SURVEY: USA -- Headed in the right or wrong direction?

[patsfangr]

2 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Since 1945, which countries have asked the US to protect them from aggression?

Vietnam? Irak? Libya? Syria? Yemen? ???

 

America today doesn't impact the world in the same way that it did a hundred years ago when the discoveries you mention were made.

 

Since the turn of this century, the declining American empire has become a bully, taunting the world with "you are either with us or against us" (W junior) to "we will completely destroy you" (Trump), imposing sanctions as if it was the teacher of all these lesser nations, that barely no American citizen can locate on a map.

 

Difficult to think of any positive impact that today's America is having on the world...

That last sentence is both ludicrous and blind. Let's set aside the military aid issue for the moment. What country makes greater contributions toward fighting poverty and disease, and aiding in recovery from natural disasters than the USA? Please name it for me. No country in the world has done more to assist other countries than the USA has done over the past 100 years. You can question "motives" as much as you care to; but you can not deny that fact. 

[Lacessit]

As a non-American, I have no reason to like Trump. His trade wars affect world financial stability. He sucks up to tyrants. He demeans people in his own country who oppose him, without considering what they have to say could be correct. His finances are opaque compared to his predecessors. He's a serial liar.

Having said that, there a couple of things he has right. It is time for other nations to contribute more to the task of keeping world peace. It is appropriate for America to stop the constant theft of intellectual property.

 

It's sad that Americans are so polarised now. It's almost like the Civil War again, fought on Twitter. Although there's nothing civil in American political discourse at present.

[Athens]

History will tell. No. 45 just one in line.

[MyFriend You]

6 hours ago, rskdev said:

American Dollar, USD. Will always rule! As it still does this second, minute and hour. Look at other countries. What currency do they prefer? Banks are based on the USD, exchange rate is always based on the buying and selling of all currencies against the USD.  Just take a look at the FOREX market. A Trillion Dollars more or less is traded every day around the world.  Who controls that? Use your brain. Nothing will change.

Never underestimate the power of USD.

USA is heading in the projected direction according to its own rules established many years ago.

 

And all the other issues that are going on now, don't really mean jack. What it all comes down to in the end is money and resources.

 

By the way, I trade on the Forex Market. Very profitable.

Is there a "Forex Trading for Dummies" edition or link w can go too, I always like to try new things, somthing to keep the juices flowing.  beats playing the lottery, like I do now.

 

As for this post, a person like President Trump has been needed for a long time, since Harry Truman "speak softly but carry a big stick"  'cept The Donald forgot about the 'speak softly' part.

[patsfangr]

2 hours ago, jcsmith said:

That's a silly argument considering 12.5% of the United States population lives in California. 

How is it a silly argument? The point is that people living in a significantly different geographic area have significantly different needs. People in cities have different needs than those living on farms. People living near the ocean have different needs than those living far from the ocean. The economic, environmental, transportation, and all infrastructure needs differ. That's why America is a Democratic Republic, with an Electoral College, and not a pure democracy. 

[Brunolem]

6 minutes ago, patsfangr said:

That last sentence is both ludicrous and blind. Let's set aside the military aid issue for the moment. What country makes greater contributions toward fighting poverty and disease, and aiding in recovery from natural disasters than the USA? Please name it for me. No country in the world has done more to assist other countries than the USA has done over the past 100 years. You can question "motives" as much as you care to; but you can not deny that fact. 

Over the past 100 years !

 

One cannot compare today's America with the one of 1918!

 

American contributions these days are shrinking like a low quality Chinese T-shirt!

 

America regularly refuses to join many important international treaties, dating back to the Kyoto protocal in the late 90s, all the way to the latest Paris accord.

 

It is cutting aid to many countries that it labels unfriendly...one can wonder what the Palestinians, for example, have ever done to the US???

 

The US is also getting out of many UN related agencies, it is not accepting the International Court of Justice, and so on.

 

All in all, the US is contributing less and less which, by the way, it has no obligation to do.

 

If only it could also withdraw from conflicts where it has nothing to do (Yemen...), that would even things...

[Brunolem]

21 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

America needs allies.

And America has at least one ally: Saudi Arabia!

[IAMHERE]

So, where does that leave the rest of the world?  

[MyFriend You]

2 hours ago, jcsmith said:

That's a silly argument considering 12.5% of the United States population lives in California. 

You are correct, USA census this year is 328million people with 41million living in California  with about 3million undocumented. but thats 28% of the total undocumented in the US of A.   Maybe they should build the wall along California's state line instead of the southern borders.   Figures don't lie, but liars figure.

[sirineou]

7 hours ago, yimlitnoy said:

A nation that has lost the moral ground it was founded with.  It was an example to the world, no more.

 It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

[patsfangr]

1 hour ago, Brunolem said:

Sure!

Please remind me when was the last time Russia tried to invade Western Europe...and the other way round?

Umm, do recall a little skirmish called World War II from your history books? If the USA wasn't in Western Europe after the fall of Hitler, Russia was prepared to take the whole damn continent, and it would have started with all of Berlin! 

[patsfangr]

1 hour ago, Brunolem said:

Not well it seems...that was when Germany tried to invade Russia, who lost millions of soldiers and civilians to repel the invasion...

... and THEN ????? Do you recall the division of Berlin? Do you recall What happened to Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc., etc. ? Read the REST of your history book, please. 

[billsmart]

The US is headed in the right direction and I hope it keeps going, just need to stop the southern invasions after red wins in November, get out of the UN and clean up the rest of the immigration and trade problems. The watch the world start speaking Chinese 

Sorry, I "liked" this by mistake...[emoji34]

Sent from my SM-J400F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[patsfangr]

1 hour ago, Russell17au said:

A true democracy is one that is ruled by the person that wins the populace vote of the people. That is a democracy and America can no longer claim to be a true democracy because the leader of the country was not elected by the populace of the people but was appointed by members of a collage.

Now that is one of the most uninformed comments I've ever seen posted here. America has NEVER made the claim of being a "true democracy, Russell. America IS and ALWAYS HAS BEEN, a Democratic Republic. Go look that up before you make a fool of yourself again! 

[Brunolem]

9 minutes ago, patsfangr said:

... and THEN ????? Do you recall the division of Berlin? Do you recall What happened to Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc., etc. ? Read the REST of your history book, please. 

The circumstances were very particular...it was more like sharing the spoils of war than a classic invasion.

 

(meanwhile, Stalinian Russia was quite a different country from what it is these days)

 

An invasion, to take a recent example, is what Irak did with Kuwait in 1990.

 

Russia never invaded a Western European country in a time of peace.

Edited October 28, 2018 by Brunolem

[Guest]

Most of the people in civilised societies are able to name the mass shootings what has happened in their countries in the past 20 years. 

 

One would have to be a statistician to do the same in the USA. 

 

The huge amount of suppressed anger along with political environment and amount of guns in the country will eventually purge as a civil war. 

 

The current leader of the country is not even trying to solve the huge internal problem. Nor does the clickbait press. 

 

I just wish USA doesn't take the the rest of the world with it, once it implodes. This is one of the rare times, I'd suggest USA to take the course of Soviet Union as an example how to dismantle itself in peaceful manner.

[iroc4life]

All the Europeans moaning about the USA hahaha bite the hands that feed you. Since the USA doesn’t do anything good in Europe or the world, let’s close all USA bases world wide bring out boys and girls home and see how long you last. You need the USA as much or dare I say a lot more than she needs you. Since you have no military since 1943 and you have been protected. You’ll be speaking German, Russian, or Chinese before the spring

Edited October 28, 2018 by iroc4life

[Brunolem]

2 minutes ago, iroc4life said:

All the Europeans moaning about the USA hahaha bite the hands that feed you. Since the USA doesn’t do anything good in Europe or the world, let’s close all USA bases world wide bring out boys and girls home and see how long you last. You need the USA as much or dare I say a lot more than she needs you. Since you have no military since 1943 and you have been protected. You’ll be speaking German, Russian, or Chinese before the spring

You overestimate these countries' military power.

Only the US spends enough on its military to occupy other faraway countries...because such an enterprise is very costly...estimated at one million dollar per soldier per year!

Russia and China could not afford such expenses, especially since waging war on Western Europe would be much more difficult than doing it in Irak or Libya...never mind how weak the Europeans may appear to be (France has many nuclear subs that could do a lot of damage to an attacker).

 

[patsfangr]

1 hour ago, riclag said:

Jeepers Creepers,I love my Constitution just the way it is! Especially when it comes to the Supreme Court Justices that interpret the laws, strict  constitutionalist. I don't want  modern day  liberal  activist with radical ideas, experimenting with what has worked for hundred's of years! 

 

I just want to recommend this excellent, short video to everyone who is concerned enough about the subject of the USA. If you are an American, you are (hopefully!) aware of everything shown in this video. But it won't hurt to review it! If you are not an American, I really doubt that most of you are familiar with all of the details presented here. I think that understanding all of this will help all of you to have a more informed understanding of the way American government works; and, I hope, of why some of us so strongly support the US Constitution, and want to ensure that American law be compliant with it. 

[patsfangr]

2 hours ago, JemJem said:

 

This kind of thinking is really annoying. This is a forum, and we are here to express our opinions on a variety of issues. So, statements like 'Mind your own business' or 'If you don't like it, go elsewhere' are really against the spirit of the forum. Why, according to you, can't a person from country A state his/her opinion on country Z; or why can't a person from country B criticize the regime of country Y ?! Gees.

I totally agree! I would appreciate it if people ensured that they expressed only INFORMED opinions, or asked questions where unsure. That said, the right to express an opinion, informed or otherwise, is something that I, as an American, fully support! That is one of the freedoms that I hope we Americans will never lose, and I'm happy to acknowledge that everyone should be entitled to that same right. 

[allanos]

2 hours ago, mcambl61 said:

here we go again with an invented progressive theory based on nothing

 

A pillar of contemporary Leftism is the notion of “white privilege.” Given that a generation of high-school and college students are being taught that a great number of “unearned privileges” accrue to white Americans, the charge of white privilege demands rational inquiry.

The assertion turns out to be largely meaningless. And, more significantly, it does great harm to blacks.

First, no reasonable person can argue that white privilege applies to the great majority of whites, let alone to all whites. There are simply too many variables other than race that determine individual success in America.

And if it were true, why would whites commit suicide at twice the rate of blacks (and at a higher rate than any other race in America except American Indians)? According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, white men, who the Left argues are the most privileged group of all in America, commit seven out of every ten suicides in America — even though only three out of ten Americans are white males.

 

Second, there are a host of privileges that dwarf “white privilege.”

A huge one is Two-Parent Privilege. If you are raised by a father and mother, you enter adulthood with more privileges than anyone else in American society, irrespective of race, ethnicity, or sex. That’s why the poverty rate among two-parent black families is only 7 percent.

Compare that with a 22 percent poverty rate among whites in single-parent homes. Obviously the two-parent home is the decisive “privilege.”

 

 

 

I am always in awe of the socialist-liberal-left, who, on the one hand, want themselves and their policies to be seen as "progressive",  and yet,  it seems, are prepared to gleefully toss around terms like "fascist,  "racist", or "white privilege", whatever that means, on people with opposing views.

[malibukid]

sad news, America will never be great again until they address the question of mental illness and start spending some money.  fat chance.  the Republicans see mental illness as Gods Will and will never do anything serious about this and the homeless.  Santa Monica now looks like a Hoover Ville. soup kitchens reminiscent of the great depression.  this is how the conservative elites want to keep it.  more guns, less social programs. 

[Grouse]

3 hours ago, jcsmith said:

Nice of you to speak for Europe. Trump has certainly hurt relations there, but without the U.S. NATO would be vulnerable against Russian aggression.

Europe is vulnerable BECAUSE of Trump. Where is the peace dividend from the end of the Cold War? Please just stay home. Thanks

[Russell17au]

5 minutes ago, patsfangr said:

I totally agree! I would appreciate it if people ensured that they expressed only INFORMED opinions, or asked questions where unsure. That said, the right to express an opinion, informed or otherwise, is something that I, as an American, fully support! That is one of the freedoms that I hope we Americans will never lose, and I'm happy to acknowledge that everyone should be entitled to that same right. 

I disagree with you about the informed opinions. You say you would appreciate it if people ensured that they expressed only INFORMED opinions. If I ask you about something then I would end up expressing your opinion because it would be your opinion that you would be giving me answers on. You may not agree with my opinion and I may not agree with your opinion but the question is whose opinion is the informed opinion? Everyone in the world looks at things differently and they form their own opinion on what they see or hear.

[patsfangr]

1 hour ago, Brunolem said:

Over the past 100 years !

 

One cannot compare today's America with the one of 1918!

 

American contributions these days are shrinking like a low quality Chinese T-shirt!

 

America regularly refuses to join many important international treaties, dating back to the Kyoto protocal in the late 90s, all the way to the latest Paris accord.

 

It is cutting aid to many countries that it labels unfriendly...one can wonder what the Palestinians, for example, have ever done to the US???

 

The US is also getting out of many UN related agencies, it is not accepting the International Court of Justice, and so on.

 

All in all, the US is contributing less and less which, by the way, it has no obligation to do.

 

If only it could also withdraw from conflicts where it has nothing to do (Yemen...), that would even things...

Simple question. Do you believe that the world would be better off if America withdrew all of her military, and withheld all of her financial and humanitarian aid? If not, you're remarks are ludicrous. America has made mistakes, both domestically and internationally. But, overall, Americas "influence" on the rest of the world has been hugely positive! 

[Jingthing]

 
You're right about that, that Trump is a real powerhouse if he's able to achieve that.

He already did. That's why he's so dangerous.

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[allanos]

1 hour ago, patsfangr said:

Umm, do recall a little skirmish called World War II from your history books? If the USA wasn't in Western Europe after the fall of Hitler, Russia was prepared to take the whole damn continent, and it would have started with all of Berlin! 

Probably Eisenhower's greatest mistake was not to allow Patton to continue his eastward momentum, following the resounding victory of the Battle of the Bulge, and meet up with the Red Army much further east than where they did.  European geography would have looked a lot different.

[mcambl61]

14 minutes ago, malibukid said:

Santa Monica now looks like a Hoover Ville. soup kitchens reminiscent of the great depression.  this is how the conservative elites want to keep it.  more guns, less social programs. 

wow, delusional observations at best.

 

you do know the largest homeless areas are in towns run completely by democrats, yes?

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, patsfangr said:

Simple question. Do you believe that the world would be better off if America withdrew all of her military, and withheld all of her financial and humanitarian aid? If not, you're remarks are ludicrous. America has made mistakes, both domestically and internationally. But, overall, Americas "influence" on the rest of the world has been hugely positive! 

I would say yes. USA is highly aggressive country which likes to show it's power all over the world. 

 

Not all the people are like that. As you can see here in Asia as well as in Europe. 

 

It's better to do things together than fight for some rich man's rights and fame and property. 

[Brunolem]

4 minutes ago, patsfangr said:

Simple question. Do you believe that the world would be better off if America withdrew all of her military, and withheld all of her financial and humanitarian aid? If not, you're remarks are ludicrous. America has made mistakes, both domestically and internationally. But, overall, Americas "influence" on the rest of the world has been hugely positive! 

I agree with "has been", but is not anymore.

 

America could certainly withdraw from many of the 150 + countries where it has miltary bases...what's the point?

 

It could also reduce the number of soldiers stationned abroad: between 30,000 and 40,000 in places such as Japan, Korea or Germany...again what's the point?

 

It is a mistake to think that Russia or China would immediately seize the occasion to invade all these countries...they don't have the will, and even less the financial means.

 

We are not anymore in the times of conquests by Alexander, Attila, Genghis Khan or Napo!eon...modern warfare is extremely expensive, with little to expect in return.

 

Fighter jets and missiles are not as cheap as horses and swords, and only America with its gigantic military budget can afford to use them on a regular basis.