Now that the 4th of July is over, has the United States of America died with the last ember

Ashamed to be an American? The USA is officially dead as a country of hope or as a country of worth in the global community.

www.wsws.org...

US global ranking in Child poverty

Roughly one in seven children within the United States currently lives in poverty.
According to the overall metric,

the US ranks 26 out of 29,

behind Greece and just above Lithuania, Latvia and Romania. On the education metric, it comes in 27, while on the material well-being metric it comes in at 26


www.indexmundi.com...

Global - estimates of the percentage of the population falling below the poverty line

are based on surveys of sub-groups, with the results weighted by the number of people in each group by country

#34 in population falling below the poverty line

behind France, UK, Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, Austria, Switzerland

www.theatlantic.com...

Global snapshot of academic performance,
ranking of countries educational performance.

U.S. scores below average in math and ranks 17th

among the 34 OECD countries.
One in four U.S. students did not reach the PISA baseline level 2 of mathematics proficiency. At this level, “students begin to demonstrate the skills that will enable them to participate effectively and productively in life,” according to the PISA report. Behind, Luthania, Finland, Estonia, Belgium, France.


rsf.org...

Global ranking in freedom of the press

#46 in freedom of the press behind: El Salvador, Romania, Botswana


www.tradingeconomics.com...

12th worst in debt to GDP ratio on the world

only 12 other countries in the world are in worse debt than the US, per capita (by person)

nearly 40% increase in percentage of national debt in past 6 years



www.worldaudit.org...

14 more countries in the world are less corrupt than the United States

13 countries in the world are more Democratic than the US


www.worldaudit.org...

13 countries in the world have more civil liberties than the US


www.worldaudit.org...

13 countries in the world have more political freedom than the US

www.vexen.co.uk...

The US does Not make the top 10 countries in:
morality, life satisfaction, life expectancy

but it is #1 in malware and email spam; and #30 in least religious country

and #55 in best overall country


In the past six years the US has plunged in all positive global measures of human development, prosperity, morality, and overall life satisfaction.

The government in power has succeeded in changing America as promised by the leadership.

I kinda liked living in the US when it was capitalist and #1 in life satisfaction, life expectancy and best overall country; instead of the socialist/progressive/democratic dictatorship it has become with all the promise fulfilled change.

Many of you will tell me what a rot gut of a place it was before, but I have lived here before it “changed with hope and change”, and I lived in Europe for 6 years before the hope and change, and I lived in Asia for 3 years before the hope and change; and

US used to be the best place to live in the world,


sadly no more.

Hey when you're a "progressive" nation, these are the stellar results.

No need to be so melodramatic about it. Today, millions of Americans went back to their jobs in order to continue supporting their family and raking up the funds for their next holiday. Seems the opposite of "dying embers" to me.

Also, PROUD to be an American, where at least you know that you can post this kind of claptrap and not get whisked away by the KGB for an "interview" which may or may not send you to prison for the rest of your life.

originally posted by: AfterInfinity
No need to be so melodramatic about it. Today, millions of Americans went back to their jobs in order to continue supporting their family and raking up the funds for their next holiday. Seems the opposite of "dying embers" to me.

Today millions of Americans stayed home because they gave up on trying to find jobs

and are no longer counted as unemployed

because there are so few jobs that after looking for years they just gave up all hope

originally posted by: grandmakdw

originally posted by: AfterInfinity
No need to be so melodramatic about it. Today, millions of Americans went back to their jobs in order to continue supporting their family and raking up the funds for their next holiday. Seems the opposite of "dying embers" to me.

Today millions of Americans stayed home because they gave up on trying to find jobs

and are no longer counted as unemployed

because there are so few jobs that after looking for years they just gave up all hope

The answer is no. America is not dying, anymore than you are.

originally posted by: AfterInfinity

Also, PROUD to be an American, where at least you know that you can post this kind of claptrap and not get whisked away by the KGB for an "interview" which may or may not send you to prison for the rest of your life.

It is not claptrap, these are just facts I presented, a long list of truths
Although, I did add my opinion at the beginning and the end

No the KGB won't come after me, but I have no doubt the IRS will try

a reply to: grandmakdw

it used to be the best place in the world to live if you wanted a semi free ride to a middle class life.... 150% profit for 100% work so to say...

still the best place to live IMO. just not as ez. theres still lots of money to be made. just gotta put in 150% work for 100% profit now a days. alot of people aren't ready to not only have to work hard but plan long.

just because the majority have made a majority of BAD decisions doesn't mean the whole country went to hell... IMO its a way to keep some for the good ole US. the jobs and money are all out there you just need to go get it. dont be irresponsible and immature and get your butt into gear. make good decisions and work hard.

learn to sit idle and plan. i see this as a big one. no one can just spend a day hanging out planning anymore. any spare time has to be filled with some sort of entertainment that cost $$$.

those numbers 1 in 7 living above poverty and whatnot would look A LOT better if people would cut the fat. how many of those impoverished homes smoke cigarettes? drink pop? coffee? energy drinks? alcohol? how many of these homes make decisions that directly HURT them.... a lot....


IMO theres still plenty of good ole USA dreamers living it up. i got my family and my future and I'm going to run with it. i dont care if they tell me the american dollar is crashed tomorrow my fam will still eat. not because I've saved or prepped or anything but because I'm willing and ready to take on the responsibility that is life.... most are not.. thats why you have so much destitution. i could be out smoking crack in a trap house somewhere.. nothings stopping me.. BUT ME!!!! will power is in short supply but i got a feeling things are going to start looking up. we need our confidence back!

think of it like a sports team.. america is shaken right now. we just got pooped on in the first half and most our team are slackers and dopers who just suck..... if our confidence stays low then we could be in trouble. WELL IM HERE TO TELL YOU THE ALL STARS ARE COMING!! second half will belong to the ones who work for it. by work i mean make good decisions and have good will power. thats all it takes. dont be an addict. addict as in addicted to anything. tv. food. drugs. fun. looking good. whatever. make good moderate decisions.





anyone reading this thinking "man this guy is just full of it isnt he!" lol yes.... yes i am... full of confidence. just make that good decision folks. no matter what it is... its usually the one your dreading... just gotta do it bandaid style and things will start to look up. now if everyone does this....

a reply to: mindseye1609

You have some great points.

It used to be a great place as you said.

If you give up all frills in life you can become middle class and feed your family.

If you fight and scratch and work hard you can still become middle class and feed your family.

What a wonderful country!

I kinda liked living in the US when it was capitalist and #1 in life satisfaction, life expectancy and best overall country; instead of the socialist/progressive/democratic dictatorship it has become with all the promise fulfilled change.

The top 10 countries in one of your links are all socialistic in nature...

Few examples.

Denmark

Denmark has a wide range of welfare benefits that they offer their citizens. As a result, they also have the highest taxes in the world. Equality is considered the most important value in Denmark. Small businesses thrive, with over 70 percent of companies having 50 employees or less

Finland.

Finland has one of the world’s best education systems, with no tuition fees and also giving free meals to their students. The literacy rate in Finland is 100 percent. Finland has one of the highest standards of living in the world. Like Denmark and other European countries, equality is considered one of the most important values in society. Whereas in the Netherlands, government control over the economy remains at a minimum, but a socialist welfare system remains. The lifestyle in the Netherlands is very egalitarian and organized, where even bosses do not discipline or treat their subordinates rudely.

New Zealand.

New Zealand may not be a socialist country, but the welfare system in the country is very wide ranging, offering support for housing, unemployment, health, child care, and education as well. Therefore, New Zealand has many of the characteristics of a socialist country, even while remaining officially free market.

Ect ect...

originally posted by: grandmakdw
a reply to: mindseye1609

You have some great points.

It used to be a great place as you said.

If you give up all frills in life you can become middle class and feed your family.

If you fight and scratch and work hard you can still become middle class and feed your family.

What a wonderful country!

its not fighting and scratching to take care of ones responsibilities???? its taking care of ones responsibilities..

if you have kids and whatnot take care of them.. we have 3-4 generations now that have had severe parenting issues and i think we are starting to see the results of that.

just because you cant come to america and get a $30 job right off the boat and get a loan for a $400,000 mansion without any credit history doesn't mean america isnt still amazing..

and no i dont mean cut the frills. believe me my life is mostly frills if you ask anyone who knows me.. you just need to prioritize your frills. most dont even know what they actually want or what makes them happy so how can you expect them to work towards a future goal?

so you want to be able to have fun all the time for free and have whatever you want whenever you want it? for free?

theres still jobs out there... they just aren't repetitive labor that pays. its specialized labor and installation mostly. green tech jobs are blowing up. insulating houses. new blind installs. solar.

theres a whole new generation of mechanics that are needed. seen the UTI commercials? america is changing thats all..

dont be so dramatic and pessimistic.. i promise things will get better

I grew up in time when people looked at the USA as a beacon. It was where everything cool was happening, freedoms, movements etc. In fact I eventually found myself living over there illegally for a while. Had a great time and learned more about life as a 19 year old Aussie on the run (technically... I guess? ) in the swamps of Louisiana. The folk out there cooked some weird food, but my god did it taste awesome. I was poor, but in love and in a land which had a kind of electricity to it. It was an incredible time, but in the end after growing as a man and learning what a moron 19 year olds are at that age, I wised up and handed myself in and got deported. But wow, what a time, in a country that felt alive. It was exciting, amazing and one day I would love to go back for a time.

9/11 however was the ultimate 'full stop'.
Everything from that time onwards is as if someone forgot to pay the electricity bill. Obviously you were drifting as a nation back in the 80's and 90's towards what it is today but I didn't see things like that back then. So, I don't know if 9/11 is like you had your power cut, or a spot-light shone upon what freedom is, was, and should be. Makes feel so mournful inside.

And it's no wonder to me to see the USA slipping in it's rankings, I'm sure many people must feel it?

a reply to: Atzil321

The US is way too large to be successful at socialism. All those countries are as small as most of our 50 states. One can not manage successfully a country as large and diverse as the US by trying to fit everyone into the one size fits all socialism model. Those countries are not only not as large but are also mostly monocultural, much easier for a one size fits all type of governance, laws, regulations etc.

That is why the old model of the states did most of the governing and microeconomics, while the federal government did the protection and macroeconomics.

We now have the model of the federal government is doing more and more micro-governing, micro-regulating, and microeconomics,

and micromanaging the individual lives of 300 million of ethnically and culturally diverse people. Won't work.

originally posted by: AfterInfinity

Also, PROUD to be an American, where at least you know that you can post this kind of claptrap and not get whisked away by the KGB for an "interview" which may or may not send you to prison for the rest of your life.

And you can have that same freedom AND a higher standard of living in a number of places round the world.

USA doesnt even get into the top 10 of certain standard of living tests.

You need to worry.

originally posted by: AfterInfinity

The answer is no. America is not dying, anymore than you are.

17 Trillion debt and a stagnated economy?

Seem dying to me. Or at least on life support.

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: AfterInfinity

Also, PROUD to be an American

And you can have that same freedom AND a higher standard of living in a number of places round the world.

USA doesnt even get into the top 10 of certain standard of living tests.

You need to worry.

That is exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you!

We do need to worry and we need to totally rethink the "change" that has happened that put the US in these dire straits.

originally posted by: grandmakdw
In the past six years the US has plunged in all positive global measures of human development, prosperity, morality, and overall life satisfaction.

Six years? SIX YEARS?? We did all that in just six years??? Try 50. If you think this current government (Obama) is to blame for all of this, you're simply uninformed and terribly biased.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

We did the 40% increase in debt to GDP ratio

Oh, yeah, and the real unemployment rate of around 8% to now having millions of discouraged workers now not counted as unemployed making the real unemployment rate at some estimates near 15-20%

Yup we did those thing in the past 6 years.




oops almost forgot:
micromanaging the health care of all americans, done in the past 6 years

micromanaging the freedom of small businesses to not do things against their religious beliefs (I'm talking cake and flowers here), done in the past 6 years

ignoring black on white violence as children will be children and giving no jail or little jail time; while sentencing to long jail terms non-blacks who might have been thinking wrongly when committing a crime - yep the last six years

I love the USA..wouldn't want to live anywhere else...but it's sucking at the moment...broken and dysfunctional and not because of the President or Congress or the Supreme Court - but because of it's citizens.

I spent the weekend on the Gulf Coast, lucky enough to be in the lap of luxury through no doing on my part..pure circumstance/happenstance. I was shocked, pissed and appalled that literally every single conversation I was in or overheard turned into a spittle-laden tirade about the President, immigration, healthcare or Benghazi. And let me be clear - I damn sure didn't bring it up or even willingly participate. We were guests, so it could hardly be avoided without seeming rude or ungrateful. But at one point, after trying to change the topic, feigning interest, and ultimately moving to another area and a different conversation altogether, someone exclaimed "What's wrong!? Are you a liberal or something!? Are you one of them Obama lovers?"

My reply was..."I'm simply trying to relax and enjoy my vacation. "

The conversations couldn't be avoided - by the pool, on the docks, on the boat, in nice restaurants, in luxury houses and on the beach with the National Anthem playing and fireworks going off....all while enjoying the very best of what America can offer anyone. It was surreal. Their rights and liberties seemed pretty rock solid to me, no one was denying them anything, they certainly were exercising their right to free speech. LoL!

Nonetheless, I was regaled ad nauseum about the loss of their freedoms, their guns, the Prez being a drug addicted homosexual, his wife being a transvestite and every other sorted, scurrilous internet rumor....all the while little kids are running about and I'm having a drink, just trying to escape a little and enjoy our rare vacation experience.

America had lost it's sense of decency and social decorum. And most fail to see how truly blessed we are.

It was disheartening to say the least.

I've always said I would kill to live in Sweden.....

a reply to: grandmakdw

We now have the model of the federal government is doing more and more micro-governing, micro-regulating, and microeconomics, and micromanaging the individual lives of billions of ethnically and culturally diverse people. Won't work.

Where is this billions coming from? There are only a little over 300 million Americans. Socialism can work in America we already have many socialist programs here now. The main reason why people complain about socialism is because all they know about socialism is what the greedy people who buys the government tells them. It's comes from back in the 50's when they convinced many Americans that Socialism and Communism was the same thing and it isn't.

The main reason why the wealthy in this nation is against socialism is because they would have to start paying their fair share. Taxes now are a joke when compared to what we were paying when America was doing good when we paid as high as 80% now some of these people pay as little as 14% and they cry about that. It is the greedy people in this country that complain the most about Socialism because they may lose a little money. People can still own their land and businesses under socialism not to mention can still become wealthy they would just have to work a little harder than they do now.