many voters are living in fantasy land and too many vote

counting machines are rigged. nt

[lbrtbell]

9. K&R, MrScorpio!

[russspeakeasy]

10. The real reason IMHO...we have the attention span of 5 year olds.

[TheKentuckian]

11. and the memory of a goldfish, the conviction of a puff of air, and seekers of the

easy answer.

Otherwise, either the shenanigans wouldn't be allowed or wouldn't be bourne so quietly.

We are a people unwilling to deal with downsides and as a consequence allow them to fester into full on debacles and pretend our shit is ice cream.

[russspeakeasy]

36. You got it !!

[mmonk]

12. The have mores are masters at dividing the have nots.

[Odin2005]

13. It seems like to many people if you are not perfect you are a failure.

That's why, for example, I was disgusted by the "Tiger Mom" and the DUers celebrating her, she punished her kid if she wasn't perfect in school. It's why I'm disgusted by crap like NCLB which demands impossible testing goals. We are a nation where anything less then perfection is derided and mocked.

[HughBeaumont]

14. Wrote it last year, still holds true . . .

In America, you have no choice but to be perfect. One error will send you to the months-to-years-long shithouse in a hurry.

[Kat45]

21. I hadn't seen that before.

It's very good.

[MrScorpio]

24. Great piece, Hugh

Dat's gud reedin'!

[Ishoutandscream2]

44. Hugh writes wonderfully

And conveys the message I try to get across, but can't because I don't have his great gift of writing. I'm a big fan of his.

[Horse with no Name]

16. This is one of the best things I have EVER read.

Very nice.

[chervilant]

18. Well, now...

We humans seem to be manifesting a level of mental dis-ease that is both frightening and corrosive. Far too many of us are in react mode, driven by inchoate fears and resentments. Far too many of us are willing to pollute our spirits with negativity, eagerly engaging in name-calling and other forms of vilification. Far too many of us are willing to glorify violence or resort to violence, often just for entertainment or personal gratification.

We seldom acknowledge the import of overpopulation. However, Calhoun's research with rats suggests that when a critical level of overpopulation occurs, the outcome isn't pretty. With rats, abnormal sexual behavior, hyperaggression, eating their young, and increased mortality are a few of the problems that occurred. With humans, well...is it time to acknowledge that our species has passed a critical tipping point? CAN we blame our burgeoning population; OR...who votes for taking personal responsibility (stop laughing...)?

When I was younger (and naive) I thought our species was in its adolescence--obsessed like teenagers with sex, drugs, and all other forms of self-gratification. Now, I've come to believe that our obsessions, our greed, our overpopulation are macro-level manifestations of our species' mental dis-ease. Regardless of how much energy we might devote to denying our insanity, it is writ large in our increasingly sophisticated, increasingly corrosive socio-cultural and technological constructs--the very same constructs we use to remain in denial, and to externalize responsibility for our collective hubris. We keep doing the SAME THINGS over, and over, and over, and over...expecting--nay, HOPING--for different results.

I feel overwhelmed with disappointment about the choices we (as a collective) have been making. And now, our ecosystem seems to be tending inexorably back into 'balance' on a planetary scale. I suspect that it's almost time for Gaia to roll over and scrape us off her backside, and we'll just have to go along for the ride. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch...

[Starboard Tack]

28. Are you talking about global overpopulation or national?

Because I see no indication of it in this country.

[chervilant]

29. Then,

I suggest you do a wee bit of research about overpopulation. We have our own challenges within our borders which can be attributed directly to our overpopulation.

While I much appreciate skepticism, it's come to my attention of late that the vast majority of us have been fed a ginormous plate of red herrings throughout and beyond our days in school. Moreover, we face a daily barrage of propaganda smothered in Bernays' sauce.

Time now for us ALL to reclaim our intellects and hone our critical thinking skills. We will need these skills AND each other to step off our current path of self-immolation.

[chervilant]

30. Just in case you're reluctant

to step outside your personal view box:

The impacts of U.S. Population:

Because Americans eat a diet heavy in beef and other animal products, U.S. per capita grain consumption is four times higher than that of developing countries.

Americans constitute five percent of the world's population but consume 25 percent of the world's energy. On average, one American consumes as much energy as 2 Japanese, 6 Mexicans, 13 Chinese, 31 Indians, 128 Bangladeshis, 307 Tanzanians, or 370 Ethiopians.

The United States is responsible for 22 percent of the world's industrial carbon dioxide emissions, a leading cause of global warming.

In the last 200 years, the United States has lost 50 percent of its wetlands, 90 percent of its northwestern old-growth forests, and 99 percent of its tall grass prairie.

Every day, an estimated nine square miles of U.S. rural land is lost to development.

This quote is from the first google link for "Overpopulation in the US" and I'm rather sad that most people are completely unaware of the ravages of overpopulation.

[MrScorpio]

33. Simply said:

The American population has a greater impact on our planet because our rate of consumption is so much greater than any other country else per capita.


I can dig it.

[lonestarnot]

19. "Nothing leaves and emptiness in the pit of my soul like shit like that."

You said it brother. I having to look at the face of evil too. But when I have to, I face it down! You are a good man Mr.Scorpio.

[MrScorpio]

47. My typo sticks out like a sore thumb

But thanks for getting my point

[Waiting For Everyman]

20. K&R

[Lucinda]

22. Yep.

:toast:

[Avant Guardian]

23. Phoney old boy puritanism

[hifiguy]

25. That was one king-hell ass kicker of a rant

Mr. S, and dead-bang on the money. Heartily kicked and R'd.

[NewJeffCT]

27. Reagan made it acceptable to kick people while they were down

I think it was a different country before that - the mean-spirited RWers were just a small lunatic fringe before that.

[Initech]

32. Wow I couldn't have said that better myself.

[chervilant]

34. Please

take a look at my post in the Poverty Lobby on "15 Shocking Poverty Statistics That Are Skyrocketing As The American Middle Class Continues To Be Slowly Wiped Out." I would appreciate your thoughts on these statistics.

[MrScorpio]

35. Will do! nt

[Rex]

37. Yes.

Yes I do.

[alarimer]

38. Yes, we are a nation of assholes.

That is the singular characteristic of Americans. We suck, quite frankly, as human beings.

[Rex]

39. I don't think our characteristics suck...it is our acceptance of such worthless

leaders of industry and govt. We really are sheeple and get treated just like livestock. You would be an asshole too if you had some guy humping on your sheep butt all day. Dam shepherds of the people...my ass!

Work it out people!

[Anakin Skywalker]

40. You are right on! +1

[Fire1]

42. That's the good ole U.S. of A. n/t

[roamer65]

43. It's nation of immature morons.

Only reason I don't leave is someone has to try to take care of my parents...otherwise I'd leave for Canada or Australia.

[mac56]

45. Brilliant.

Okay if I share this, with attribution?

[MrScorpio]

46. Please do. Nt