Why does America fear/distrust it's government?
- Thread starter Da Orky Man
- Start date
At least you aren't in Australia. We're headed towards a Chinese type police state faster and faster it seems. First we don't have a protected right to free speech, and now they want to track internet histories and block access to sites unknown to the public.
That's the point of the American government. It's by the people, for the people, of the people.
It's designed (supposedly, anyway) to serve the people, not the other way around. It's an elected body that does what the people want in their name, it has the power to do so. If enough people dislike what the government does, the people are within their rights to claim it back.
In the UK we tend to hate our government, whine about it, but not much else. Our government is pretty much set up in a way that prevents people from forcing it out.
It's designed (supposedly, anyway) to serve the people, not the other way around. It's an elected body that does what the people want in their name, it has the power to do so. If enough people dislike what the government does, the people are within their rights to claim it back.
In the UK we tend to hate our government, whine about it, but not much else. Our government is pretty much set up in a way that prevents people from forcing it out.
"The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy"
That, and I don't trust governments for the same reason why I don't trust large businesses. They can very well screw you over if they feel they can get away with it.
That, and I don't trust governments for the same reason why I don't trust large businesses. They can very well screw you over if they feel they can get away with it.
Wow.Signa said:I'm not going to read 9 pages to see everyone post the same complaints over and over. Just look at this Failblog picture, because it sums everything up all at once.
How the hell does anyone reconcile this?
Just...holy shit, 15 years? Really?
...Well, at least he gets free lodging and food for the time being >.>
Well I tend to distrust anyone who wants to claim they have some authority to tell me I can't live my life on my own terms. That and I don't like people stealing from me. Governments do both. Maybe you are to trusting. But then again in France they banned the wearing of burkas and England has the highest number of security cameras per capita in the world so... Yeah.
^This^. It pretends to be a democracy, because people get to vote. But there are so few party differences of any importance, and the politicians are bought and sold by the big corporations that it isn't really a democracy in the proper sense. It is made worse by the two party system, so there are only really two options you could vote for without it being a massive waste, and because each group wants to be voted in, and because the voting isn't mandatory, they aren't trying to appeal to the actual population, they just pick the policies that best reflect the voting population to get the votes they want. So it isn't a reflection of the society, it is a reflection of the capitalists, the religiously stubborn/extreme, and basically any selfish or intolerant group that makes it their goal to be more selfish or intolerant.Serving UpSmiles said:
They distrust their government because their government lends itself to distrust. Make voting mandatory, put a two-term hiatus on party politics (make it individuals, each with their own views and goals), have a collective funding pool that is evenly split so that no candidate has any financial advantage over another during campaigns, and remove direct donations to particular parties (temproarily of course, just to see how it goes). If Americans want to be able to trust their government, they need to make it their government.
I'm from the UK, so this doens't really apply to me. I just want to say thanks for putting "Mother" by Pink Floyd in my head with the topic title.
ou know the line I mean.
ou know the line I mean.
if your a girl I'd ask to marry you
if your a girl I'd ask you to marry me. this is just how i feelBobbity said:Sorry, this kind of turned into a rant.
It's this attitude of "Screw the government" that most Americans seem to have. They object to paying even reasonable taxes, despise their government, whoever's in charge, and fight every single piece of legislation like their lives rely upon it.
To an extent, they have a point, in that the system is so ridden by corruption and incompetence, but then the problem becomes the society surrounding the government, and the people that are running it.
Americans ***** that they don't want the government running things, but the fact is that the government is the sole organization in their entire fucking country with an interest in actually helping them, as opposed to screwing them for all that they're worth.
I mean, if you don't want healthcare in the hands of the government, then no one at all is going to take it up. Look, fuck the people who are too short-sighted to see this. I love America, but it can really drive me up the wall sometimes.
Not everything the government does is done to hurt you. No, the government does not exist specifically to screw you. In fact, it's about the only thing out there trying to help you.
Okay, I'm riled up now, so one more thing. What the FUCK is with your tax rate? You guys wonder why your economy is fucked? The highest tax bracket kicks in at over a third of a million dollars, and it's only thirty five fucking per cent! You wonder why your economy is fucked? It's because you're fucking it! The media feeds your population a load of horseshit, and they swallow it whole.
Please, America. I love you guys, but stop bitching about your government, and work with them, for once. They are, theoretically at least, you, and yet you fight them every step of the way.
No, blind obedience to whatever the government wants is not good, but neither is fighting them every step of the way. There is a middle ground, believe it or not.
This, the whole hush hush nature of our military. I'm talking about AREA 51, CIA, FBI and F-Files type not a majority of the shit that the news broadcast then wonders why our troops were ambushed by I.E.D's. Also the fact that a HUGE majority of the people in power are really dumb and keep getting elected by people that think they're right. They're mainly a bunch of old people trying to keep up with an age that's too far ahead for their mindset.Arctarus said:
I think Joker from Mass Effect 2 said it correctly, "I don't trust anyone who makes more than me."
I'm sorry but how so? Why is there a big issue to legalize gay rights, abortions and Cannabis? Why Bill S.978 is reviewed? Why do they think net neutrality is a good idea? How do the oil and tobacco get such power?Kleingeier said:
I understand that right now I'm looking like a liberal jerk but honesty, if politicians stop quoting the bible to deny freedoms and giving tax breaks to the wealthy then my view will change.
I'm going to explain it with a quote from Americas most famous and influential president:
When was the lesson of "tyranny = bad" forgotten? Was it during the holocaust when millions were killed because of an oppressive government? Was it during Stalins Russia, when millions were killed because of an oppressive government? Was it during Communist China, when millions were killed because of an oppressive government?
Notice a trend in any of those? Now tell me how many millions were murdered by freedom.
Man is mortal and, as such, inherently flawed. In order to provide man with the most freedom to pursue his own freedom, restraint must be put upon government so that no one is above or below another. All men, after all, are created equal and one has no more right or less right than another to live, own property, or master their own destiny.George Washington said:
When was the lesson of "tyranny = bad" forgotten? Was it during the holocaust when millions were killed because of an oppressive government? Was it during Stalins Russia, when millions were killed because of an oppressive government? Was it during Communist China, when millions were killed because of an oppressive government?
Notice a trend in any of those? Now tell me how many millions were murdered by freedom.
In BC, Canada, with an income bracket of less than 40K a year for a family of 5?Valkyr71 said:
You'd pay exactly $96.80 per month.
That's $1,161.60 per year.
If you were a single person making just over 22K a year?
You'd pay $12.10 per month.
That's under $150 per year. That covers everything except dental.
Yes, even stuff like open heart surgery, chemotherapy, etc.
And yes, you can choose your own doctor.
No, you really don't have to wait that long.
And Alison would've been scheduled for surgery immediately.
...
Yep.
Every government should be feared and distrusted a little bit.
And this. Also awesome avatar ^_^MercurySteam said:Truer words have never been worked into a demotivational poster before.Tsaba said:I'll just leave this here... it says what needs to be said about it.Da Orky Man said:
