I'm afraid America is broken

[matt819]

And, while I hate to sound like a doomsaying Chicken Little, I don't think it can be fixed.

Trump, of course.

Too few inmates.

Abortion illegal.

Transgender craziness.

Do nothing Congress.

Supreme Court one batter short, shortage of justices across the board.

Democratic Party going insane.

Erosion of voter rights.

Election fraud, real or perceived.

Police murders of unarmed Americans, mostly African-Americans.

Half of American population believes climate change is a hoax.

Right wing media. All of it. Crazy. Dangerous.

Oligarchy/plutocracy.

Wage stagnation.

Stupefying economic inequality.

Unending wars.

Guantanamo Bay still open.

Kardashians/Caitlyn Jenner.

Unfunded and underfunding serious stuff, e.g., zika virus.

Shredding infrastructure.

Mass incarceration for non-violent crimes

Police brutality on a breathtaking scale.

Guns, school shootings.

Almost complete erosion of public education K-12 and widespread defunding of public college education.

More than $1 trillion in unending student debt.

Etc., etc.

I suppose we can argue that it has always been thus, in one form or another, but I'm no longer in middle age and I don't recall it being this bad. And I'm not optimistic. If Trump is elected, this list will grow exponentially. And whichever Democrat may be elected, he/she will be confronted by intransigent Republicans.

[peace13]

1. We've lost the right to privacy and the right to fair elections.

Police brutality is up and the 'patriot act' has brought us to our knees. Comparing today with history ....things look pretty bleak.

[msongs]

2. do nothing congress, also known as bernie sander's home the last 25 years. nt

[matt819]

13. This was not a GDP post

This is why we can't have nice things. My post had nothing to do with Hillary or Bernie. There was no reason for your snark.

Congress has been a do-nothing group for the last few years and it has almost nothing to do with Democrats.

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

3. Yes.

We are royally screwed. drumpf will kick it into maximum overdrive.

[mnhtnbb]

4. I have been feeling this way for some time.

Does it mean we've become old farts? (Yes, I just had my Medicare birthday in March.)

Or, does it mean that from our years of experience we are sensing the culture is falling apart?

Republicans and Democrats--once upon a time during my lifetime--reached across the aisle to find
a way to work together and to create something. Interstate highways. NASA and the space program.
Public schools that were the envy of other countries. Support for research and science programs that generated
new knowledge and treatment for diseases.

Then came Ronald Reagan and suddenly government was the enemy. It's been downhill since then
with disrespect for equality, civil rights, or any kind of safety net for those in need.

This country has lost its way and seems to be losing its soul.

It's scary. Very scary.

[seekthetruth]

5. Either Trump or Clinton..

And we'll get more of this America first bullshit. We'll still be seen by other nations in the world as fat, dumb, and ignorant. And our society will continue to stratify in increasing amounts until even families with two middle class incomes won't be able to make it while the super rich continue to take most of the wealth. We'll be bombarded with images of the first female president by the corporate media, be told that real change is coming, until we either hit another huge financial crisis,or we find ourselves in yet another war.

We'll have leadership who is pro-war, pro-corporate, and pro-fossil fuel. We'll continue down this neoliberal tract that we've been on since the 80s, which was supported by all administrations since Reagan, and we'll continue our decline. Our insurance premiums will continue to rise, and more and more households will fall behind, or into bankruptcy due to medical bills. Education will continue to rise, which is really the key to the American dream. Sadly, its end will continue to come about.

We'll move even more to the right, and the lines between conservative and Democrat will blur even more.

I'm not hopeful.

But, then again, we could break this fucking machine and Sanders could run independent....and real change could come about. But he has an uphill battle given that the machine is ruthless, cunning, and will say anything to win. I distinctly remember Hillary screaming there would never be universal healthcare, only to come out in support of it a few weeks later. Some backbone.

[world wide wally]

6. We've also become heartless, uncharitable, and vindictive to our fellow Americans

Cutting off free lunch for poor kids at school? That is a true sign of moral decay in the true sense of the word

[matt819]

14. Absolutely right

Just after I clicked post, I thought of the free lunch thing. I'm glad you added that. Really, what kind of society are we that we apply a means test for lunch for poor kids?

Let's add contempt for the homeless. I have volunteered at a homeless shelter for the past couple of years. Sure, there are some you might wonder about whey they're not working. But for most the reasons are clear - physical or mental disability - and too many, at all spots on the political spectrum, are ready to pretend they don't exist. It's sickening.

[lunatica]

7. This country has been in far worse condition historically

The Civil War nearly destroyed it. Our bipartisan bickering is nothing even close to that.

Americans thought owning slaves was acceptable

Americans thought women were nothing more than property. No rights. Not even as mothers or daughters. They were not considered heirs to their own parental estates. Their husbands inherited their wives parents estates. Women had no right over their children. Only the father had rights. Women and children were owned by their fathers and husbands.

No voting rights for Blacks, even long after they were freed. Women had no voting rights even after black men were given the right to vote.

The Great Depression brought this country to its knees until Franklin Roosevelt passed the New Deal which enabled everyone who wasn't filthy rich to get an education and well paying jobs which birthed and grew the Middle Class.

But yeah, I agree that times are very bad right now. Especially if we allow them to take away the rights we fought so hard for.

[matt819]

15. Granted

I was thinking the past 50 years, not the past 150 years.

Add population growth.

Access to fresh water. Strangely, that's going to become an issue here as it is in Africa.

[appalachiablue]

8. The reality is daunting any way you look at it. And it's not just age or attitude.

Add in fascist police state implementation; MIC and PIC; private debt skyrocketing; decline of the middle class, democratic institutions, social justice and civil liberties; staggering rise in income inequality, poverty and the global oligarchy; more climate disasters and disruptions; continued increase of chronic disease, antibiotic resistance and new contagious epidemics; massive toxins and pollutants in the air, water, soil, food and consumer products impacting life on the planet thanks to Monsatan and others. And it's all global. The picture looks grim, unless major change is implemented asap. It's a very tall order and we must face it and fight it.

[freebrew]

9. And still there are idiotic morons defending it...

see above.

[RadiationTherapy]

10. When commenting on hegemony, Slavoj Zizek characterizes the political arm thusly:

"I promise to change only that what needs to be changed in order for things to remain the same."

I am not sure if he was quoting someone, but it was quite a lightbulb moment for me when I heard it. Good luck to you and yours.

[Egnever]

11. Not me

I am inspired by the generation behind me

The ones I come in contact with are much less bigoted, are not nearly as manipulated by the TV they hardly watch it. They are much more likely to understand climate change and reflect that awareness in their life. They have access to information never before imagined. They have access to the rest of the world never before imagined.

Nah America will be just fine. We certainly have issues but I think this election year is finally the last gasp of the boomers. Going forward I think we will finally see the end of the over influence of that generation that has been screwing this country for a couple of decades now.

The Republican party is in shambles the Democrats are facing a recalibration as well. Religion is losing its influence.

I am actually much more optimistic going forward than I have been in a long time

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. There is no safety in the cosmos. Alan Watts

Not even in our exceptional 'Murka.

The Promised Land didn't live up to the promise.

[TrappedInUtah]

16. Key issues

I see some key issues that are destroying the heart of our nation.
-War on Terror and the continued erosion of our rights in the name of 'safety'.
-War on drugs and the emerging police state. Compared to other nations we have an ABSURD amount of citizens killed by police. The police are completely out of control and there's very little accountability. They'll just take your money or assets without even charging you with a crime(Prove it isn't drug money). They kick in doors and hold families at gunpoint over rumors that somebody was growing a damn plant on the property. An increasing amount of cops seem to have a "respect my authority or pay" viewpoint, which is also worrisome.
-The MIC and never ending wars. Our nation spends a CRAZY amount on our military while our infrastructure and social programs crumble.
-Increasing income inequality and big money in politics.

The only candidate who wanted to actually tackle these issues was Bernie, and he got screwed by super delegates and red states that don't vote dem in the general anyway.

[AZ Progressive]

17. Lets be fair about America...

One can only go far enough until karma catches up with him/her. America has done so much death and destruction around the world, it was only a matter of time that karma catched up to it. And I say this as a reluctant American native born citizen.