America is Great Because

[mysonx3]

I don't know.  Seems Vlad and his cronies have sure done a good job of unleashing inner potential (on the Internet).  Messing with folks mind and trying to divide the U.S. by trolls, bots, whatever is a dang sight cheaper then weaponry.

The media does a good job with dividing the U.S. without Russia's help. Because of the media, a large percentage of the population now has TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome)

Ask someone for or against Trump to name a single bill passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump that they are against and you'll hear crickets.

This is at least partially because rulemaking doesn't usually go through the legislative branch anymore, but through executive orders. You can't just exclude all the controversial things Trump has done and then ask why he's so controversial.


But in response to the original theme of the thread: America is incredibly flawed, but what makes it great is that there are mechanisms in place for people who care and who have enough determination to be able to push for positive change. We had slavery, but we also had the mechanisms in place that allowed it to finally end (even if it required a bloody civil war). We denied women the right to vote, but we had the mechanisms to change it (even if it took the sacrifices of women like Susan B. Anthony). We had school segregation, but we had the mechanisms to eventually end it (even if it took the Little Rock crisis). We had Jim Crow, but we had the mechanisms in place to end it (even if it required the heroism of the civil rights movement). We have police brutality, but we have the mechanisms to end it. That's not to say that it will be easy - significant changes never will be - but we have the means to fight tooth and nail for change. The structure of America demands conflict - but it's that conflict that allows good the opportunity to overcome evil. That's why such an unbelievably flawed country can still be considered great.

[LevelUP]

To me, America is like a Tesla car.  It is a great feat of engineering that other car companies admire.  

Now technically could nitpick that car, and see how the body panels often don't line up perfectly, or sometimes the paint job isn't even in some areas or maybe there are a few software bugs. Early versions of the car sucked because of this reason or that reason. The past and a few imperfect parts don't change the fact that the car is great. 

Btw Ellon Musk was born in South Africa though many consider him a great America.  He has been officially a U.S. citizen since 2002.

My quick rant, quit calling blacks African Americans.  African is a nationality, not a race! They weren't born in Africa, speak African, or know any African culture.  Technically a white person can be African, as shown above, but it would be ridiculous to call them African Americans, or European Americans, or Asian Americans or anything else but Americans.  Every U.S. citizen can be proud to be an American.  Nancy Pelosi kneeling wearing an African scarf was a disgrace.

[Sapientes]

Ever heard of Rex Tillerson? How about John Kelly? James Mattis?  Mira Ricardel? Jeff Sessions?  the list is endless.

Yep. Heard of all of them. Everyone you listed was hired to do a job and was subsequently fired when they couldn't (or wouldn't) do the job to their boss' satisfaction. I'll take just one as an example, Mira Ricardel.

According to CNN:
"Ricardel generated a long list of enemies and developed a reputation for shouting at subordinates, plotting against White House officials she disliked and leaking stories about her administration opponents to the press. One source familiar with the situation said Ricardel's firing is due in part to her "bullying" of aides both above and below her."

Kelly and Mattis are both mentioned in the article in the context of Ricardel. It also discusses how (John) Bolton and Ricardel wanted Mattis out as they thought he wasn't " 'ideologically aligned' with Trump", which is noteworthy given his recent book. The last sentence in the quote would be enough to remove her from the position. It also demonstrates the willingness on the part of the administration to remove someone from their position if they aren't performing well. None of these are examples of "Cancel Culture" so your point about the president having "Dirty hands" doesn't hold. 

--"Oh, and for the record, I do not believe that it needed to be said."
The protests have moved well beyond anything to do with the police or the killing of George Floyd. They are now about destroying capitalism, demonizing America's founding, and obliterating its history. It did need to be said and the president called them out appropriately.

--"He doesn't try to uplift the nation. It's demoralizing." 
Here's a few other things the president said in his address that you may have missed:

"We believe in equal opportunity, equal justice, and equal treatment for citizens of every race, background, religion, and creed.  Every child, of every color — born and unborn — is made in the holy image of God.  (Applause.)

We want free and open debate, not speech codes and cancel culture.

We embrace tolerance, not prejudice.

We support the courageous men and women of law enforcement.  (Applause.)  We will never abolish our police or our great Second Amendment, which gives us the right to keep and bear arms.  (Applause.)

We believe that our children should be taught to love their country, honor our history, and respect our great American flag.  (Applause.)

We stand tall, we stand proud, and we only kneel to Almighty God.  (Applause.)

This is who we are.  This is what we believe.  And these are the values that will guide us as we strive to build an even better and greater future."

[videogamesrock]

It’s reassuring to read this and know that people can still think for themselves.


Sent from my iPhone using DegreeForum.net

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To me, America is like a Tesla car.  It is a great feat of engineering that other car companies admire.  

Now technically could nitpick that car, and see how the body panels often don't line up perfectly, or sometimes the paint job isn't even in some areas or maybe there are a few software bugs. Early versions of the car sucked because of this reason or that reason. The past and a few imperfect parts don't change the fact that the car is great. 

Btw Ellon Musk was born in South Africa though many consider him a great America.  He has been officially a U.S. citizen since 2002.

My quick rant, quit calling blacks African Americans.  African is a nationality, not a race! They weren't born in Africa, speak African, or know any African culture.  Technically a white person can be African, as shown above, but it would be ridiculous to call them African Americans, or European Americans, or Asian Americans or anything else but Americans.  Every U.S. citizen can be proud to be an American.  Nancy Pelosi kneeling wearing an African scarf was a disgrace.

Great point, I was listening to two Russians speak at my pool and realized that Russia is also in Asia as one was of Asian decent. I’m flawed, I’m human. Would we consider White Russians Asian?


Sent from my typewriter.

[bluebooger]

no            
White Russians are a drink

[StoicJ]

My reasons why America is a great country to live in:

1. The primary language in America is the same as the one my family and I primarily speak.
2. I can customize an educational program for my children without State involvement with very little hassle.
3. Relatively free movement within a large land mass.
4. I can hunt and fish to my heart's delight.
5. Relatively good respect for an individual's right and ability to defend themselves with weapons.
6. The amount of work you have to put in here to enjoy a decent (subjective) lifestyle is ridiculously low.
7. In general the people are polite, still.
8. Decent infrastructure.

There really are so many things.

That said, we moved overseas for a bit, came back a year and a half ago, and I am very much looking forward to leaving for good. The trend here sure isn't looking very good.

[SteveFoerster]

The media does a good job with dividing the U.S. without Russia's help.  Because of the media, a large percentage of the population now has TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome)

I agree with you that those who believe that anything the Trump administration does must inherently be bad have TDS, and there are a lot of people like that out there. 

At the same time, though, people who can think of no criticism for Trump no matter what character and policy flaws he demonstrates also have TDS.

In both cases it's not about principles or even policy, it's just about cheering for your team and booing the other team.

Ask someone for or against Trump to name a single bill passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump that they are against and you'll hear crickets.

The tax cut. Not because tax cuts are bad, but because there was no spending cuts to go along with it, handing the bill to our grandkids. Same with the so-called stimulus. He's going to leave office having signed legislation that ballooned the national debt to levels so damaging as to permanently weaken the U.S. geopolitically.

I'd also say his trade wars, but Congress has abdicated its responsibilities so thoroughly over the years that Trump didn't even need to go to them for enabling legislation.

On the other hand, that so much power is concentrated in the executive also allowed him to do something right, which was his early focus on deregulation.

My quick rant, quit calling blacks African Americans.  African is a nationality, not a race! They weren't born in Africa, speak African, or know any African culture.  Technically a white person can be African, as shown above, but it would be ridiculous to call them African Americans, or European Americans, or Asian Americans or anything else but Americans.  Every U.S. citizen can be proud to be an American.  Nancy Pelosi kneeling wearing an African scarf was a disgrace.

Seriously? Of all the racial issues in the U.S., this is what you care about? (Also, African is not a nationality. It's a continent, not a nation.)

[LevelUP]

I agree with you that those who believe that anything the Trump administration does must inherently be bad have TDS, and there are a lot of people like that out there. 

At the same time, though, people who can think of no criticism for Trump no matter what character and policy flaws he demonstrates also have TDS.

In both cases it's not about principles or even policy, it's just about cheering for your team and booing the other team.

When a black man gets killed for holding a trump sign, it's a little more than cheering for one side or another.

All presidents have character flaws and nobody gets everything they want in policy changes.

The tax cut. Not because tax cuts are bad, but because there was no spending cuts to go along with it, handing the bill to our grandkids. Same with the so-called stimulus. He's going to leave office having signed legislation that ballooned the national debt to levels so damaging as to permanently weaken the U.S. geopolitically.

The tax cut was a reconciliation bill that was both revenue and deficit-neutral. The corporation tax cut was needed to keep the U.S. competitive.  Even Nordic countries have low corporate taxes because they learned not to kill the golden goose. So considering the tax cut didn't hurt you personally and that it doesn't affect the national debt, being against it you have no valid claim.

The Democrat-controlled house has the sole power to introduce spending bills.   The stimulus was a comprise that was agreed on by both sides.  It had the votes so even with a Trump veto it would have passed.  You can't blame Trump for that.

Seriously? Of all the racial issues in the U.S., this is what you care about? (Also, African is not a nationality. It's a continent, not a nation.)

The point remains, blacks are not African Americans.

It's still a free country and you can say whatever you want but it suggests that they are subclass citizens.

[todointernet]

Good information.

[SteveFoerster]

The tax cut was a reconciliation bill that was both revenue and deficit-neutral. The corporation tax cut was needed to keep the U.S. competitive.  Even Nordic countries have low corporate taxes because they learned not to kill the golden goose.  So considering the tax cut didn't hurt you personally and that it doesn't affect the national debt, being against it you have no valid claim.

The Democrat-controlled house has the sole power to introduce spending bills.   The stimulus was a comprise that was agreed on by both sides.  It had the votes so even with a Trump veto it would have passed.  You can't blame Trump for that.

"Ask someone for or against Trump to name a single bill passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump that they are against and you'll hear crickets."

They were your goalposts.