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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Sep 13, 2007
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JesseJames,
I agree with a lot of what you say as well. Although it seems I'm a little more optimistic. I've gotten that way as I've gotten older (only 31, not particularly old) - I think its usually the other way around, and people get more jaded and cynical as they age.
I'm in the middle of Fast Food Nation - paused it because my girlfriend got called in to work. I don't think corporations are evil by definition, but they do look at the bottom line and quite often don't care about worker safety, the environment, or the quality of their product - hence the need for OSHA, EPA, FDA, etc. (perhaps an area where I stray from my otherwise conservative views). But we can't fault a company for simply being successful and profitable - without successful businesses and the jobs they provide, America (or any nation) will crumble.
The dollar vote is as powerful as the voting booth - but our culture grew complacent and lost track of things. Its hard to boycott any particular company for being a poor corporate citizen when there is no acceptable alternative. We let things get this way and now we don't know how to fix it.
And too many people don't want to change things because it means changing their own lifestyles. Ultimately that is the problem with America - not corporations or politicians; because we allow them to exist as they are.
You really don't seem particularly unpatriotic, just frustrated with certain things here. Nothing wrong with that. If George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the others had the "love it or leave it" attitude, America wouldn't even exist. If Martin Luther King and other leaders had the "love it or leave it" attitude, necessary progress would never have been made. America was founded and has been continually improved by people who recognized what was great, but acknowledged what could be better.
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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Sep 13, 2007
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Forgot to address Fox News.
I watch it occasionally, and the news (not just O'Reilly, etc. that are commentary and allowed to show bias) seems to have an intentional right wing tilt. I also agree with those that say the mainstream media has a left wing bias. I think the liberal bias in the mainstream media is usually unintentional, but its there.
The conspiracy stuff you mentioned earlier I don't buy into - its usually pretty far-fetched and I go with the approach that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. I don't see the U.S., Canada, and Mexico joining up in any meaningful way (other than NAFTA). Not much to gain for the U.S. joining up with Mexico. The switch to a single currency seems remotely possible - but I'll believe it when I see it.
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Reputation:79
Level:Pro
Since:Jul 6, 2008
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jcvg, I thank you for not thinking of me as unpatriotic because i feel that I am not. i simply would like to see some things improve and would like to see our nation question itself more. i am 31 years old as well, and I do agree that you are more optimistic about things than me. id like to be more optimistic but just feel that I cant honestly be.
Last night I watched "the Big One" by Michael Moore at a friend's house. i actually hate to admit I watched it because many people on here like to accuse me of getting all my ideas from Michael Moore, which I do not. This is only the 3rd Moore movie Ive seen, and just because i may happen to agree with him on most everything, I get these ideas independently and have held most of my current beliefs for quite some time. However, I will say that I considered myself a Republican back in high school, so Ive done a 180 since those days.
The movie addressed several topics that we've discussed. It talked about how the government gives out three times as much corporate welfare as it does social welfare, and that much of this corporate welfare is given to companies to market their products overseas and to relocate their production plants in foriegn markets. The government also uses this corporate welfare to bail private companies out of bad financial situations.
I also agree with his point that it is wrong of corporations who make billions of profit annually to ship American jobs overseas. They say that it is all about being competitive and maximizing the gains of the shareholders, but I think they should show more alliegences to their workers that gave a lot to help them become successful in the first place. While we cant fault a company for trying to be successful and profitible, I think there are limits to what we should accept. To use a sports analogy, we cant fault an athlete for trying to win but we shouldnt accept what Tonya Harding did to nancy Kerrigan.I hate to sound like a communist, but I just think this is one example of how capitalism is inherently evil, and I hate the effects that capitalist logic is having on the environment and the health care industry.
you are right though, Americans vote with their dollars, and we do have the power to stand up to a lot of what is happening by not supporting the corporations that are taking our jobs to foriegn markets where they can have goods produced for much cheaper. What you say reminds me of the South Park episode about Wal-Mart where they say that to get rid of Wal-Mart we must take out its heart, and its heart is the people who shop there. If we would just stop shopping there we could solve the problem. However, it is easy to see why the temptation is too great, as many Americans are too shortsighted and cant see past the low prices and the convenience.
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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Sep 13, 2007
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Corporate welfare has been justified on the rationale that without businesses there are no jobs, and by saving the company the government is saving jobs. This is logical, but it seems wrong when the CEO of said company makes hundreds of thousands a year (plus various bonuses and incentives) and the government is bailing them out.
We all need to educate ourselves about the practices of the companies that supply our products and support those that have chosen to keep jobs here rather than abandon the American worker for higher profits. Its ironic that today you could buy a Toyota or Nissan made in the USA and a Ford made in Mexico.
All in all, I liked Fast Food Nation - it reminded me that I would prefer to buy foods that are organic and grown through environmentally responsible methods. Its tough though because of the extra cost.
The movie was clearly biased, and at times strayed towards the level of propaganda. One example that I have first hand knowledge of is the accident where the worker gets his leg chewed up. OSHA requires guard rails over any type of equipment like that, or even on a ledge over a drop of just a few feet. And don't even think you can bribe an OSHA inspector - those guys are hardcore. I had a couple of them try to bust me for lifting my hardhat up to wipe sweat from my forehead. If they had gotten the camera on me in time I would've been fined.
I do think there is something wrong in America right now. When the poor can't get out of it, when the middle class is sinking, but the wealthy are getting wealthier, something isn't right. But I am always very hesitant to ask for more government interference. Whatever power we give them now to solve this problem (assuming they actually improve it), they will not give up.
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Level:Amateur
Since:Jun 28, 2008
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This message has been removed by the administrator.
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Level:Amateur
Since:Jun 28, 2008
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This message has been removed by the administrator.
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