Are you proud of your country???

a reply to: FuggleHop

top speed through the bollabonga!

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha....is that some sort of raceway from the States?

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

The states um territories of australia. Starts at Melbourne then up to sydney then darwin then across the bollabonga to perth.

originally posted by: FuggleHop
a reply to: Flavian

Exactly! I'd want to be australian so I can drive at top speed through the bollabonga!

You previously posted in this thread that you wouldn't want to be an Australian.
You switch your stance so much my only conclusion is childlike trolling, and amateurish trolling at best..

a reply to: grainofsand

Yes because their cant be any other possible explannation in this world like mabey Id want to go only to drive the billabong at top speed and then go right back to civilization um that cant possibly be it now can it?

Um let me think: What colors do I see: Black and white.

a reply to: FuggleHop

What # are you talking now?
First you slagged off Australians then you posted you'd like to be Australian to drive top speed blah...
You make it up as you go along and I think you are a poor example of a troll.
I'm far superior trolling because I have basic comprehension of what a reasoned argument is supposed to look like.

a reply to: grainofsand

I wish to learn more about reason.

Can you teach me?

originally posted by: FuggleHop
a reply to: grainofsand

I wish to learn more about reason.

Can you teach me?

Go pay a tutor, maybe take a philosophy or applied ethics class.
Join a debating group?
They are excellent places to learn about reasoned debate.

a reply to: grainofsand

A whole class on philosphy! I cant imagine there even is such a thing.

a reply to: grainofsand

sigh....thank you. "childlike trolling" seems apt

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

Lol good for mild amusement though, you know, like when my cat toys with a mouse that doesn't yet realise it's already #ed.

a reply to: grainofsand

hahahaha...I can just visualize the mouse thinking its got away

originally posted by: Christosterone
This is a simple question answer op…


So what say you ATS...
Are y'all proud of y'alls country?
If so why or why not?

-Chris

I'm an expat, so the question is one posed to me often and that I am constantly led to consider.

My national pride has wained seriously in the last twenty years.

I found, upon leaving the country, that much of what I'd been conditioned to believe about America simply was not true.
It was a harsh eye opener, which I fought against for a few years. I had been lied to about quality of life issues in other countries, which painted ours as superior.

But most of all, it seems to me that our country has been devolving in many ways. Like it reached it apogee and began to fall apart. The extreme valuation of Individualism seems to come to a point of manifesting it's drawbacks in the long term, which illustrate the problems that arise between theory and reality- exactly the way Communism did.

The country has been engulfed in polarization, turned against itself, like a body with auto-immune disease. The two party system is eating it up. It might be a false impression created by what I observe on this site and in other social media, but I hear the same in person from my family back home. It seems like it is on a path of self destruction (all the while claiming the threat is without).

I am not particularly proud now, no. Since FATCA started coming after me and my children, to make us pay US taxes, even when we do not benefit from any of the US protections or services embittered me more and led me to consider renouncing my american nationality. That was a hard thing to consider and felt like a rather existential choice.
No matter what, I remain deeply american in my values, ethics and perceptions - I cannot change that. I can criticize or analyze them, but I cannot change them.

In any case, they made it impossible to do so (with huge fees and the obligation to continue paying US taxes anyway), so that question is moot. But it did cause me to contemplate - am I willing to pay to be part of that collective (in addition to what I pay for this one)? What do I get in return for that? Is it worth it? Personally, I had to conclude it is not.

a reply to: Bluesma

And thats exactly the thing about communism. I see that their are lots of communists infiltrating the stuff that makes america AMERICA. In fact I see that their are communists on these forums. Some are foreigners. Some call themselves americans. Some might even be from places as far away as zanZibar, Polynesia or Perth (australlia).

They might not recognize that their part of the problem. They might not realize there communists. Unless theyve been educated in "universities" (brain washing institutions). Then they might know to put the name to the iddeology.

I here your plite and I understand that you have a gripe against paying taxes when you yourselves were not bennefiting from the services.

Certainly things were very different thirty or even twenty years ago. I remember thirty years ago the pride. The priiiide we all had. The priiiiiide we all had for being americans living in america. And when wed see a news program with goose stepping commies wed laugh at them. Are when we saw the high school students launch a successful gorilla attack on the invading commies in Red dawn wed cheer them on.

And twenty years ago we felt shame. Oh the shame. Yes the shame. Oh Bill Clinton and his NAFTA and his subversion of all that was good and decent. His subversion of Regan's best work. And even Bush SRs work. He brought shame. Shame shame shame to the House of white.

And it all changed. Yes it changed. It should have changed on Algores watch but it changed on W's watch and that corrupted all common sense and people went wild with conspiracy theories even saying that the USA had become so perverse that it would do such a thing to itsself as a "false flag" or some other rubbish.

In short all sense and decency went out the window leaving us masses confused and cynnical.

And now even the communists down under think they can chime in and tell us how it is with are country well I tell you there wrong.

So yes Donald Trump has become president and hes giving us a glimmer of hope that we havent seen for THIRTY years. And the dems hate that. They want us to be confused. They want us wondering why the window is still open leaving us masses confused and cynnical.

But some of us arent going to let that happen.

Trump can fix things. Damn the dems. Trump WILL fix things.

And thats what we saw with the Saudi king actually showing trump RESPECT. When was the last time a foreign king didnt get his butt kissed by an american diplomat? THings are already changing.

So times might be hard but once again I'm feeling pride for my country.

Finally again after 30 years Im starting to feeling that glimmer and remembrance of pride of being an American.

God bless America!

a reply to: FuggleHop

Well, there is that polarisation again- the hatred for your fellow countrymen.

Good luck with that.

I see Trump as added proof of devolution and the fall of the US as the major world power.
To each his own view, time will tell. But still I won't say "Damn you" or call you a fascist that needs to be wiped out and beaten, or any such nonsense. I will recognize you as a fellow countryman, just as concerned about the well being of the nation as I am, only with a different idea of how we can achieve that.

No matter how it comes about, I hope it does anyway. I also kinda hope that the interior problems of healthcare access, quality can be brought up a bit to match other first world countries. (even for those Americans who have a different political preference).

a reply to: FuggleHop

Just in case you didn't know, only two countries in the world taxes it's citizens on earnings received overseas, they are the US, and Eritrea.
LMAO land of the free, you have to renounce citizenship or you still get taxed.

I'll repeat it because it is so funny, only two countries in the world, the US, and Eritrea.
Land of the free my ass.

*edit*
As a Brit I can work abroad and pay no taxes to the UK government, then say I developed cancer or whatever, just fly back to Britain (without being sexually molested by border force staff) and get treated for free.
Socialism is # isn't it lol

a reply to: FuggleHop

...and to make a good comparison, I can work in the US and the UK will not tax my earnings. If I develop cancer or whatever I can fly back to Britain and get treated for free, just for being a British citizen.

You can work in Britain and the US government will tax your overseas earnings. If you develop cancer you have to pay for your treatment when you fly back to the US.
I know which form of slavery I prefer.

a reply to: grainofsand

That's true but it's a small price to pay for the privilege of being American.

I'll take it any day.

originally posted by: FuggleHop

In fact I see that their are communists on these forums... Some call themselves americans.

I'm the only self-proclaimed Communist I've seen on these forums and I was born in New Orleans, which makes me just as American as you.

Less of a dick perhaps, but just as American.

originally posted by: FuggleHop
a reply to: grainofsand

That's true but it's a small price to pay for the privilege of being American.

I'll take it any day.

LMAO a small price to pay?!
Being a citizen of a country which taxes you on earnings when you work overseas and the only way to avoid the tax is by renouncing your citizenship.
Sharing that obscene tax situation with one other country in the world, the #hole Eritrea?!
Bahaha you are in denial!

Millions without health care, highest prison incarceration rates in the world, police brutality accepted as the norm, yet still you shout Murica!
LMFAO!

a reply to: Bone75

I dont believe you are a real communist. Not by a longshot. Only a fake communist would think I'm a dick.