Just what has gone wrong with this nation?

[ThomWV]

Here is a link to an article/essay that is the best I have read in a very long time. It says every single thing I felt. I hope you read it in its entirety.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/10-4


Published on Sunday, January 10, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
The Implosion of the American Political Consciousness
by David Michael Green
If you're looking for a decent indicator of the political health of the nation, consider the following excerpt from a Christian Science Monitor article this week: "The decision by the White House Friday to not preempt the season premiere of the psychedelic crash-drama "Lost" for the State of the Union address reveals the surprising power of that much ridiculed stereotype: the American couch potato."

Well, at least no one can accuse us of not having our national priorities in order, eh?

Actually, that's only part of the story - and frankly the more benign part, to boot.

Presidents like to say, in their annual messages to Congress and the country, that "The state of the union is strong". Maybe Obama is bold enough to tell a whopper that big even in 2010. I guess when you've taken an entire country over the cliff lying about "hope" and "change", even a stinker that rude wouldn't be so egregious, relatively speaking.

Much more at link.

[anonymous171]

1. Why should they tune in? Nothing new. nt

[roamer65]

2. Bread and circuses are more important.

:sarcasm:


So many parallels to ancient Rome.

[anonymous171]

4. They are. Free Healthcare would be a great gift to the American people

and to congressional democrats. The fact that that isn't on the table shows us how democratic our supposedly "democratic" system is.

[Davis_X_Machina]

7. Go out and run on it...

...or work for someone who does.

[Cleita]

14. This is why I was for Edwards. He had the only viable health plan

to offer. It's too bad Obama is listening to Zeke Emmanuel, a corporatist, whose got it all wrong. Emmanuel should just stick to medicine and let the bean counters figure out the economics of getting health care to everyone.

[kelly1mm]

18. Free health care? Who is even suggesting that? nt

[Cleita]

11. Funny enough the Romans believed in public health and provided

fresh water through their aqueduct system and built the baths, which cost very little so everyone could afford to use them. Medicine as we know it today was mostly herbal remedies and such that every household matron was supposed to be familiar with. They also had flush system toilets and sewage pipes to keep diseases from festering and they drained swamps to get rid of disease carrying mosquitos. Mid wives and doctors or surgeons were attached to households or military and if independent were often paid for by the town to serve everyone who needed their services. Their military had the first hospitals and function that had been first with the temples of the Greek God Aesculapius, which were also open to everyone for offerings. It seems the Romans practiced a version of single payer medicine. In that respect they appear to be more socially advanced than us.

[Cleita]

3. Rec the unrec.

Who would unrec this OpEd is beyond me. Thanks for posting and I agree it pretty much gets to the core of what is wrong with us today.

:kick:

[ThomWV]

6. It is a stunning article, unfortunately the first couple of paragraphs don't capture it at all.

They make it look like an anti Obama hit piece, which it certainly is not.

[panader0]

8. Probably a big 'Lost' fan.........

(never seen it myself)

[napi21]

5. I think things are better now than they were when Shrub was

prez. They're far from great, but at least we're headed in the right direction now.

[kentuck]

9. k & r

The problem is with language. The problem is with framing. The problem is with a Democratic Party that has become obsessed with "centrism", even when it is only one degree left of the farthest right. They are unable to define reality. They have become absorbed by the right-wing regressives.

The desire for power has caused many Democrats to bite their tongues and vote for whatever Democrat is running, no matter how inept or right-leaning. And they keep giving themselves raises and nobody says a word...

[abq e streeter]

10. Wow, I must have more power than I thought; I recced and it went from 3 to 11

but getting back to being serious, which this article most certainly is, thank you ThomWV for posting it. One of those "should be required reading for every citizen" situations. I emailed Mr.Green to express my appreciation of the "cutting through the BS" depth of his analysis, and also said that recognizing the truth of it is pretty damn depressing. I keep thinking back to Johnny Rotten wailing "no future..no future"...and sadly, I agree.

[flyarm]

12. They fractured us..they split us to Red and blue..they pitted us against each other and we let them!

They used paid pigs to fracture us under bush and they are doing it again now to fracture dems..same tactics..we don;'t sit around the kitchen table at Sunday dinners anymore and discuss what is going on..they have us attacking each other..first dems against repubs..and they now fractured the Repub party..effectively..and now they are attempting to fracture the dem party..and they are doing it with paid pigs and naive people.

They did it during our primaries ..they are now doing it with our Unions with the health care bill..

It is all about power folks..and it is about the new world order..they want us to feel powerless.

[grasswire]

13. regressivism -- the perfect frame

Wow. This guy ought to be a strategist for the WH. He's good.

I am going to start using the term "regressivist" at every opportunity to describe Republicans and centrists.

[theophilus]

15. Very good article and extremely sad. Anger should be vented on the

board to all responsible. Obama is not the biggest offender. Action needs to be taken on Reps and Senators. If we can't elect more sensible representatives we are doomed. There will probably be third (fourth, fifth?) parties emerge. The perfect storm.

[Bitwit1234]

16. What has gone wrong with this nation

To start with, people are not as intelligent as they were in the 50- 60 and even 70. They knew con artist when they heard or saw them. They didn't vote them in to office. Everything change with the biggest con artist of all Reagan. If you notice things in this country started to go down hill from there. The republicans came into office and they ruined everything. I suppose they were upset that the people in this country did not trust them for a heck of a long time. After Reagan it changed. He performed his role as president well. That was about the only role he did any acting in. He stunk otherwise.

[keep_it_real]

17. Corporate lobyist brought up elected reps on both sides.

Those who own and control corporations rule.

[CrispyQ]

19. It's a great article, but part of what's wrong with this nation is

I don't know 10 people who would take the time to read it.

I loved this part!

There are a few signs of hope, of course. Americans at least know enough to know that we're not doing well, which is more than you can say for the good folks of Oceania. We recognize that both major political parties are worthless, though I don't think we quite understand why. We were sensible enough to vote for what was advertised as ‘change' in the last presidential election. But not sensible enough to demand that we actually got it after inauguration day.

And we're also not smart enough to understand why we're dissatisfied with what we've got. But then, how could we be if watching "the psychedelic crash-drama ‘Lost'" on television is more important than the biggest single night of the year on the calendar of our national political discourse? And what an appropriate show to hold out for, eh? Could it get any better than "Lost"? I dunno. Is there a show out there called "Lost, Stupid and Too Lazy to Stop Getting Punked", perhaps?

k&r

[VMI Dem]

20. Low standards for our leadership.

[progressoid]

21. Ya but...

Generally, I think they are a fairly accurate reflection of the standards of the people they represent (sadly).

[GreenMetalFlake]

22. Cultural brainwashing keeps most rock. fucking. dumb.

[Lorien]

23. This bit really struck a cord with me:

"If you're under the age of forty, you might not realize that things weren't ever thus in American politics. The current ugly nature of our political discourse is perhaps simultaneously the greatest ‘victory' and greatest tragedy of the regressive revolution in America these last thirty years. Not only has the state itself been captured for purposes of thorough looting by oligarchs, but the very political consciousness of the nation has been diluted and polluted - all while our faux patriotism is saluted - beyond recognition.

Government is bad. Government always screws up. Corporations are heroic. Greed is good. Conservatism is about protecting freedom. Personal sacrifice for national improvement is for fools. Personal destruction is an appropriate form of politics. Hypocrisy is even more acceptable. There is one set of rules for elites, another for the rest of us."

That really hits the nail on the head. We're constantly told how those in the military are "the best of us". That nothing is more noble than DYING for your Nation (corporate profits). YET, the same people believe that nothing is more evil than taxes; some of which go to those noble heroes that we are all instructed to worship, and some of which goes to "entitlements" like education, medicare, social security and infrastructure. So: Losing a limb, killing or dying for your "country" = GOOD, but giving 26% of your yearly earnings to your country= BAD. Bottom line; your life is worth far less than 12k.

[TheKentuckian]

24. Too many numbnut morons lathered up to sign the deed over to big business

based off of a bunch of poppycock that has proven utterly false time and time again but still sounds good to many, even among those supposedly on the left.

Maybe, its hard to accept a lot of that econ they fed us is bullshit or it could be we are just a nation of marks that can't help for falling for get rich quick and responsibility avoidance schemes and scams, even when they are they the same game of three card monty that we lost the last time. Which also indicates mass insanity due to doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.