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You really think so? I personally think the US is going downhill recently with the violation of basic human rights (NSA, police brutality, arm-twisting to pleas

by kolev 11y ago

You really think so? I personally think the US is going downhill recently with the violation of basic human rights (NSA, police brutality, arm-twisting to please minorities, etc.) Corporate interest (Monsanto, fracking, military complex, law firms, etc.) is above people's, conflicts are still stirred around the globe and military aggression is still ongoing. Innocent people are killed by drones abroad and others labeled as "terrorists" assassinated without trials. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are allies. UN is often ignored. Cold War 2.0 is being brewed as 1.0 was fun and profit. As a First World country with such bold claims, many basics need to be taken care of before this baseless patriotism. My hopes were in Ron Paul, but this great American will never be let make the much-needed changes to truly justify the "democracy" label!

adventured 11y ago
Police brutality has gone down significantly over 40 years. The rate at which police kill black people has dropped by between 50% and 75% over 40 years, depending on the age group. The rate of police killing all other races, hasn't changed in 40 years (as in, it hasn't gotten any worse). What you're seeing are actions by the police that would have previously gone unreported, or otherwise not been widely exposed to a large population via eg social media. Obviously the NSA reference is spot on. As would have been a point about incarceration and SWAT deployments. It's also worth noting that the war on drugs is finally beginning to end. That is an improvement, and will lead to less police brutality almost by default as pot is fully legalized across the US, and other drugs start to be de-criminalized in favor of treatment. Corporations are far more regulated and controlled today than they were as recently as the 1960s or 1970s. The EPA didn't even exist until 1970. If you think corporate interests are running rampant today, you really would have hated the first 150 years of US corporate history. And of course the US has been militarily aggressive since WW2, with Korea and Vietnam being larger military actions than Afghanistan and Iraq. Not much has actually changed there in 70 years.
- kolev 11y ago
  Well, I'm sure there are improvements, but the status quo is not good enough for me personally - it's 2015. It doesn't serve America best to say "we're great, there's no better". On the contrary, we should always strive to improve, and avoid the patriotic circle jerks.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]

by kolev 11y ago

adventured 11y ago

Police brutality has gone down significantly over 40 years. The rate at which police kill black people has dropped by between 50% and 75% over 40 years, depending on the age group. The rate of police killing all other races, hasn't changed in 40 years (as in, it hasn't gotten any worse). What you're seeing are actions by the police that would have previously gone unreported, or otherwise not been widely exposed to a large population via eg social media. Obviously the NSA reference is spot on. As would have been a point about incarceration and SWAT deployments. It's also worth noting that the war on drugs is finally beginning to end. That is an improvement, and will lead to less police brutality almost by default as pot is fully legalized across the US, and other drugs start to be de-criminalized in favor of treatment. Corporations are far more regulated and controlled today than they were as recently as the 1960s or 1970s. The EPA didn't even exist until 1970. If you think corporate interests are running rampant today, you really would have hated the first 150 years of US corporate history. And of course the US has been militarily aggressive since WW2, with Korea and Vietnam being larger military actions than Afghanistan and Iraq. Not much has actually changed there in 70 years.

kolev 11y ago
Well, I'm sure there are improvements, but the status quo is not good enough for me personally - it's 2015. It doesn't serve America best to say "we're great, there's no better". On the contrary, we should always strive to improve, and avoid the patriotic circle jerks.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]