Is America broken beyond repair?

[Cyrano]

The Republicans have been butchering the Constitution since the day Ronald Reagan took office. And it seems that the Bush/Cheney years managed to finish the job of destroying American democracy.

It's my belief that our country is broken beyond repair. We no longer lead the world in anything except military power. Our government, big business, and most of our institutions are so corrupt that no one would have a clue as to how to undo the damage.

Every empire falls, so I guess it's our turn. But perhaps it's for the best. I, for one, would be happy to never again hear anyone chant the imbecilic phrase, "We're number one."

So what happens next? It will be years before our current economic woes end, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Any guesses?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. Hopefully, we'll become a 2nd rate power that serves it's people rather than the corporations.

Probably a vain hope as we continue to bankrupt ourselves by waging wars to protect our colonies.

[RKP5637]

2. If not broken beyond repair, extremely fragile at best... n/t

[mmonk]

3. Depends on how one defines broken.

If you mean will our country ever be the same it was before the Bush administration, only in parts. Will it be a country with a strong middle class, rule of law, and a country with an adequate safety net? Probably not in our lifetime.

[MrScorpio]

4. Rethink the Empire and stop trying to run the planet

Make the corporations liable for their misdeeds and force them to pony up on what they actually owe.

Rebuild the social contract, think bottom up, instead from top to bottom

Value everyone, not just a few

Start building things for ourselves again

[Subdivisions]

5. Yes, unless the ills of this society are cured, America is broken beyond repair. n/t

[KansDem]

6. Perhaps we can just toss it onto the heap and get brand new one...

"Made in China," of course...

[RKP5637]

8. I bet Walmart can order one in for us. Let's get a longer

warranty this time.

[SteppingRazor]

7. No. But the process by which it can be repaired is broken.

A wildly popular president (talking about election day here) with huge majorities in both houses on Congress is totally incapable of enacting major reform to address the vast problems we are facing.

If Obama and this Congress cannot pass a solid progressive agenda to save this country, no one can.

In other words, America can be fixed. We're actually far from the point where we're too far gone to do anything. But as it stands now, it is impossible to get us off this self-destructive path.

[old mark]

9. In a way, I think this terrible period is pretty typical...the times when it all

seemed to work were few and far between. The best times we have ever had were from FDR to Reagan; the recovery from the depression and the economic boom after WWII and the relative prosperity of the 50's and 60's saw us going in good directions.

Much of our history in the 19th century was similar to our era - scandals, idolization of the rich, desperation and total neglect of the poor. In many ways this may be our time to start to ttake control of our country and try to re-establish the constitution as a working basis for the laws of this country. The Republicans have done and are doing their best to destroy it and the Democrats and the left are the only hope of its survival.


mark

[Cyrano]

11. I agree in theory that the Dems and the left are our only hope of survival

However, given the cravenness of today's Democratic Party, I'm not holding my breath for them to "save us."

The Democratic Party I knew as a kid and while growing up, knew how to fight and knew how to win. Today's Dems seem to know only how to throw bullshit at us, and cower any time a Republican says "boo."

[old mark]

26. The Democrats I remember as a kid would be out there kicking GOP ass

loud and proud...these guys today seem ashamed of themselves...maybe they have reason to be...

mark

[Greyhound]

23. It was those 50's & 60's that brought this about.

Though far from perfect, you are right in pointing out that we were heading in the right direction, and why was that? Wide spread prosperity. Was it universal? Of course not. Were there significant social and cultural problems? Of course.

When the majority of people are not worried/distracted by things like paying the mortgage, getting needed health care, educating their kids, IOW are generally satisfied, they begin to see the things around them that are not right and they have the desire, the time, and the means to change them. And they did, or at least, they started to.

But there is one segment of our society for whom this is terrible and they were scared shitless. FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ, and Carter all referred to these parasites and they all warned us about them even as the parasites consolidated power and the wealth that comes with it. They took over the political process in '68 and used their boys in the Democratic Party to divide the party. Carter was an aberration in that he was smart enough to exploit new primary rules to slip by the primaries roadblock and into the Presidency. We saw their immediate reaction to that as they got us back on track in '80.

[earth mom]

10. The powers that be are working overtime to break the USA. They want to form the North American Union

with Canada and Mexico and shred the US Constitution once and for all.

That way they can form a new country with a Constitution-if they even bother writing one-that really screws over the unwashed masses aka peons. :argh:

[damntexdem]

12. Not yet.

But it's getting there.

Ask me again on Nov. 3.

[lpbk2713]

13. As long as the RW Media Hatemongers are given free rein.

As long as the likes of Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity & Co. have a soap box so they can spew their lies
and hate and GOP propaganda there is no end in sight to the wide political divide we have now.

[Cyrano]

15. Couldn't agree more.

Who ever thought the first amendment to the Constitution would end up screwing us rather than protecting us?

This doesn't mean we should get rid of the first amendment. But it does mean that the FCC should have the power to put a halt to hate speech. Which brings up the problem of who defines "hate speech?" It's a dilemma.

[jobendorfer]

27. The 1st amendment isn't the problem, it's corporate personhood

The first amendment worked just great until it was decided that corporations could be:

a) immortal ( corporate charters were originally time-limited )
b) conglomerates ( corporations used to be restricted to one line of business and could not own other corporations ),
c) wealth-hoarders ( self-evident )
d) had all the rights of persons.

J.

[riverwalker]

14. yes

I knew we were beyond the point of no return when we went to war. When the voices of reason of those who tried to tell us there were no WMD's in Iraq, that Iraq had no role in 9/11, were silenced by fake patriotism (even from some liberals, remember, even Bill Maher at the beginning was for the war, and we bashed him for it.)
The other omen was when Alan Dershowitz, on national televion in my country, was calmly discussing the benefits of torture. Torture! The meaning of "the banality of evil" was suddenly clear, and I knew we would never again be the same country. People around dinner tables discussing the best means of torture, is so bizarre I still can't put my head around it.

[HopeHoops]

16. Does the Pope shit in the woods?

[Ozymanithrax]

17. I decded the U.S. was dead in 2000.

I've been waiting since to see what grows out of the corpse.

Still waiting.

[MiniMe]

18. Yes, unless our jobs and the middle class make a come back

[Speck Tater]

19. My crystal ball says that by 2050 the former U.S. will be 4 to 8 separate splitered nations. nt

[cowcommander]

20. Probably, it was fun while it lasted

We really are like the Roman Empire, in so many ways. Like them, the Collapse won't happen right away, but it's going to be slow and painful.

[maxsolomon]

21. Things are more like they are now than ever before.

Yes, America is broken beyond repair.

It has been nearly since it's inception. It was designed for the benefit of wealthy landowners, by wealthy landowners. Since then there has been a slow tide of social change which extends some of the benefits to the non-wealthy - voting for non-landowners, an end to slavery, women's suffrage, civil rights, etc.

But the real power has always been in the hands of the wealthy, and since corporations are people, they now hold that power. We're seeing them exercise that power for their benefit - in the Senate, in the Media, in the CoC campaign. They will not stop, because Americans are still too comfortable, and too ignorant and gullible, to force change.

Eventually, the relative prosperity the middle class still experience will end. Start hoarding.

[Scuba]

22. We'll find out November 2nd. n/t

[Golden Raisin]

24. Yes.

[OnyxCollie]

25. Yes.