What is wrong with America?

Question

I was just wondering what everyones personel opinion was of america and what they think of the change in the past 10 years with the government, money, technology and immigration?

Answer 1

Money and or Power.

Answer 2

America is a great place, the current government is not a reflection of the people, and will hopefully lose it's power in November. That is one of the great things about America, that a government like the Bush government can be changed by the people. The money situation is a little different, as both the republican and democratic parties are bowing to the power of the almighty buck, until a third party gets some power I think rich people will control the American government. Immigration will be an issue as long as America is the richest nation in the world, of course with what the republican party is doing to America it will lose that status soon enough. I don't know how to solve it, but I do know that if the current administration enforced the laws already on the books it would be less of an issue. America is a great place with many many problems, and hopefully eventually solutions.

Answer 3

Reading the various answers has been interesting. History demonstrates that here in the United States that things are mostly the same as they have been during the last 100 plus years. That is, people still complain about the government and the government continues to grow in its intrusion into the private lives of the people, and the people allow this to happen.

Here in the United States people can yet control what happens, all they have to do is become involved and yet only a small percentage actually become involved. Let each person here begin with the simple task of looking at their local community. Are you informed as to any of the following:

Within your county, how many different positions can the people vote to fill?
Do you know how many appointed positions there are?
Do you know who holds those positions now?
Do you know what each of those positions are suppose to do?
Are you aware of all of the various meetings that these elected and appointed people have and do you attend them?
Do you know the agendas of each of these meetings and do you have copies of their minutes?
Do you know their budgets?
Are you aware of the issues that they deal with?
Have you ever made a presentation to your city council or county board of supervisors or even sat down and talked with just one of them?

All of this is public information and you can get it any time you wish, usually for no more than a copying fee, and some places you can get it through the internet. If you haven’t used your rights as a citizen to acquire these things, why should anyone listen to your complaints about government?

Do you have a copy of the Constitution of the United States?
How about a copy of the Constitution of your State?
Have you a copy of the Federalist Papers or the Anti-federalist Papers?


All of this is the most minimal and inexpensive things you can do to begin accepting your responsibility as a proactive citizen to understand your government and work to change it in the way you want.

Have you ever joined a local citizen’s group (no, not a political party) to work for some local goal?

Do you vote in local elections?

Do you vote with awareness of the local candidate’s position on various issues? After all, these local candidates are your friends, neighbors, some times relatives and old school mates, you can easily know them.

If you aren’t a proactive citizen in your local community, why should any elected or appointed official care what you think?

If you can't become involved locally (which is so easy to do) why should anyone think you are aware of actuall facts nationally?

To answer the question specifically, changes in the past ten years that have resulted in additional acts of the government into the private lives of citizens are (in my opinion), extra-constitutional. This is a continuation of a trend of the federal government which began shortly after the ratification of the Constitution. During the last 70 or so years the rate of change of this trend has increased. For example, in 1928 the cost of all government (federal, State, and local) was about 10% of the Gross Domestic Product. Today the cost of the federal government alone is about 40% and State and local about 10%. In addition to removing this money from the private economy it reduces business investment and thereby reduces job growth.

Our monetary system would be far better (for the citizens of the United States) if it was back on the gold standard. However, doing so would likely collapse the economies of some other countries.

Immigration is the life blood of the United States, that is legal immigration is the life blood. The government should follow its delegated powers and seal the borders so that illegal people could not get into the country. The massive increase of illegal immigrants is destroying the viability of the United States and making a subclass or citizen/resident from low wages. A new worker program must be developed so that temporary workers can come to the United States legally. Children of illegal immigrants which are born here should not receive citizenship.

Technology is the future. With new technology the United States can move ahead to energy independence with only know reserves of oil and coal and have from 200 to 500 years of that independence. New development of new types of energy sources can make that energy almost limitless and continue a downward trend of cost to the average person. Pollution is being reduced with technological innovation and this will continue with an ever increasing rate. The medical field will see major advances and life expectancy will increase.

Answer 4

The current administration, including the prez is whats wrong. The U.S used to be a country to look up to, now it drops bombs on innocent men, women, AND children, litters the world with spent uranium rod ammunition, seeks world domination, refuses to follow the Geneva Conventions, builds nuclear weapons platforms in space, lies to its people, and has the most weapons of mass destruction in the world, yet keeps on building more, refuses to help its own poor, but has megabucks to send overseas to Haliburton, and Kellog, Brown and Root, and tortures people. You tell us what's wrong with America. It's not the government that makes a country great, but its' people, the citizens who bust their butts working, trying to make an honest buck, while the government officials rake in money hand over fists.

Answer 5

A couple of things:

Remember with all our faults people still flock to this great nation, and die trying to get in, that should tell you something.

First off as the big dog in the yard other countries expect us to do other things for them because we have the resources.
And they do nothing in return.

We give away billions in dollars annually - SO OTHER COUNTRIES WONT HURT OUR FRIENDS IN CERTAIN REGIONS.

When they finally decide to take out our enemies, by doing our job, therefore less paying out to small corrupt regimes.
We chastise them.

In the past ten years we went from an innocent nation that our biggest scandals were - "who the president did what with,and with whom". To an all to bitter reality that the world cannot be bought off with money and promises.

Answer 6

I am very sad with the freedom that has been taken away from the USA Citizens to appease the political game politicians. I have to be glad that I am in my 70's and I won't be around to see what things will be for the citizens in 10 to 20 years. The government is taking your freedom away and you must not let them. What will be forced on you then? You youngans have to get in there and protect your familys and all who are trying to live here in your world. See what is going on now.

Answer 7

George Bush

Answer 8

Mostly America is good. The big trend over the past 10 yrs have mostly revolved around increasing the ability of corporations to act with impunity while restricting personal freedom. I believe personal rights are MORE IMPORTANT than property rights.

Answer 9

Technology has increased and improved but is not being used for the right purposes.

Government...EVIL
Money...Again, too much wastage
Lot of pollution (~28%) by a country with 5% of the worlds population.

Answer 10

Democrats

Answer 11

The problem with America is the number of simple minded imbeciles who voted for Bush. This is not a criticism of Bush since it is not fair to mock the mentally incompetent.