why do so many americans ...

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NO!

CONgress!

Oy, gevaldt...

OP, it's a little unusual to see residents of northern Ireland praising powerful centralized government. Wasn't there a whole "troubles" thing up there?

@ OP:

I'd agree with a lot of what lotuspuppy said and would also raise you these:

1) We're a country of 300 million spread out over a couple thousand miles and when you look at cultural and regional needs we're closer to several countries rather than one. Having all pegs jammed into the same round hole organizationally and budgetarily is excruciating. When you have a central government ruling over something the size of one of our larger states the cultural and geological/economic variances become more of a moot point.

2) Aggrevating those regional differences is a central government that's taken the teeth out of the check and balance that the states have against it (ie. 17th Amendment, 1913). Because of this we feel like we presently have a juggernaut on its hands, something like a golem with its own mind and will (a bit like what John Ralston Saul likes to say happens when the courtier/courtesan class gets so big that government's decisions start revolving around them more than anyone else). No one knows how to get it back under control.

True communism and true Islamic sharia have a very intimate commonality: proponents of both have said that neither have ever been done. Signs are neither group will ever stop saying that.

But ultimately, it's best when all our kids are doing well.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

America's politicians are largely motivated by greed and it's already made the middle class practically go homeless (in fact we're losing our house soon and it's largely because of the economy being so bad here), there are no blue collar jobs that would help support a family available because people just can't afford to pay their workers, and most other jobs that could are out of reach for those who haven't received college degrees, meanwhile the politicians and upper class are worried about their current tax breaks being taken away and/or not getting paid for a week or two. At this point, America might be better off without them.

But are the big business leaders any better? Remember, they were the ones who had so little regard for their own fellow Americans that they moved much of their business overseas, while breaking organized labor, rolling back pay and benefits, and hoarding more and more of the wealth in this country.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Humans are not individualists, capitalism is only 200 years old and is not an individualistic ideology. I do not like the government because it is a defender of tyranny. The government is the reason why bosses and landowners have control over the lives of others. Capitalists created the government to maintain their unjustified authority. Our communities do not need to be governed by capitalists/landowners and their lapdogs. Our communities need to reject centralized authority.

Same thing as to what's been going on in Ireland with the celtic tiger and banks hurting so much due to greed and corruption.

No, I agree they're not any better in terms of leadership and economy, but then they're also part of the upper class. I think at this point (if nothing else) there needs to be a law that makes a Maximum Wage so that big business owners and the upper class (including governmental income) would only make a set amount of money (say somewhere up to $500 Million/yr depending on average big business income cause I can't find any average numbers) regardless of where they earn it, if they live in america they'd have to comply, anything else would be returned to the lower and middle classes for those who need it. We'll call it the "Humanity Fund".

A maximum wage sounds good to me. Unfortunately, it would never pass in legislation.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

[youtube]removed by mod - too much swearing[/youtube]

I believe all the Europeans with balls (or ovaries, whatever) emigrated to America some time ago, which would explain the differing opinions on government.

Sadly no, but it's only because it would effect their saleries in an adverse way.
Greed is killing the middle class (and america in general for that matter).

In a sane economy wage is the price of labor, agreed upon voluntarily by the seller and the buyer.

Wages are a price and nothing more. Regulating wages is no different than price control.

ruveyn

I agree it may not sound ideal to some, but what's the alternative? I don't think one can put a price on the worth of people's livelihood (or lives for that matter). Regulating wages may be the only thing that would've saved the middle class and lower, since the upper class now has a monopoly on the money.

The one who hires a worker, has put a money price on the labor of the worker. The worker if he takes the job has agreed to the price and the working conditions.

Why do you make something simple more complicated than it needs to be?

ruveyn