re: A great article about why America blows...

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it is an interesting "perspective"

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It is an interesting perspective. It's interesting that someone can have such a narrow perspective.

I mean look, there is some shade of truth to these types of articles. There's also a lot of lying by omission and factual inaccuracies. But let's be honest, some of what America "is" in our minds is myth. Our property rights are nearly identical to the property rights of communist China. We have a free and open press that is so lazy or complicit that they are rarely willing to diginto major issues. We have rights and freedoms etc until big brother NSA walks all over them.

The author is right in that America deserves criticism and could be much much better. The author is wrong in that emulating the rest of the world is not what America needs to do to improve itself.

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the United States never got away from the plantation/sweat shop labor model

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that's hilarious b/c of how western europe is still stuck in a major class structure that is terribly difficult to escape

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In most countries in the developed world, higher education is either free or heavily subsidized; in the United States, a university degree can set you back over US$100,000.

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IF you are ALLOWED to go to higher education in western Europe, if you go to a private school it will set you back. this point is absolute bullshite b/c we subsidize the shite out of our public higher ed in the USA while not denying the opportunity to people like Europe does

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If you’re “lucky,” you might even land a job good enough to qualify you for a home loan. And then you’ll spend half your working life just paying the interest on the loan

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i'm not a big pro-ownership guy, but do mortgages not exist in Europe?

does the gov't just hand out houses?

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America is actually among the least free countries on earth. Your piss is tested, your emails and phone calls are monitored, your medical records are gathered, and you are never more than one stray comment away from writhing on the ground with two Taser prongs in your arse.

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and where does this not exist? hopefully he's not arguing that this doesn't occur in Europe or Asia

this author truly must not have lived in Europe very much

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Fully 70% of your tax dollars go to the Pentagon,

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100% incorrect. it isn't even close. it's more like 25%

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The United States maxed out its “credit card” sometime in 2008 and now its lenders, starting with China, are in the process of laying the foundations for a new monetary system to replace the Anglo-American “petro-dollar” system.

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China and its command economy, which this author prefers, is about to go bust much worse than the USA did in 2008

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As soon as there is a viable alternative to the US dollar, the greenback will sink like a stone.

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with the crushing debt that Western Europe is in, along with China's depression looming, i wonder who will present this alternative?

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While the United States was running up crushing levels of debt, it was also busy shipping its manufacturing jobs and white-collar jobs overseas

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we're still the largest manufacturer, or #2 to china (who has about 3x the population)

again, this author has no idea of what he's speaking of

Seems like the author left out a whole lot of good stuff about America. He's blinded by his negativity. Its a disease that seems to be infectious.

That article is terrible. Plus I'm like 90% sure this writer is probably some liberal trust fund baby who never actually has had a real job.

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It's a little longer than 50 words so it may be hard for some of you to hang in there and read it till the end, but do your best!

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Can you paraphrase the article using bullet points or rewrite it in hip hop form?

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americans love working their asses off for a crappy unhappy materialistic life style and will defend it to the death. Just don't infringe up on our right to own what ever type of gun we want and we are good with it.

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Your B.S. Posts are becoming tiresome.

I am responsible for my life and for raising my son. I work hard and enjoy my work. I do not value materialistic crap. I have created the life that I like and I want the leaches to go away.

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One thing he misses: When the shite hits the fan, everybody looks to the U.S. The U.S. enables a lot of the freedoms enjoyed by most of those countries he's been to/lives in. Japan spends $0 on defense. That's because of the U.S. And I doubt his visits to eastern Europe would be quite so free and secure w/o the U.S.'s presence.

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This is why I value your post, Want; Progressive leaning nws.

Take the US Military out of the whole equation...and God only knows what this World would look like. Damn sure not the rosy scenario that brainwashed cynic supposes.

The United States biggest problems are derivative of our EXCESS and abundance. Too much cheap food makes the guy's vision of Single-Payer virtually impractical. Too much free time and stuff for many at the bottom of the economic class who've never worked a day in their life but feel morally entitled, makes them ticking time bombs when the (imminent) collapse/austerity/reboot hits.....and too many at the top find loopholes and abuse Free Market mechanisms for greed, power and status.

I need to look no further than my own family to see what's wrong with this Society. Face in FaceBook, petty Worldly pleasures and self-gratification, Hollywood inspired mind-games of the which the OP whiner sounds like he is front and center. Personal status being worshiped as though it's the essence of life. 'Idolotry' ("the worship of things made with the hands" in Bible-speak), and the ludicrous idea that such can ever fulfill the best potential in the human (perceptive) spirit. And like his pov is a desirable perception goal. In general...an utter vacuum of Spiritual Vision.

There is plenty to hammer our folk on; but our Government reflects the common wisdom/vision (or lack thereof) of our folk. We get exactly what we deserve.

He's right in that we are going down; and given all the class-warfare political division of the Progressive/Alinskyite methodology that I'll bet this guy JUSTIFIES...if he thinks he can run to some Country and cool it...while a new Totalitarian Hegemony rises up with virtually no opposition and rapes whatever Country they decide to 'annex'...then this dude is every bit the useful idiot and dupe that he assumes we are.

My words to him....'don't let the door hit you in the arse on your way out'. Some of us will stand and fight, lock hands and hearts with folk of good will...and make lemonade out of lemons. And find a VERY FULFILLING and challenging life in the process.

"Great article" my arse. Whiner manifesto.

One more Zach:

9. When there is a MASSIVE Natural disaster (earthquake, floods, storm, etc.)...just WHO always shows up to pull the folk out of mass death? We know the answer; that dude is a prick.

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The right has no answer for this

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(now illegal) high deductible plans are the answer, as well as disability and other financial insurance (including personal savings)

if regular people choose to eat out or have luxuries like cell phones instead of paying $80-100/month for insurance, then the effects are on them.