Non-American views of America/Americans

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the american ideal is a fantastic concept. it is so admired that its ends are better met in some other parts of the world;).

the present american manifestation of it is quite another thing to many around the world.

the disappointment fostered by that gap is expressed in the collective global guffaw of the 'morning after'.

is the disappointment justified? perhaps, perhaps not.

i feel quite confident that the disappointment stems from concern for the direction of our world. not hatred.
 
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I think that the American ideal belongs right here in America, but America doesn't seem to be filling its own ideal right now, but it can. I join with Bono and believe that it is still a good idea, and I still hold out hope that America will use it for good, in things like Bono wants to do.

I hope Bono will fight harder in the coming years, and I will join him.
 
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Lo-Fi said:
To be honest, outside of the war on terror the British media doesn't tell you anything at all on what Bush's policies are, as far as the British media is concerned all he's campaigned on is the war on terror.

I assue he has policies on education, health, budget etc etc. But we know none of these. IMHO I was disappointed to see Bush elected again into the White House purely on how he delt with Iraqi and how he seemed to play on the emotions of the American people after 9/11 as a back door into Iraqi to take control of it and it's oil. But overall I can't really comment too much as I don't live in the US, I don't know if he's doing a good job of running the country outside of the war on terror.

As for my opinions on American's, yeah man, you guys are alright by me!

Man, Bush is gold on the other issues. One of the reasons I voted for him was his position on reforming our Social Security system to allow workers to invest a portion of the amount of money that we pay in taxes to fund social security and invest it in low-risk mutual funds, bonds, et cetera. Bush has cut taxes a number of times, which is very popular here. In addition, he has proposed a total overhaul of our tax code. It is quite possible that he may propose scratching our current graduate tax code in favor of a flat income tax. This is also something that is fairly popular among many Americans. Overall, I agree with Bush 100% on economic issues. In fact, his economic policies are probably one of the reasons our unempolyment level is so low in comparison to many European nations.
 
I think Bush is doing alright running the nation. There are things he has said and that he is trying to do that I'm hopeful about. Yes, people seem to forget that it's not all about Iraq and terrorism. It's also about our country and who's best to run it.
 
Re: Re: Non-American views of America/Americans

GOP_Catholic said:


The country is not really divided, Clinton never won either election with more than 49% of the vote, and the liberal media was never using this 'divided nation' excuse back in the 90s.

As for the young people at your school voting for Kerry, the young people at your school probably aren't paying any taxes or very very little taxes, so it's smart for them to vote Kerry. If a guy is going to promise a watered-down version of socialism and social programs, it's smart for people that don't pay taxes to support that. Problem is that most voters are taxpayers and have jobs, and don't feel like getting involved in Kerry's social programs which he makes sure he targets at low income minorities.

No were not paying taxes and i understand that. but from our point of view Kerry had plans for the middle class to more easily afford college which i now have to worry about. And yes it may have always been a close election, but with todays issues this country is Politically divided more than ever on those issues.
 
indra said:



No, you really don't want to be telling people you're from Ohio right now...and I'm from Ohio! Wahhhh!!! (If you must admit to being from Ohio, tell people you're from Yellow Springs -- it's overwhelmingly progressive :wink: )

I have noticed that also -- that people from other nations are far more likely to have a decent understanding of US policy than the average US citizen is to have about the policies of anywhere else. And sometimes people from other nations have a better understanding of US policy than do many of our own citizens.

Heh, yeah I'll just say I'm from Columbus (which I am, I'm just not living there now!)....Franklin County voted for Kerry! hehehehe.

And you're right, there is a large contingent of people throughout the world who know so much more than the average U.S. citizen. Hell, I never learned about American history past the Vietnam War, despite all my U.S. history classes in school :ohmy:
 
U2Traveller said:


Bullcrap. Our economy is doing just fine and about to get better. I have high hopes. Looks good for small businesses here.

I see it as healthy and rosy and improving.

On a micro-level perhaps, on a macro-level you are heading for an almighty fall. Trust me, I'm a currency broker, and for the first time, I can't sell the dollar.

Look at the dollar, about to hit its all time low against the euro.

Over the course of Bush's first term, the stock market has lost 20% of its value.

Look at the twin deficits, rising all the time, while your president continues to spend money like its going out of fashion.

The entire success of the american economy over the last 30 years, has been based on the fact if any one in the world wants to buy oil, they have to buy dollars first. This means foreign countries have to invest in the US, investing in companies and buy US treasury bonds (which are used to cover your ever increasing national debt). Meanwhile the US can just print more and more dollars knowing that the OPEC countries (aided in recent years by Japan and China) will pump money into the dollar to keep its price up.

This allows you to have extremely low interest rates, without excess inflation (as the OPEC countries and the Asians buy up excess dollars to keep supply limited) which is the engine for your super-duper economy.

Three months ago, the US can a international treasury bond sale. This is where countries, companies and hedges can buy some of the US debt, for the first time in living memory the auction was undersold. Basically without higher interest rates, the bonds are no longer an attractive proposition. The US needs to sell these bonds to cover the debt. The only other option is to continue to print dollars, driving its exchange value down further. Note this is what the brazil and argentina did during their financial collapse. The capacity for OPEC and the asians to continue to prop it up is rapidly diminshing (China for instance is too busy trying to keep the yuan's value low so we continue to see made in china stickers everywhere). A breaking point is about to occur.

The dollar is fast approaching a rapid devaluation. If the US deficit grows (and it will) I reckon (and the prevaling market view concurs) the dollar will lose 30% of its current value over the next two to three years.

This will force Opec to change its transaction currency to the euro, after which the US (and world economy) will be in uncharted waters.

You may not believe it, and it may not come to pass, but the dollar can't continue like this. Some corrective action has to occur. With the US deficits continuing to rise I can't see where the US government has any tools to contain the fall.

For the record, I don't think Kerry could stop it, but it was Bush that turned the surplus into the deficit and enacted some extremely foolish tax cuts (trickle-down has never worked!!!). Basically the current administrator got you in this mess, lets see if it can get you out.
 
nicholsfornixon said:


Man, Bush is gold on the other issues. One of the reasons I voted for him was his position on reforming our Social Security system to allow workers to invest a portion of the amount of money that we pay in taxes to fund social security and invest it in low-risk mutual funds, bonds, et cetera. Bush has cut taxes a number of times, which is very popular here. In addition, he has proposed a total overhaul of our tax code. It is quite possible that he may propose scratching our current graduate tax code in favor of a flat income tax. This is also something that is fairly popular among many Americans. Overall, I agree with Bush 100% on economic issues. In fact, his economic policies are probably one of the reasons our unempolyment level is so low in comparison to many European nations.

As an outsider, I always find it funny through that the red states are the ones to get more federal money, and the blue states are the ones which pay more taxes.

If any thing it should be the other way around surely???. It annoys my conservative boss, but he's orginally from california, and is always complaining about farmers in iowa for some reason.
 
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