Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

We're the richest country in the world, and yet we're always just ...

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread		 This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (Through 2005) Donate to DU
 
gauguin57 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:16 AM
Original message
We're the richest country in the world, and yet we're always just ...
Edited on Thu Sep-01-05 01:17 AM by gauguin57
... one big event away from total disaster. One terrorist attack (yes, it was major, but we're the richest country...) shuts down the whole country and puts airlines out of business.

One hurricane (albeit a BAAAAD one) sends prices into the stratosphere, and has everyone freaking out about how we're ALL going to survive.

We have all this money, all these resources (yes, I know, too many of them are in Iraq) ... so CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW WE'RE ALWAYS ONE DISASTER AWAY FROM GOING TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET?

EXPLAIN IT TO ME, PLEASE! Does no one think ahead? Does no one PLAN ahead? Where are our leaders?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
BurningDog Donating Member (184 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:17 AM
Response to Original message
1. Easy...
It makes for good cable news.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Erika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:20 AM
Response to Original message
2. Tonight I feel we are in that handbasket
after the way we treated Katrina victims. Our poverty level is increasing as well as our uninsured. No, I don't think we can any longer call ourselves the richest country in the world. If nothing else, our government is morally corrupt.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Liberal In Texas Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:24 AM
Response to Original message
3. Where did you get the idea that we're the "richest country" in the world?
Rush?
Hannity
O'RealY?
Coulter?
Savitch?
et al...

We are not the richest country in the world. We have a very thin economy that might just be pushed over the edged because of a hurricane.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
gauguin57 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 10:48 AM
Response to Reply #3
13. Yeah, I thought of that after I posted ... we are on the edge.
Our "riches" may very well be an illusion -- all those people with the maxed-out credit cards and the huge houses may be in for a ruuuuuude awakening!

Let's just say, "we're a VERY wealthy country -- why can one event threaten to destroy our economy?"
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
opihimoimoi Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:26 AM
Response to Original message
4. Bush just came off a 4.9 week VACATION...In which he abuses the priviledge
FREE TRANSPORTATION....which cost us taxpayers$$$$ ukamillion for every hour..... How can he get away with this..smokescreen...no one thinks....We are numbed with diversions...

Our Leaders are a Reflection of the VOTING....Our Leaders are US in drag/in suits/in Levi's.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
pauldp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:33 AM
Response to Reply #4
6. Our leader is a reflection of the corruption that has overtaken us.
The electoral process is a reflection of the same.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
FormerRepublican Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:32 AM
Response to Original message
5. The problem is rich = top 1% and they want to keep their $$$.
They're more than willing to sacrifice the rest of us. In fact, they prefer it that way.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
The Magistrate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:54 AM
Response to Reply #5
11. That Is the Root Of It Indeed, Sir
"The existance of a millionaire requires a thousand paupers."
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
melody Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:33 AM
Response to Original message
7. we're the enemy
In reality the arrogant rich (who give us the bad name) represent the minority and the rest of us are left to the whims of fate. Every other industrialized nation on earth has a government concerned about the welfare of its people. Ours is interested in the profit of its businesses - the people as far as they're concerned can go to hell.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
wli Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:49 AM
Response to Reply #7
8. yep, Bushler selection of 2000 was a declaration of class war n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
wli Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:50 AM
Response to Original message
9. no, we just fell through the bottom of the handbasket n/t
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
cire4 Donating Member (580 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 01:53 AM
Response to Original message
10. We think we're so invulnerable that it, in turn, makes us
very vulnerable.

Our notion of American superiority is to blame IMO. Somehow many Americans harbor the false idea that America is the greatest country in the world and that it is, thus, superior to other countries.

This leads to the idea that we are therefore, less susceptible to disasters and tragedies than other countries in the world. We see tsunamis in Southeast Asia and think "that could never happen here because we have money and infrastructure unlike those poor countries."

These attitudes create feelings of invulnerability, which would explain the lack of planning and preparation and the utter shock at the damage that the hurricane has caused.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
Speck Tater Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 02:00 AM
Response to Original message
12. Read Jared Diamond's book "Collapse"
We're not so big and powerful that we can't just collapse. In fact our collapse is probably inevitable. If not this year, maybe next year or the year after. But it will come.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
newportdadde Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-01-05 11:00 AM
Response to Reply #12
14. Thats a great book. I'm reading it now.
All of these civilizations gone, once the superpowers of their time, just gone. Of course none of them thought it would happen to them either.
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Mon Apr 29th 2024, 02:51 PM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion (Through 2005) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC