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Being an American living in Norway for 5 years now, I get curious at times how Americans in general feel about the current state of the U.S. - we get Fox News here, and even though I think that if you don't like something on television, either turn it off or change the channel, it becomes somewhat of a fishing show. Bill O'reilly seriously makes my blood boil.

 

At any rate, assuming that a good 50% of you are American, how DO you feel about current issues in the U.S.? The Iraqi War, education, health care, job unemployment, etc.

 

OT

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Good lord - I could talk about this topic all day. Short version - we've been on a downhill slide for 5 years.

 

I seriously worry about my rights eroding, the economy (here in Michigan it's gone from bad to worse), the war and how we're ever going to get out of Iraq (not to mention why we were there in the first place), why we can't find Bin Laden, how much influence the government still has left over corporate America, how far the extreme right wing will be allowed to go, etc., etc.

 

IMO, America is circling the bowl. :toilet:

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Being an American living in Norway for 5 years now, I get curious at times how Americans in general feel about the current state of the U.S. - we get Fox News here, and even though I think that if you don't like something on television, either turn it off or change the channel, it becomes somewhat of a fishing show. Bill O'reilly seriously makes my blood boil.

 

At any rate, assuming that a good 50% of you are American, how DO you feel about current issues in the U.S.? The Iraqi War, education, health care, job unemployment, etc.

 

OT

 

Grr... don't get me going about how much is going wrong here in he U.S. over the past 5 years under Dubya. A few of my musings:

 

The Iraq War- Well, I have 2 friends over there and I'll just forward on what they tell me- they can't wait for their tour to end so they can get out of that pointless war. The country is now roughly 60/40 against the war, and I've been against it from the start, and even more so since the reasons for going in were fiction. I imagine support for the war will continue to erode so badly that Bush and Congressional Repubs will have no choice but to start drawing down forces by the 2006 midterm elections.

 

Health Care- I, like so many Americans are sick and tired of corporate run healthcare. Healthcare premiums are going though the roof. Believe it or not, polls are showing that calls for universal healthcare are quickly growing, despite no real push by politicians or interest groups in favor of it.

 

Jobs/The Economy- The numbers clearly lie here. Despite high GDP growth and low unemployment, Americans are very pessimistic about the state of the economy. Facts are most of the growth has only reached the pockets of a few wealthy people and many people aren't exactly working their dream jobs. And this is coming from someone living in Florida which has a better economy that most states.

 

Illegal Immigration- This issue is a massive red herring for both parties. However, the Republicans could be hurt by it the most in 2006 since their base is growing furious with Bush over his inaction in dealing with the issue.

 

Republican Scandals- From the Bush Administrations Valerie Plame Leak Indictment of Cheney's Chief of Staff Libby, Tom DeLay, the Jack Abermoff lobbyist scandel (involving many Republican Congressmen), etc., the party has had a world of ethical and legal troubles. This has only added to the discontent between the American public and the Republican controlled government.

 

Bottom Line- Approval ratings Congress are at their lowest point since the mid 1990's, and Bush's ratings are at the lowest point ever. People are just fed up with the nation's leadership from top to bottom. Whether the Democrats can capitalize and offer a viable alternative to Bush and the Republican monopoly on power in time for next year's midterm elections remains to be seen.

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At any rate, assuming that a good 50% of you are American, how DO you feel about current issues in the U.S.? The Iraqi War, education, health care, job unemployment, etc.

 

OT

Iraq War: We should not have attacked Iraq. Now that we're there we have to be smart about getting out so we don't further harm the Iraqis and the Middle East.

 

Education - Vouchers for faith-based education are wrong. Teaching to the test is wrong. No Child Left Behind program has a great name but little substance.

 

Health Care - Relying on businesses to also be health care funders and administrators is wrong. We have the highest health care costs with much of that going towards insurance overhead rather than medical treatment. A decent level of basic health care should be available to all citizens and businesses should be allowed to focus on their business rather than also having to be healh care experts.

 

Jobs - Altho George W. is no longer a net job loser, the jobs that have come back are generally less profitable service industry jobs with fewer or no benefits. The gap in pay between top executives and regular workers is obscene.

 

In short, I am feeling less optimistic about the USA's future. The theocrats and aristocrats seem to be strengthening their hold on the country. The whole world should be worried about these shifts in the sole superpower's leadership.

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I can't fairly answer since I'm an American expat as well and haven't been to the states in almost two years now.

 

I do have a question for you though. Did you deconvert since moving to Norway? If so, how did exposure to the Scandinavian culture influence your deconversion if at all?

 

(Sorry that this is off topic. If it sidetracks too much we can start another thread I guess.)

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OT,

 

I just sit back and keep reloading Vetos, err, cartridges in copious quantities.

 

We've allowed our politicians to FUBAR things so badly now that there will be few simple solutions.

 

We the People have failed the Founders by inaction, sluggish non-participation, and a whining expectation of entitlement. We've recieved the Government we have paid for..

 

Now comes time to pay for that check.

 

kL

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OT,

 

I just sit back and keep reloading Vetos, err, cartridges in copious quantities.

 

We've allowed our politicians to FUBAR things so badly now that there will be few simple solutions.

 

We the People have failed the Founders by inaction, sluggish non-participation, and a whining expectation of entitlement. We've recieved the Government we have paid for..

 

Now comes time to pay for that check.

 

kL

 

I appreciate seeing you spell fubar correctly, I keep seeing people spell it foobar and that just pisses me off.

 

Fubar is a great way of summing up the state of affairs in this country.

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I am with Nivek on this one. Not that I have the time to be an active member of the local political system. I need to rest too, ya know? But I really feel that people are voting too much with their gut and too little with their head on these local guys. They essentially want you to vote from the gut because they don't want voters to give them the third degree about questionable actions in office. The Governor's race is about to start off up here, and everyone keeps referring to Rep. Judy Barr Topinka as "the darling of the Republican party." George Ryan was our darling for a long time, and the whole time people were drroling over what a good governor he was, the guy was taking bribes and completely pissing on the trust that goes (or should go) into electing an official. The people here just don't take it seriously enough.

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Being an American living in Norway for 5 years now, I get curious at times how Americans in general feel about the current state of the U.S. - we get Fox News here, and even though I think that if you don't like something on television, either turn it off or change the channel, it becomes somewhat of a fishing show. Bill O'reilly seriously makes my blood boil.

 

At any rate, assuming that a good 50% of you are American, how DO you feel about current issues in the U.S.? The Iraqi War, education, health care, job unemployment, etc.

 

OT

 

 

Hell I'd rather have no news then Faux nooz personally. :Wendywhatever:

 

My own opinion, the Majority of people are to lazy to be free anymore. They want someone else to take care of them, fix their problems. Most don't even bother to vote or even bother to educate themselves of the state of the nation. The Bill of rights has been all but annihilated, In fact all but the 3rd amendment has been infringed upon in one form or another, mainly due to the Horrific Unpatriotic act, and Homeland insecurity rules.

 

The United States is on a fast track into fascism sadly. Nationalism has taken over the nation with a frenzy. I have posted signs of Fascism somewhere on Ex-C, was a while ago, it was an interesting read. It was put out by some Veterans.

 

The "war" was/is based upon lies and propaganda. How anyone can support it knowing that is beyond me. The United States has taken the role of being conquer, and That's the Most UN-AMERICAN thing that could happen. That actual "Americans" that support this is also mind boggling. Since when do we invade countries because we don't approve of their life style? Many of the mindset "Freedom for Me, not for Thee". This is also a huge hotbutton for me, one of my sons wants to join the army when he turns 17, he's almost 16 now.

 

The Outsourcing of Jobs is wrong, wrong, wrong, and pisses me off. However, the ever slow increasing government regulations has caused that. Who can afford all the regulations and red tape? It's cheaper and easier for company to produce outside of the states and import. The Government red tape has caused this outrage, yet the people will only wake up when it's to late and it's pink slips instead of Paychecks they get. There is also a sad funny over on JibJab about this topic.

 

 

Healthcare is another conundrum, The American Tax payers should be taking care of their own before sending billions over seas is my $0.02. Just like with the Katrina storm. Any place in the world if a tragedy hits the US is right there with manpower, money aid and assistance. Happens here? and well.. disgraceful as the world witnessed.

 

The one party system doesn't work, it's obvious. America has a lot to be proud of in her past, That America no longer is today sadly. And for those of you who wish to tell me to leave if I don't like it, Tough shit... So long as their is a chance to change it for the better, I'll stay and just voice my strong dissatisfaction with it. :grin:

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Yeah, FoxNews is the worst. Don't even get me started on Ann Coulter.

 

Hey Japedo, can you post a link to what you are referring to at JibJab? I still laught my ass off every time I see that Bush/Gore rapper movie.

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Mostly I'd just like to say, on behalf of the intelligent 48% of my country, I'd like to apologize for the other 52%, who put Bush back into orific-- I mean, office.

 

I don't know what to say. I guess I mostly look around and think that America has seriously jumped the shark. I'm still a firm believer in all the various ideas and principles that got the whole thing started way back in the late 1700's, but I don't think that most people have the slightest fucking clue what's really important.

 

I often feel like we're becoming a nation of uneducated proles, so undermined by getting the economic shaft from the rich corporate whores we voted into office that we don't have time to rest from our 3 jobs to even read things like, say, the Constitution, much less the newspaper. I can't watch the news anymore; it's depressing, plus it's full of a lot of whining about shit that we could probably solve if we just buckled down and stopped thinking that we have to live the American Dream.

 

Everybody, I think, needs good clothing, good food, safe and warm shelter, and satisfying work, but y'know what? The fucking American Dream is bullshit, and I wish we'd all wise up and realize that. I wish we'd realize that not everybody in the nation can actually have a 4-bedroom house in the country with 2.5 kids, 2 gas-guzzling SUV's, and a dog. Not everybody can be a fucking yuppie, and y'know? There's no reason why everybody should.

 

Americans are spoiled and stupid. We're also overworked and don't realize how much of our issues we bring on ourselves. It doesn't make me happy to see essentially the same kind of stuff I saw when I was growing up in the 80's: everything feels like Reganomics all over again. Only maybe worse.

 

So, honestly, I'm pessimistic. We're supposed to be the richest, most fucking powerful nation on the planet, and I still see families in my town go without health care because they can't afford it. What the fuck is that?? It sucks especially to live in a military town, and see military families have to visit the food bank or be denied health care because their wages are delayed, or because fucking W slashed the VA budget. Arrrrgh!

 

Dude. We could do *so* much better.

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2000 was the first time I was old enough to vote, so pretty much that is how long I have been keeping up with the politics.

 

I was wondering if Republicans felt like everything was falling apart when Clinton was in office. I firgure not as much because the economy was stronger in the late 90's, but I figure there were a number of Rep.s out there who were holding their heads in their hands and wondering what the hell the Democrats are doing.

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2000 was the first time I was old enough to vote, so pretty much that is how long I have been keeping up with the politics.

Holy crap - you're just a punk kid! Get busy and start reading some history books, young lady! ;)

 

I was wondering if Republicans felt like everything was falling apart when Clinton was in office. I firgure not as much because the economy was stronger in the late 90's, but I figure there were a number of Rep.s out there who were holding their heads in their hands and wondering what the hell the Democrats are doing.

True, the Right was bemoaning Clinton's America as the most corrupt regime since Stalin. After all, he lied about a hummer! :eek:

 

Funny, most Republicans got very, very rich under Clinton. One of my relatives, a strident Republican, made a fortune (literally, 10's of millions of dollars in stock sales) during the Clinton years - and he practically danced a jig when W. got elected.

 

Under Bush, however, his fortune has shrunk considerably. :HaHa:

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Thanks Japedo! The JibJab guys have done it again!

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Well, it seems most of the replies are what I guessed they would be. I've become used to Norwegian news not being filled with propoganda, so we've been watching the U.S. really sink into a hole that had really begun long before Bush. I think in recent times, however, Bush & the religious right have left behind the traditional shovels and are now using dynamite to blast the hole. It's something happening before my eyes, I suppose I just have to pinch myself to remember that it's real. Your opinions only confirm it.

 

Vigile_del_fuoco1 - My deconversion really began about 10 years ago, so Norway had little to do with it, although I suppose it put the finish touches on it and eradicated the fundamentalism from the atheistic side of me. :) - not much influences me, but there is something about this country . . . one can't describe it unless you live here and experience the people themselves. Anyhow, if you want to read about my boring little decon, just read it in the decon section. :)

 

OT

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Let's see. I think our president is a complete and total moron. I'm happy I have a job, and it's supposed to last another year, but it's still contract. I wouldn't want to be out looking for one at this time of year, though. Nobody starts hiring seriously until spring.

 

Health care? What health care? I have to pay for everything out of my pocket because I'm not a permanent employee. So since I'm healthy, I only go to the doctor if I'm on my death bed and get OTC medicine for everything else.

 

Except my #@*# glasses. It cost me an arm and a leg last year to get new ones. My stepmom kept nagging me to get a "real" exam and not to go to a store clinic, so I went to the "real" clinic. Well, only about 70$ was paid by my insurance company. I had to pay several hundred dollars for the exam and the glasses together. I hate the cost of eye care. I will never go to the "real" clinic again. Vision World or Pearle is good enough. It's not like I'm legally blind or something. I just have lazy eye and ear-sightednesse. She's just afraid I might get glaucoma, just because my grandma had diabetes, but I haven't been diagnosed with it. My grandma was also very heavy. I'm average size.

 

And I hate the cost of dental care, but at least that's cheap compared to eye care.

 

Overall, I'd say things are below average here. Not rock bottom yet, though. Maybe Bush will screw things up worse. Heh. We'll see.

 

Edit: Darn double-quotes.

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At any rate, assuming that a good 50% of you are American, how DO you feel about current issues in the U.S.? The Iraqi War, education, health care, job unemployment, etc.

 

Probably the most serious issue here right now is the piss-poor, butterheaded reporting in the news media. Honestly, you'd think we're in a quagmire in Iraq, that Jr. can't go to college because he's broke and his 4th grade teacher seduced him, that diseased Chinese chickens will bring on the next great human die off and end of civilization, and that there isn't a job to be found unless Mom and Dad Patel own a hotel or strip club.

 

It's more tabloid sensationalism and fear mongering than facts and analysis.

 

Frankly, the ~ 33 Marines in Iraq I just sent Christmas care packages to seem pretty keen on what they're doing, though admittedly one asked for a ticket home. But I recall guys in the Army during peacetime that bitched and moaned far more than that because they didn't want to learn German and preferred Bud.

 

Some schools are better than others. Some teachers are better than others. Some parents are better than others. Some students are better than others. Don't expect these groups to be evenly distributed throughout society. As a parent, I looked for a cluster of betters. You want it fixed everywhere? Roll up your sleaves. I'll vote for you.

 

For the whiners, where is healthcare working the way you think it should ? Healthcare is like anything else you buy, the more money you have, the more you can get.

 

There are jobs. You can go work for someone who needs workers or you can start selling what you know how to do yourself. You can do what you want, or you can do what others are willing to pay a premium for. Don't bitch that you just spent 6 months at cat juggling school and can't find an employer who will pay you a signing bonus. Maybe some people are waiting for a notice in the mail that you have been provided Job # 3467B7D6-zipcode. If you don't have a job, then frankly, you don't have anything that anyone there wants to pay for. Move or learn something new.

 

Me, I'm living that shameful American dream. Got the educated, employed wife, 4 hungry kids, 4 bedroom house with mortgage (yes, horror, the kids share a room), new minivan, PowerMac, diningroom furniture, a 25 ft boat, great healthcare and subsidised college tuition for everyone.

 

But I had to move cross-country, take a boring full-time job, occasionally work part-time nights, almost always brownbag lunches, etc. to get here. I can't cheat on my spouse cause I can't do it on my own. I clip coupons. The babies are getting their own darn toys back for Christmas - they're babies, they don't have a clue what's going on. That's more available for the other two.

 

If you wanted to make $30/hr drilling holes in sheetmetal or blogging, have 6 weeks of vacation, full healthcare that will spare no expense in treating your family's self-inflicted diseases, and paid sabatticals to find yourself, I've got good news and bad news. They're out there, but it takes a lot of hard work to get the position. In fact, you may have to start the company that offers it to you.

 

 

 

Say, what took you to Norway? I loved it when I visited many years ago, but ...

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Probably the most serious issue here right now is the piss-poor, butterheaded reporting in the news media. Honestly, you'd think we're in a quagmire in Iraq, that Jr. can't go to college because he's broke and his 4th grade teacher seduced him, that diseased Chinese chickens will bring on the next great human die off and end of civilization, and that there isn't a job to be found unless Mom and Dad Patel own a hotel or strip club.

 

It's more tabloid sensationalism and fear mongering than facts and analysis.

 

Yeah, and it's all to sell advertising. If it wasn't for the almighty dollar, there might be more truth to the newstertainment, rather than all the exaggerations. They have to make everything sound like the end of the world to make a buck. How sad is that?

 

 

 

For the whiners, where is healthcare working the way you think it should ? Healthcare is like anything else you buy, the more money you have, the more you can get.

 

Not when you contract because you have to pay the rent, and you aren't an extrovert or have 50 years of experience so companies don't hire you permanetnly. You try looking in the corporate world for a permanent job and see how far YOU get. I've had to temp pretty much since college, except for 9 months when I had a dot-com job and then got laid off. Yeah, I got health care then. But I've had to pay it out of my own pocket every other time.

 

There are jobs. You can go work for someone who needs workers or you can start selling what you know how to do yourself. You can do what you want, or you can do what others are willing to pay a premium for. Don't bitch that you just spent 6 months at cat juggling school and can't find an employer who will pay you a signing bonus. Maybe some people are waiting for a notice in the mail that you have been provided Job # 3467B7D6-zipcode. If you don't have a job, then frankly, you don't have anything that anyone there wants to pay for. Move or learn something new.

 

Yes, I have a job. It pays decently. All my other jobs before that were $10 an hour temp jobs that I had to take to pay the bills because I had to keep a roof over my head and I had parents breathing down my neck to take anything, even if it wasn't really what I wanted. You try living with your parents the first couple of years out of college, because you can't afford rent because employers don't want to hire anyone permanently without 10 years of work experience these days.

 

How was I supposed to look for a permanent job without my temp employers finding out? A lot of temp jobs suck. If you take ANY time off they will fire you. So I had to keep them in order to pay the bills. The last thing I wanted was to move back home.

 

Please don't accuse me of "whining" until you have been where I was, having a college degreee and not being able to get a permanent job because I didn't have enough experience or wasn't extroverted enough.

 

:vent:

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For the whiners, where is healthcare working the way you think it should ? Healthcare is like anything else you buy, the more money you have, the more you can get.

 

I Find your comment here a bit on the crass side. Most people can't afford good insurance,and "most" people don't have money to sink into healthcare. Most American tax payers can barely keep up on house payments and basics. My husband (Thank sanity) Has a wonderful Job with outstanding insurance, but I have many friends who let their health go because they have no insurance. Don't fool yourself into thinking "healthcare" makes out from the people that have money, it's the insurance companies that make out all the way around. All the while the people working pay check to pay check go with out. Do you realize that if your housed in Jail, you get full coverage without paying a cent, while if you keep your nose clean and work hard and have a family and pay taxes you suffer? WTF a super large part of the country can't afford it, and forget it if you have a "pre-existing condition. I think perhaps you should sit back and think if something happened to you, your job, wife et al what would you do? I think it's an outrage that anyone in this country suffer while we are sending billions up on billions around the globe taking care of others. :Wendywhatever:

 

 

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Healthcare! Don't get me started on healthcare! There is no reason, that in a decent, civilized society, every hard-working citizen should not have access to quality healthcare. My premiums just went up to $1,100 a month! My company pays $500 and I pay $600, and I work as a professional in the healthcare industry. In North Carolina we have the highest population of working uninsured in our history.

 

The comment about the Marines believing in what they are doing is quite misleading. From my experince in the military, you HAVE to believe in what you are doing if you want to survive (or just to keep from going nuts). All these people are pointing at the soldiers saying "They believe in the mission!", but there are several things you have to take into account. Those guys have to think about thier families and friends back home, as they don't want to cause any undue stress. You don't want to be singled out as not being a team player, and in some cases soldiers are told what to say by their command to people back home.

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The war: We should not be there. We had no reason to be there. We need to get out.

$180,000,000.00 plus would have fixed a lot of our problems. Now our childrens, children are going to have to pay off this debt.

 

Healthcare: In order to afford it you have to be either poor, very wealthy or extremely lucky to have good heathcare coverage. Anything else is a struggle to pay for it.

 

Jobs: When Clinton was president, I was a fundy and hated him. However, when he was president I had my pick of $30K a year jobs. Bush becomes president, my company downsizes I lose my job. I have trouble finding a job because I am competing with people with Masters degrees who are stepping down to take any work they can get. One company, where I used to live, expanded and had 50 job openings, over 2000 people applied.

 

I worked temp jobs to make ends meet. There are so many people looking for work they don't care. I was lucky in that I have above average computer skills that are in demand so I could get temp work. However, one company let me go after a week because my allergies were acting up. I had a hard time talking on the phone without coughing, so they let me go.

 

I used to live in Illinois, a blue state. When I moved to Florida and spent some time in the South, I understand why Bush was re-elected. It's an entirely different country!

 

Taph

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If it wasn't for the almighty dollar, there might be more truth to the newstertainment, rather than all the exaggerations. They have to make everything sound like the end of the world to make a buck. How sad is that?

 

That's not the sad part, the sad part is why they have to act that way.

 

Now, how much of the news do you report ? None !! Why is that ?

 

For the whiners, where is healthcare working the way you think it should ? Healthcare is like anything else you buy, the more money you have, the more you can get.

 

Not when you contract because you have to pay the rent, and you aren't an extrovert or have 50 years of experience so companies don't hire you permanetnly. You try looking in the corporate world for a permanent job and see how far YOU get. I've had to temp pretty much since college, except for 9 months when I had a dot-com job and then got laid off. Yeah, I got health care then. But I've had to pay it out of my own pocket every other time.

 

Interesting, but you didn't answer my question, did you ?

 

You try living with your parents the first couple of years out of college, because you can't afford rent because employers don't want to hire anyone permanently without 10 years of work experience these days.

 

Uh, I lived with my parents my last 2 years of college - it's all they had to offer. It took me 8 years to get a 4 year degree. I eventually passed on Biology and got a business degree - why, because people with 4 year degrees in Bio count animals and don't make any money.

 

How was I supposed to look for a permanent job without my temp employers finding out? A lot of temp jobs suck. If you take ANY time off they will fire you. So I had to keep them in order to pay the bills. The last thing I wanted was to move back home..

 

You're not looking ? How, pray tell, were you expecting the job to find you ?

 

So you decided that being stuck was a better choice than sucking up and living with Mom and Dad for a season. If that's the case, you cannot complain about the impact of YOUR decision.

 

I was laid off after 10 years and worked nights as a temp as a "radio vioce" for some alarm company until I found a new position.

 

Please don't accuse me of "whining" until you have been where I was, having a college degreee and not being able to get a permanent job because I didn't have enough experience or wasn't extroverted enough.

 

And what have you done since to fix your "faults" ?

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Healthcare! Don't get me started on healthcare! There is no reason, that in a decent, civilized society, every hard-working citizen should not have access to quality healthcare.

 

Then you need to come to terms with the fact that you do not live in such a society and that, in all likehood, such a society never existed.

 

Where is your example for the US to emulate ?

 

My premiums just went up to $1,100 a month! My company pays $500 and I pay $600, and I work as a professional in the healthcare industry.

 

Your company say that you pay $600 and they have to pay $500. How much are you argueing that they owe you ?

 

The comment about the Marines believing in what they are doing is quite misleading. From my experince in the military, you HAVE to believe in what you are doing if you want to survive (or just to keep from going nuts). All these people are pointing at the soldiers saying "They believe in the mission!", but there are several things you have to take into account. Those guys have to think about thier families and friends back home, as they don't want to cause any undue stress. You don't want to be singled out as not being a team player, and in some cases soldiers are told what to say by their command to people back home.

 

I'm sure you KNOW BETTER how these Marine infantry troops feel than they do. These were not official publications, these were personal e-mails and letters. Some of these guys just reinlisted. I suppose they were browbeaten into it. Maybe someone threatened to use harsh language. Although I find it interesting that the mind-control censors let the one guy bitch and ask for a plane ticket home ASAP.

 

I was in the Army - active and reserve.

 

 

I

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The war: We should not be there. We had no reason to be there. We need to get out.

$180,000,000.00 plus would have fixed a lot of our problems. Now our childrens, children are going to have to pay off this debt.

 

We were already there. You were aware of that I hope. We've been there since the first Gulf war in '81.

 

Healthcare: In order to afford it you have to be either poor, very wealthy or extremely lucky to have good heathcare coverage. Anything else is a struggle to pay for it.

 

So you're bitching that the poor get good healthcare ? If you take it from them it might be cheaper for you. Is that an option ?

 

Jobs: When Clinton was president, I was a fundy and hated him. However, when he was president I had my pick of $30K a year jobs. Bush becomes president, my company downsizes I lose my job. I have trouble finding a job because I am competing with people with Masters degrees who are stepping down to take any work they can get. One company, where I used to live, expanded and had 50 job openings, over 2000 people applied.

 

Then a Masters degree is the new standard. Move, get a Masters degree, of find another line of work.

 

However, one company let me go after a week because my allergies were acting up. I had a hard time talking on the phone without coughing, so they let me go.

 

What did you expect them to do ? You couldn't do your job. The problem was you and your allergies, not the President or an evil corporation.

 

Look, Taph, I like you (and the others I'm respondng to) - your posts are good reading, but the problem I'm seeing is your allergies, not a hopeless business world.

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