What Made America Great?

[charrison]

personal property rights, free enterpise and what used to be a limited federal goverment.

 

[MonstaThrilla]

Originally posted by: charrison
personal property rights, free enterpise and what used to be a limited federal goverment.

What year (or decade) did they federal government become not so limited in your view?

 

[MonstaThrilla]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla

Originally posted by: miguel

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Replying to Topic: What Made America Great?

Your Title says a lot.

Instead of "Why Is America Great?" you post in the past tense. What are you going to write in your report of why is that?

I think I understand you now. Are you on drugs, by chance?

"What Made America Great?" - translated: What event made America into the great country it is today?
"Why Is America Great?" - translated: What makes America great?

That was my intention. I'm asking for the cause, not the current condition. I thought my opening paragraph would explain the question more succintly...

"Well educated, upper middle class citizens decided that the gap between wealthy and poor was too brutal, and worked to close that gap."

So there's your answer in black and white for then. For The Now they are working to WIDEN the gap as evidence and proof by what AT Experts such as miguel said today.

What?

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla

Originally posted by: charrison
personal property rights, free enterpise and what used to be a limited federal goverment.

What year (or decade) did they federal government become not so limited in your view?

I would have say Lincoln cemented the the role of federal goverment, when he did not allow southern states to leave the union.

The income tax insures that federal goverment has the money and power to do what it wants.

These 2 events killed a limited federal goverment.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: alchemize

Originally posted by: sandorski
European technology + a wealth of unexploited natural resources

Then why has Africa failed so miserably? They had the same thing...

Same with South America.

No they didn't, at least not in the same way. They had those 2 factors, but all the wealth gained was shipped off to their European colonizers. The Wealth in the US stayed in the US. Essentially though, the 2 points are correct.

 

[CWRMadcat]

Originally posted by: sandorski
European technology + a wealth of unexploited natural resources

and the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor + slavery to put those resources to good use.

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: alchemize

Originally posted by: sandorski
European technology + a wealth of unexploited natural resources

Then why has Africa failed so miserably? They had the same thing...

Same with South America.

No they didn't, at least not in the same way. They had those 2 factors, but all the wealth gained was shipped off to their European colonizers. The Wealth in the US stayed in the US. Essentially though, the 2 points are correct.

In addition to that, you have to add that the European powers also divided up those countries to fit their needs, not the natives. As in they would take whatever farm land they wanted and made it produce what they needed, not the Africans(ie: FOOD!). So when all of those African countries gained their independence, the economy was not set up to be self-sustained, it was set up to sustain someone elses. Now you have huge ethnic differences, which just add to the power strugles in Africa.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Strk

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: alchemize

Originally posted by: sandorski
European technology + a wealth of unexploited natural resources

Then why has Africa failed so miserably? They had the same thing...

Same with South America.

No they didn't, at least not in the same way. They had those 2 factors, but all the wealth gained was shipped off to their European colonizers. The Wealth in the US stayed in the US. Essentially though, the 2 points are correct.

In addition to that, you have to add that the European powers also divided up those countries to fit their needs, not the natives. As in they would take whatever farm land they wanted and made it produce what they needed, not the Africans(ie: FOOD!). So when all of those African countries gained their independence, the economy was not set up to be self-sustained, it was set up to sustain someone elses. Now you have huge ethnic differences, which just add to the power strugles in Africa.

True dat.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: CWRMadcat

Originally posted by: sandorski
European technology + a wealth of unexploited natural resources

and the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor + slavery to put those resources to good use.

Mexico has abundant resources and cheap labor and yet they remain a 3rd world country.

 

[CanOWorms]

I think what makes American great today is that almost anyone can come here and be considered an American by others, not a foreigner. It's pretty rare to have a country like that. Canada is probably like that, too. That's why the US is the leading technological country in the world - the world's best can come here and we let them be one of us.

 

[CWRMadcat]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: CWRMadcat

Originally posted by: sandorski
European technology + a wealth of unexploited natural resources

and the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor + slavery to put those resources to good use.

Mexico has abundant resources and cheap labor and yet they remain a 3rd world country.

Yes, I see your point. I'd say that in terms of Mexico, they're still 3rd world because of constant unrest and weak government. Without stability, economic growth is pretty difficult.

All I was attempting to say was that those institutions I mentioned played an integral economic role in bringing America to its level of greatness. Of course, there was a very stable government (provided by the brilliant Constitution) underlying it all, which I did fail to mention.

 

[Martin]

Too many, but if I had to narrow it down to three broad ones:

1. When it became independent, the US pretty much got the best of both worlds. The experiment in democracy turned out pretty well, mostly because the US was new and fresh (compare it for example with the established feudal lords in europe, where democracy/freedom has been mostly brough in bit by bit, rather than all at once). Even though it didn't have the oppresive societal structure, the poeple in the US weren't far behind in technology - They could simply borrow european inventions when they needed (for example the US made great use of railroads, but didn't invent them). Also the enterpreneurial spirit was (and still is) very strong in the US.
2. The US got to keep its "colonies". During the 19th century, eupeans were busy colonizing the world, while the US easily expanded westards. From 1919 til the late 1970s europeans gradually lost all their colonies, but the US didn't lose new mexico or california. No, they became essential parts of the country. This sort of expansion was not possible in many other places. If Britain and France had their colonies today, they'd be much more powerful.
3) This one is pretty obvious. Due to its favourable geographic location, the US hasn't be as affected by wars (most notably WW1 and 2) as other countries.

 

[Ferocious]

Unions played a major role in helping form a strong middle class.

A class pretty much invented by courageous Americans.

 

[Schadenfroh]

money

 

[RabidMongoose]

What made and still makes America great is, IMO, the bringing in/accepting many of the world's best minds here to become Americans.

 

[Mavrick]

-The fact that it is and always was a land of "new beginning" for all the poors and hungry (a symbol immortalized by the french in the majestic statue of liberty).
-The fact that every human beings are considered equal (which led to the creation of unions and a dominant middle class)

 

[XZeroII]

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla
In a paragraph or so, summarize what you think made our country what it is today. Here's mine:

It all started when Teddy Roosevelt and the Progressive Movement took grasp of the country in the first few years of the twentieth century. Well educated, upper middle class citizens decided that the gap between wealthy and poor was too brutal, and worked to close that gap. The Progressive movement died out and WWI came, then the "Roaring 20's". This was a feel good era of corrupt government and general irresponsibility where the gap between rich and poor began to widen again, and with the Great Depression that gap became wider than it was since the Progressive movement. FDR came in, with his "socialistic" government programs, and in my opinion single handedly saved capitalism. When WWII ended and the GI Bill came into effect, it ushered in the era of an overwhelming middle class and the US established itself as a superpower. Its through that strong middle class that America became great.

I read a while ago that since Reagan's economic agenda of the 80's, the gap between rich and poor has yet again been increasing slowly but steadily, and that worries me.

You think that crap is what makes America great? I can't believe you actually buy into Roosevelt's socialist crap. It's that stuff that put America into it's current economic situation. W/O Roosevelt's 'quick fix' approach (which has been used since), we would be in great shape right now. Hoover had the right idea. Make people work for their money instead of just handing it out to them. Now we live in a country of people who expect everything for nothing and it's costing us billions (trillions?) of dollars per year. Roosevelt sucks and is one of the major reasons why this country is in bad shape right now. Your blaming of Reagan for our current economic problems shows your ignorance on that subject. Most economists believe that supply side economics is a very good idea. In fact, it was almost exclusively used in the early 1900.

 

[XZeroII]

IMO, here's what made America great. It was because America was filled with millions of people who were willing to work in order to accomplish their goals and dreams. People took an active role in what they believed shoud be. For example, when cities first started forming (actually years after), there were major problems with safety around machinery and labor/work conditions. People recognized that problem and did something about it. They didn't just sit at home and whine about how the gov't should do something about it. They DID something about it. People weren't afraid to put their own necks on the line in order to make things better for themselves and others. People didn't care about blame, they just cared about fixing what was wrong. Look around now. All anyone cares about is assigning blame for everything ("I lost my job. It's all Bush's fault"). If you lost your job, quit whinning about it on the internet. Go out and get yourself a new job, or start your own business, or whatever. There are ALWAYS jobs available and ALWAYS opportunities to move up. Even when the economy is bad. People just don't want to go through the hassel of actually finding a new job or getting a better education, or even getting a new education.

 

[MonstaThrilla]

Originally posted by: XZeroII

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla
In a paragraph or so, summarize what you think made our country what it is today. Here's mine:

It all started when Teddy Roosevelt and the Progressive Movement took grasp of the country in the first few years of the twentieth century. Well educated, upper middle class citizens decided that the gap between wealthy and poor was too brutal, and worked to close that gap. The Progressive movement died out and WWI came, then the "Roaring 20's". This was a feel good era of corrupt government and general irresponsibility where the gap between rich and poor began to widen again, and with the Great Depression that gap became wider than it was since the Progressive movement. FDR came in, with his "socialistic" government programs, and in my opinion single handedly saved capitalism. When WWII ended and the GI Bill came into effect, it ushered in the era of an overwhelming middle class and the US established itself as a superpower. Its through that strong middle class that America became great.

I read a while ago that since Reagan's economic agenda of the 80's, the gap between rich and poor has yet again been increasing slowly but steadily, and that worries me.

You think that crap is what makes America great? I can't believe you actually buy into Roosevelt's socialist crap. It's that stuff that put America into it's current economic situation. W/O Roosevelt's 'quick fix' approach (which has been used since), we would be in great shape right now. Hoover had the right idea. Make people work for their money instead of just handing it out to them. Now we live in a country of people who expect everything for nothing and it's costing us billions (trillions?) of dollars per year. Roosevelt sucks and is one of the major reasons why this country is in bad shape right now. Your blaming of Reagan for our current economic problems shows your ignorance on that subject. Most economists believe that supply side economics is a very good idea. In fact, it was almost exclusively used in the early 1900.

Your elitist talk about your vast knowledge of economics isn't impressive. The fact of the matter is that you believe the trickle down theory works, and others do not. Get your head out of your ass and realize that other people have other opinions. Its that very "I'm always right, they're always wrong" mentality that you share with the current President and his administration that has made the world hate us. So calm yourself.

You did nothing to discredit my view that a strong middle class, created by the GI Bill after WW2, is what made this country great. Do you sincerely think this country had any global economic and political might in the late 1800's and early 1900's (aptly titled the Guilded Age) when supply side economics ruled? I'm sorry but I just don't buy that. This country was a "third world" country at that time when compared to the British, French, Spanish, Dutch, etc empires. Yet we were able to eventually rise above those empires only five decades later, not by claiming vast colonies, but by taking care of our own people first and creating a strong middle class.

I was just trying to start a intelligent, civil conversation and you had to spin it into your own partisan flame. Very sad.

 

[MonstaThrilla]

Originally posted by: XZeroII
IMO, here's what made America great. It was because America was filled with millions of people who were willing to work in order to accomplish their goals and dreams. People took an active role in what they believed shoud be. For example, when cities first started forming (actually years after), there were major problems with safety around machinery and labor/work conditions. People recognized that problem and did something about it. They didn't just sit at home and whine about how the gov't should do something about it. They DID something about it. People weren't afraid to put their own necks on the line in order to make things better for themselves and others. People didn't care about blame, they just cared about fixing what was wrong. Look around now. All anyone cares about is assigning blame for everything ("I lost my job. It's all Bush's fault"). If you lost your job, quit whinning about it on the internet. Go out and get yourself a new job, or start your own business, or whatever. There are ALWAYS jobs available and ALWAYS opportunities to move up. Even when the economy is bad. People just don't want to go through the hassel of actually finding a new job or getting a better education, or even getting a new education.

How this notion of the "welfare queen" became accepted as commonplace has always fascinated me. Sure there are people that abuse the welfare system and bilk the average American taxpayers out of their money. I've lived in two places in my life, New Jersey and Atlanta. I've been to Newark (the country's most dangerous city I think) many times, Harlem, and the seedier sections of Atlanta. I've seen these people who you despise so much. I've been inside thier buildings. My view after seeing how they live is that they all DO want to rise out of their lives, and quite a few do make it out. The vast majority of them don't want to live there, but they've led lives and made horrendous mistakes to get them there. So the question becomes how do we as a society fix this problem? You seem to advocate just leaving them be, and letting them toil away in their own existence. Personal responsibility right? But how can they know what personal responsibility truly means when they've never been taught it, nor have immediate role models to follow? The problem is it becomes an endless cycle if you leave them be. No one is able to break out of the cycle, and that's when the gap between classes widens again, leading to civil strife. There are those of us who want to help these people break out, and it takes money among other things to do it.

There are also millionaires, billionaires, and corporations who also cheat the system and don't pay their fair share. Where's the outrage over that? "Because they earned it"? Please. Tell that to the guy who worked his ass off his entire life to pull in 150 G's a year when he's paying his fair share in taxes while the heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune lives the good life and doesn't even know what taxes are because all her money and daddy's money is tucked away in Bermuda.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

What made America great?

Seemingly easy question - Hard answer

Sometimes these sorts of questions require short answers so I offer this:

The strength and will of people coupled with their continued quest for Freedom and knowledge.

CkG

 

[da loser]

it depends on what you think is great about america.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla
There are also millionaires, billionaires, and corporations who also cheat the system and don't pay their fair share. Where's the outrage over that? "Because they earned it"? Please. Tell that to the guy who worked his ass off his entire life to pull in 150 G's a year when he's paying his fair share in taxes while the heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune lives the good life and doesn't even know what taxes are because all her money and daddy's money is tucked away in Bermuda.

Good Post MT.

No, the AT experts say that is not happening at all, they say the Rich are hurting. Just take one look at Paris, now tell me she is hurting.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla
There are also millionaires, billionaires, and corporations who also cheat the system and don't pay their fair share. Where's the outrage over that? "Because they earned it"? Please. Tell that to the guy who worked his ass off his entire life to pull in 150 G's a year when he's paying his fair share in taxes while the heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune lives the good life and doesn't even know what taxes are because all her money and daddy's money is tucked away in Bermuda.

Good Post MT.

No, the AT experts say that is not happening at all, they say the Rich are hurting. Just take one look at Paris, now tell me she is hurting.

The rich pay taxes. They maybe able to skirt the rules, but they still pay large amount of taxes.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: MonstaThrilla
There are also millionaires, billionaires, and corporations who also cheat the system and don't pay their fair share. Where's the outrage over that? "Because they earned it"? Please. Tell that to the guy who worked his ass off his entire life to pull in 150 G's a year when he's paying his fair share in taxes while the heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune lives the good life and doesn't even know what taxes are because all her money and daddy's money is tucked away in Bermuda.

Good Post MT.

No, the AT experts say that is not happening at all, they say the Rich are hurting. Just take one look at Paris, now tell me she is hurting.

Ah but here people sit - blaming "the rich" and making it sound as if they get off scott free. Quit blaming "the rich" and start looking at yourself. To blame your self-percieved "failures" or "lack of success" on "the rich" is silly. Buck up - start taking charge of your own life - quit waiting for someone/something to hand it to you.
People need to realize that there are probably just as many people on the lower end of the scale that play the system as those on the top. Hell, I bet you could even throw in the middle and it'd be about the same number as either of the other groups. The fact is - people play the system whether they have money or not.

CkG