The biggest scandal in US public life ought to be that we are the richest country in history & yet our infrastructure sucks, our transportation choices suck, our cities suck, our healthcare sucks, our public administration sucks, & in dozens of little ways, our daily lives suck.
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Absolutely
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In 8 months we've gone from one of the most respected and ideal destinations to a sleazy 3rd world country with oligarchs stripping the nation's wealth. The more 47 calls survivor testimony a hoax, the more guilty trump looks to all of us.
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But we're #1 in fried twinkies consumption! ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ธ๐บ๐ธ๐๐ฅ
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A Shitocracy - run by not serious people, not curious people, and not competent people. American exceptionalism.
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The system is designed to vacuum as much money away from people as possible, with the costs of transport, health, etc.
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The US Federal Government in 2025 exists mainly to enrichโฆthe rich and โfriendsโ of the current President.
Itโs an oligarchy.
We have become what we once criticized in other nations.
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Its called capitolism
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Be sure to thank a Republican for these SUCKS
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Always have, at least for the last 70 years.
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Than God this is a Christian nation though, where everyone loves each other + there is no corruption, neighbors help neighbors, cops are nice, no crime, highly educated...moral + ethical people.. ๐ค ummm Never mind
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Yah itโs pretty embarassing
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Capitalism man, donโt you love it?
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Capitalistic Greed doesnโt care what is efficient, popular, or effective, just what makes the producer Rich.
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Depends on who the "we" is, doesn't it?
If 10 billionaires could move to Hungary and it would, on paper, instantly become 3rd richest nation on Earth...doesn't mean much to be #1 IMO.
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If half your citizens furiously balk at any slightest attempt at collective action, and resent anyone but themselves getting any benefit from government, it's hard to have nice things.
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That might be because many โrepublicansโ are corrupt; most of the SC seems corrupt; big business is corrupt; corporate media are corrupt; corporate healthcare is corrupt; and now the presidency, the cabal and Wall Street appear to only ever put their own agenda and interests first.
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Somebody has been taking it all. Sadly, other countries are the same.
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we live in a shit-hole country
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Donโt forget the food. The food also sucks.
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This and so many other issues are addressed by not electing republicans. Until this simple apparent truth is learned, nothing good will ever be done.
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Its a bit of a misnomer, I think. It's really that we are the country with the richest assholes. So rich that it sounds like we should have all those things, but in practice they just steal everything.
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Pretty shit then.
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and education is clearly a failure....
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Make America Not Suck Anymore! MANSA!
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Our cities do NOT suck. Many are lacking quality transit and all cities have some issues. But our cities are vibrant hubs of culture and commerce.
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And each of those sucky things can lead back to governance by the GOP & Democrats that caved to what their donors want, not what their voters & country need.
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I can accept the little ways things can go wrong. The big stuff like healthcare, or the small pervasive dehumanization of people by companies that take our money without offering customer service (self checkout, Youtube automated banning, automated voice recognition) is generating real anger / fury.
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And the putrid and greedy billionaires are sucking us dry for even worse
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all due to greedy, career politicians using our tax dollars on pet projects that gets a kick back into their wallets!
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It happens if elections are decided by pretty lies re: T/GOP & ugly lies re: Dems, from RghtWng media (which are most media now) & from RWngers who do the RW side of MSMedia's "both sides" coverage.
Even many Dems are Dems In Name Only like Eric Adams bc it works
upine.medium.com/the-vast-rea...
The Vast Reach of Right Wing Disinformation
In one of my previous essays, I explained how very much in denial most Americans are about the extent to which our nation is immersed inโฆ
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The US is a modern feudal system hidden underneath a thin canopy of capitalism and gaslighting.
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๐ฏ
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Thatโs the way it is, when 1% of the country is super rich and the other 99% donโt necessarily have money for healthcare.
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America is being picked clean by financial vultures.
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Do not forget that we suck.
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The richest county does not have a deficit. The richest country is not the US.
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Everything that doesn't suck is money that billionaires could have hoarded instead
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People return from other countries that are much poorer than the US and exclaim, "god, it sucks here!" You can't walk anywhere, cars dominate every square inch, there's very little public space or community, health care is a nightmare, child care is a nightmare, public education is mediocre.
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A lot of that comes directly from anti-democracy bad economics in the conservative style in which only economic metrics relating to totals and averages are meant to really matter, metrics relating to distribution, human welfare, future generations, etc., are deemed ethically irrelevant, suspect.
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We could have the best of everything if we reduced funding for our military to the point at which it could reliably and consistently pass an audit
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But 20 white guys are super rich
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I love our cities.
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37 trillion in debt and this is all we have to show for it. And when anything goes wrong, the first excuse is it was underfunded.
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Mientras os vendรญan el Sueรฑo Americano, os dejasteis comer la tostada. Todo se lo llevaron las grandes corporaciones, los hombres de la guerra y los casinos bancarios.
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So every country looks at how hard you suck, and that makes you the best country in the world (at sucking) So they make you suck you ?
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sorta makes one rethink the "richest country" moniker, eh
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The more money you have, the more time you spend thinking about money. What a wasted life.
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No it's ok because a small group of your citizens can afford to pay for good utilities, comfortable transport, liveable spaces and superb healthcare. And you can read about their lives in affordable celebrity magazines. Isn't that the American Dream?
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Transportation sucks? Private helicopters for the deserving rich!
Health care is awesome, if you have the money to pay for it!
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Dozens of little ways ๐
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You forgot energy planning and transmission grid.
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The system is rigged so some obscene % of every $ spent on anything goes right to a billionaire. Pay rent, ins. deductible, buy groceries, pay the electric.. every transaction funnels $s to someone who did nothing to earn it and will never need it. And we just accept it bc dying is the alternative.
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Amen
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Rural and suburban U.S. sucks too. Not just our cities.
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The downside of hypercapitalism
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But we have a whole lot of Billionaires though.
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The answer is simple we are the "richest" because the wealth is accumulated in the hands of 1% and the 10% that serve them. The rest is exploitation. In Rome, the richest etc, at its height, there were 6 slaves for every citizen. For the slaves and peons the infrastructure and services sucked too.
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We need the 1,100 billionaires to make it look like our median income is $56,000
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And while we are massively sucking we are destroying the climate simultaneously - infinite suck
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But we have the most obscenely rich gazillionaires, so itโs all good! ๐๐๐
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The Average Chinese citizen has a higher quality of life than the average American.
Capitalism only worked when there were strong regulations. Reagan started the doom of our economic system with his voodoo trickle down scam. And the Republicans still push trickle down even with proof it sucks.
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You sound fun
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Sitting in the school pickup car line as I read this. I bet the cars at the front of the line have been sitting for an hour. Love everything being car dependent
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Our government does not prioritize our citizenry. In fact, it often adopts a hostile attitude when people want things. You know, like healthcare. Or public transportation. Or a comfortable retirement. Or public schools delivering good education.
We don't measure up to other developed countries.
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for that you can blame the 1%. they lobby to prevent the lower classes from acsending to any meaningful degree
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Thatโs what happens when you pour a huge portion of your national wealth into the military. Ike tried to warn us.
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Not the richest country, due to the rich hoarding stolen money.
The richest countries have widespread welfare.
America is just a third world country with nukes and overpopulation of rich people.
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That's what the American people voted for. Put the blame where it belongs: short sighted assholes who think a jewish zombie is coming back any day now so you shouldn't think about tomorrow.
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And our vacuums suck too!
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Decades ago, I came to the US from a Britain beaten down by WWII and the collapse of empire. The US seemed like the future (except the incomprehensibly large cars). Today, coming back from travel in Asia, it seems like the past (and especially the incomprehensibly large cars).
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No a single lie spoken. Well done ๐๐ฝ.
Btw, China has a train that levitates using magnetic levitation (Maglev) that travels faster than the speed of a โ๏ธ 747,
In 2025.
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Funny how billionaires degrade us, our lives and our country while stealing all the resources and trashing everything good.
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not about to get better under this administration, more likely further degraded
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Are we the richest country, or do we just have a lot of disgustingly rich people?
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I'll respond to this once my helicopter lands on my yacht
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America is the richest country in the history because of everything suckling. Not spending money on public services has enriched the nation's corporate leaders.
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- our laws are old to only work for the rich criminals who rule over us
The criminals now make the laws & arrest their victims
The criminals in govt, Courts, & Corp America rig elections to steal our votes & silence our voices
The People's reps in Congress keep crimes political w/out prosecution
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And yet, people are talking seriously about pouring hundreds of billions or trillions into AI and its associated infrastructure with ... largely unpleasant ... downstream impacts. The USHUOA, United States of Heads Up Our Asses, continues its swirling course down the tubes.
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I agree. But the problem is the navel gazing US culture. I explicitly donโt say American. To SEE the failures of US public life, a person must see what others have achieved with less. Leaving decision making in the hand of privately held wealth will produce private opulence and public penury.
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Ang huge ways if you're black or brown
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Our great Empire specializes in self-pillaging & looting.
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I was just thinking last night how antiquated our infrastructure & mass transit systems are, yet despite increasingly record profits, corporations pay little to no taxes, underpay & exploit workers, making obscene amounts of money allowing them to continue buying off politicians to keep it that way
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Praise invisible sky ๐ฉ! "In Greed, er god we trust!"
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Well, yeah.
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A scandal maybe, but no secret. Every GOP president gives away tax-cuts we can't afford, defers maintenance, spreads Pentagon contracts among donors, despoils the environment and purges voters. And a Dem gets 4 or 8 yrs to repair the damage, while facing a midterm of Putin selected representatives.
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The country is not rich. Actually the USA is one the countries with the highest debt rate. The wealth in the US is private and not accessible for the good of the country. Trickle down is a lie.
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Andddd Politicians that were worth nothing now worth Tens and hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Iโm sorry ๐
The US needs an overhaul. Socialism should not be an evil word.
Good things are possible but for once the US needs to look to other countries as an example. I hope you get a leader that can inspire the populace to care for each other.
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sick time, maternal leave, deductibles, all have same root cause - greed at the top- corporate rule-
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Here's the solution:
SOCIALISM
Don't freak out. It's not that bad.
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Thatโs because the capitalist pigs run everything .
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all those things have always been the case for minorities, though
and it's been the case since the inception of this country, more or less
money has gone to the top, rights stripped from the oppressed
ca: $mphighaf
for reparations/mutual aid
thanks
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Why does it suck? When Democrats are in charge, they improve things, but they donโt wind up perfect. So a large block of people who have forgotten how awful Republicans are vote for Republicans in the next election.
Why do things suck? Republicans are awful at governing and voters are stupid.
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Oh c'mon we were all lucky to be alive for Jeff Bezos' wedding
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Nailed that!!!!!
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That is what happens when your media billionaires ensure a flood up economy...
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Because โrichest countryโ is talking about maybe 8-10 individuals who alone own more than almost all the rest of us combined, and they want it all to suck, for greed.
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You kinda see this going to Japan, Canada, and Western Europe. They are less wealthy or have lower incomes, but often don't need a car, don't buy a bunch of useless crap to clutter their homes, have more vacation time, and don't have bankruptcy looming over them in a variety of ways...
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The USA is less a rich country than it is a country that a lot of very rich people live in.
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Trump plays on that by making sure some vulnerable out-group suffers more, so his favored in-group can feel superior because they suffer less. That is sadopopulism.
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All because of Republicans who stop every bit of progress
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But the billionaires are doing great.
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But our politicians are RICH AF!
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They suck because Americans aren't willing to pay the taxes for nice things. Since 1980, they've been told the government can't do anything well. And they have voted for the people who ensure that to be the case.
We did it to ourselves.
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Amen.
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not only do they suck - but they're also incredibly expensive
makes it hard to know a better world is in fact possible
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...our justice department is thoroughly corrupt, many of our highest politicians are thoroughly corrupt, our healthcare system is barely on life support and thugs are welcomed into police departments.
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When you worship billionaires in a culture of "rugged individualism", what else would you expect the outcome to be?
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But we do have a large number of billionaires.
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In Switzerland, I never saw a poor person or a fat person. All of the schools had bike racks. There were 100 bikes. Weekends were enjoyed in the mountains, hiking and enjoying nature. It was wonderful.
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When you have "In God We Trust" printed on your banknotes then it's hardly surprising that your nation is owned and dominated by capitalist pigs !!! Since 2015 the wealthiest 1% of people on the planet increased their wealth by $37 trillion which is enough to end global poverty 22 times over !!!
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We have all given so much of ourselves, our country, and our earnings, to the richest among usโฆ
without remembering to instill fear in their corrupt and greedy minds that something this perverse, in society, should only ever be temporary, and never permanent.
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I often wonder if we got rid of 600 or so billionaires if we'd still be "the richest country in the world".
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Don't forget education! Public education in America is a joke. A sick, sad joke.
I mean no disrespect to the teachers and admins who work ridiculously hard to try to make it better. โค๏ธ
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New one; food is too expensive.
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I will never understand why 330M people are letting this happen dividing over idiotic culture wars that donโt affect anyone, rather than uniting over the wealth inequality that is affecting 99% of the nation ๐๐คทโโ๏ธ
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Not really the US has so much debt. China is now the the new SUPERECONOMY. You can't be the richest and have the most debt - EOF
www.nationmaster.com/country-info...
China vs United States: Economy > Debt Facts and Stats
Current LCU, Per capita, Gross government debt, share of GDP, External, Public debt, share of GDP and 40 More Interesting Facts and Stats
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Yeah, but giant trucks and sports ball, come on โฆ
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And politically and socially we become corrupted banana republic govern idiocracyโฆ
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Excellent and truthful description of America as it has become in the last few months. Wonder why?
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Agreed!
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Meanwhile China has affordable universal healthcare, high speed trains, affordable tuition (scholarships too). Why canโt we be at least as good as China?
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And why?
Because vast fortunes are concentrated in the hands of just a few individuals and they pay little tax.
They even get handouts from the government!
The whole country is run by and for a handful of billionaires.
If they payed half the taxes they should then the problem would be solved
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Murica!
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... And yet your Congress has the effrontery to assume it can talk about Free Speech in GB, and invite one of our 'politicians' (I mean Farage) to 'give evidence'. What business of yours, pray. Can I come and talk to Mr Newsom about removal of certain media reps from White House press corps? PLEASE!
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And this regime is only making it far worse.
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Our healthcare doesn't just suck. The government is actively trying to kill us. Terrorize us with military on every street corner and weaken us with dark ages medical laws. So much easier to control a sick and scared populace.
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We are not a rich country. Some disgustingly rich people choose to live here for the moment because our rapacious capitalist system props them up. All the examples you've cited show that for the average American and below on the income scale, life is actually pretty shitty here
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You're not the richest country in history You have some of the richest people in history in your country that take and never contribute and the rest suffer for it
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I'm helping my dad sell his house and the real estate website lists the walkability rating: 0. ๐
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Do we really need to add more sh*to to the stew right now. This sounds like the Felon and Republicans. If everything about American is terrible what are we fighting for? Let's focus on saving democracy. Dream of improvement, be ready for action, and appreciate what America does have.
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Life under minority Republican rule.
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Just returned from London and while the Underground wasnโt perfect accessibility-wise, it was amazing! Just hop on and you can pop up across the street from Parliament or any other of the numerous historical sites snd attractions.
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We're being taxed to death. Without any representation ..unless you're a (m)billionaire.
I feel trapped in a lie. Consistently exchanging my labour for money that i've been tricked into putting right back into the system (for rent,insurance,heat+). So I never get any. It's a form of bloody slavery.
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But billionaires are doing great!!!
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The problem is that the wealthy elites have brainwashed a sizable chunk of the electorate into believing that government programs aimed at improving the lives of ordinary people is socialism, which, of course, is inherently bad.
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Because the rich don't pay their fair share. They rely on handouts from the middle class.
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Since the hyper rich pay minimal taxes there are no $ for quality infrastructure and healthcare. It all goes to the 1%.
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Not wrong, just watching some of the vids @jasonlivinginchina on YouTube - the pull away and ahead is clear and tragicโฆ
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For example, most of the middle of the country today has "moderate" air quality, because of the Canadian wildfires.
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And we have FOR PROFIT prisons & health care.
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All of those have been sicced on US by the GOP. None of that is a result of Democratic legislation.
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Spain has to be up there as most radicalizing countries to visit as an American
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Nรฉolibรฉralisme
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So pathetic and so true
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Only 10% of America is rich, the rest of us struggle along.
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Speaking to the choir my friend. This country is ripe for change. Itโs just a matter of time.
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Oddly, the wealthy are doing just fine.
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yeah, but we can all be billionaires right?
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Tru dat
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We are being robbed by billionaires and our own government.
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This is directly linked to C-suite compensation and CEO compensation.
Then they don't pay taxes.......
Here we are...
CEO's don't love America.
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It could be sooo good
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Why won't the gas comany tell me if the old line coming in to my house has been deactivated? They put a new line in, but my calls and TXTs are unanswered after five months.
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"The US is considered the most unequal high-income economy in the world, according to Notre Dame and CFR. This disparity has been rising for decades due to changes in tax policies, technological advancements, decreased worker bargaining power, and historical racial and gender discrimination."
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Was in Germany and Switzerland earlier this summer. They care about the environment, have healthcare, education, lots of art, recreation, and no guns.
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All of this has been part of America going back decades.
Not sure daily life sucks for everyone, but a lot of people have it harder than they should have.
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Most people have to go to Europe to discover this.
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We could have so much but we let the billionaires steal it all. Over DECADES.
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It might be better to frame the US as the country that contains the highest population of billionaires.
After this population there's a big drop off in wealth.
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Your life expectancy sucks. And thatโs the one that really sucks. ๐ฌ
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We are individually rich and collectively poor.
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You are a rich country because you once had a middle class. But that is over now. When money becomes more important than humans, you wither up.
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I hate it here David.
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Wry much like Russia
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I think the bigger story is DEMOCIDE. Our govt is trying to kill the weakest w/neglect to SAVE $. There are robust savings ensuring you get under the earth as quickly as you can & vaxes give us an even playing field w/the rich who bought this world for THEM.Taking them away ensures more $ SAVED!
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Richest country in the world (supposedly) and look what our elected leaders spend our money on.
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And we have the only Government in the world that does all it can to make our daily lives harder.
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The gaslighting and government propaganda that paved the way for this. For us to think we donโt deserve anything bc we havenโt worked hard enough to deserve BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS
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Yeah, but our billionaires rule!
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Meaning that all the wealth has been taken and stored out of reach for the population by a few individuals, less than 0,1 %. What else?
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What is comes down to is that the US began by exterminating 80-100 million people and never really changed course.
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But Americans don't realize it because they don't know anything else is possible.
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Agreed capitalism sucks
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Yeah sure, but corporate profits have never been higher, tax rates are near record lows, and weโre at each otherโs throats over vaccines, trans kids in sports, and the phony epidemic of crime when itโs at 40-yr lows. The 1% got the government they paid for.
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But look at all the billionaires you createdโฆ
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We deserve better. Don't we? ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐บ๐ธ
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US National Wealth Clock - We are not in debt! - any National Debt Clock is a Lie!
Sources showing and proving that the so-called National Debt Clock is a deliberate, well-funded financial and fiduciary lie
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Thank you. Sadly, you hit all the nails on all the heads. The only thing "exceptional" about America is the millions of Americans willing to fight for our democracy.
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Too many slaves and not enough conquest for this ol empire
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No you didnโt forget the most important detail. No not at all. No one to blame ๐๐ซ
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โFamily Firstโ but no support for paid parental leave, social safety nets, universal childcare/pre-k, public schools, healthcare, reproductive rights.
Nothing ever makes sense. Whenever we have leadership who wants to take it on, theyโre absolutely demonized and we end up with zilch.
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The amazing thing to think about: the US has more upside
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Squandered.
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Agreed
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What do you really think?
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Our oligarchs could fix it all and never miss a dime but wealth hoarding is hot.
