Are we really losing our rights as Americans ?

[TritonAL186]

The reason why I'm asking this . I met a 87 year old citizen of South Pittsburg this morning, sat down and had a conversation with this fellow. He told me that we are losing our rights in this country. I asked him how ? He stated that the government is telling us how to live , what to wear , what to drive ,what to eat, how to speak and pretty soon , where to live too . He said that they are brain washing us to do whatever they want us to do whether we like it or not , by giving us the wrong information.

Do you guys really believe this ? I know that this GO GREEN issue has gone to far and that the government is really not telling us the truth behind it all .
What do you guy think ? Does this fellow really know what he is talking about or is it just another crazy man's opinion. One thing I will tell you , he had some good ideas how to straigthen up this country...

 

[Shankopotamus]

In a word-DUH! If you DON'T believe it, you're not paying attention!

 

[beetlespin]

We are moving toward a more socialist nation. Many of the things we are moving toward are already in place in Europe. We are not even close though. The greem movement is not really the problem though.

 

[Possum]

With pure capitalism failing in America in the late 1920's, and Communism, in the late 1980's, Most major world economies have moved to mixed economic systems. We have been moving toward socialism for the last 80 years i.e., Social security, FICA, Welfare, Unemployment ins., TVA, Corp. substides, Grants, Farm Aid, Medicade, Medicare, and so on. All safety nets to prevent total eclapse of and economy during a downturn. I know alot of you hate paying taxes as much as I do, we make the wages we do here and in Euope because we have a stable economy, government, and infrastructure, all of witch cost money. In America we will continue to increase the standard of living of Americans. As far as the government telling people how to live, last time I checked, I bought my own clothes, car, and food.
Problem is everytime we get a Democrate in office, everyone enjoys the luxuries of our great nation while a Republican is in office spending away with no complaints, but as soon as a Democrate takes office somehow they are responsible for people paying taxes.

 

[Jason F-18]

Just a note on the subtelties of gov't control:

We bought an '08 4Runner this year. It has the tire pressure monitoring system on it, which is pretty cool. Until the light came on the first cold morning and the spare lost a few pounds and tripped the sensor. When researching the system online, I found out that it is now LAW that ALL new cars sold in the US after 2007 must have this system on them. Also that legislation is in progress to allow fines for people who drive with thei light on. Really??? What for??? These sensors cost $150 per wheel!!! I'm sure the owner of the patent is probably a family member of some politician. I know that driving on underinflated tires can be hazardous, but how many deaths does it actually cause per year.

Am I crazy for thinking this way?

 

[Possum]

Should have bought a Ford.

 

[SpurHunter]

Possum - 11/19/2009 1:16 PM Should have bought a Ford.

</p>

Yes sir, the only Capitalist US owned car company that is making a profit. </p>

 

[elwestb]

[ "As far as the government telling people how to live, last time I checked, I bought my own clothes, car, and food."}

...you got to make your purchases from what the Gov. and it's regulations allows you to select from!

 

[Guest]

elwestb - 11/19/2009 12:26 PM [ "As far as the government telling people how to live, last time I checked, I bought my own clothes, car, and food."} ...you got to make your purchases from what the Gov. and it's regulations allows you to select from!

</p>

This is the way it has always been, buy whatever is in the stores or advertised on tv, no claims are made by the government one way or the other, nothing has changed. The only thing that has changed is that we get too much information by way of the internet.</p>

 

[Bprice]

I love government cheese.

 

[Jason F-18]

Ha, Fords have em too! I'll put a 'Yota up against any Ford for longevity. Though I do applaud Ford for sticking to their guns and not taking the gov't spoon fed BS. Now they are starting to make cars that are attractive and well priced and that's why they are doing better that GM and Crysler. AS long as the UAW is around, I don't think they will continuw being able to compete with the imports. Thank goodness VW is not unionized here.

 

[Guest]

Don't knock the unions untill you have tried them. I have worked union all my life, didn't get any fancy treatment or get rich by any means, we had pretty good conditions is about all. If you work you stay if not you are gone. If it rained you worked in it if you wanted a pay day. No paid holidays, no vacations and you went to where the work was. This is just another republican scare tactic as always. Most people just hear about the scare stories. If it wasn't for unions no one would be making what they are now. They are not perfect by any means just like any other place you work. VW has got it made, got all the property given to them, got the county and state to give them a free ride on taxes for 30 or 40 years, build new highways to the plant at no cost to them, work who they want to. When the hiring is completed, see who has got the jobs, it won't be many around here. Those 1200 jobs will disapear like a fart in a whirlwind.

 

[Jason F-18]

It's not the workers that suffer in the unions. They certainly don't get rich either, but the union reps rake money in, all in the name of helping "the little man". The one who ultimately suffers is the company who has to pay over $80 per hour for an employee getting paid less than $20 (according to an article I read earlier this yera, will try to find the link). We won't even start on the thousands of GM employees in the "labor pool" that get paid to show up and sit in a break room. Don't get me wrong, there have been unions that have done good things to advance the fair treatment of employees, but some of the huge ones like the UAW keep American companies from being as competitive as they could be.

 

[RattleTrapper]

jtablada - 11/19/2009 6:25 PM

It's not the workers that suffer in the unions. They certainly don't get rich either, but the union reps rake money in, all in the name of helping "the little man". The one who ultimately suffers is the company who has to pay over $80 per hour for an employee getting paid less than $20 (according to an article I read earlier this yera, will try to find the link). We won't even start on the thousands of GM employees in the "labor pool" that get paid to show up and sit in a break room. Don't get me wrong, there have been unions that have done good things to advance the fair treatment of employees, but some of the huge ones like the UAW keep American companies from being as competitive as they could be.

Amen, unions were absolutely needed at one time, but that time has long since passed. Does anyone think that it is a coincidence that Detroit, Chicago and New England cities have been the hardest hit from the recession while also being the most heavily unionized areas of the country?

 

[TritonAL186]

Guys , Please don't turn this into a pissing contest. I am new to this town and to this beautiful state of TN , I was just puzzled on how this old fellow thinks , especially from this small town of South Pittsburg. I still believe in my heart that this country is the best country to live in . Yes , we have our problems , but nothing like the other countries out there . I love my country and always will......emoUSA

Now let's go fishing .............. emoAngler

 

[elwestb]

... it is good cheese!

 

[Jason F-18]

TritonAL186 - 11/19/2009 8:11 PM

Guys , Please don't turn this into a pissing contest. I am new to this town and to this beautiful state of TN , I was just puzzled on how this old fellow thinks , especially from this small town of South Pittsburg. I still believe in my heart that this country is the best country to live in . Yes , we have our problems , but nothing like the other countries out there . I love my country and always will......emoUSA

Now let's go fishing .............. emoAngler

Don't worry, no contest. I love this country as well, but feel very strongly about the direction of this country. You see, my father is from Cuba and his parents left when Castro came into power. They didn;t come over in a bathtub like so many have been forced to do. They were wealthy business owners who left everything behind for the dream of Freedom in America. Thanks to Capitalism in America, my grandfather was able to get a degree in Engineering from LSU and went on to build a well known electrical engineering company. He also put two sons though college who are both now very successful. They did all this while living in a two bedroom house for 8 years with 14 people. They did not have handouts, no free health care, no welfare checks. They did it by working their tails off to be the best they could be. THAT is the American dream. And THAT is what is being diluted by our society who wants everything for nothing becasue it's not fair that someone else has it.

So yeah, it scares me to see what is happening and the attitude some people are taking these days.

But there is no other place I would rather live on this Earth! emoUSA

 

[Possum]

Your grandfather had to be a very determined man. I don't know if I could live in a two bedroom house with 14 people. What kind of job did he have to support that many people and still afford to get an education. Times have changed for sure, use to a man could work, mom take care of kids at home, have nice care and take a good vacation. I love this country and have prospered more than most. Great country, however many having hard time being able to afford to live here.

 

[TritonAL186]

jtablada - 11/19/2009 8:17 PM

TritonAL186 - 11/19/2009 8:11 PM

Guys , Please don't turn this into a pissing contest. I am new to this town and to this beautiful state of TN , I was just puzzled on how this old fellow thinks , especially from this small town of South Pittsburg. I still believe in my heart that this country is the best country to live in . Yes , we have our problems , but nothing like the other countries out there . I love my country and always will......emoUSA

Now let's go fishing .............. emoAngler

Don't worry, no contest. I love this country as well, but feel very strongly about the direction of this country. You see, my father is from Cuba and his parents left when Castro came into power. They didn;t come over in a bathtub like so many have been forced to do. They were wealthy business owners who left everything behind for the dream of Freedom in America. Thanks to Capitalism in America, my grandfather was able to get a degree in Engineering from LSU and went on to build a well known electrical engineering company. He also put two sons though college who are both now very successful. They did all this while living in a two bedroom house for 8 years with 14 people. They did not have handouts, no free health care, no welfare checks. They did it by working their tails off to be the best they could be. THAT is the American dream. And THAT is what is being diluted by our society who wants everything for nothing becasue it's not fair that someone else has it.

So yeah, it scares me to see what is happening and the attitude some people are taking these days.

But there is no other place I would rather live on this Earth! emoUSA

Jason, I though that I was the only one with a Latin father and an American mother. My Dad's parents also left Cuba for a better way of life. How did it feel growing up with a Ricky and Lucy live style ? Man I can remember learning how to speak english and spanish at the same time, it was not fun. I must say that I love both of my parents equally, even if their views were different. Dad is a proud Rep. and Mom a proud Dem. go figure. I guess I have the best of both worlds.....

 

[Jason F-18]

Jason, I though that I was the only one with a Latin father and an American mother. My Dad's parents also left Cuba for a better way of life. How did it feel growing up with a Ricky and Lucy live style ? Man I can remember learning how to speak english and spanish at the same time, it was not fun. I must say that I love both of my parents equally, even if their views were different. Dad is a proud Rep. and Mom a proud Dem. go figure. I guess I have the best of both worlds.....[/QUOTE]

Well, my mother is only 1/2 american. Her father was from Venezuela and came to the country as a kid. His father was a mechanic and had his own garage. My grandfather went to LSU and then to the Army for20 something years, through Vietnam and Korea. He loved this country as much if not more than anyone.

My fathers dad got his engineering degree before they immigrated to the US. That is why they went to Baton Rouge instead of the somewhat obligatory South Florida.