Question for Americans

Originally posted by Hal9000
I think there are two things we need to do.

1) We need to make war profiteering illegal. Corporations should only make enough to cover expenses on any weapons or services rendered. This alone will keep us out of any more unnecessary wars.

2) We need some serious lobby reform and regulation. Laws should be written by the congressmen and not by the corporations. This will reduce pork barrel spending and help reduce the deficit.

That would be a good start, but I don't see any politicians pushing for it. The only way is for the people of this country to get it done probably through a referendum or something.

Just my .02

Hear, hear, Hal, I've thought the same thing for years now. Those are exactly the 2 things I would enact first. For one thing, corporations have too tight of a stronghold on America and that needs to be loosened. These 2 ideas together would go a long way towards that end.

I would have to say that things began to go 'tits up' in the USA in 1913, when the Federal Reserve Act, the income tax, and the direct election of senators were inacted. This is the three-pronged trident upon which our freedom has been impaled.

Originally posted by resistor
I would have to say that things began to go 'tits up' in the USA in 1913, when the Federal Reserve Act, the income tax, and the direct election of senators were inacted. This is the three-pronged trident upon which our freedom has been impaled.

i can understand why you think the first two are bad

but could you explain why the direct election of senators is a bad thing?

more democracy = bad..?

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul

Originally posted by resistor
I would have to say that things began to go 'tits up' in the USA in 1913, when the Federal Reserve Act, the income tax, and the direct election of senators were inacted. This is the three-pronged trident upon which our freedom has been impaled.

i can understand why you think the first two are bad

but could you explain why the direct election of senators is a bad thing?

more democracy = bad..?

More democracy(socialism) as opposed to a constitutional republic = a bad thing.

The direct election of senators occured just when the press began to be consolidated and controlled. (no coincidence that) When the senate was elected by the state legislatures, it served as a hedge against the tendancy of the lower classes to vote for whomever promised them the most from the public coffers. There is now essentially no difference between the two houses.

States rights is another important consideration. At least back then, one could expect elected state reps to be more educated and interested in their states concerns.

Of course when personal morality is absent, as it is today, none of these concerns are meaningful.

Here's a much more educated opinion on the subject.

www.laughtergenealogy.com...