Americans, I Have Some Bad News For You

Since when has HARD WORK been a crime or a stigma of shame. The great structures, amazing art, wonderous medical discoveries, and evolving education on our planet have all taken hard, dilligent, work with resources, time and setbacks. They didn't arrive by Osmosis. Some people are meant to work hard, some are meant to work smart, and some are meant to pilfer like parasites from both---it's human nature, and it hasn't changed much in 10,000 years. The whole concept is to work hard at what you like or love and bring your satisfiaction and fruits of labor to share with the rest of your society or culture, while encouraging and enlightening others. The falacy in believing that someone or some entity OWES YOU a living or an existence, is akin to a Dragon trying to suffice by eating its own tail.....starts out as a good idea but eventually one starves to death. We still all be Neandrathals if we waited for some GURU to produce our sustenance and think for us.
If every person on the planet was given "their share of the equivilence in 1 million dollars of money, goats, pigs, land, oil, etc...) in just about 20 years, people would excel to their highest level of competency or gravitate to the lowest level of comfort.....basically it would be the same picture you have today. People make choices or decisions...then LIFE happens. I do not fear hard work, and it has always been a viable tool or effcective form of barter.

reply to post by subject9


Hmmmm...mnemeth1...trying some reverse psychology and rants perhaps?

reply to post by freedish
Sounded good except for that shameless "god" plug.

reply to post by Rocky Black
I sure have noticed a lot of foreclosures going on out there in the last few years, I guess this is the only country where that is going on too eh?

Your making Germany sound real good. I have been working for 12 years and I never get a vacation. I was supposed to get a week paid vacation in 2008 but then my company cut my hours because the economy was in free fall and suddenly I was no longer eligible because I didn't work enough hours anymore to qualify. I seriously considered making a few gallons of napalm and setting the place on fire.

There are over 300 million americans.
1,426,713 serve in the military, we probably can't count on them because of all the indoctrination, brainwashing etc they go through in training.
20 million illegal immigrants who probably have no love for the constitution etc. la raza types etc.
maybe a million agents with secret clearance and above
millions more who earn a living from enforcing tyranny, prison guards, cops, FBI, DEA
so I figure that leaves around 270 million regular people
of that, I assume 50% will fall for the lies, buy into the big scam, blindly patriotic to the dream of what america is supposed to be while ignoring the unsettling realities of our modern USA.
That leaves 135 million Americans who genuinely believe in the American dream, the constitution, the bill of rights, peace, freedom etc who want to restore the USA to what it should be.

I say if there's 135 million of us, we have a shot. We can win this internal war. Don't let the elite make you feel powerless, we are legion, we can do this! we can fight the institutional corruption of America and restore our sovereignty. Never give up, never surrender.

reply to post by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf
There is no rioting in America because the citizens know that if they do local police and military forces will be sent out to distribute bullets through the air and "into" rioters, which would, in turn, lead to a civil war. And the sad fact is that their are more armed american citizens than their are armed servicemen and women, so you do the math.

Originally posted by openmind444
reply to post by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf

 

There is no rioting in America because the citizens know that if they do local police and military forces will be sent out to distribute bullets through the air and "into" rioters, which would, in turn, lead to a civil war. And the sad fact is that their are more armed american citizens than their are armed servicemen and women, so you do the math.

Les'see...the military has nukes. Do you have a nuke? If you do, don't tell anyone. Cause the FBI will be around to see you.

Besides, how do you have a civil war with liberals? They're always waving white flags. Unless you want to shoot people who are constantly surrendering.

If a foreign army comes across, say, the Mexican border, they'd have so many liberal POWs to feed that soon their march would get bogged down. Then we conservatives will surround them. Free the liberals....er, no, maybe we won't free the liberal POWs. We could make the foreign invading army take their POWs back home with them...wherever that home is.

You see, to have a real civil war you have to have two sides who are actually shooting. Waving white flags is not thte same as shooting. This isn't 1860 when there were two sides who weren't afraid of war. This is the twenty-first century America where a large portion of the populace believe that surrendering is the best diplomatic solution to any potential conflict.

Civil War in America? Ha. Ha.

Originally posted by guyopitz
Your making Germany sound real good. I have been working for 12 years and I never get a vacation. I was supposed to get a week paid vacation in 2008 but then my company cut my hours because the economy was in free fall and suddenly I was no longer eligible because I didn't work enough hours anymore to qualify. I seriously considered making a few gallons of napalm and setting the place on fire.

There are over 300 million americans.
1,426,713 serve in the military, we probably can't count on them because of all the indoctrination, brainwashing etc they go through in training.
20 million illegal immigrants who probably have no love for the constitution etc. la raza types etc.
maybe a million agents with secret clearance and above
millions more who earn a living from enforcing tyranny, prison guards, cops, FBI, DEA
so I figure that leaves around 270 million regular people
of that, I assume 50% will fall for the lies, buy into the big scam, blindly patriotic to the dream of what america is supposed to be while ignoring the unsettling realities of our modern USA.
That leaves 135 million Americans who genuinely believe in the American dream, the constitution, the bill of rights, peace, freedom etc who want to restore the USA to what it should be.

I say if there's 135 million of us, we have a shot. We can win this internal war. Don't let the elite make you feel powerless, we are legion, we can do this! we can fight the institutional corruption of America and restore our sovereignty. Never give up, never surrender.

Yep, it's called the Gideon strategy. A million well trained troops are more effective a fighting force than three hundred million walking dead. By the way, have you watched the Walking Dead television series. That'd be an analogy.

reply to post by fredcall
Yup!.

They'd stroll up on us while we were arguing about what to do next.

American's are so #ed,cuz they have gummy bear spines.

My back hurts so much from holding y'all up.

But I won't retire.

reply to post by ledzeppelin489
[mook granted i haven read the whole post but even if you cant afford to take vacation days off here in new zealand you can work and get paid time and a half or have the day off and you still get paid for your normal work hours pretty sweet i say im taking my days off to relax

you easily could have used this information to discuss why the US should have labor reform. You could have continue to make a strong argument for labor reform, insisting that the paying wages are not living wages. You could take it one step further and describe politicians' tactics of including ways to keep things the way they are, various BS legislation, "riders" that ruin smart legislation, and the news networks that perpetuate the idea that there's only one side to the problem. Hell, you could even discuss how an involved public works system in other countries improves the quality of life.

but no.

Instead, you used it to make lame criticism of America, one that isn't even completely true. Truly a waste of attention on a thread.

Originally posted by WhiteDevil013

Originally posted by SpaDe_
Just because you have vacation days, doesn't necessarily mean that you can afford to take a vacation.

I know it's nice to have time off and all, but I would like to take the time off to actually vacation and not just sit home broke with nothing to do.

I completely agree. What makes our country great in my opinion is the general willingness to work. Most people who retire, end up sitting around all of a few days before they have to DO something productive. Thats why we have something called the American Dream. This is one of the only countries in the world where hard work almost always guarantees success. Where else can a man be born poor, work his butt off and die wealthy? Not only is this possible, but its almost common place.

Originally posted by ledzeppelin489
Yeah but most loyal Americans won't just abandon this country for a better wage; we're here to make things better for anyone who comes here. America is still the greatest country on Earth, and the OP is just one defector we will not miss

I agree. We work hard so that people who come here (usually illegally) from a horrid place, can have free hospital visits, food, and education. Its a frustrating concept, but we still do it. We are a nation of people who dont mind looking out for others.

Originally posted by T0by
Why is America the greatest country on earth anyway?
I find it abit conceited to say that, it's like saying 'I'm the hottest guy on the planet. Everyone wants to be like me and you must love me'

In my opinion, every man who is proud of his country may make the same argument about where they come from. But to answer more specifically, if this country WAS NOT as great as people claim, why do so many risk everything to come here? Other countries have immigration issues as well, but no other place has such an influx of people coming in from all over the world, in hopes of something better. This has been going on since before this country had a name.

As I mentioned above, no where else in the world is it more apparent that social class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation are nothing more but road blocks to success. No where else in the world are you guaranteed success through hard work. If you truly work hard your whole life, you will not fail. Whether its studying, flipping burgers, playing sports.....

There are so many people in this country who were born with literally nothing, and now are some of the most successful people in the world regardless of whether they are black or white, gay or straight, male of female.

The American Dream is still alive, despite these hard times. Just like the original colonists who risked everything to start this country, nothing is achieved without risk, hard work, courage, and the will to succeed. If anyone ever tried to invade us, they would find groups of people normally at odds with each other feeling the patriotism that only an American knows, banding together and fighting alongside each other. Anyone who has served in the armed forces will attest to the fact that an Alabama farmer and a New York prep will put their differences aside and fight side by side, risking their lives for each other.

This country is also home to many beautiful natural wonders, terrains, animals. Even just a drive up the coast of California will leave you breathless as you witness beautiful beaches, snowy mountains, lush forests, and a melting pot of different cultures.

In my opinion, THAT is what makes this a great place to live. Despite all the anti-american sentiments on ATS, I am proud to be an American, and thankful to be born in this beautiful country.

edit on 1-12-2010 by WhiteDevil013 because: grammar

I don't doubt much of what you said, and I think the gripe most people have with America is that when they refer to America, they refer to the government and the media.
However as a culture, many people probably feel it has become too material, money, celebrity, obsessed and self invoved in some parts.
This when taken when the whole, combined with the destructive actions of the government being ignored by the ignorant majority, is what most people have a problem with.

As a country that seemingly has the right to station troops around the world, and pre emptively occupy certain zones ( for dubious reasons ) and a country that people look to when problems need to be solved -
Alot of people are simply fearful of what this power can do if left unchecked and wish to have less secrecy/corruption within the American government. Because it does affect the whole world.

I think America pretends to act as it should be acting. But really, it doesn't.
Instead it's acting like any other large corporation. Pretending to act in your best interests when the bottom line is money, smashing out the competition, and staying on top.

Originally posted by thecinic
Some people get the weekends off right there is another 6=8 days a month off work it is not like those 12 days are your ONLY days off work. This does not take into ANY consideration actual facts, like teachers get a full years wage and then get the summer off..... Uhhh vacation days are not the ONLYdays you get off work... It all comes with the turf....Seriously 40 days vacation PLUS the weekends sick days AND holidays no wonder finland is the little crap we put around our tree at christmas... America is the big train that thunders around it.

edit on 30-11-2010 by thecinic because: (no reason given)

Just wanted to say teachers get 9 months pay over the span of 12 months. Also when one works at fast food joints, or Wal Mart (the company that employs the most) and most other corporations you get a few minutes for lunch you're not paid for it, you have absolutely no job security, you're forced to pay for your own food, (Even though you serve it and throw much of it away it's still not free for you.) have to work for years to get the opportunity to take a real vacation and you have to have it approved.
Also most of our hours are not set, so we never have a reliable work week and it's subject to change at any moment. The trends at the work place is no doubt starting to resemble feudal era rights to work. Also the "Right to work" states simply means they can fire you whenever they want.

It's just bad trends that need to be addressed by the work force in force. It's been done before.

I might add that maternity leave in Finland is 3 years. No exaggeration. If you have a child in Finland, you are allowed to take 3 years away from your work to raise them properly, during which your job may be filled by a temporary worker, but when you return it will be returned to you. Here in the US it is about 3 months and even after that in most states they can fire you for any reason. I believe Paternity leave is up to 3 months in Finland.

But none of this should come as a surprise. The rich run this country and we are all slaves. Why are the Republicans in congress refusing to stem the tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires? Its not for trickle down, even Warren Buffet says that's a farce and that he hopes the citizens in the US wake up.

Also, most all stores are closed on Sunday in Finland...so everyone gets Sunday.

Yea the US is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad. That's why everyone is stumbling over themselves to try and get here.

FACTS

More immigrants to America than the REST OF THE WORLD COMBINED.

You can pretend and bitch that THE US IS SO UNFAIR MANNNN. CHRISTIANS ARE RUINING IT MANNNN. But the fact remains that everyone is besides themselves to get here.

America IS the greatest country in the world. If you disagree, you're just butthurt that your lesser country can't hold a candle to the US.

Originally posted by killallbullies
reply to post by Truth_B_Told

 

OP, your linked article is not the orignal source. The article is from the blog of Dmitry Orlov:

ClubOrlov

Dmitry is the author of the book Reinventing Collapse. He grew up in Russia and later moved to US. He has eyewitnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union and he sees many similarities in the coming collapse of USA.

His blog is not updated very frequently but every article on his blog provides insightful views on the predicament of USA and the world, caused partly by the depletion of fossil fuel on earth.

He also offered many tips and clues on how to survive a collapse like the one of the Soviet Union. However, the current social structure and culture of the USA offer the least for American people to cope with the hardship they will face in the near future.


Long read but much fun.

Thank you, I found the link I placed on another site. I will take a closer look at your link tonight.

I got home a bit ago and could not believe the amount of flame posts this has caused.

America will be America after the incoming crash, we just won't have the Walmart full of Chinese made products 2 blocks away.

For many of us this is our home and it is hard to accept what is happening, but in the end isn't it family and friends that make it home?

I do believe the American way of life needs to slow down a little. There is way too much stress in our lives that is really not necessary. I think that is very evident in many of the posts I have read in this thread.

Stay safe,

TBT

Americans, I Have Some Bad News For You

The good news, is that every kid with some intelligence in the USA ought to start thinking about a future run for office and taking power back.

Who are what we're up against, after all, is that good looking, but wicked, self serving, vain, kid, who's got all the teachers fooled (not him per se, but what he represents), he ends up coming to power and becoming a future POTUS.

So I like to say then, to the younger audiance here at ATS.

Who do we want then, to be the next Senator, Congressman, POTUS, and CEO..

Him, or YOU?

Just remember to never waver from your principals when the opportune time comes along to lay it all on the line.

And then there we are, a whole new world. It IS possible, anything is possible, in the realm of imagination and intelligence.

Will it be Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Barack Obama, Jesse Ventura... some other hack..

or YOU?

Come to power American people. Come to power.

Originally posted by enigma91
Yea the US is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad. That's why everyone is stumbling over themselves to try and get here.

FACTS

More immigrants to America than the REST OF THE WORLD COMBINED.

You can pretend and bitch that THE US IS SO UNFAIR MANNNN. CHRISTIANS ARE RUINING IT MANNNN. But the fact remains that everyone is besides themselves to get here.

America IS the greatest country in the world. If you disagree, you're just butthurt that your lesser country can't hold a candle to the US.

This is a prime example of trolling and complete lack of social intelligence.

It seems to me that your thread is directed to Americans who are more involved with the materialistic things in life than anything else.

Myself? I'd rather live and die a poor American than to live as a wealthy anything else any day.

Let's not kid ourselves here. The USA is not so great, right now. But, it could be... again, and also for the first time in its history. It's all up to the American people, who they REALLY are, deep within, and what they are prepared to contribute, and to offer the world, from the smallest spheres of family and friends, all the way up to a newfound global village.

Where "they" got to the American people, was through the Television Set, "the tube".