Why is America a backward country?

[Admiral Loinpresser]

Bernie can't frame the discussion in this way, but I can, because I am not running. While we have made important gains in inclusivity (e.g. LGBT rights), but politically and economically, we have fallen very far.

Why is our health care system an expensive joke? Why is a Republican candidate in danger of being banned from the UK? Why are we a rogue super power addicted to regime change against all international law? Why do we lead the world in childhood poverty and incarceration?

Why do native people on some reservations have a life expectancy of a third world country? Why aren't white Americans referred to as terrorists when they engage in terrorism? Why do we subsidize Big Oil while it is destroying the planet? Why don't we have universal voter registration? Why is our electoral system based on legalized bribery? Why are corporate media licensed while having plain biases in opposition to the public interest in free and fair debates and fair reportage? Why is our public educational system under funded and our voters abysmally under-informed? Why are people expected to work for starvation wages?

[padfun]

1. The simple reason?

Because a very few rich families want it that way, and they paid very well for it.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

24. more than a billion dollars every year and more than 30 "think tanks"...

they plan - think long term - relentlessly push on many issues

they control the framing

[rusty quoin]

2. It took a long time to get to this place. It's what the very rich wants...more for them.

[closeupready]

3. This is a valid question. You have to consider US history

in order to attempt an answer.

Among some privileged classes in Europe, you'll sometimes hear that America is where they sent their human garbage. That characterization is obviously problematic, but is there a kernel of truth in the idea that American culture was borne out of savagery? Who knows. It's too fraught a political minefield to really discuss honestly.

[elleng]

4. Political parties and social media,

for 2 things.

[onecaliberal]

5. Stupid is as stupid does.

The sheeple don't both to inform themselves about what is going on. Large parts of the country hold deep contempt for education and fact. The wealth in this country has taken great advantage of that.

[uponit7771]

6. Pixie Dust Politics, when people are asked specifics they can give non answers or "revolution" or

... something like it

[Ron Green]

7. Do you respond to every post with this?

???

[uponit7771]

10. Until Sanders gives specifics? Yeah... why not? tia

[hobbit709]

12. Seems like it, doesn't it?

[Admiral Loinpresser]

15. I don't understand your point.

Can you be specific about issues? Are you arguing that America is not backward? Or that we are backward, but it is Bernie's fault. Either of those positions seem indefensible to me. But maybe I misinterpreted your point.

[uponit7771]

16. No plan on getting anything past the historically GOP gerrymandered congress, no plan on getting

... docs, pharma and hospitals to accept nearly half of what they make right now and no plan on bringing in women, blacks, Hispanics, gays and non white male poor to his message.

Just to name a few

[Admiral Loinpresser]

19. So your point has essentially no relevance to the OP. Nonetheless,

I will respond. Let's start with "docs, pharma and hospitals." Please provide evidence that Bernie is advocating that doctors and hospitals should have their revenue cut in half. I'm confident that you cannot.

As to Big Pharma, they must have big cuts shoved down their throats by any political means necessary, such as shutting down the Congressional offices of GOP members who won't budge, as well as other means of legal harassment. Bernie will have good coattails. Hillary will not, as reflected in how much better he performs in polls against Trump and Rubio than Hillary does.

As to your claim of no plan on the current GOP Congress, this is a generic argument against any Dem nominee. Please see the coattail comments above as to Bernie.

As to your claim that Bernie has no plan to bring his message to oppressed people, you are simply wrong. He does have a plan (or perhaps many plans) and he is making gains every day.

[uponit7771]

21. Yeah it does, people who believe his Pixie Dust Politics are one of the reasons why the country is

... so backwards.

People not listening and voting for people they relate to and not for people with a plan that's practical and helps the middle class.

Lets start with your first line,

If you read Sanders plan his "savings" is from where?! Private HCI is only 200 billion of the 1.7 trillion spent on HC every year in this country... where is all the savings supposed to come from so we no longer are going to be a deductible for the mean salary?!!?

I'll wait

"As to Big Pharma, they must have big cuts shoved down their throats by any political means necessary,"

Sigh... so the historically gerrymandered GOP congress which MATHEMATICALLY can NOT be affected by Sanders coat tails is going to open their throats or even give Sanders the time of day will some how agree to this crap!?!?!

More pixie dust politics and that's NOT a plan... its wishful thinking and a lot of bluster... you're not going to shut any of their offices down and if it can be done that wont influence their votes... they don't have to care.. they're gerrymandered into their seats for half a generation of Americans... what about that does Sanders camp NOT understand!?

As to your claim of no plan on the current GOP Congress, this is a generic argument against any Dem nominee. Please see the coattail comments above as to Bernie.

Ummmm no, HRC is going to take unilateral measures around congress... they don't have deal with her and vise versa... Sanders will soon follow her lead

As to your claim that Bernie has no plan to bring his message to oppressed people, you are simply wrong. He does have a plan (or perhaps many plans) and he is making gains every day.

A 25 point spread in IA after 3 months of campaigning there isn't making gains, I don't care if he started at - 123423 billion... that's a bad number from a demo that's needed.

HRC has large numbers with women, blacks, Hispanics, gays and cute puppies...

Sanders... well... you know

[Admiral Loinpresser]

23. My prediction was correct.

You documented nothing about health care. That's because your characterization of Bernie's health care plan is not based in reality. Where will the savings come from other than major reductions in drug prices? I'm no expert, but I know that we have a lot of waste due to unneeded paper shufflers due to a bizarre and enormously complex system. When you go to the doctor in Europe, you don't have to talk to 3-5 people about health insurance. So we need to cut these needless jobs and put people to work in day care and rebuilding infrastructure and new green jobs.

I reject your premise that the gerrymandering prevents any change in Congressional composition. I hope you're not right. If you are, it's time to move to Canada.

BTW, Pixie Dust is thinking that Business As Usual means anything except death and additional misery for Americans. This bullshit is simply unsustainable. The whole goddamn system.

What are Hillary's "unilateral measures?"

Hillary has shrinking numbers in all demographics. She has trouble holding on to a lead, as evidenced in 2008 and in this cycle. This pattern is similar, except I think Bernie started with even lower name recognition than Obama. Plus we haven't seen the last fallout from the emails by a long shot. Her high negatives will get her like they did last time.

I'm sure we could keep going back and forth, but perhaps we should agree to disagree. I need to get some sleep so I can be productive for the campaign tomorrow.

[BuelahWitch]

8. The prominence of religion, especially in the south and midwest

Anybody waving a Bible can convince these people who and what to vote for. Don't you think that's one reason we got Sam Brownstain for a governor?
After living in a somewhat agnostic environment in Lawrence, KS I've been thrown into small town religious nuttery about 40 miles south due to illness. These are people who don't believe Hillary should run for President for the simple reason that she's a woman and "we should leave that sort of thing to the men." This came from a 40+ year old woman who has had some education, but apparently not enough to develop any critical thinking skills.

[Duppers]

22. ^^This^^

Ab.so.lute.ly !!

[Recursion]

9. We see ourselves as France but we're much closer to Brazil

Demographically, geographically, and historically. We're a post-colonial country; we just happen to be an exceptionally powerful one.

[Armstead]

11. Because we lost our collective sense of moral values

Individually many of us are good decent people.

But somehow as a society we've let amoral assholes take over and bring out the worst in us collectively...which becomes a vicious circle

[Snarkoleptic]

13. Carlin nailed it...

[Snarkoleptic]

14. Naturally, the corporatocracy has tighted it's grip since Carlin did

this piece. Citizens United vs. FEC, money = free speech, don't ya know.

[Ron Green]

17. Market, State, and Church are way out of balance.

Our Founders had a good Lockean mix of the "body, mind, and spirit" (corresponding to the institutions above) of society, but our story has played out askew, probably due to the vast amount of wealth in the continent we've exploited.

Instead of the three parts of our national personality keeping each other in harmony and in check, the Market (our id, if you will, to use Freud), has taken over both the Church - it's all Joel Osteen now, not Bishop Sheen - and the State (supply your own examples.)

So we been chasing dollars for so long we don't know how to build and nurture healthy communities, pay attention in school, or outgrow porn.

[CharlotteVale]

18. The Puritans came here.

[JPnoodleman]

20. America is not necessarily backward....

This isn't exactly the correct question. Since about the 1890's the country has become increasingly beholden to business and moneyed interests as they have seen themselves and America as the vehicle for a global, International Capitalist system. Not to say I'm a flaming red, but it is there, the Global System is ostensibly about markets, profits and capital.

More over America is also a land struggling with its core identity. With no obvious "Officially American," ethnicity. And the indigenous Americans being essentially targets for Annihilation by an English colonial elite and colonist population. The core elite have struggled to figure out what America is. Europeans are not really "White People," and White People is an American idea. An Idea to try and unite and homogenized 100+ cultures and languages into a repackaged version of pioneer Englishness.

Today America is a project without a clear purpose and without a clear goal. Global Capitalism has become so wedded to our culture that it is the Culture, since America has no native culture to speak of which its population (Almost entirely colonist descended) has no unified culture. Unlike Russia which had a primal and ancient culture before and after communism we are unsure of what we are without "the Free Market."