How did USA become such a messed up country?

[stoffi]

Obviously you people that dont live in the US have no clue how many welfare programs we have here and what amount money it costs people. There are over 40million people on food stamps. Don't get me wrong, I understand people need a hand every once in a while but people live off this their whole life. Another thing you ignorant people have no clue is about the tax structure in the US. Over 48% of the people contribute NOTHING to income taxes and a lot of them actually get a REFUND even though they contribute NOTHING. Our corporate income tax rate is the HIGHEST IN THE WORLD. The government even taxes you and family when YOU DIE(aka a death tax). We pay approximately .48/gal of TAX to the federal government who do NOTHING but cause oil companies problems. Also, you people talking about "alternative energy" it is not feasible and cost twice as much if not more. Let me say this very clear for you ignorant people.....the GOVERNMENT, especially the current administration is doing NOTHING but making things HARDER for people and is trying to turn the US into Greece. Debate me with facts to prove me wrong NOT opinion. If you can.

Oh and Stoffi...you are so full of s**t about if you are born into poverty you will stay there. People born into poverty here CHOOSE to stay there and game the system. In what country do you know where someone in poverty has a flat screen TV hanging on the wall, driving around in a Cadillac carrying a cell phone. Yeah, sounds like poverty to me. Hard work and personal responsibility will get you out of poverty. Have facts please instead of conjecture and just flat out ignorance.

You disgrace your American fellows and help build up the stereotype the world has about Americans, the stereotype of the ignorant cowboy. "Who cares about knowledge, eh? We are the best anyways"

As Flutterby says, what about those that work two jobs and still have to go on welfare? There's 12.8 million unemployed people in the States, most of them unwillingly unemployed. 22% of all children in the US are poor children, despite having parents who work their arses off with 2 jobs and a wage no Western European would touch. I'd like to see you tell them that they have a choice.
In addition, The official poverty measure has been criticized for not accounting for several factors that can affect a family's economic well-being and for not having been updated, except for inflation, for four decades. Aka, the real figure is probably a lot higher.

The US can only be compared with former Soviet countries in Eastern Europe in this.


The notion about poor people being lazy was a term that lived through the Dark Ages and only just disappeared in the 19th century. But for people without history, it's hard to learn from past mistakes. Poor people in the US work several jobs but the minimum wage is just too low, they can't afford proper food, they can't afford healthcare, they can't afford to educate their children. What hope do they have? Their children will most likely end up in the same situation as themselves because you have to PAY to go to uni, and they are not likely to finish High School.

In Norway, university is free, you get 1100 dollars per month in scholarship/loan(you get the scholarship only if you pass the exams) by the government, investing in your education so that you may provide for it when you are finished, and help Norway prosper. We have no minimum wage but I don't know about any jobs which pay less than 20 dollars per hour, thus making the "poor" able to stay with us in society, paying taxes, buying goods, fueling the economy, lowering crime, etc.
We don't have crime except for junkies, Eastern Europeans gangs/groups who visit and certain immigrant groups who rape our daughters and rob our sons.



NO ONE CHOOSES to stay in poverty. NO ONE! It's a myth existing in your head and in many Americans' heads. Those of us who know a bit about society and history can see further than our own noses, not repeating the errors of those before us again and again, as you are.


And yes, many people don't pay enough taxes in the US. I'm sure you've heard about the Buffet Tax which Obama is trying to impose. The fact that Buffet's secretary has to pay a lot more than Buffet(in relative terms) is just wow....

Also, you don't know a lot about other countries if you think taxation is bad in the US. E.g. taxation of the dead is quite normal, and your company taxes are NOT high.

Hard work and personal responsibility will NOT get you out of poverty and poverty is now at its highest in a long time. They just need some social mobility.

I've read this entire thread and the above quote is the truest statement here.

Stoffi and Flutterby, do you guys know why America is the greatest country ever? And still is?

Because if you put your mind to it, you can still achieve anything in the US. If you disagree then i feel sad for you. Money isnt the problem, greed isnt the problem, people with power is not the problem, the government is not the problem, the problem lies in people inable to work at what they love and to be happy themselves. So instead of working, they complain about sh*t. Stop giving up + feeling so hopeless, and thinking theres a problem with everything; lifes not supposed to be so easy, imperfection is what makes the world beautiful...

The problem is you.

That's a myth. Land of the free and the brave. It used to be true and is still true if you got money. It is a lot easier to succeed in European countries where you don't start off as low as you do in the US. If the starting point is lower, it will be harder to succeed.

America is definitively not the greatest country ever. You should go study some history. :) Also, when you read history, remember that all great countries fall down eventually, often from within when corruption and greed takes over, as it is in the US today. It happened to Sparta, it happened to Rome.