I am pretty much on the verge of just giving up

[The Straight Story]

Fuck it (excuse my hood english there).

42 years old and the same old song and dance routine my whole life: schools still suck, gays still can't serve openly in the military, health care problems in this country leave many people hanging out to dry (try seeing a neurologist with no insurance after getting laid off), SSDI still takes on avg over 2 years for someone to get, homelessness is still a big problem, and the list goes on (feel free to add your own).

Bail out - sure, problem comes up and congress rushes to fix it. People suffering day to day - 'well, we will work on it, maybe not this year but give us some time'. Schools still suffering, same thing.

And sure, bush will be out soon - but it did not start with him and he only signs the laws in that congress sends him.

We the people can yell, get active, and elect people - and yet it still seems like more of the same shit, different year.

Progress takes time? 42 years is a long time for major issues like poverty and health care and rights for our gay brothers and sisters. Keep your powder dry - then when we get power it is "Don't push too hard, we might lose next time, slow steps are better than none..." but when it comes to wall street it is hurry up and pass stuff - same with defense and patriot act, war in Iraq, etc.

We have a huge crisis in this country - but I guess the poor aren't a good 'investment', helping them won't get us anything I suppose. Free trade, ship jobs overseas, and watch us folks crash and then sit back and do nothing while sipping expensive wine with an investment company's lobbyist.

We the people has been replaced by We the Corporations and lobbyists.

Oh I'll vote this year, but I don't have much hope that things will change in a huge way.

The sad thing is, it is not just the repubs making this happen.

Never knew what it felt like to be a minority until now - your views, needs, wants, are all pestering little things to those in power. How you feel, the help you need, it is all your own fault. Unless you are part of the privileged class like defense, oil, banks, etc.

We the people have lost power. The allure of big money to those elected is just too much perhaps.

Someday...maybe when my daughter is my age, this country will rise to it's full potential.

[leftyladyfrommo]

1. We, the people, haven't had any power for a long, long time.

But this bunch in power right now are the worst we have ever had. They have taken the concept of greed to a whole new level.

I want them all to go to prison for the rest of their lives. Really. They are more dangerous than any felons in our federal prisons.

[LaurenG]

2. Hold on, it's just a few short weeks till the election,

there will be changes and life will get better. One thing I do know for sure is "things change" and they will.

Huge changes take time, it's coming, things will change. In the meantime, just start enjoying your life, your family, all the things that bring you pleasure. Don't play with negative thoughts for a day, just relax and enjoy your life for 24 hours.

It's going to get better.

[Naturalist]

3. Yea this site is for people who want to hear themselves talk.

We need a petition urgently to stop this crap. We need to take out Government back. But you are right. It's all talk and no will to do anything. Some people like to hear themselves talk, to vent but do nothing about it. I hope it turns around and someone with the education can draft a petition that would stop this madness and take the government back correctly but I too agree with you. No one wants to vote a 3rd party candidate in. They're too scared.

[The Straight Story]

6. Actually, we have a lot of activists here

the problem is the people we get in break promises way too much.

[Naturalist]

7. All it takes is a petition!

Then when we hand it to them we can find out if it has to resort to force. WE NEED TO PETITION NOW!

[uppityperson]

12. What petition will solve this?

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. And when we do rise up and protest george's evil agenda, what happens?

Not a Damn thing we want, happens because george and his merry band of thieves doesn't give a rat's ass what we the people want. We don't matter to them, at all! george is the dictator/decider and we don't matter.

[OmahaBlueDog]

4. Schools vs. Stadiums

Have you ever noticed that, when an NFL or MLB team want a new venue, they can generally strong arm some city into ponying up $200M to $800M, and the justification is always "Well... the economic impact from getting to host the -- FITB - Super Bowl, World Cup, Final Four, etc. - justify the outlay."

Just try to get that same funding to invest in replacing crumbling schools. It won't happen.

[NOLALady]

5. Welcome to the minority world.

[TooBigaTent]

8. About 15 years older than you, but I feel the same. I have been fighting this battle since

the 60s, and so little (positive) seems to have been accomplished.

Sure, there are minor improvements. But compared to where I hoped we would progress - we have gotten NOWHERE. Hell, even compared to where we COULD HAVE gotten if only our party really was what we were deluded enough to think it was, it has been a dismal failure. The Democratic party that is supposed to represent the "people" instead of the corps is a full-blown partner in the destruction.

If Amerika was worth saving and had a population that was half as dedicated to its own welfare as Europeans are, the only thing falling on Wall Street would be the corpses of the financial industry cretins. People of other nations have risen up against their corrupt governments for far less than we have tolerated.

But we are the lambs who willingly go to the slaughter because it is scheduled to occur after the latest American Idol episode.

Give your daughter the help she needs to escape this place. Amerika is NOT the world, fortunately.

[Wednesdays]

9. We've been at this for a long time, and we're near the finish line

Give it until at least January 21st before giving up. At that point, if nothing significant changes then, I'll be with you 100 percent.

[samuraiguppy]

11. I am looking into other countries

You should think about it too. If I have learned anything it is that you can't count on Amerikkka

[Warpy]

13. Think about how we old Boomers feel

When we got out of high school there was another poorly considered and unwinnable war across the planet, but the New Deal protections were still in place and the general feeling was once we'd done our duty/gone to college/settled down that life would continue the way it had for our parents, the American dream of earning and ownership followed by decent retirement was achievable.

Fast forward to now. Our wages were depressed, we were forced into debt if we wanted to raise and educate children, we owe more than we own, our pensions either evaporated or were robbed outright, and now they want to take Social Security away, leaving us nothing.

We've also faced the corporate retirement age of 50-55, that age when we're no longer considered worthy of work that pays enough for subsistence, and many of us are working a couple of low level jobs with no benefits to stay alive just when our health is beginning to give us serious problems.

We remember when this country was better. We remember when this country didn't hate its citizens. We remember when we were allowed to hope. We remember when we felt like we mattered.

You think you're depressed? Wait another 20 years if we haven't managed to get these traitors and thieves out of government and into prison.

[onethatcares]

14. ya know, warpy I feel the same way.

I bought into the get out of school, work hard, raise a family, save a little money and just try to live right and things would be ok, but NO, THE CORPORATIONS OWN EVERYTHING AND DON'T EVEN WANT US TO HAVE THE CRUMBS ANYMORE. I never thought the country would devolve so fast. Peace

[asdjrocky]

15. I tried to find it on Youtube with no luck.

But if you get a chance to watch Truman's acceptance speech in what I think was the 48 election you'll be amazed. He is complaining about a Republican House blocking effort on job creation, health care, and more money for education.

All the stuff we're talking about today. Right now. You could take almost the exact words and it would play perfectly today, sixty years later.