[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Xantar

It's entirely possible to love one's country without thinking that it's the greatest in every way. I think the United States is home to the noblest ideals and infinite possibilities, and it still has the most vibrant private sector in the world. But our education system sucks,

Thats a common myth. Our test scores suck in comparison because we compare test scores to countries with exclusive education systems. In most other nations, students are tracked and TOLD what they will study and what they will be. Low scoring secondary school students are shipped off the vocational schools, and all our test scores are compared only to the scores of the best performing students of these nations. Its like comparing two half rotten apples, but allowing one of the apples to have the rotten part cut away.

The American system promotes choice and possibility, not inevitablity. I would rather our schools keep the ideals that anyone can be anything they want, instead of having society tell them what they will be.

our health care is lacking

True, but I'd rather pay too much than get socialized healthcare. We girlfriend and I just went through government hoops for her father's heart transplant, and the red tape is maddening and counter-productive. The real change that needs to take place is a control on malpractice suits which cause the need for such rediculous healthcare costs and regulations,

our crime rate is too high

True, but it has been going down over the passed 10 years, especially youth related

our economics is in shambles

Nonsense, we broke records this passed quarter in growth. Inflation has been kept in check to the point that interest rates were just raised and we've seen a growth in higher paying jobs in the last 6 months. Sorry if supply side is working, I know you hate it so.

and our media is too limp-spined to say anything about those one way or another for fear of being accused as too conservative or too liberal

The media shouldn't be saying anything. The should be reporting events, and reporting everything. Not just what they feel is news.

My problem with this countrty is that those that are trying to fix it often make problems worse. Look at depression era policies. Wellfare and other social programs were intended to be temporary, but they instead we developed such a dependence on them that removing them is considered abhorrent. The NRA (national recovery administration) Red-lining districts actually helped create more racial divides and is a huge reason why there are areas in this country that are race specific. Early wellfare policies actually stated that if there was a male living in a house, the family couldn't receive aid. There were no jobs, so the men moved out and families were split apart so that people could eat. It created a poverty culture that never had male rolemodels and many believe it is a reason why so many poor families fail and that it is a reason why divorce rates have skyrocketed in last few generations.

Now I know many believe that the policies taken during the depression were necessary, and I partly agree, but there were definite negative reprocussions. Yet we continue to want to replace parts of our society with the government. Thats backward.