What most disgusts you about the USA?
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The health care system. For such a rich country to not have a public health system that covers everyone is scary. If someone is out of work and they get cancer they have a much higher chance of dying from it than those that work and have health insurance. It makes me feel physically sick when I think of it. Wishes and reality are far apart. It would also be nice if none of us had to work unless we want to, and while were at it, it would be nice to drive a better car, live in a better house. The point is who pays for the most expensive health care in the world............YOU or the Other Guy? it would be nice to drive a better car, live in a better house I'm not saying "oh wouldn't it be nice if everyone had a nice luxurious life". I'm saying: wouldn't t be nice if no one had to die from a treatable disease. The point is who pays for the most expensive health care in the world............YOU or the Other Guy? Yeah right... The rest of the developed world can manage it but the USA health system is just too good and expensive to pay for through tax. For such a rich country to not have a public health system that covers everyone is scary. I'm not sure you understand what we mean when we claim to be a rich country. The government barely has money, in fact, it should be of no surprise to you that we are in debt. The wealth in this country in driven towards the businesses that produces the best products and sells the most of it. That is where the money is primarily located. If someone is out of work and they get cancer they have a much higher chance of dying from it than those that work and have health insurance. That's a dependency based on case by case occurrences. I'm not sure you understand what we mean when we claim to be a rich country. The government barely has money, in fact, it should be of no surprise to you that we are in debt. . Hmm.. the USA has the biggest government budget per year in the world. This is what I mean by being a rich country.
Supporting Evidence:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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I don't mean to bring religion into this but it would be nice if we could take "in god we trust" off our currency and "under god" on our pledge. This is what most disgust you? Even if I was the biggest God hater in the universe, this certainly wouldn't be at the top of my list. The political campaign ads How little Senate and Congress work The lack of fundamental education (high school grads cannot even add, subtract, etc. fractions) The amount of pseudo-intellects this country has Advertising for class action law suites The amount of greed this country has That drugs aren't produced to help cure people because it isn't profitable That there are people that go to bed hunger, while others pay hundreds of dollars for a single meal. These are just a few at the top of my list. It is nice to know that while people starve, have cancer, etc. you'd like to have god taken off. 1
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The criminal justice system. 2 million people are in jail in the USA. This is 1% of the adult population. Although 250,000 of under 18s each year are sentenced as adults each year, perhaps percentage of the adult population isn't representative. In some states the age of criminal responsibility is as young as 6 years. The USA is very much a society that if you do something wrong you are seen as subhuman. Yes I have. I don't know what that has to do with anything though. The idea of proportionality should not be based on how blood thirsty the victim is but rather the amount of damage the crime has caused. It is unfortunate that the blood thirst is exactly what drives so many things in USAian society. Now you're on to something. Much of this has to do with drug laws and other "victimless crimes". It may be that the worst thing about the land of the free is that there are so many laws. I guess if there is something that disgusts me about the U.S., it is that we specifically operate against our own ideals. The criminal justice system is one example. The USA is very much a society that if you do something wrong you are seen as subhuman. Disagree, particularly because that depends on the wrong. Also I don't think we see criminals as sub-human, but inhumane if they commit acts that are socially regarded as inhumane. For example, a drug dealer, a thief, a hacker, and many more criminal types aren't seen as "inhumane" and most certainly not subhuman. 2 million people are in jail in the USA. That shows social problems. Most crimes are petty, such as drugs and minor offences. In some states the age of criminal responsibility is as young as 6 years. Mhmm, but keep in mind that they have to prove the child fully understood the implications and consequences of the crime they committed. 2
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there are few things I could put on that list, but I will try and pick one. I would say it is the fiscal irresponsibility of our government. From the outsourcing of jobs, to bail outs, to quantative easing, to double taxing, to spending billions of dollars on worthless wars, to mismanagement of seemingly every government program, to doubling the deficit ( which Bush did and Obama is well on the way to doing), to universal healthcare, to both sides blaming each other when it is the fault of both ....the list goes on and on. At second place would be the self made increase in power the government has given itself. 1
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The willful disdain for knowledge coming out of a huge swath of our nation. We are in or through the information age, and the response of A LOT of Americans is to burry their head in the sand and pretend that one's emotional state can somehow divine the truth of something. Willful ignorance is dangerous. The gun culture. If a 12 year old breaks into your house to take back his ball that you confiscated, you confront him with a gun, he wets his pants with fear and you shoot him in the head... you cannot be charged with any offence because the boy was committing an offence. Similarly, if you kill someone who is 'evil' such as a pedophile that touched your kid then a jury will never convict you. I've read this a few times. Vigilante action is encouraged, the mob rules. If a 12 year old breaks into your house to take back his ball that you confiscated, you confront him with a gun, he wets his pants with fear and you shoot him in the head... you cannot be charged with any offense because the boy was committing an offense. First off, what kind of example is this? Here is what I find wrong with your statement here: 1. If you "confiscated the kids ball" then you obviously know the kids face and know why he broke into your house in the first place. 2. A 12 year old will break into my house? To get a ball? Really? 3. You "confiscated" the ball and the child no problem with it at first? Wouldn't he tell his parents? 4. You just shoot the kid....why? What sane person would do this especially over a ball? 5. In the head? Really? I'm really worried about the state of your psychological being. 6. You can be charged with an offense. It all depends on the case. If this was a grown man that broke into your house and truly attempted to kill you then I can see why you wouldn't be charged. In your case the shooter would be charged. Similarly, if you kill someone who is 'evil' such as a pedophile that touched your kid then a jury will never convict you. I don't know about that one. I'm quite positive that you could still be tried for murder. Our legal system is intricate. The art of persuasion and presentation of lawyers and the individual thoughts of each juror and even the judge determines the case. 6. You can be charged with an offense. It all depends on the case. If this was a grown man that broke into your house and truly attempted to kill you then I can see why you wouldn't be charged. In your case the shooter would be charged. Are you sure about that? My understanding is that in US you don't have to be in fear for your life in order to use deadly force. 1
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This is about as distorted a picture of America as the typical American has of the outside world. The scenario you describe wouldn't even fly in Texas! In all 50 states, you would be convicted of second degree murder in such a situation. What you're referring to is the castle doctrine, and it doesn't mean what you think it does. The 'castle doctrine' represent an exception to the regulation surrounding self defense. Specifically, 'self defense' includes the ability to escape, and the use of force is not generally considered acceptable when escape was a viable option. States with a castle doctrine essentially allow you to stand your ground in your own home when fleeing would be a viable option. There are still strict limitations, at least by the letter of the law, regarding how much force is reasonable to use to defend oneself. That said, acquittal in these cases is still fairly common in some places- one of the downsides of the jury system is that fundamentally the actual law doesn't matter too much, only whatever consensus 12 people can come to. In several parts of the US, if somebody breaks into your house and injures himself on your property in the process, you (the homeowner) could be found liable for damages. I would daresay, though, that much of the world would be willing to overlook someone killing the person who molested their child- not just the US. 1
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The Iraq war, which we should have never done to begin with, cost 1.7 trillion dollars plus 490 billion still owed in benefits to war veterans, which could also reach the trillions with interest. Not only should we have never been there, but the end result has been unfavorable as Iraq has now allied itself with Iran, regional enemy of U.S. policy. Disaster from the start. Perfect example of flawed U.S. foreign policy and waste of tax dollars. So before republicans go blaming all of our problems on the Democrats, remember that. Especially when the government spends 200 billion a year on actual welfare. Not to say democrats are innocent, or that republicans don't utilize welfare ( welfare programs don't shut down when the Republicans are in office, do they?). 1. Much of what we do in the interest of "national security". (blowing people up in foreign countries) 2. That one can so easily be arrested (kidnapped) for victim-less legal infarctions 3. Our debt culture 4. Our supposed health-care reform. (nothing but a cleverly disguised favor to insurance companies) 5. We meddle too much in the affairs of other countries 6. What it means to be successful here. (skating by on other's efforts) 7. Massively increased Governmental Secrecy along with a commensurate increase in governmental invasions of privacy. 1
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What most disgusts me about the US is the propensity of our voters to ignore issues that affect everybody in favor of those that affect only a tiny minority that doesn't even include them, thanks in part to the media and politicians encouraging that exact behavior. Crap like abortion gets center stage in voters minds, even though only a small fraction of the portion of society who is physically capable of becoming pregnant would actually pursue an abortion. There are several people who debate on this site who advocate ignoring all other issues in favor of the abortion question. That is absolutely ridiculous to me when compared to things that effect everybody. I always come back to the idea that the right to cast a vote should in fact be the right to cast an informed vote, with some mechanism in place to exclude voters who do not actually know the platform of those they are voting for. I don't think that blindly voting for 'the republican candidate' or 'the buddhist candidate' or 'the latina candidate' or something to that effect should be allowed. If somebody wants to base his or her vote on something like that, fine- but he or she should be required to demonstrate that he or she knows who and what she is actually voting for beyond just a label. I freely admit that I do not have a system to recommend for this. This could well be a world thing and not a US thing too, for that matter. Is voter focus on minority issues (at the expense of major ones) a problem in most of the developed world? Voter tendencies aren't exactly one of the things I've look at or asked questions about in my travels. 'Disgust' isn't really the right word, but I'll use it to entertain the question. I am disgusted by how the health care system works in the USA. If you cannot afford health care and you're seriously ill, then you're pretty much screwed. I believe a system like the NHS in Britain should be implemented in the USA. 1
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