Today in America

I love America, this is my country, and in my mind, the greatest of all countries.

However, we are not living up to your promises, our potential. We could be a beacon of hope and light to all the world, but more and more, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. Instead of building a nation that will stand for hundreds if not thousands, of years from now, I don't believe America will last much longer, at least not in a form any of us will want to live in.

America has always been under siege with problems and dangers. When we were a minor country, we fought the dangers and won. But, in my eyes, since the end of WWII, we have been besieged and losing. Our golden age was shortly after WWII, and it's all been downhill since then. And today as much, if not more so then ever we are in danger of losing all that those before us worked, bled and died for. I do not speak of Terrorism, Drugs, or Iraq or whatever "big" story the media is beating to death, but those that are slower, more elusive.

Our school systems for instance are crap. Our teachers are underpaid, our schools are underfunded, and our students just don't care. The school system is falling apart. Our science is falling behind, we built the A-bomb, we put a man on the moon! We are the United States, there is nothing we can't do, with the right educational system. Without intelligence, how can we solve the problems that face us? We can spend hundreds upon hundreds of billions a year on the military, but a fraction of a percent of that towards our schools. Sure, we maybe able to defeat any nation in a war, but they are killing us with innovation and invention! A war would be much quicker! The death of a nation due to it's dumbing down, that's much slower and much more painful. We won't be wiped out, we will endure in a nation dependant on everyone for everything, and that will cost us money big time.

Our leaders are more divided then ever before. Democrat and Republican squabble and bicker more now then ever. There is no compromise, there is no working for the common good, only for the party good. This is appalling. A house divided against itself will not stand. You don't have to tax the brain cells to hard to see how divided our country is nowdays. This must be fixed. I am not advocating everyone give up thier opinions, but to compromise instead. Leaders should vote based on what is good for the country, not on what is good for thier party or what enhances their reputation. Instead, the leaders of this country should be guided by the thoughts and wants of those that elected them, even if it goes against thier deepest beliefs. I think also, that abolishing the polictical parties, or at least the growth of other ones would help immensly.

The family, in my view, is so important. The old saying is it takes a villiage to raise a child. Too often parents take raising kids on alone, and push anyone else away from helping, even the schools. Some parents don't even do a half assed job of raising thier kids, but boy if the school disiplines thier kids, watch out! They suddenly become super parents with an IQ over 300! The problem is, that even if a parent doesn't let the community help raise their child, we are the one that has to deal with them when/if they become a problem. It costs us raised police force, more jails, and even injuries and fatalities. A child is more then a full time job, that is why it is so critical for everyone to help, and for parents to let their neigbhors help out.

These are some of the problems I see in the country today. There are more. What will ultimately bring the downfall of the US? I do not know, but I know it won't be terrorism, or war, or any of the big problems everyone worries so much about. No, I think the death of the US will be something slower, something that most people won't expect. Which saddens me, since I love this country so much.

Ok, rant over, I'm feeling better now.