America Is Not The Greatest Country In The World
I was at a friend's house last week and we were scanning through his Tivo list for something to watch when we came across the new HBO show "Newsroom." The opening segment of the show was extremely powerful. While the video below is a slightly edited for time version of the opening, the most important moment of the scene is captured in full. A college student asks a news reporter, who is known most famously for keeping himself indifferent on almost every topic,
"Why is America still the greatest country in the world?"
In a moment of honesty he unleashes the truth that most Americans know in their heart today but do not discuss but you are considered "unpatriotic" if you do. The stupidity of that notion is like ignoring your child when they misbehave because even bringing up the topic of their misbehavior would mean that you don't love them.
I am a younger American who has been left with a bill for a 50 year spending binge that was put on a credit card. The outcome of that situation is going to be a lower living standard for this generation at best and a complete breakdown of the American society at worst.
I think about leaving the country all the time. I can project forward into a future that most people cannot see today, and I try to imagine my children living in that world. America is not the greatest country in the world today, but it could be. And that's why I'm still here, for now.
For more on this topic I would recommend reading an excellent article posted in The Atlantic this week titled To Make America Great Again, We Need To Leave The Country.
"Why is America still the greatest country in the world?"
In a moment of honesty he unleashes the truth that most Americans know in their heart today but do not discuss but you are considered "unpatriotic" if you do. The stupidity of that notion is like ignoring your child when they misbehave because even bringing up the topic of their misbehavior would mean that you don't love them.
I am a younger American who has been left with a bill for a 50 year spending binge that was put on a credit card. The outcome of that situation is going to be a lower living standard for this generation at best and a complete breakdown of the American society at worst.
I think about leaving the country all the time. I can project forward into a future that most people cannot see today, and I try to imagine my children living in that world. America is not the greatest country in the world today, but it could be. And that's why I'm still here, for now.
For more on this topic I would recommend reading an excellent article posted in The Atlantic this week titled To Make America Great Again, We Need To Leave The Country.
Really, Tuna? You are too smart to fall for his whiney tripe. It's naive to say that because America isn't #1 in everything (or even most things) that it is no longer a great country. Yes, we fallen in stature and lots needs to change. Education is a (if not THE) MAJOR weakness. I offer the writer of the Atlantic piece as evidence. Suggesting that CA is under represented in Congress demonstrates an appalling lack of Constitutional education. Instead of eliminating the electoral college, repeal of the 17th Amendment would go a LOOOONG WAY toward fixing the political problems we face. Why? Because there's far too much power concentrated in Washington which, in turn, makes it easier for Wall Street to buy influence. And BTW, this is a Republic, not a democracy. Maintaining a Republic requires and educated and moral citizenry. There's our greatest challenge. Educate your children about the values that went into establishing the Constitution. That's the last hope future generations have of avoiding serfdom. And don't let the whiners get you down.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you read my rebuttal message, Tuna, but sorry you felt it unworthy of your readers' consideration.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you're suggesting that I took down a comment? I did not. I have never taken down a comment here and do not plan on it unless it contains language issues.
ReplyDeleteIf you are the same respondent as the first comment at 1:56, I appreciate your response. I'm not saying that America is not a great country, I just wanted to emphasize as discussed in the video that we are not the greatest country in every aspect, and in many cases we are falling quickly.
I think that when the Greece-like debt crisis arrives in America you will see much more weakness hidden under the surface. Many countries have moved into and out of dominance through history. America's greatness peaked in the 1950's after decades of hard work and savings (as the greatest country in history - by far) and that dominance since has been maintained exclusively through the use of a credit card. That will ultimately lead to a collapse in living standards and fading dominance around the world.