h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

im so confused it isnt even funny! i tried to post on the whats wrong with america forum....which i aparently did...but it was another one click the this is in reply to button and youll see what i mean. sorry for the seemingly random posting.

Hey, i'll forgive you, your American, you know know better. And i'm English so i'll just be fatuous and leave...

Oh, Charlotte - you are so correct! I got a line from 'Ms' once, which I have had occasion to use - I am a solo motherm, and am used to (after years) public opprobrium - the saying from Ms went: every married mother is only one husband away from welfare. That's true! We people on 'welfare' don't choose to be, don't want to be, would rather work - but for one reason or another can't. Thank you, Charlotte for yr moral support...

"Why of course the people don't want war ... But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship ...Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger."
Hermann Goering, at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II

I just don't be-flipping-lieve what you sd, TBTPM! You sound like a caricature Rush Limbaugh... are you extracting the Michael by any chance? I can't answer yr assertion with figures, I don't know the system as SpaceCadette does - yet I know she's right, or about the NZ system, that's how it works. A certain politician was griping about his tax, yet that year (2000 I believe) I paid more than he did! Not fair! It has been well known for years that large companies and NZ's richest man pay next to nothing - that's what accountants are for, isn't it? BTW, as a poor person, I avoid lotteries, horse races etc, like a plague - "
a mug's game" as my dear old father always sd.
Also, I don't *mind* being 'poor', please don't mistake me! My child does, because that's how kids are - he wants a computer.. but I genuinely don't mind.

Was gibt? Are these 2 fora being conflated? I like yr Goering quote Autist, and see its relevance - to the other one. There's a lot of slagging off of pacifists going on here.

there's a brillian resorse called thirdworldtravellers look for it on google - if ever you wanted to be ashamed to be an American, here's your chance.

There's a lot of slagging of Americans on this thread, too.

I love Americans without any pre-conditions and I'm not ashamed to say that. Americans are people too. May God bless the Americans.

Its always the same. It never fails. The Americans get all the attention...

Canadians are just so ignored!!

This is one researcher who thinks its high time some Canadians got their fair share of the slogging.

I mean, they may be just sort of 'honourary' Americans, but they do live in 'North America,' so, technically...

And all guilty as h**l, too!

Let's do a bit of jolly old Canuck-bashing, shall we?

Or should we should start a new thread for the 'Other Americans??'

Well, ahem... I can do some slight Canuck bashing, if you like. Used to date some Windsor ON boys in the far distant past (in my 'teens, some time after Rome fell, and before the Moon Landing!).

My best friend and I were led into the nefarious practise of smuggling packs of US cigarettes to these two guys, because they hated "Players" ciggies and didn't want to pay import tax on the US brands. Oh, the shame!

SC

I hope you realise you're all making complete fools of yourselves, and I hope you're proud. It seems everyone of you has exhibited traits in your own writing that you condemn in others. There are times when I am deeply shamed to be American, and there are times when I am honoured. I should hope the rest of you feel the same way about wherever your nationality lies.

Strider

My point has always been that Americans are great people, just like anyone else, anywhere on the globe - folks is folks, not matter where you go. Americans also have a proud history of freedom and social co-operation which is formost in the public conciousness.

And you have an evil and oppressive government which has betrayed you all and which must be wiped from this Earth and given no quarter.

The only thing "wrong" with the American's mentioned in paragraph one, is that they're largely oblivious to paragraph two.

Though I'm sure there are many Americans who do see many things wrong with the US government, 'wiped from the earth' does seem unnecessarily inflammatory and potentially offensive.

The best way to get rid of governments is to vote them out of office, where that is possible. Less legal means often end up replacing a bad government with a worse one.

.... it's not that the Americans get all the attention... maybe the Americans as a nation is like a piece of Kandinsky's modern abstract, full of vitality and colour. Its either you hate it or love it, which in this case I happen to love it.

Why is socialism always associated with welfare and benefits (as has happened in this forum)? True socialism would have no forced unemployment or poverty, and therefore no welfare system, because the more workers there are the better the system runs. This is not the case in capitalism, however. In order to make a profit companies only employ the minimum amount of staff, while forcing those people to work extortionate hours. Welfare is a creation of capitalism, largely designed to keep the poor happy so they don't think along revolutionary lines.

Oh, yes - you Canadians - you're responsible for the band 'Rush' aren't you? And - you club baby seals, y're responsible for Chris Jericho (Y2J - I don't watch WWF Raw - Jimmy does, but I hear it). Let me see - what else have you done to the ? Alanis Morrisette, two of my ex-boyfriends.. ice hockey. Oh, you terrible people!

Excellent points, WP! I hadn't thought of that, but y're right.

UK polititian Ken Livingstone once said "If voting changed anything, they'd ban it". How true.

The US electoral system needs to be swept away along with your ruling elite. It needs to be destroyed, removed, no semblence of it may remain. This doesn't mean armed insurrection of anything like that. It just mean get rid of it. All. Replace it with something accessable, accountable, transparent and meaningful. And cap the income of your polititians.

Ithank you on behalf of my fellow Canadians