The late, great USA? WARNING -- (A very long opinionated post)

[frankly_fedup2]

The 20th Century manufacturing boom is what made the USA the richest country on this planet. With the "Greatest Generations" hard work, and determination to free the world of tyranny by hundreds of thousands giving the ultimate sacrifice, the USA and the opportunities it could give anyone was the dream for people all over the world. With hard work, ingenuity, and dedication, everyone could have the "American Dream" to some extent, and there was not one person on this earth that did not dream of coming to America to be free to try to achieve that dream.

Then at the beginning of the 21st Century, the American People quit paying attention. We allowed a political party, with no interest in the average, hard-working, tax-paying American, but more importantly their own agenda, which included corrupt corporations, their uber-rich friends and lobbyists, secrecy of their actions of which the American People had never experienced before, placed a man, who was not elected but through proven fraud, was placed in the most powerful position in the world. They crowned George W. Bush as the President of the United States. This party chose this man because he was a perfect pawn. He was arrogant, educated but illiterate, and cared for no one but those that put him in the office that many felt his brother could have had one day. GWB wanted to do this to show his father that he was not the loser he had been considered his whole life. A competition between two brothers with their father is what has almost raped this country of everything it stands for.

Within Bush's first four years, he took a surplus and turned it into the largest deficit this country has ever seen. Then the USA was attacked by terrorists and thousands of people died. The whole world stood with the U.S. against these terrorists after the horrors of 9/11. Instead of using this goodwill the World was offering us, Bush spit in the faces of those that did not jump when he said how high. He continued to be an embarrassment for the American People around the world. Then to add salt to the wounds that may never heal, Bush went ahead with a war that the majority of our allies disagreed with, and took us into an unjust war that has no ending, and not for weapons of mass destruction, but it was to finish what his father didn't in the Gulf War, and it was so obvious because the same players were part of Dubya's administration that had been part of his fathers and Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have died, over 1200 young American lives have been lost with over 9,000 wounded and/or maimed by losing limbs due to mines. Our weapons have destroyed a country that did not even have a military. A part of the World that is consider by many theologians to be where the Garden of Eden was, where God created man and the very beginning of civilization itself. Then the irony of it all (if you can call it that), Bush is going from Country to Country to ask them to help, through monetary donations, us rebuild Iraq. Okay, we bombed it and destroyed it. There is 87 Billion dollars suppose to be helping Iraq but is paying Halliburton and their subsideraries.

Then the Republican Party and their supporters call Democrats Unpatriotic because we criticize Bush, and when we do, we are also told we do not support the troops. What a bunch of bull. I support the troops and am in awe of their courage and honor for standing by their word to go whereever their Commander and Chief has sent them, whether it is right or wrong, and fight and possibly give up their lives, which they are doing. I do not support a President who sent them there to be murdered and lying about the reasons.

Also, I am amazed by the total ignorance of all of these people resigning from Bush's cabinet positions who state that since they have been working with Bush during his first term in office, there have been no more terrorist attacks. Well DUH! Are they stupid or just as arrogant as Bush. If they would stop and think about it, they would realize that there over 130,000 young Americans in Iraq. Everyone of our soldiers has a bullzeye on their back. As long as the terrorists can kill Americans, they don't care if it is in their country or others. So they can kill a couple a day, and as we see, within a year that equals more than 1200.

Then Bush stole another election by turning his opponents heroic service to this country into almost treason, while his own draft dodging by his father getting him into the Reserves, and not completing his duty into a nonissue. He is said to be on antidepressants now. He never goes in front of the press for press conferences because he always embarrasses himself. He is still belligerent to our “former” allies (or soon to be). He is still an arrogant liar who claims to be “born again” and has invoked the name of God more than any other president that has ever served. Yet, we are to believe that the Evangelical Christians came out in droves to get him voted into office. Not believable.

I saw the following article, and the above is what went through my mind. Sorry so long winded, but I worry that within 10 years, India will be the Democracy the World looks up to. Even Americans will be moving to Indian to live the Indian dream of Democracy, freedom, and wealth with hard work, and eventually India will be the number one super power.

<http://enews.earthlink.net/article/tec?guid=20041201/41ad4fd0_3ca6_1552620041201848461730>

Long after Bush has left office (that is, if they don’t pass another Amendment where they can hold 3 or more terms again like Roosevelt, which is ironic because they are the ones that put the two-term limit on the presidency because of Roosevelt). We are losing all the big corporations due to great incentives for taking their companies into other countries and are using NAFTA as a reason. That is not what NAFTA was supposed to be about. Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law to eliminate or lower tariffs and other trade restrictions between the United States and Mexico and Canada over 15 years.. Not for every American Corporation to leave this Country, get tax incentives for doing so, and being able to hire cheap labor for even more profit. These people work for change everyday with no benefits of any kind. They still even use children but lie about it. Now, during the Bush Administration this has changed into CAFTA.

WE must End NAFTA and CAFTA now!

<http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/754614393?ts=1102007286&sign[partnerID>=1&sign=448940441&sign=448940441] (Statement below ©)

By facilitating and participating in NAFTA, CAFTA, and other trade agreements that allow for conglomerates to take their manufacturing process outside of US borders, and then "import" the products back into the US, America is not only weakening our economy (40% of all automotive and textile jobs are at risk), but threatening our identity and way of life. This bold move, towards a one world government (by creating a "global" economy), goes hand in hand with the "political correctness" that labels anyone who tells the truth a racist, separatist, or worse. The country that our fathers fought for, the freedoms that our children now fight for, are being diluted and watered down, and are soon to be traded for "global economic" reasons. Unless you want to give up your national heritage, and become a state within a new global government, the time is right to stop the movement of jobs to other countries (after all, this is being done, in part, to create parity, economically), and keep them in America. Let business take its natural course! This leaves Americans without jobs . . . well . . . they can work at McDonalds. Even McDonalds does not consider itself a “service" anymore. They claim to be a corporation that "produces" food. Why? So they can get in on those tax breaks.

Give it time, and if nothing is done, then all this country’s jobs will be service oriented with minimum wage and no benefits.

We will become the new “Tourist Country”. People will come and see what we had and how we gave it all away and lost it due to poor and corrupt leadership, and because our leaders allowed Bush and his agenda to continue to corrupt what we knew as America, and allowed him to continue to worship at his own alter of greed, blood, oil, and death.

[justinsb]

1. Too Late

The US doesn't seem inclined to move in this direction and even if they did, the new tarrifs would likely only result in inflation - not a return of jobs. These companies can get factory workers in Asia for $20 a week and computer programmers in India for 13k a year, with no benefeits, no environmental regulation, no workplace safety regulation, and virtually no corporate taxes - I have a feeling paying import duties will not convince them to come back. They'll just raise prices to cover it.

[frankly_fedup2]

4. You mean to tell me that in India the IT peopl e are actually

get 13K a year? I'm impressed. No wonder none of them want to study to be doctors, lawyers, or dentists anymore. The IT people must make more than the other professionals.

I feel if a corporation moves it's production to another country because of less strict workers' laws, no unions, less pay, no benefits, and even to use child labor, then they should not even be considered a company from the U.S. They will pay taxes to the country they move their corporations too. In time, the regulations will come once the people see how badly their environment has changed, all due to progress.

Also, if they became a huge corporation in the U.S., then move to another country for the above-mentioned benefits, they should not be able to import any of their goods for sale here in the U.S. If that ONE POINT THERE was made into law, it would stop in a heartbeat.

Don't you think?

Thanks for the opinion.

[justinsb]

5. Unfortunately

Not really. If forced to move factories back to the US many of these corporations would raise their prices so much, due to the costs of labor and regulation that inflation would go through the roof. There might be more jobs, but inflation would make most of what was produced unafordable.

I don't know what the answer is really. I think that what we are seeing is a balancing of sorts - the standard of living is rising faster in China than anywhere else in the world and although many of them are still very, very poor standards of living are increasing in many 3rd world countries while they slowly decline in the west.

In Canada there are still alot of manufacturing jobs, although they too are declining slowly. But the only thing keeping them here are large government subsidies - handouts, tax cuts etc.

[Rumba]

2. Pretty good post

I agree with a lot of what you express.

A couple of observations:

- Iraq did have a military, albeit one whose technology, logistics, communications, integration, mobility, firepower, training and morale were much lower than the U.S.

- I don't think terrorists want to kill americans as an end in itself. From what I've read (from a number of sources, including defense department studies) their primary objective is regional - they want non-Islamic nations, and especially the U.S., out of the Middle East, and they want to replace governments they see as not Islamic enough and too influenced by the U.S. replaced. Killing and other acts of terrorism are a means to this end.

Overall, though, good points.

[frankly_fedup2]

3. Thanks Rumba; however, what little military that Iraq had . . .

was pretty much taken out during the first Gulf war, wasn't it? I thought all they really had left was pretty much like Palace Guards. I know they didn't even have an Air Force anymore. They really had nothing to protect themselves that compared to our Air Force dropping of the bombs. But really, was it the Iraqi people fighting our soldiers? No, I really do not feel the Iraqis (maybe some but not a lot) are fighting our soldiers. After we attacked Iraq, the terrorists moved in there on them; however, the people are too afraid to do anything against these "cells." These, so-called religious Muslims are willing to kill other Muslims to get to our soldiers.

Iraq never had suicide bombers until we took over. That came after we took over. Which really, I did not think we were suppose to take over. Whomever was leading our troops, should not have had them set up their base in Saddam's Palaces. That was their first mistake. They should have allowed the people to set up hospitals, clinics, and schools in the palaces that Saddam built.

Then allowing those people to run wild, looting, stealing history, destroy history, as well as stealing our own weapon stockpiles from us to use against us (because there are not enough troops to guard them), whilst Rumsfield stands and gives speeches about how that is years of oppression coming out of them.

When black communities in the US do this, is it because of years of frustration of prejudice and lack of jobs? They sure do not report it that way about American blacks rioting and looting.

I found that so confusing when Rumsfield was saying what did we expect. These people had been under a horrible dictator for years.

Well, I do know one thing for sure, Saddam was known as the "Butcher of Baghdad" when that infamous picture of him and Rumsfield was taken. They knew then what that man was doing, was capable of, and we were giving him the weaponry and chemicals to do it. We had blood on our hands then as well.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. It got longer than I intended (just like this one).