The US has taken a decided downturn and our leadership is very inept now . A lot of us try to hide our heads in the sand and ignore what is going on around us .We tend to stay wrapped up in our own sphere , oblivious to the rest of the world . It's like nobody exists to us .Neither of our political parties show any kind of leadership , our foreign policy is nonexistent , and the manufacturing of goods has shifted from this nation to China . Yet , we still think we are this omnipotent entity that everyone else should look up to. I , for one , strongly dislike Obama and disagree with how he has lead the country . We are rapidly reaching critical mass before collapse. The real issue is if the US collapses, everyone else will go with us , except for a handful of nations . You will see a new leadership emerge from the ashes . Our treatment of a long standing ally , Israel, is atrocious .The corporations have shifted their industrial centers to foreign lands as outsourcing labor is vastly cheaper and short term profits increase while long term take a nosedive . It is hard to buy that new car with foodstamps . Racial division has become a major issue and I really do not understand what the real problem suddenly has emerged , other than the fact that instigators like Al Sharpton have blown it completely out of proportion . Michelle Obama went on record as saying shewas a victim of racism . Really ????? She's the First Lady of the US , how has she been discriminated against? We took on adversaries like Viet Nam , where these people were willing to die for their cause down to the last man and we lost because of it . We took on radical Islam where these people are not only willing to die for their cause to the last man but willing to take all the innocents they can with them .We are not the superheroes we think we are . We are unraveling from the inside out from emerging liberal demands that want impossible lofty goals to be accomplished and ones that are really bad ideas .Instead of a "can do"approach to the Ebola crisis , we seem to have no approach at all. The current administration seems to want us to fail , do evrything they can to see it happen , yet here some of us are , defending their actions while turning a blind eye to the reality . The nation may or may not fall in my lifetime but if we do not change our course , it WILL fall. We may have been the standard to strive for once upon a time be we are no longer that , we have become a laughingstock yet our pride blinds us .It will not save us and plenty of outsiders will be only too happy to see us go down hard.

A little humility could really do a lot for us . We are all humans .

being able to achieve does not have anything to do with whether one has been on the receiving end of racism,,,


we HAVE been wrapped in our own sphere for a while now remember 'if you are not with us , you are against us?' and remember 'freedom fries' (our ridiculous proposal to throw a tantrum over a disagreement with the French?)

we still have almost twice the GDP as China, quite astounding considering how many more they have there to produce,,,,


we still are Israels largest supporter


outsourcing does SUCK and has sucked for decades

and I totally agree,, the growing disappearance of humility in return for power and status,, will be our undoing,,,

racial division has been an issue since the countrys inception,,lol(sorry that view of it being something new makes me laugh)


we will continue to lose against anyone for whom death is better than life,, which may be reason for us to take an approach at making their life better or leaving them alone


We aren't superheroes, we are all imperfect, and I do agree that that reality seems to be being replaced with an egocentric culture of people whose joy is to find others to look down upon so they may build themselves up


Ebola was an issue in America for all of six weeks, we have moved on

around the world, some like us and some don't,, that wont ever change

and yes, we will crumble if we keep supporting the caste that lets money rule from the top instead of supporting each other by helping to build with a sense of community and family from the bottom,,,,

I love reading posts like the one above this one , ones that make you think. Well said , msharmony!

This guy isn't even American why do I let these characters get under my skin, thank you ms harmony for your eloquent point of view, often like so many other countries the people are often characterized by what their governments do and I would like to believe we know that is an unfair way to judge a people of any country. As for the long winded bloke in leather, really? another Obama basher, can'��t you come up with something more original? Don'��t we all know darn well the special interest groups and big money corporations have been in charge of this country for years and you are going to blame all of this on one man, and then you dare to claim that Mrs. Obama could not possibly have been discriminated against because she is 1st lady, wow, what kind of sheltered white male entitled life do you lead? Gee this didn't just piss me right off or anything.

I am north of the border and political differences aside I come down almost yearly. There are wonderful
places to see,great highways to ride and some the hospitality I have received is beyond what I would
expect. And I'm not talking just about people in the service industry but people I talk to on the street.
I love the little towns, everyone is friendly and a guy can get a great breakfast. In fact I'm coming down
for a lengthly ride this summer. I know the general attitude that americans are perceived by but that is
not what I find.

To blame Obama for the Senate's or house decisions one should look at how those people got voted into those positions. U.S. experienced a larger than normal turn out of voters' in the past couple of federal elections. People voted for individuals that they did not even like just to acquire a President they believed in.

The opposition is slowing down the progress of financial recovery not only for the U.S. population, but also around the world. China does own a large number of preveously own U.S. corportations. Technological jobs still continue strong in the U.S., but other jobs are being out sourced, because of the laws that govern each country differently. The average citizen in the U.S. invests there money in local American markets. These markets are created by these companies needing to borrow money from financial institutions. These financial institutions sell the average citizen shares (mutal funds) where you earn a small percentage over an extended period of time.

Upon the financial institutions lending these businesses money (average citizens investment money) your money, these company's take that money and invest it in other countries markets for a larger return. EXAMPLE: (average citizen receives 5-10% growth over 20 years. These companies receive that in 10 years or less and may receive up to 30% on this money they borrowed from the financial institutions which was originally the money the average citizen just invested themselve.)

If Obama was a white man these financial struggles would be over with. It is not just as simple as black and white, U.S. investment or foreign investment, it is the manipulation of the laws that govern different countries. Human rights, environmental, social, criminal, etc. laws are different.

Many businesses and institutions look at people as nothing more than a renewable resources. REMEBER THIS!!!!

If you look at Obama's track record , there is some good and there is some bad . Not the best POTUS we've had ,hardly what can considered "bashing" , our gov't is terrible as a whole , not necessarily any one party's fault .

all presidents have had good and bad

but our government is divided as a whole,,,,,,which hurts more than it helps

I would be thrilled to see a 3rd party emerge and get back to what we elect these people to do , represent us instead on trying to get one up on "that other party". When you have a gov't representative demanding we apologize to those poor mistreated Al Qaeda terrorists , there is something very fundamentally wrong with who we are putting in office .I can't imagine an apology for the Twin Towers , public beheadings or attacks on innocent civilians worldwide. We've lost our way .This thread was not meant to become political , although I suppose with the theme , it had to be , nor was it intended to be a personal attack on lil ol' "bloke" me but I don't sweat little, insignificant things such as that. There are multiple problems with America, as a person born on this soil , I see them in my life daily . There are great things about here too. If we want to be this benevolvent entity that rushes out to save the world maybe we shouldn't do the things we've done , Republican , Democrat or a friggin' Martian. There will never be world unity but we could do a much better job than we've done . Our military is one of the best in the world . Instead of going to unwinnable wars and lingering , maybe we should have used it for what we used to , support our allies in conflicts , not profit from it . Still , for all her faults , I still love this country and wouldn't want to live anywhere else .

I didn't hear anyone ask us to apologize to terrorists,,


we can always do better though

no matter how many parties we have, it would be no different , until we become different PEOPLE,,,

Unfortunately , a House Reprensentative did indeed make a speech demanding we apologize to Al Qaeda , and she was raked over the coals for it as she well deserved . She felt the enhanced interrogation techniques were too brutal but one would think beheading someone without any form of sedation might go a little past waterboarding .

Those are not just beheadings. They saw their heads off, taking as long as two minutes.

Hey, there is no need for name-calling. We Melmacians do not like such name-calling.














Oh wait. You meant that from a Human's perspective. Never mind.

Everyone in former soviet Republics believe that American polititians are to blame for wars all around the world. Russian jornalists are doing a very good job in brainwashing

What did America have to do with Russia invading Ukraine?

OP: while many in other countries may think badly of the U.S. for various above mentioned reasons, the question you should ask yourself is: when you look at your own country (U.S./England/India/China etc.) would you stay based on what you have now or would you immigrate to another country if it afforded you a better life? The numbers don't lie: for so many the U.S. IS the choice for the chance of greater opportunity. Example China has North Koreans illegally immigrating b/c they are desperate to escape conditions in their own land but how many people are applying at the Afghanistan embassy for citizenship, or smuggling themselves into that country??

Remember when people were saying they would give up their citizenship when "Dubya Bush" was elected AND when Obama was elected? How many actually did & moved to another country? Come on folks, even with all of our inequities regarding race/health care/environment etc...I think we've got it pretty good here.

the moment you stop acting Oirish!

Half my family are Irish though! I'm proud of my heritage, even though i'm Scottish. I don't act like John Wayne, like you think you are, talking guns and bravado and all that shite? John Pain more like?