surreptitious57 wrote:Seth wrote:
JimC wrote:
Some Americans will never consider that even the slightest criticism of their society is ever justified - how can one ever improve on the perfect democratic society?
It's not perfect, its just the best that's ever been, and we don't care to hear criticism from jackasses who don't understand that fact, much less understand WHY it's the best that's ever been.
Of course it is not perfect. No system ever is. But one should strive as much as possible to make it so. One of the things I do admire about America is the fact that they have a written constitution. I am particularly impressed by the
First Amendment which protects freedom of speech. OK it is not absolute freedom of speech but it still protects the words of those who others may wish to censor because they find their views unacceptable. Over here in England we have the opposite, because this country is the libel capital of the world. Anyone with deep pockets can come here and sue someone because they said something they do not like. I so wish we had a
First Amendment, but one that went further and guaranteed
all speech. But at least you have one, which is better than not having one at all.
It also protects the free exercise of religion and freedom of the press, both equally important values. That's why we don't have a Church of England.
I also like the fact you have a Supreme Court that decides on constitutional issues. It has nine members all chosen by the President and who are balanced between conservatives and liberals.
Not always. All of the worst assaults on our liberties have come from Supreme Court benches that have been "packed" by a President taking advantage of circumstances. FDR tried to get Congress to increase the size of the Court during the Depression so he could pack the court with justices favorable to his Progressive agenda. He failed, but the Court still radically changed the meaning of the Constitution in Wickard v. Filburn, which grossly expanded the ambit of Congressional power over the economy by "interpreting" the Commerce Clause far beyond what the Founders had in mind. But, the tripartite system we have is the best balance of powers anyone has come up with so far, and we, the People, can always amend the Constitution to deal with an out-of-control Supreme Court if we wish, which is another major point in favor of our system.
Nine is an odd number so you will never get a tied decision if everyone votes. We have the House Of Lords over here, but it is totally undemocratic and although chosen by the Prime Minister is not done on the same basis as the Supreme Court.There is no attempt to reference equality for example. Furthermore, there are over eight hundred of them too! We also have the European Union, which is even more undemocratic and can pass laws that over ride our sovereign Parliament. We also have a monarchy Ttoo, which is unelected and unaccountable. The heir to the throne has the right under English law to block any legislation he personally disapproves of, even though he has no democratic right to do so.
Major faults of both socialism and the parliamentary system.
America is less class orientated than England as well, another thing in its favour. Over there anyone can become President. Jimmy Carter was a farmer and Ronald Reagan was an actor. We have never had a farmer or an actor become Prime Minister, as far as I know. They all tend to go to a private school and a top university. They are drawn from a rather narrow cross section of the population. This is not good for democracy. Not good at all.
Indeed.
Also, I love the American national anthem. I mean the emotion behind it when it is sung, and not necessarily the sentiments expressed within it. I particularly like it when it is sung by an ordinary citizen. That is very emotional. I am not a nationalist by any stretch of the imagination. I am more of a patriot than anything else. Anthems can invoke nationalistic fervour. But i just like it what is it is, rather than for what it necessarily represents. Over here, we know the first verse of ours, but tend to sing it on rare occasions. The American one is much better though.
Nothing wrong with nationalism. Every nation and its people have their own interests and concerns and so they should naturally be focused on what's best for them. When socialism takes over, we get the EU, where bureaucrats decide whats best for everyone and then crush certain segments of the populace in order to serve the needs of others. The best government is local government, which is close to the people of the community, more responsive to it, and easier to control.
There are many things wrong with America of course: organised religion, death penalty, foreign wars, gun culture, to name but a few, but there are many wonderful things about it too, such as those I have outlined above. One therefore has to be very careful about sterotyping a nation of over three hundred million people. They do not all think and act the same, like one large amorphous mass. There is good and bad, just like in all nations, and one should be aware of this, to avoid making unnecessary generalisations, whenever referencing it.
Well said, although we disagree about guns. Our "gun culture" is what has kept us free for 236 years. And it will keep us free for another 200 years if we don't let the Progressives and socialists take them away.
"Seth is Grandmaster Zen Troll who trains his victims to troll themselves every time they think of him" Robert_S
"All that is required for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke
"Those who support denying anyone the right to keep and bear arms for personal defense are fully complicit in every crime that might have been prevented had the victim been effectively armed." Seth
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