Well, there is a bill to go before the House and Senate, one that is supposed to rescue the American financial system. Many, including me, have severe reservations about its impact. Why?
The ethos of greed and warmongering imperialism which brought this crisis about cannot be vanquished by throwing more money into a corrupt system. What is required is a complete change in the mindset of the American people. This requires:
1. That most Americans give up their ‘me-first’ belief.
2. That most Americans give up their ‘our nation is best’ belief.
3. That most Americans give up their ‘America should rule the world’ belief.
4. That most Americans give up their ‘greed is good’ belief.
5. That most Americans give up their foolish ‘God is on our side and blesses us’ belief.
6. That most Americans stop believing that the world’s resources belong to them.
7. That most Americans stop believing that ‘might is right’ and that ‘war solves all problems’.
8. That most Americans stop believing in the fantasy that they ‘live in a democracy’ and ‘have a perfect Constitution’ and that ‘their President is a God’.
Once these ‘beliefs’ are thrown into the dustbin where they belong, then, and only then, will the $700 billion help to save America from itself.
Otherwise the bail-out money will just fuel more of the same and lead to America’s destruction!
too right…americans are so uppity…need to be brought back onto th earth.
this financial turmoil is a great thing.
Not only will they learn that they are not the highest and best, but will also learn (hopefully) than no1 except GOD is.
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No-one except God? I would rather everyone realised that God is a fable and rank him alongside the Loch Ness monster, the tooth fairy and Santa. I put the blame squarely on the money men for it is they who put personal greed before everything else.
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This financial turmoil is not a great thing Habz. It is affecting innocent individuals, who will have to lose their life savings and jobs and pensions and future hopes. If a bank fails, and someone loses his hard worked deposits, it is not becuase he/she was greedy. it is because others have been so. I see more and more seniors working after 65 and mopping floors in supermarkets. Do not worry. The people who caused the financial havoc will not suffer any consequence. They are ahead of the game. they caused it and will be prepared to handle it, as always , for their benefit. this financial havoc is constructed, and everything you hear and see is not what it seems. Only innocents get hurt. As always. And making it a religious punishment doesnt serve any purpose.
The greedy oil patrons in Middle East are Arabs not Americans, and the poverty in those countries is well spread despite the population being believers more than the western societies . why few rich only, and why are they poor then? Does that have anything to do with God and Americans? Didn t think so..
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1. That most Americans give up their ‘me-first’ belief. …
All of which will do exactly zilch until money is removed from politics.
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David,
You use words cleverly…
This is a big problem, but I don’t see it limited to being American. >>> 1. That most Americans give up their ‘me-first’ belief.
Again a problem, but not limted to be American. >>> 2. That most Americans give up their ‘our nation is best’ belief.
I don’t know anybody that wants to rule the world. But then I only know a couple of thousand Americans. >>> 3. That most Americans give up their ‘America should rule the world’ belief.
This is where you use clever words. Seeking financial security is not the same thing as greed. Some are without doubt greedy, but you over generalize. >>> 4. That most Americans give up their ‘greed is good’ belief.
Follow up:
I’ve never known of anybody that thinks the God they believe in is on someone elses side. >>> 5. That most Americans give up their foolish ‘God is on our side and blesses us’ belief.
Again, I only know a few thousand Americans but I don’t anybody that thinks your stuff should be theirs. I know som that will buy your stuff if the prices is right. >>> 6. That most Americans stop believing that the world’s resources belong to them.
Again, I don’t know anybody that thinks might makes right. It is more like without might you get punked by someone else with might. Sadly, historically, it can been viewed that war solved many problems. “All” is a huge stretch. >>> 7. That most Americans stop believing that ‘might is right’ and that ‘war solves all problems’.
Dude, it is as much a democracy (republic) as anywhere else and more so than many others like China, N. Korea, or Russia. Nothing is perfect, but I haven’t seen anything significatly better than the U.S. Constitution. Who the hell thinks W is God? Nobody thought Slick Willy was God. Half of America hated Reagan, half hated Carter, maybe JFK… nahhh. >>> 8. That most Americans stop believing in the fantasy that they ‘live in a democracy’ and ‘have a perfect Constitution’ and that ‘their President is a God’.
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Which God are you referring to, Habz?
Lucy, the money men couldn’t do much without the support of large numbers of greed-motivated American punters!
Adina, you’re right. It’s the little people who always get screwed.
Kvatch, to remove money from American politics is impossible. American politics is about money!
Q, I don’t know where you live in America but wherever it is, you appear to have no idea about what is happening in your country.
If all of my points are wrong as you claim,
- how come America is the most hated and feared country in the world?
- how come you elected a fool like George Bush, twice?
- how come your financial system is corrupt and ailing?
- how come you have military bases all over the world?
- how come Americans are into invasion, occupation and torture?
- how come evangelicals in America have so much power?
- how come many Americans fear their government is heading towards fascism?
- what about the American belief in their Manifest Destiny (have you heard of it?), etc, etc.
I don’t use words ‘cleverly’. I just tell it as it is!
Cheers to all.
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David,
- how come America is the most hated and feared country in the world? I can understand people in the Middle East hating the U.S. I also understand that a lot of people hate the U.S. because it benefits them AKA Chavez. Do the Chinese and Indians hate the U.S.? That is half the world’s population…
- how come you elected a fool like George Bush, twice? Because the other candidates cusked worse than he did…
- how come your financial system is corrupt and ailing? What financial system is corrupt… What financial system doesn’t have periodic crises…
- how come you have military bases all over the world? To protect our interests… and apparently the host country’s interestes as well…
- how come Americans are into invasion, occupation and torture? “into”… How about this. Americans were pissed when the second attempt (or was it the third) on the trade towers was successful. Everybody (Russians, English, Germans, French, Saudis, etc.) said the bad guys are in Afghanastan, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, etc. All but the Afgans and Iraqis assisted (or got out of the way) in tracking down the Taliban and their minions… they became invasion targets. Nobody I know wants to spend another penny or another second in Iraq… Torture is not making somebody feel like they are dying, torture is causing permanant reduction in mental and/or physical capacity… What was done to McCain’s shoulders is an example of torture… McCain is against water boarding as are the vast majority of Americans…
- how come evangelicals in America have so much power? Because 90%+ Americans say they believe in God…
- how come many Americans fear their government is heading towards fascism? Because wit 300+ million people there is always somebody that fears something… Civil rights in the U.S. have gone up in my life (expecially for Blacks and women)…
- what about the American belief in their Manifest Destiny (have you heard of it?), etc, etc.
What about it. The last time I heard that phrase was in highschool in 1970 and we were taught that is was wrong, an “emotional rationale”, and not to be repeated…
Q
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David,
Ooops, typos.
- “cusked” should be “sucked”
- “what finanical system ISN’T corrupt”
It seems your tone is less civil when I don’t agree with you…
> were you saying I’m into torture – pretty rude and hard to substantiate
> were you saying I’m uneducated – “have I heard of manifest destiny”?
Q
Q
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David,
Excellent post!! I have introduced it to a social blogger group and many have loved it and recognize its value. The only thing I would correct here is this:
“how come many Americans fear their government is heading towards fascism?”
We are already a fascist government!
Cheers and keep up the outstanding work!
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Q, being a well-indoctrinated American you are into rationalization in a big way.
If you read through the comments on my blog you’ll realize that many other Americans don’t think like you do. They can see the flaws in their country and want desperately to change them.
Deepseas, thanks for calling by. Hopefully Q will take note of your endorsement of the ‘fascist’ reality.
Cheers.
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David,
There you go insulting me again. Well endoctrinated huh. Just because I don’t agree with you doesn’t mean that I’m programmed.
I don’t think the U.S. is perfect or approaching perfection. I also don’t think that the UK, France, Japan, China, Russia, Germany, Australia, etc. are second rate or suck. I do recognize that too many Americans are in prison. I’m against the death penalty. We screwed up Iraq. We consume too much. Too many Americans force their religious beliefs on others. Our educational system isn’t fair. We have way too many racists in America. I could go on.
Recognizing flaws is not the same thing as smearing most or all Americans as “torture mongers”. Extreme comments tend to indicate emotion-clouded thinking.
I’m well aware that many American’s think the country is facist, but without any conditional statements it is an extreme position clouded by emotion. What country doesn’t impose some sort of limitations on its populace? There is a degree of facism in the U.S. on the far right and the far left. That is not new, but the U.S. is far less facist than many countries (N. Korea, Iran, Cuba, etc.) and is more facist than others (Scandanavian countries – unless you consider forced redistribution of wealth to be facist…). It is relative.
I’m well aware that many American’s foolishly and thoughtlessly think the country can do no wrong. That is not new and is an extreme position – clouded by nationalism.
To me your statements were extreme. The fact that you can find some Americans to agree with you doesn’t validate extreme positions. Especially since with 300 million Americans you can find somebody to agree with anything – for example: many Americans were pro-Nazi throughout WW2 and are Nazi idealists to this day…
I’m not so endoctrinated to think the U.S. is even approaching perfection, likewise the U.S. is not 100% evil and while the U.S. is a contributor to many world problems it is very short sighted to deny the responsibility of other nations that have and share nuclear technologies, use natural resources as a choke hold, repress women, sustain slavery, impose religious beliefs on their people, monitor and filter web traffic, support abortion, traffic dangerous narcotics, sell military equipment and munitions, are abusing the environment, etc.
Somewhere in the middle…
Q
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Q, congratulations! Your comment above gives me hope, makes me feel that what I’m trying to do is not entirely wasted.
Let’s move forward now!
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Uppity depends on the circles you might travel in. Reserved is a common behavior here in America these days. Probably a pendulum like reaction to the “let it all hang out days” which people don’t do so much because it just isn’t safe generally. In the 70′s (when I was a kid) there used to be town keg parties. Everybody in the whole town, or passing through it was invited. Bands playing music, people dancing all drunk, kids running around. Everybody having a good time. Nowadays, you just could never do something like that. Everybody is “reserved”, and doesn’t want to stand out as unusual in a crowd. There are security and cameras everywhere. I prefer the old way, public drunkeness and all, but I am a person of the present moment, so I go with it and hope this too shall pass and get back to a lighter time.
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Feeding the beast is what this particular bailout is. It is a trickle down economic theory. If we feed and water these threefatpigs they will have the strength to save us all from the wolves. $700Billion for these few companies. Who will need a bailout at the corporate trough next, while many millions suffer with none of this help at all?
It is what I fear, unless like you say David, Americans give up this me first attitude that we could have a chance. Otherwise I think I see where this is heading. As they say, The writing is on the wall.
Peace.
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Israel is the most hated country in the world, and our ties with it cause us, the USA, to be almost tied with it, re this category of most hated.
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The USA is controlled by the Zionists, and Zionism and militarism are the great destroyers of liberty/freedom.
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Q, you are right on in your assessment of America. There is a particular quality that is common in Americans and I think what David is getting at is the “sense of entitlement,” or hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence). It is ingrained in many an American. This is where we must adjust our lenses to become true world citizens.
Peace.
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