Actually they are not. They were when George was the boss. He was a twat. God it was hard to believe anyone could be more moronic than Regan and be "the prez." The rest of the world seems pretty impressed with bo. History will tell whether they are right - part of it is how favourably he compares with gb (not hard of course). Economic history will probably demonstrate that the tricks nations try when there is a recession (based on distortions of what keynes said) don't work when you get a depression.
I disagree. Obama has not stated that he intends to repeal key provisions of the Community Investment Act-which ultimatly led to the credit bubble. You can be sure, after a few short years this mess will begin to sort itself out, and then politicians will begin pressureing banks and mortgage co's to lend $$ to fianancially disavantaged groups, and the train will once again leave the tracks. Remember that Gov. mandates to apply afirmative action principles to mortgage lending led to this disaster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act
the same countries and people who hated america when bush was president, now hate it even more, the main reason they aren't out there expressing their hatred loudly is because they are certain obama will f*ck it hard for them
I do not think massive resources are being used to shape anyone. If I may... are you american? My understanding is that the moral model for the american spirit is Adam Smith, which can bring light to some of your considerations. What you see is embedded, not forced upon. From wikipedia on Adam Smith: "The Theory of Moral Sentiments culminated in man as self-interested and self-commanded. Individual freedom, according to Smith, was rooted in self-reliance, the ability of an individual to pursue his self-interest while commanding himself based on the principles of natural law." The behavior you describe is almost like part of the american DNA and the culture (movies, cartoons, etc) is only a reflection of who they are and how they think. I grew up in a country that followed the greek/roman tradition and we certainly feel/behave differently and our culture/government too is -for good or for bad- a reflection of that.
I own houses in different countries, which one are you talking about? --- At least I can't see the mofo because he's lurking in my backyard, he's already in your house, banging your kids but you can't even see that, you poor naive cow, "no, he's in there helping my kids with their homework, he's such a helper, he's going to save us"
pursuing self-interest is natural, selling friends and family for a decent profit is natural too, which happens all over the world, but a feeling of servitude towards the government and a desire to serve authority for little or no gain is only visible in domesticated animals, americans are cocks when it comes to everyone else, but are humble before all authority, which suggests time and money has gone into domesticating them before the government
this doesn't make sense, there is no such thing as american DNA or culture, america is just a big collection of all the losers and psychos from around the world from past to present, starting from that psycho Columbus
..which suggests time and money has gone into domesticating them before the government that reminds me of the quote from H. L. Menken way back: The theory behind the public schools, which cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions every year, is that they manufacture hordes of enlightened and incorruptible voters, and so safeguard and mellow democracy. The fact is that they are mainly manned by half-wits and bossed by shysters, and that their actual tendency is to reduce all their pupils to the level of Kiwanis. Mr. Sinclair proves all this by an immense accumulation of facts. He not only toured the country, inspecting innumerable schools himself; he also entered upon relations with many rebellious school-marms, male and female, and so heard the details of the sad story from the inside. Furthermore, he threw himself into a scientific study of the inner operations of the National Education Association, the trades union of the higher pedagogical functionaries, and digested whole shelves of reports, statistical tables, volumes of graphs, and other such fearful documents. The result is a tale that lacks nothing in the way of circumstantial corroboration. It is, in truth, overwhelming in its plausibility, and I doubt that anyone will ever challenge successfully any essential feature of it But under the telling of it, alas, there is erroneous assumption, and there springs therefrom a great deal of false reasoning and vain indignation. That erroneous assumption is to the effect that the aim of public education to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence, and make them fit to discharge the duties citizenship in an enlightened and independent manner. Nothing could be from the truth. The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all; it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States, whatever pretensions of politicians, pedagogues other such mountebanks, and that is its aim everywhere else. Funny how the socialists now use the very institution they decried long ago. The teachers unions, democrats, and liberals (same thing) have a stranglehold on public education. We are a species that forms social associations for survival, the liberal tribe has figured out that they can reproduce themselves in this manner and so the basic evolutionary urge is to fight for the institutions that propogate their own kind. Obama is a product of their thinking and will fight hard to keep the now unstoppable socialist train moving along. The only reason that I have supported republicans over democrats is that I have no other real choice for liberty's sake. Liberals want an all powerful government owning us so that their definition of social justice is realized, mainly it's all about money and power. The dominant view now put forth, and enthusiastically supported by the masses, is that government will make sure everyone has a right to a middle class existence and will make sure nobody can get too rich. Shrewd politicians use it for power, they have created a voting majority of government educated and dependent jellyfish too stupid, greedy, and scared to do anything but support the recent lurch towards the left in what started some 75 years ago. It no longer matters that we still have a class of creative and hardworking people, they are being eating alive by the predatory haters in the left wing who now have set us on course for certain budget disaster. In the longer time frame of 30 years, how could you be anything but bearish on the Unites States?