The American Way

[Matt Deckard]

When I was growing up and lived in Texas and then moved to California the American way was a strong statement that stood for the good that other countries saw within the US culture. It truly stood for truth and justice, in my mind that was what the US was all about. This is the place where millions flocked and still do. Today the reference seems to carry a tint of arrogance… We can be arrogant… we are the most powerful nation in the world and if we want, can push the ruler out of any other country and takeover… though with the spirit of many Americans changing from the "proud to be", to the "I don’t care" I think the Phrase Truth Justice and the American way has gained a tarnish that I don’t want to spread.

I think it’s time to shine it up a bit. My country was founded on those who wanted freedom’s they couldn’t have in others. Of course there are problems here and there, though rather than live in South America or Canada or Europe or Asia or Australia I choose the US as my home base. Yeah I’d love to live in Paris or London, though the US is my home.

I dislike the term Homeland security… forms a Nazi impression in my head… what happened to Civil Defense?

I dislike policing the world by sending our troops everywhere to put out fires… do we have to do this to stop bigger conflicts… I don’t know, maybe, though it smacks of an imperialist nature.

I do however know that this is the country where dreams can come true. Are we losing our middle class? Yes! I think a large part of that hastening is being caused by the internet. It changed the world allright… It’s a giant inflationary vehicle that is driving competition out of the US… we can’t compete when you can see the same product sold over her sold over there at half the price, and you can buy it from the factory… puts mom and pop out of business… even affects Wal-Mart.

Though I still believe that here is the place where anyone can succeed.

I believe in Truth Justice and the American Way!

I may be wrong about my belief... what do you think?

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I am with you, Matt. This country was founded on the ideas of liberty and justice, even though many who live here seem bent on destroying it.

I dislike the term Homeland security… forms a Nazi impression in my head… what happened to Civil Defense?

Homeland Security has a very Orwellian ring to it I think. I am always suspicious of euphemisms, their use means that someone is trying to hide something. It is a very strange combination of words. "Homeland" evokes images of apple pie, corn fields, white picket fences, and 4th of July picnics. But what "Homeland Security" is really talking about is police and paramilitary organizations, spying on American citizens, patroling the borders to keep out illegal immigrants and the like. As I said, a very bizarre combination of words.

 

[Katt in Hat]

We Gotta' Turn This Ship Around

Great Topic, Matt.
More than a hint of arrogance...

Charlie Wilson, CEO of G.M., said, "What's good for General Motors is good for the USA." This was in the '50s.

We have been saying of late, " What's good for the USA is Best for the World." It has been reported that the world isn't so sure of this...

We are the worlds only Superpower but the formation of what were once unthinkable alliances seem to be in their early stages. An example; The Prime Minister of Japan is visiting Israel. A first in the 58 years of that States existence. A deal for nuclear(bomb) technology perhaps? You can find other examples I'm sure.

 

[clevispin]

Well said.

I'm not too interested in policing the world either. And I really don't care one whit what ANYBODY has to think about my country. They'll love us when we bail 'em out again tho - but who really cares. Ronald Reagan had the right idea about who we are as a country. We inspire by example. He never hid in the Rose Garden wringing his hands or circled the globe trying to get everybody to love him.

Walmarts come and go. They serve a need now but needs evolve. The internet too will evolve. Used to be country folk got the fancy stuff mail-ordered from the Sears catalog - the big box of its day. It all comes & goes. We want security, intimacy, comfort and value and in this country we're always looking for a better way to get it all. Messy process but very interesting.

 

[Mr. 'H']

Unfortunatly I seem often to be isolated when I speak up in favor of the American Way....

It seems that in "Europe", to generalize, that anti-american sentiment is more "cool".

...Whatever....

I've always loved the US ever since I was a kid and experienced it first hand. So you have a currently "unpopular" leadership.... So what, the US is still an amazing country, and I can vouch for that personally.

OOOOHHH!!! May not be the politically correct view - SORRY! Just speaking of my own personal experiences.... Oh, and but the way, I'm not some hick, I've my Masters too, and I wish other people were as POLITE as the Americans...!

 

[Katt in Hat]

What you have posted is unexceptionable.

partial(Q)
OOOOHHH!!! May not be the politically correct view - SORRY! Just speaking of my own personal experiences.... Oh, and but(y) the way, I'm not some hick, I've my Masters too, and I wish other people were as POLITE as the Americans...![/QUOTE]

You have erected a straw man called PC. Why did you do this. Nothing in your post is or is not PC. To categorize ideas by such a touchstone is quite unnecessary to my mind.

 

[pablocham]

I agree with you about America. I lived in Italy for awhile and I have been a few places, and I know of no better nation. But a lot of the stuff about social mobility and "dreams coming true" seems a little on the mythologizing/nostalgic side for me. Those reservations aside, I think you are right about the decline of the middle class: the poor are definitely getting poorer and the rich richer.

I also thought that the following quote was kind of ironic considering the statement about being a "devout capitalist" in your profile. Isn't this the result of market forces and better informed consumers, i.e. capitalism?

I do however know that this is the country where dreams can come true. Are we losing our middle class? Yes! I think a large part of that hastening is being caused by the internet. It changed the world allright… It’s a giant inflationary vehicle that is driving competition out of the US… we can’t compete when you can see the same product sold over her sold over there at half the price, and you can buy it from the factory… puts mom and pop out of business… even affects Wal-Mart.

 

[RedPop4]

We're not doing as good as our parents, who had discipline and saved, but we're doing a hell of a lot better than my grandparents, especially the Sicilian truck farmers from which they're descended. So this idea that it's mythologizing is rubbish. We're waaaaaay better off in my family than previous generations.

Even the poorest of the poor in this nation still manage to have food to eat, many have automobiles, many have consumer electronics and such, as well as educational opportunities if they choose to avail themselves and encourage their children. And this is coming from New Orleans, cradle of poverty with a level of poverty most American cities would find unbelievable. NO ONE believed us when we discussed it, until our people went in the great diaspora post-Katrina.

 

[scotrace]

It's still the place to be. And my belief that a little smarts and a lot of hard work will take you to the very top is unshakable.

Still... there's an "ick" factor in some of what our nation does these days that is troubling. Of course, the strength of The American Way is its adaptability. I have no long-term fears for America; none at all.






That's why I'm a Bull-Mooser.

.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I agree with you about America. I lived in Italy for awhile and I have been a few places, and I know of no better nation. But a lot of the stuff about social mobility and "dreams coming true" seems a little on the mythologizing/nostalgic side for me. Those reservations aside, I think you are right about the decline of the middle class: the poor are definitely getting poorer and the rich richer.

I also thought that the following quote was kind of ironic considering the statement about being a "devout capitalist" in your profile. Isn't this the result of market forces and better informed consumers, i.e. capitalism?

Nothing wrong with capitalism... As long as I take advantage of the direction . . . It is what I will follow! Things go up and down, though I see no conflict with what I have written.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Matt - You are my hero!

"You are the wind beneath my wings!" - I am just so glad you brought this up and not me! :eusa_clap

I had a course in High School years ago (when they still taught such things in Public Schools!) called Americanism v/s Communism. The intention of the course, of course, was to show the differences in these two policical philosophies and why ours works and theirs doesn't. The problem with the course, of course, was it never got around to explaining what OUR philosophy is. It did do a good job a disecting Communism and went to great lengths to explain it's faults.

That one class sent me on a search to uncover the American philosophy. I knew already that the lesson we should have been learning was, of course, "Capitalism v/s Socialism" but the High School course never came out and stated that. That, of course, was the underlying problem with such Public School abreviated attempts to give pat answers to complex problems.

I eventually came to read the American philosopher Ayn Rand (Not just Atlas Shrugged, and Fountainhead, her novels.) Rand had a unique, if verbose, way of explaining the situation. She even gave a name to the underlying philosophy that is at the heart of America's initial success - Objectivism. In her essays she explains the nature of Capitalism the Unknown Ideal) and the fallacies of Socialism (Collectivism). What many of us today would refer to as Liberty v/s Statism.

I'm of the conviction that we have given far too much of our individual power over to politicians and bureaucrats, allowing the government (the State) to usurp the very responsibility we should reserve for ourselves (The Virture of Selfishness). We certainly have abdicated the entire realm of education over to an education bureaucracy, and after so many generations it is easy to see why the 'American Way' is quickly fading away! Each new graduating class knows less and less of our Founding Principles and what it is that makes the United States of America unique in the history of the world.

Every four years we buy into the promises of Demopublican politicians who smooth talk us into believing their next scheme will somehow restore the America Way. (Does anyone even talk about the "Contract With America" anymore? [I rest my case!]) John Lennon once said, "They keep you doped with religion and sex and T.V. - but you're still [all just] peasants as far as I can see." He makes a very good point.

In my view the habitual voting for Republicrats is at the root of our current problems - I vote only for Libertarians now, from dog catcher to President. Anybody brave enough to put that (L) behind their name is singing my tune - in harmony!

Another thing I do is endlessly encourage fellow citizens to learn the truth about taxation in America; what the Constitution says about it - how income tax even became an issue - how it was instituted - who it applies to. This is the lynch-pin issue on restoring Individual Sovereignty, and thus the America Way.

If you haven't already, pick up a old papeback copy of Restoring the American Dream by Robert J. Ringer, down at the bookstore. This is an excellent primer on the subject and will whet the appetite of Liberty in anyone who reads it.

In the mean time let's all keep communicating - like the founding generation did; whether over a brew at the pub or through written correspondence. (Imagine if they'd had this tool - the Internet!!!)

Yours In Liberty,
Dixon Cannon
Neo-Jeffersonian Constitutional Fundamentalist

 

[otterhound]

I don't think there has ever been agreement on what the American Way is. The disagreement goes back to Hamilton vs. Jefferson. Hamilton wanted a strong, powerful federal government. Jefferson wanted a minimalist one.

The way I see it, Hamilton's way won in reality, but many of us, in our hearts, think that it would have become a better country if Jefferson's way prevailed.

 

[Rosie]

I think the idealized version of the "American Way" is what we all think of with the statement the "American Way". Unfortunately, this is not the America that actually exists. Am I better off than my parents or grandparents? Yes. Do I have more opportunities than they ever had? Yes. But, do I have the same opportunities that others of my same education background and experience have? In my opinion, no.

The ethic of preparing oneself for the future through education and hardwork is a good one but sadly, it often takes a lot more than that in order to be successful in this country. Education opportunities available to those who are poor or live in "disadvantaged" neighborhoods are not on par with education opportunities available to others. The education these children recieve no matter how well they do in their school is not enough for them to be competitive with others. Is this fair? No. (From first hand experience, this has nothing to do with the quality of the students or the teachers, the curriculum in these areas are just different, why? I have no idea.) Even after working extra hard and attaining comparable education, many are denied simply because of the way they look or their names. I am a prime example of this. I know many well educated, talented, hard working people who are unemployed, under employed or in some dead end job all because of their appearance. Is this the American Way? Certainly not. This is a topc that I am very emotional about and strikes a deep cord with me. My grandfather was killed because he tried to attain the American Dream. Not because he was a criminal, but because he bought a piece of land. Truth, justice and the American Way? I think not.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Eloquently put, Rosie. And I think the ultimate triumph of "The American Way" would be for us, as a society, to work together to recognize and overcome exactly those sorts of injustices. For the American Way to triumph, every American should have an opportunity to reach his or her full potential.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Homeland Security has a very Orwellian ring to it.

The English language has no word that is really equivalent to "la patrie" or "la patria". I'm not even sure if we believe in the concept.

I suppose that a rough translation would be "the motherland" or "the fatherland", but these don't sound well to American ears -- and in any case, they're too gender-specific to be politically correct.

Which is why we're stuck with "homeland" ... which doesn't sound very American, either.

.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

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[dr greg]

The way home

I visited the US many years ago, and without rambling, the thing that struck me was the ignorance of people, and I mean that in the strict sense. Everyone I met was polite to a fault and very helpful, (except in the backwoods of Alabama I hitch-hiked thru) but many seemed to know not much about anything except themselves. I actually had people commenting on how well I spoke english, as they had no idea we spoke it down here. I'm not kidding. The rest of the world is bombarded with American media, and it seems that very little goes back the other way. Whether the US media serves its audience badly is something only they can judge, but the values they export to the rest of the world do not reflect the Norman Rockwell image I have in my mind thinking of the 'American Way'. and don't get me going on the negativity inherent in the endless TV programs which seem to portray a rather ruthless and corrupt mentality...soap anyone?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

----------------

 

[dr greg]

the way home

I visited the US many years ago, and without rambling, the thing that struck me was the ignorance of people, and I mean that in the strict sense. Everyone I met was polite to a fault and very helpful, (except in the backwoods of Alabama I hitch-hiked thru) but many seemed to know not much about anything except themselves. I actually had people commenting on how well I spoke english, as they had no idea we spoke it down here. I'm not kidding. The rest of the world is bombarded with American media, and it seems that very little goes back the other way. Whether the US media serves its audience badly is something only they can judge, but the values they export to the rest of the world do not reflect the Norman Rockwell image I have in my mind thinking of the 'American Way'. and don't get me going on the negativity inherent in the endless TV programs which seem to portray a rather ruthless and corrupt mentality...soap anyone?

 

[J. M. Stovall]

fftopic:
This is totally off topic, but when I hit the New Posts button it says I have to wait 471526 minutes. I keep refreshing and have the same problem, so I'm kind of stuck. Does anyone else see that too?