You cannot change what you do not acknowledge. As long as Americans walk around like puffed up peacocks boasting how America is the greatest nation in the world, we cannot fix the problems that have led to the fact that America is not the greatest country anymore. Everyone else in world knows it. People who are well traveled abroad see it. So the question is whether we are going to do something to fix it, or continue acting like we are while our position in the world continues to decline.
Now before you throw "America -- love it or leave it" at me, you should understand that I have tried to leave it. However, America's reach goes very far into the most isolated parts of the world. So leaving behind America is a bit of a joke. Besides this is my country and I prefer to work to fix instead of joining into the insanity.
What is causing this decline? Politics and lack of leadership, plain and simple.
How can we tell the world how to fix their problems when we can't fix ours? Politics has even divided our government so badly that they can't even agree to continue to pay our bills and honor our commitments.
I have to tell you, quite frankly, I'm embarrassed to admit I am American when I travel abroad. The rest of the world looks to our country for leadership and they are astounded by what they see as insanity plain and simple.
They don't understand why the greatest country in the world can't provide health care for its citizens. They don't understand American politics. They see America as a warmonger who supports the richest Americans on the backs of everyone else.
We need real changes not political rhetoric. Ever since Reagan/Bush changed the tax code, our country has eroded into the haves and have nots. Even liberty and justice for all is a joke. There is no liberty and justice for all, there is liberty and justice for people who can pay for it.
I'm not saying that we don't have a justice system that is superior to most other countries, I'm saying that justice in this country is not about fairness, it's about money. And if you don't believe me, go out and get yourself arrested and learn the realities of our system.
We have people who serve allegedly as representatives of the people who are suppose to work for the good of the country, who are working as representatives of a political party for the good of themselves. Think I"m wrong? Look at Senator Jim Demint as an prime example. He's just one of many on BOTH sides of the aisle.
A report came out yesterday that predicts by 2030 China will be the dominant world power. Communists always predicted that a capitalistic society could not sustain itself and would fall from within.
If this insanity in Washington does not stop, it will happen and honestly, I hope I don't live that long. We have to pay our bills, so we need to extend the debt limit and quit using it as a hostage for political gains. We need to increase taxes (all of them) on the richest few so that everyone pays their fair share. We need democratic policies to encourage investment, because GOP policies do not encourage investment or create jobs.
The politicians, pundits and corporate types are the ones whose taxes are going to increase. It's too bad they have control of the air waves, keeping the lies and propaganda going.
We walk around like we are invincible but we can't even help our citizens recover from natural disasters like hurricanes. What would we do and how would we survive if we had to deal with the effects of a coronal mass ejection that wiped out the power grid?
We need to acknowledge that these policies are insane and need to stop. Then we can make changes.
I cannot accept cuts in Medicare and Social security, when there is a huge amount of additional revenue in the amount of trillions of dollars on the table by removing marijuana from the controlled substance list. Do people want to talk about that? Nope, they would prefer to argue over bullshit and be right resulting in paying higher taxes while drug lords get rich and pay no taxes.
Well, America needs to wake up. Marijuana will be removed from the controlled substance list. It's just a matter of time.....just like gay marriage. Why should Americans pay more taxes while drug dealers don't pay any??? Why should Americans take cuts to their Medicare or Social Security while drug lords get rich on the backs of Americans. Why should America's economy be held up by politics when there is a trillion dollars annually on the table in other places? Expect to hear these words a lot in the coming weeks and months.
There comes a turning point. Either we acknowledge that we are not the greatest country and we have problems. Then we can have real and effective changes that make a difference and help restore our position in the world. Otherwise we are as the rest of the world sees us.....just full of ourselves.