A Great America - What Does That Mean?

[_Kevin Graham]

No dumbass median income is down since the financial collapse that happened thanks to the last Republican in office. You need a lesson in correlation/ causation.

Besides, since when do u give a damn about median income?

[_canpakes]

I think it refers to the general standard of living we once enjoyed as a country compared to other countries in the world. That standard has been declining for so long that this generation is the first to do worse than their parents.

If your standard of living improved at a certain rate over the last three decades, and another country that did not experience the same standard initially also saw theirs increase, but at a faster rate than ours although still not eclipsing it, then how does that have any affect on 'American Greatness'? Why would it matter if your standard of living is still increasing in the meantime?

Are you implying that your perception of happiness with your own standard of living is based on how much stuff other people in other countries have?

Based on this definition offered by you, what countries have passed America and its standard of living, enough to rant about the need to "make America great again"? What is it that makes those other countries greater?

What are you talking about? I'm not comparing America to other countries.

Maybe you should reread your post from earlier. Hint: the part where you seek to compare America to other countries is highlighted in red, above.

I'm comparing our parents generation to our generation. For a long time in this country people were achieving a better standard of living than their parents for many generations. That's not happening anymore. In fact median income is down since Obama took office back in 2008.

Can you name the government policies or actions that you believe caused that?

[_moksha]

A Great America - What Does That Mean?

As you know, in the Reformed Egyptian language Mormon means more better, being a combination of two words mor meaning more and mon meaning better.

In Reformed Egyptian A Great America might alternately be written as Mormon America.

A Great America being categorized as an empty platitude is depressing. The use of Reformed Egyptian in this instance seems warranted.

[_ajax18]

Can you name the government policies or actions that you believe caused that?

The lefts war on coal has hurt the incomes of many lower middle class miners in WV while doing little if anything to stop the advance of global warming. Our trade policies and globalization have pushed more and more factories to China and Latin America every year. We don't really produce much in America anymore. It seems we've been living on borrowed money for far too long. Eventually this will blow up in our face. A huge trade deficit against the US has been the norm for over 40 years. Open borders coupled with a generous welfare state has helped to drive down wages and increase the tax burden right here at home. Being burdened with policing the world while countries like Germany take advantage of the military burden we pay for hasn't helped things either. That's just a summary of why America is on the decline and why many young people are realizing they're not going to live as well as their parents did. At one time a family could get by on one income. Now both parents have to work just to allow you basic necessities. Sure a lot of things are cheaper than they were in the 1950s, but it doesn't make up for how much less jobs are paying in general.

[_The CCC]

So many groups coming from many areas inhabited many areas in the America's except a small group of maybe 20 Israelites.

There was a group from Japan about 6k years ago. Funny that such a small incursion didn't avoid both archaeological and DNA evidence. I left open some room for small incursions, but we know the major ones came through Alaska. It may have been more then one migration. An incursion of three groups in the Book of Mormon have avoided all archaeological and DNA evidence. Groups the book claims numbered in the millions at their height. Ya, I would say obvious fiction from just that alone even though there is a lot more.

DNA doesn't support your hypothesis.
SEe https://www.lds.org/topics/book-of-morm ... s?lang=eng

While it is certainly true that there is limited archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon. It is false that there is no archaeological evidence for it.
SEE http://www.jefflindsay.com/BMEvidences.shtml
SEE An Ancient American Setting For the Book of Mormon bu John L. Sorenson.
SEE http://www.fairmormon.org/perspectives/ ... -of-mormon

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

You know. People could just make decent decisions too instead of whining about life. I mean how much square footage and useless crap do we need anyway? Is materialism the measuring stick of success? Anyway, I'm on board with OP's post. Bigger perspective and big picture stuff is what makes life better for everyone. Asking all of us to pitch in and get it done isn't ridiculous; it's common sense.

- Doc

[_The CCC]

Doc.

Having sufficient for my needs is all I really need. Having enough for a few of my wants is nice too.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Doc.

Having sufficient for my needs is all I really need. Having enough for a few of my wants is nice too.

I agree, but at what point can we agree that our personal wants don't outweigh the personal needs of the many? For example, if I had to choose between driving a Range Rover or 'sacrifice' and drive a Ford Expedition because I'm helping to finance a new renewable energy grid then who is right? Which one is better for our country?

The idea that we think ourselves exceptionalists on every_single_level, and still maintain we're the greatest country in the world simply doesn't fly. If you want to travel fast, go by yourself, but if you want to travel far, go with others. Our country and its citizenry needs to know the difference between fleeting gains, and long-term national investments.

- Doc

[_Jersey Girl]

You know. People could just make decent decisions too instead of whining about life. I mean how much square footage and useless s*** do we need anyway?

I don't know about your part of the world, but in my location it's nearly impossible to find what I would call an average sized home for a decent price. I'm talking 1,500- 2,000 sq ft. The new construction in my area is overbuilt/overpriced crap on tiny patches of land so close together you could just about reach over and hold your neighbor's hand. Not only that, I've seen corner houses where half of the view in front is obstructed by the side of the house built in front of it.

I've never seen what's going on in the housing market right now ever before in my life. People are overbidding the asking price for existing homes and gone are the days of negotiating down from the asking price. I didn't believe it until I witnessed it with my own eyes.

[/rant]

[_ajax18]

I've never seen what's going on in the housing market right now ever before in my life. People are overbidding the asking price for existing homes and gone are the days of negotiating down from the asking price. I didn't believe it until I witnessed it with my own eyes.

That's happening where I live in spite of the loss of high paying jobs due to falling oil prices. My first impression is that if you overbid the asking price and the owner still doesn't get back to you, the owner probably didn't want to sell to bad. Or were did they really have someone outbidding the overbidder?