Brewology

So, I keep hearing people yelling that they want new officials to represent America because they want better rules for us. Now, let's forget about saying which people should have power, let's talk about policies. What needs to be done to fix America?
Do not say you want Palin to be president or Ron Paul or Obama to be impeached or whatever. We're not talking about people. We're talking about things that can be done to make our country better.

i say we should mimic the governments of some European countries, such as England they have a stable economy over there because the government actually cares about the people. Here its more like hey they elected us but who cares?

Okay, but in which ways should we emulate other countries?

for one free healthcare like Canada, ok yeah they have higher taxes than us but still its worth it in my opinion especially fro those that come from low to no income families that can't afford health insurance, also lower the trade restrictions ok yes our tough restrictions don't allow for counterfeits and knock offs but still at least lift embargoes on some of the countries.

I think we need to get rid of our current government and start over. We need to get back to the ideals and principals that this country was built on. We have gotten so far away from what the US stood for, it's insane... and I don't know how anyone can live and be happy with how much the government intrudes in our lives.

i agree brent. everyone seems to think we live in a Democracy but we don't its a Republic and as a Republic we have the right to get rid of our government and institute a new one, however the only people that are attempting that are considered Homegrown Terrorist Groups.

I have to disagree with the free healthcare, I remember when we talked about that a while ago with yunoko who commented on how terrible their healthcare is. One aspect of it is that giving away more free things to help out the poorest of the poor won't help at all because the government will only be spending even more money. If that money is coming from taxes then your basically asking the rest of the population to pay for others healthcare. I personally like the competitiveness of doctors and hospitals because it makes them strive for better services therefore increasing their income.

I like what brent said though, and something I would like to see the government focus on though is focus helping the low working class and poor in our country become more self sustaining. Like for instance focus on what could help make those poor people afford healthcare as opposed to just moving their burden onto the rest of the public. I'm no economist though, but I'd be interested in seeing some sort of change for those poor that don't have jobs and are living off welfare and giving them the ability to generate income by doing something meaningful.Improving our infrastructure is also important imo but I guess getting money for that would be pretty challenging right now.

What needs to be done in America?

First of all, people need to educate themselves on how things are supposed to operate and not go along with what they have been told. They need to understand the process on how government is supposed to work.

There needs to be more accountability accross the board. Politicians need to be held to account when they go agains the constituence and even the media needs to be held to accout when it fails to report properly.

People in general see things that are wrong and thik "that's terrible" but they rarely discuss it with their peers.

It seems that the only thing that's ok to be discussed is whatever happened on prime time tv the night before and professional sports which in my opinion is a big waste of time.

Thanks for reading.

I'm Canadian, but I personally think you guys need to start a revolution. America in my eyes, died with JFK.

Ace: I love our health care, and most others here do. I have no idea what it is like in Toronto, but I know for a fact that here in Vancouver, you just walk in, show your care card, and they treat you on the spot, almost instantly without ANY waiting period. DEFIANTLY worth it in my opinion. I've walked in off the street because of a headache before, and gotten free Tylenol. lol

Diehard, Ace: I, too, have heard only good things from actual citizens about the health care there. It's great that you guys can walk in and get free help without waiting or paying extremely large payments.
It's funny... Monopolies and trusts are illegal in America, yet the hospitals all work with a trust. There's no way to get cheaper help without being forced to pay even more money to a 3rd party group. How come I'm forced to pay money to two people if I need help now? Some places will only help you if you have insurance and that isn't fair to anyone, but dumb ol' average Joe is going to continue paying because that's what everyone else does.

Brent: This thread is actually about what we can do realistically. While I support what you say, I don't see it being realistic or a rational approach. Over time, we can fix any error we have in our government.

Que: How would you go about educating America if you had the opportunity? I want to hear actual processes instead of just concepts. I hate how no one knows where Syria is on a map or who our last vice president was, but what would you do in our school system or even media?

but crait... its only unrealistic because no one will take the necessary steps to do so. It is VERY possible to do this if people were motivated enough. It's not like the founding fathers had some mystical power that enabled them to rebel against the British and form their own country with their own government. We aren't lacking anything now that they had then.

The problem is no one can open their eyes and see what's going on. You say you want free healthcare... yes, you get a sniffle and they'll hook you up with some medicine. You start getting along in age, and suddenly the government decides whether it's cost effective to keep you alive. The government now determines your worth. That's why there are many terminally ill patients that come from Canada, UK, and other countries to get care here.

All these programs the government has to "help" people, is doing the opposite. It's making people DEPENDENT on the government. The way social programs are designed, there's no exit strategy. They don't cut off benefits after so long, there's no built in goal to wean you off of support. People just keep getting in line to get their free money from the government, and don't do a damn thing to change their condition and get themselves off of government assistance.

Every "protection" the government provides, is essentially another form of control. Some control, is necessary obviously. I want the government to restrict people's freedom to kill, steal, etc and in return I give them the power to judge and sentence. But the government has stepped so f**king far over the line, it's crazy!

A government gets its power FROM THE PEOPLE, not the other way around. WE decide what our government is allowed to do. THAT'S THE FOUNDING PRINCIPAL OF OUR COUNTRY!

Brent, I see it as unrealistic because it will take much too time to actually go through with it. Even if everyone decides to get a new system, it will still take time. Much, much time with anarchy and chaos. That's how I see it as a non-option. (I'm completely disregarding the fact that many of the settlers still wanted to be ruled by the British.)

I like how you mention that many people come here for health care... You see... It works both ways. Many people from America are going to Canada to get free healthcare! People are coming here because we have more specialists. That's the difference between a D1 and D2 college football team. (There's more people to pick from.)

Are you suggesting that you want the government to suddenly tell people of a certain age that they cannot be helped?
Or, are you suggesting that we continue to have nearly the highest prices in the world for health care?
I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable average to these two extremes, but it seems like you're one or the other.
I'd love for some president to come along and make it illegal for doctors to charge $100 to go in for a cold.

And the reason we set the government up was to protect us. We were indirectly protecting ourselves because we are the government. It shields us from people coming and taking our belongings, people getting away with murder, and hooligans from raping our wives. This protection is why so many people fight for their country. If it offered no security, then why would you want to live here? Why would illegal immigrants come here? If I wasn't safe, I'd leave in a heartbeat.
This thread is asking about the policies that you think need change in them. Which ones do you find need to be removed because they offer false hope or false protection? What parts of their feet have stepped over this line? I'd like to hear specifics. I think the same way you have about this... for instance, the government is supposed to protect us from companies bankrupting us. They are not allowed to have trusts or monopolies. That's why there needs to be a better health care system that cannot charge so much money.

I totally agree with your very last paragraph. Who disagreed with that point?

For people like myself that has a life threating ailment with no insurance it can be tough to get treatment for it. i have Hemophilia in case ya'll were wondering it means my blood doesn't clot right the smallest scrape could be fatal to me. so yes i think we need a new form of healthcare and like Brent said the Government gets it power from the people but they haven't been FOR the people in a long, long time. now i'm not promoting Anarchy i am however stating that when push comes to shove maybe a Republic isn't whats best for the United States at this point in time.

All police must be killed.

F*ck the police comin' straight from tha undagrouunnndd.

-DarkPacMan77-