Come on, of course it’s easy if you’re talking about the US compared to Somalia, Iran, etc, but how can honestly say it’s better being an American than a Canadian, a Brit, a Swede, and Italian? There are cultural tradeoffs that I might personally find more appealing about living in Argentina or Australia, for instance, that I might not realize until I experience them as a condition of extended residence.
I’m not attempting to put this country down just because of our current political policies. I don’t hate Bush as most people in this country seem to do. I think it’s fucking hypocritical for the 87% of this country that gave him the “go ahead” to do what he wanted to make this country safe against more terrorist attacks, to berate him now for his methods since they seemed to have worked.
Contrary to popular belief and what the dems want you to believe about Iraq so THEY can gain political power, Iraq is not a failure, and although there was some short sightedness at the outset of the invasion that costs many unnecessary deaths (and that’s a valid reason to criticize the administration), what’s happening there now, is mostly agreeable to the Iraqi people.
It took at least this much time after WWII to stabilize Germany at the cost of almost as many innocent lives, and that happened too AFTER the end of the was was officially declared.
For all of his lack of communication skills, and his apparent ties to big business, I admire the guy because he’s been telling the world and the rest of the naysayers and backstabbers in this country, to go pound sand, and that he was going to continue what he promised to do and what everyone agreed for him to do in January of 2002.
What I find infinitely more worrisome is the popular backlash against him that will put into the highest office in the country someone who is totally unqualified for a management position of this magnitude just because he’s stroking the psyche of the disillusioned American public. As Bill Clinton gave George Bush the presidency, so Bush will hand over the country to Obama. But if you don’t think Obama isn’t tied to big business in some ways more avariciously than Bush, you tell me where most of the inexhaustible amount of campaign funds are coming from. And don’t make me laugh over individual contributions from the little people.
There are money forces here in motion that are moving Obama into place. I’m not so sure that they aren’t the same money forces that moved Bush into place. In this country, as in most others where huge amounts of money are being generated, there are forces above and beyond the individual governments that place people in power to assuage the masses. So in this country, where there’s always so much money to be made in so many areas, that influence is always stronger and more evident.
I guess in that case, I don’t appreciate this country as much as I might say Denmark, where the push for greed and success isn’t so much part of the everyday fabric of society. I can see myself definitely liking a country where less is more. More time for friends and family, more time to be at peace with oneself. But that’s just a personal preference and no way to answer your initial question about America being great or evil. We’re greater than some and more evil than others. Tradeoffs pending what you want in your heart.
Okay that was gross but seriously I was just surprised that he had such a turn around in such a predictable way… I blame my mother b/c she jumped on the hate Bush bandwagon years ago and I think he finally just gave in.
