How do you rate the state of the union in the U.S.?

[IronWing]

Bah, just tax the evil rich and all will be well. It's worked before. Oh wait...

Why yes, yes it did.

 

[nehalem256]

Norway.

That depends on who you are looking at.

Is a single mother with no job skills better off in Norway. Almost certainly.

It is a college educated professional better off in Norway though?

 

[rudder]

You may have strayed too far if you think America is not better than most any alternative.

There is a thought and spirit in America that is unique in human history, and only exists in flawed ways in other countries. Despite all America's problems, the undistilled spirit that exists in us makes us more valuable than 3/5 of the rest of the world.

Sure America is better than any alternative. But lets not compare the state of the union to other countries... but where we could be. Then I think it is fair to say ... as other have already done so... the state of the union is fair trending downwards. Calling for more spending is not helping one bit.

 

[Matt1970]

i think any place, where we can live our own lives, free of government oppression, (drivers licenses, inflated taxes, inflated insurance (home or car), inflated police state.. anywhere, at this point is better than here..

i can't even sit in my own home, and not worry about whether the piece of paper in my dash, is up to date, for fear of going to jail, and paying a bondsmen to be able to breathe fresh air.. any place is better than this.


and you, like me, probably know that it IS up to date.. but fuck man, i shouldn't have to sit here and doublethink it... that's insanity.

You need to educate yourself on what actually goes on in some other countries. You will that your lucky stars you live in America.

 

[fskimospy]

Sure America is better than any alternative. But lets not compare the state of the union to other countries... but where we could be. Then I think it is fair to say ... as other have already done so... the state of the union is fair trending downwards. Calling for more spending is not helping one bit.

More spending would definitely help. We are already reducing the deficit at too fast a pace and it is hurting growth.

 

[Incorruptible]

The state of the union is poor, We still havent made serious spending cuts which are crucial if we want to get out of this mess. obamacare must be repealed and replaced with a true free market system which encourages competition and will reduce costs and improve quality.

We also need to make drastic changes to the tax system, eliminate the income tax and replace it with a national sales tax and abolish the IRS

 

[phillyTIM]

At least it would be if we all (politicians, especially included) stopped acting like a bunch of spoiled prima donna brats about politics and economic policies.

Let's just agree that the only place everyone gets to have it their way is at Burger King.

Yet everyone wants it their way on every issue. The spirit of compromise for the good of the majority of others is dying and taking our country down with it.

But we haven't gone off the fiscal cliff yet, nobody wants to see that happen (except for those tea party bastards), companies are turning record profits, banks are record profits OF COURSE, the stock market is at record levels, housing is rebounding quickly even through it has become astronomically unaffordable to even middle class people like me, ObamaCare is starting to reap tangible benefits and is the law and ain't goin' no where folks so get over it!; there isn't anything that can't be fixed right now.

What is everyone cryin' about? Go to Burger King if you want everything your way!

Old timers: hasn't our country always had it's naysayers that we're on the brink of extinction?

 

[Ausm]

I thought it was pretty good but the odds of accomplishing his proposals is minute imo. I think the only way to accomplish anything progressive is by Executive order.

 

[phillyTIM]

xx

 

[zsdersw]

I thought it was pretty good but the odds of accomplishing his proposals is minute imo. I think the only way to accomplish anything progressive is by Executive order.

The OP asks about the state of the union, not last night's speech.

Not the speech, I am asking how you'd rate the overall condition of the country.

 

[Ausm]

The OP asks about the state of the union, not last night's speech.

Oh My bad, I think it is plodding along but could be much better without a do nothing Congress and also after the Sequester goes into affect...

Better now?

 

[dank69]

Fair. I think economy is improving but don't like the state of freedom in this country.

 

[werepossum]

i think any place, where we can live our own lives, free of government oppression, (drivers licenses, inflated taxes, inflated insurance (home or car), inflated police state.. anywhere, at this point is better than here..

i can't even sit in my own home, and not worry about whether the piece of paper in my dash, is up to date, for fear of going to jail, and paying a bondsmen to be able to breathe fresh air.. any place is better than this.


and you, like me, probably know that it IS up to date.. but fuck man, i shouldn't have to sit here and doublethink it... that's insanity.

The price of civilization is inevitably loss of freedom. In return for that loss of freedom, you get enhanced security and opportunity. In Somalia for instance one has almost total freedom, but at the price of almost no security (unless one trades that freedom to some private of quasi-governmental entity) and greatly restricted opportunity.

Note that opportunity is not necessarily equal to freedom; a Somali has absolute freedom to create the next innovation in consumer electronics with virtually no government restrictions, but has virtually no real opportunity to do so. The education and infrastructure just isn't there. Worrying about whether that piece of paper in your dash (I'm assuming that is registration) is up to date funds that infrastructure and provides some level of security that using that infrastructure is reasonably safe from at least law-abiding citizens.

I voted fair. We've stabilized, and absent government screw-ups should be able to slowly recover. Obamacare is going to be an anchor around our necks for the foreseeable future, but will also benefit some people (admittedly at the cost of others) who need it. That's about as good as one can reasonably expect from government. We do have some other very serious systemic problems, but very few nations today do not. Warts and all, there is not another nation I'd rather inhabit.

 

[werepossum]

You would've been 100% right had you not included the parts in bold. Political agendas and media are a few drops of water compared to the tsunami of people who want society and government to do everything for them. It wouldn't matter one bit if it was a leftist or a right-wing agenda or media... when people want society and government to do everything for them, all hope is lost.

Well said. When we have a woman with a household income in the mid-seventies asking a Presidential candidate "What are you going to do for me?" and getting serious answers, it's hard to hold out much hope for the foreseeable future. I suspect both parties are going to morph even further into entitlement platforms, differing mostly in social aspects - they'll promise their groups the moon whilst promising to cut off the other party's groups. That's a trend though, not the current state of the union.

 

[squirrel dog]

poor and getting poorer by the day,week ,month , year.

 

[Ausm]

You would've been 100% right had you not included the parts in bold. Political agendas and media are a few drops of water compared to the tsunami of people who want society and government to do everything for them. It wouldn't matter one bit if it was a leftist or a right-wing agenda or media... when people want society and government to do everything for them, all hope is lost.

Who are these people and what are you opposed to?

 

[zinfamous]

Better than it was under Bush, with at least a solid chance of things getting better. So "fair".

this

 

[ArmyVet88]

As a 2x Veteran of Afghanistan and someone who is struggling to find gainful employment, i will be quick to say America needs to continue to wake up. We dont have enough people asking questions and demanding answers. Our government has no fear of us. We have lost the power struggle that has been going on in our country a long time ago. I just wish we would have the gall to take it back. I love my country, i love my fellow countrymen and women, but i cannot stand my government. Its a shame, we have all the means yet we still do everything for the wrong reasons.

 

[Zebo]

^ it's good you experienced Afghanistan because US will be a third world country in 5-10 years. There will be no SS/medicare none of it because no tax base to support it. We're faking it now piling on FED debt like with did with housing boom with private debt but we can only do that very temporaryand unfortunately most of that goes into pumping stock market so politicians can give you metric of good news. This is just the calm before the storm - you have seen nothing yet.

My advice is go back in 31E. Interment specialist They'll feed the guards and you wont get shot at.

 

[Greenman]

At least it would be if we all (politicians, especially included) stopped acting like a bunch of spoiled prima donna brats about politics and economic policies.

Let's just agree that the only place everyone gets to have it their way is at Burger King.

Yet everyone wants it their way on every issue. The spirit of compromise for the good of the majority of others is dying and taking our country down with it.

But we haven't gone off the fiscal cliff yet, nobody wants to see that happen (except for those tea party bastards), companies are turning record profits, banks are record profits OF COURSE, the stock market is at record levels, housing is rebounding quickly even through it has become astronomically unaffordable to even middle class people like me, ObamaCare is starting to reap tangible benefits and is the law and ain't goin' no where folks so get over it!; there isn't anything that can't be fixed right now.

What is everyone cryin' about? Go to Burger King if you want everything your way!

Old timers: hasn't our country always had it's naysayers that we're on the brink of extinction?

I remember when a fellow could get a job with a high school diploma and make enough to support his family.
I remember when children were raised by their mother, not a day care center.
I remember when news was reported, not packaged.

This nation is nowhere near what it used to be, and I don't blame the government, I blame the people. Greed, laziness, sloth, and a total disregard for anyone but one's self has brought us to where we are today. We're way past our best, the question at this point is how far will we decline before we take action?

 

[Chuck_v]

Not the speech, I am asking how you'd rate the overall condition of the country.

I believe the state of the union is weak and fragmented at many levels politically, culturally and economically.

 

[Ausm]

^ it's good you experienced Afghanistan because US will be a third world country in 5-10 years. There will be no SS/medicare none of it because no tax base to support it. We're faking it now piling on FED debt like with did with housing boom with private debt but we can only do that very temporaryand unfortunately most of that goes into pumping stock market so politicians can give you metric of good news. This is just the calm before the storm - you have seen nothing yet.

My advice is go back in 31E. Interment specialist They'll feed the guards and you wont get shot at.

It sounds like a Republican Utopia...crushing the Social safety net and an extreme transfer of Wealth to the top.

 

[Phokus]

Combine a general public that is largely too dumb to understand most issues with leadership bent on screwing up the country with a leftist agenda and a leftist media, and the prognosis is very poor. The number of people who believe in personal individual responsibility and accountability is getting smaller, while the number of people who want society and government to do everything for them is getting bigger by the day. We're screwed.

The sad thing is, you're part of the insanely stupid general public but your'e too stupid to realize this.

 

[BurnItDwn]

on a 1 to 10 scale, It's a 2 or 3 right now.
Mostly it's so piss poor due to international competition for the job market. It doesn't help that politicians always put politics above policies, and that ethics no longer exists in business or politics. Essentially, greed is the only remaining driving force for the world.

 

[Zebo]

on a 1 to 10 scale, It's a 2 or 3 right now.
Mostly it's so piss poor due to international competition for the job market. It doesn't help that politicians always put politics above policies, and that ethics no longer exists in business or politics. Essentially, greed is the only remaining driving force for the world.

They are no different on anything that effects economy which of course is that matters most. Because with good jobs/economy you don't need obamacare, worry about debt, underfunded pensions, underfunded SS, or worry about schools because everything is flush with cash from huge population in the workforce paying taxes.

All support third world slave labor so their corp masters can get rich beyond their wildest dreams and putting you on subsistence welfare. Bank bailouts. Fed monetary policy of inflation instead of stable prices. Debt at all levels instead of production and savings. And everything else that screws 99% of Americans.