What do you think is the biggest problem in America today? (Policies! Not leader!)

[Tycoon101]

In my opinion, when religion influences politics, especially at the detriment of science, it is a bad thing. And it's happening in the United States. So that's why I think religion is the biggest problem in America: not per se, but because of its unhealthy influence in politics and goverment.

I can see your point, I fully support scientific studies. But they need a moral guideline so they do not devolve into a Nazi concentration camp sort of science. If there are set morals that must not be gone over, there will be no worries of someone taking innocent lves in the name of science: a proposition I will not tolerate.
Politically religeon is very influential, but as you can see- it is in a slow decline in America, so I think that your secular future may come true in 100 years.

 

[Masquerouge]

I can see your point, I fully support scientific studies. But they need a moral guideline so they do not devolve into a Nazi concentration camp sort of science. If there are set morals that must not be gone over, there will be no worries of someone taking innocent lves in the name of science: a proposition I will not tolerate.
Politically religeon is very influential, but as you can see- it is in a slow decline in America, so I think that your secular future may come true in 100 years.

I'm pretty happy with the secular present in my country right now

And I'm not sure that moral guidelines have to be religious, but that's a subject for another thread!

 

[Kozmos]

Claiming innocent lives in a war and other bs is A okay, but god forbid we take inoocent lives for the progress of science and betterment of mankind.

 

[nihilistic]

It's education. It's not just crappy general education itself but the general disinterest and disdain in education and knowledge itself, especially scientific education and knowledge. The reality of anti-intellectualism that has grippled the US has now meshed with many of hte ultra-religious groups, creating a large bloc of people with an neo-medieval world view that twists the US culturally and politically onto a path of deterioration. With Bush's re-election, it was clear Bush and co. weren't the ultimate cause of all this madness, that they were merely the symptoms of a voting populace disinterested in reality, a voting populace more loyal to their party affiliation, their religious convictions, and their idolatry than to their country, the reality they live in, and justice.

 

[Tenochtitlan]

I agree it is a problem. But i dont think our economy would collapse if we lost a lot of foriegn investment. We are reliably self suffiecent if need be.

No. Dependence on foreign oil is increasing. The US imports more than 58% of its oil. If it cuts its foreign supply energy it means it has to be able to live on 42% energy capacity, which I believe can be problematic.

 

[amadeus]

It's the government. The party in power has little actual control over it.

If you look at the problems with schools, it isn't the phantom "religious fanatics" that are destroying science, that's just a scapegoat used by left-wing demagogues to bash religion and praise statism at the same time.

The U.S. health system has been paralyzed in part due to heavy litigation from malpractice lawsuits and government interference. The one place the government refuses to interfere, of course, is stopping the flood of massive malpractice suits that leads doctors to raise their prices dramatically. You'd never get a good publicly-funded system in this country with all of the red tape we run.

Both parties are afraid of being "racist" by protecting America from a foreign invasion. They see a need to appease the Latino population by being weak on immigration issues, all the while the majority of Americans are not being heard in Washington.

 

[Spartan117]

education...better education will likely result in less of the other problems

 

[aaglo]

If too much capitalism translates "greed for money", then that's my choise (because that's the picture I'm getting from america).

 

[Abaddon]

Xanikk, i must say i love how you completely ignore what other people put, and simply say your own points again!!!


Education is the base of everything.

Greater understanding for science
Greater acceptance of other cultures
Greater respect for environment
Greater respect for heath
eg,eg,eg, i could go on.


Immigrant children are just as clever as citizen's chilren, they are no drain on the system. If fact the general desire to improve their lives fuels a stronger zeal to learn than most "local" kids.

 

[friskymike]

Where was the option for being "addicted to oil"?

BTW there is a progressive grassroots activism campaign to change energy policies, [url="http://energyfutura.blogspot.com/2006/05/practical-legislative-action-plan.html]check it out[/url]

 

[bhsup]

Biggest problem is the Federal government being involved in issues which it has absolutely no business being involved in at the expense of State's rights. Education, health care, social security, and so forth.

 

[Tenochtitlan]

Biggest problem is corporate power having increasing influence in the councils of government.

 

[ComradeDavo]

Oh man. I seriously can't choose just one poll option. As a non-US citizen i see so many problems, even mroe than my own country, and given the number of British politics threads I can start thats alot!

I suppose the number 1 think needs doing in the US is a move towards a UK style wealfare state, when I look at America I see huge gaps between rich and poor and it shocks me to see medical costs and so on that people have to pay. This would of course ecompase Education as well (which I see is alot of people's 'problem') as a wealfare state means paying more taxes in return for free healthcare and education and public service investment.

America seems so paranoid about paying higher taxes, but thats what i think it needs. If anything it will boost your economy has it helps to lift many people off the povertyy line, at leats to the extent where a broken leg with no medical insurance compeltely ruins someones life.

 

[Kayak]

Biggest problem is corporate power having increasing influence in the councils of government.

You got to it before I did. Corporations are now treated as individuals in our society.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

I really had a hard time choosing between national debt and education. I went with debt because education funding often depends on the overall economic climate while complete idiots have been known to make lots of money.

 

[MobBoss]

This type of thread comes up every few months and once more my choice didnt make the poll.

In my opinion, the biggest problem America has today is: Apathy.

Barring that choice, I put down that everything is just fine.

 

[tomsnowman123]

The political system in general is greatly flawed, it is corrupting civilization and life. While it is better then other countries, it has way too many problems to simply be fixed.

 

[JerichoHill]

I agree it is a problem. But i dont think our economy would collapse if we lost a lot of foriegn investment. We are reliably self suffiecent if need be.

The economy would be severely hurt if we lost foreign investment overnight.

Badly.

That is all.

 

[betazed]

the biggest problem in America today (or for that matter in pretty much any democratic nation) is... democracy (or rather the method in which it is practiced).

The world today is enormously complex. With 6+ billion people trying to live in it in an ever changing environment the situation gets even more complex every day. Take a look at the list of problems mentioned in the poll choices of this thread. Many of them are interlinked. They cannot be solved piecemeal. You would need a holistic approach. You would need a scientific approach.

The average Joe/Jane with an IQ of 100 is miserably equipped to even understand the problems - or even realize that there is a problem - much less decide on which solutions are best. To ask him to vote on these solutions (at least indirectly) seems ridiculous. The complexity of the society we live in increases continuously and at a rapid rate whereas there is no reason to believe that the average IQ is increasing that fast (or even increasing at all).

 

[tomsnowman123]

the biggest problem in America today (or for that matter in pretty much any democratic nation) is... democracy (or rather the method in which it is practiced).

All forms of government provide problems, that is why anarchy is needed.