subsidized farming, $300,000 tractors, Nintendo. Just an observation.

I am exhausted and much too tired to write a long response, but I couldn't agree more!!

Love ya, Marti

Yes, Mr. Coffee, I know that the subsidized farming and $300,000 tractors are doing their best to kill the little guys... I just think it is a shame.. xo Cj

paved paradise, put up a parking lot!

Ddeadred, I think it is ridiculous! I say I wanna move out to the country, but in reality there really isn't that much country! There is
1-5 acre lots, or greedy people sitting on a bunch of land waiting for the market to go up and sell it off.

You put the name to what I was thinking about- disappearing america! What is happening?? Instead of fresh veggies and eggs, we get tomatoes that were made to grow to a certain size and shape. We get eggbeaters in the large cities where the few farmers get put out of business.

Like you said, where is all of it? Why can't corporate america leave simple america to rest and make a living their own way? My opinion is the money. People have gotten so greedy, and so worried about who has the largest bank account, or who has the nicest material posessions- that they have started to overtake everything and everyone.

Damn sad in my opinion! I grew up listening to stories of people raised in the country, thinking I can't wait to raise my kids like that! Well now I'm not left with too many options of how to do that- I can have one or two lots- but that's about it- cuz I don't have the $$$$ that corporate america wants for the little bit of land that's left in the country!!!

Great topic ddeadred, thanks! Much loves and hugs!

I live in boonyville too. One of the perks is seeing the beautiful constellation at night. I can just sit on a lawn chair in the backyard and observe the wonderful heavens above.

America is just trying to show what it really is. It's not trying to hide behind large country farms and family owned business. It's embracing it's true form. And that my friends is a pile of crap.

Explain to me how my parents bought this house for a little over 100,000 and are now paying 2,500 a month to pay off a mortgage loan that's almost 300,000? Explain to me why millions of americans have lost their jobs and homes and millions more (like me and my family) are facing foreclosure? Explain to me why the cost of living jumps higher everyday but the wages aren't and job opportunities are dropping? Explain to me why we're billions of dollars in debt but find the money to fight a mindless war? Explain to me why our government is more concerned about other countries than it's own? Explain to me why my cousin in Ireland who is only a year older than me (22) owns a house and JUST had a baby? Find me a 22 yr old single mother in america who works in a CLOTHING STORE!, just had a baby, and bought her first house? Why? because in Ireland the government helps you out when you have a baby, they give you money and send out a cost free nanny to help care for the new child. SHOCKER!? THE GOVERNMENT HELPING IT'S PEOPLE?!? GIVING SOMETHING BACK?!

I don't care how any of you stuck up republicans feel.

F-America. Let it disappear.

Hey, H of Boo, I live in the disappearing part, and I LOVE IT! I really don't think I'll ever see pavement of the country road that leads to my farm, and that's just fine with me... Sure, it gets pretty rutted in the winter, but they fix it in the spring and it's all good.

I'm not ready to kiss America goodbye myself. Yes, we have problems, but there is one hell of alot of good here also. We've just been misdirected for 8 long difficult years...

I think you may want to move to Cuba or Iran or Korea or darn, the country where the women have been stripped of doctorate degrees (and they are forced to remain covered from head to toe with only eyes showing--help me here somebody--I hate my MS brain sometimes) to see if you like it better... Good luck with any kind of healthcare there...

i agree with you cj. i was recently in a situation where i needed help from someone to call the police due to a serious threat. they said i can't get involved.
people used to help people. neighbors used to be able to count on each other. now you hear of crime all the time where you know people had to have heard or seen something yet no one did anything. it's like in our high speed rush to develope this country some very inportant things got crushed in the stampeed.
there was a post up about what tv show we would like to live in. i said little house on the prarie(yes feisty we'll be neighbors).
oh and houseofboo go live with your cousin, being as she has it so good and is family and all. i'm sure she would welcome someone as pleasant and sweet as you.

I agree with you ddeadred, I am not ready to kiss America goodbye just yet either. I have dreams and aspirations for me and my family. Yes it's hard as hell surviving right now- the only way you won't survive is to give up! I am 23 years old with two babies, 3 & 1, I am, though, fortunate to have a hardworking husband. But that makes a family of four- how is one income going to last for four people? Especially with two growing boys- they eat like nothing I have seen, both of them have a bigger appetite than I do, they literally eat more than me.

You know why they eat more than me? I can't even count how many times I have to make the choice- my kids or me? The answer will always be my babes. If we give up (and by we I mean society) and give in- what happens? We can't possibly know for sure- and I sure as hell don't want to find out.

My friends who are still healthy enough and don't have a degree- get one! That's the only way we will be able to survive. What saddens me is- my husband is only 25 and almost at the peak of his career- his trade doesn't pay too much more than what he makes- what will happen when inflation keeps risisng and his pay stays the same? I don't wanna find that out either- that's why I bust my ass and give up some things for my education. Believe me, I know what a blessing I have being able to still get one- and I pray that i will be abel to continue on with it!

Iran? Korea? Cuba? It's so easy for Americans to make themselves feel better by focusing on these countries but for every impoverished, communist country you name i can give you at least 5 others that don't have anything wrong with them. Don't have a crumbling economy, and actually have a government that takes care of it's people. And i would LOVE to move back to Ireland but how ever am i supposed to save up the money to move out of this dump when i can't even afford to rent an apartment here.


By the way, Cuba has better health care than America. Let me ask you a question, how much are you spending on a gallon of gas? I just had to pay $3.05 a gallon, why? Because America doesn't want to use their oil reserves. America thinks that they are the world police, that's wrong, we are not the world police, we should not be REBUILDING IRAQ when they are sitting on enough oil money to rebuild the country twice over. We should not even be there, as much as politicians and people like you don't want to admit we're moments away from another depression, yet no one gives a crap. Politicians turn their heads to this notion and say "we're headed towards a recession" yet they still want to be in Iraq and Afghanistan where we're wasting billions upon billions of dollars that could be better suited to helping OUR economy, to creating jobs for our MIDDLE CLASS(poor) people. The people leading this country do not care about me, you, the person next to you or the person across the street from you.

last thought, united healthcare--brilliant idea, getting out of iraq---another brilliant idea. will it happen with the Republican nominee John McCain, absolutely not, why because he's George Bush III in a nutshell. Hillary will not be elected because she's a liar and Obama won't be elected because of his race. this country is headed down the drain, who cares about steroids in baseball pay attention to what really matters. THIS COUNTRY, our forefathers are rolling over in their grave right now.

House of Boo... If you didn't have such a huge chip on your shoulder, you would HEAR how much many of us TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!!! Yes, we should get the hell out of Iraq and I think most agree.

Yes, I know first hand of how well communist countries take care of there people. I went to Russia in 1992 just after they were "freed", and the people wanted COMMUNISM BACK because things were not as difficult as they'd become, and they were not starving, and I'm talking DOCTORS here...

YES we are definitely in a RECESSION, the "powers that be" just don't want to freak everybody out... There is no question that we are there...

YES, the housing market is a total MESS thanks to predatory lenders... They aren't called "predatory" because they write good loans, as you know... They are "predatory" because their main goal was to SCREW people...

YES, the forefathers of our wonderful country are totally rolling over in their graves, that is perfectly clear to me along with most who have posted here if my intuition is dead on (which is usually is...)...

I'm twice your age and have learned with politics that there is not much I can do... One little vote is all I have, but I use it well after fully educating myself... I suggest you do the same... Peace darling... xo Cj

I completely agree, HOB that America is in a recession- I was watching a political debate show on CBS this morning and the HOUSE SPEAKER acknowledged that the president acknowledged, we are in a recession.

As ddeadred said, we all agree that the economy is FUC*ED right now. Almost every person I have spoken with since the war in Iraq began, from every political party, agreed that our armed forces should not be there.

There was a time when the government had the people's best interest at heart. House of Boo, when you say it is so easy for Americans to make themselves feel better by focusing on impoverished countries; do you mean the American people, or the American government? As I'm sure you know, 99% of the people do not agree with the government.

Honestly, those countries that you named that are better off than America, weren't 10-20+ years ago. The problem occured when the gov't quit caring about their own country and started caring more about other countries. As you stated: they think they are the world police.

My personal opinion on that statement, is as follows: Bush felt that since so many countries had asked for help in the past, that he should offer help to ones that had not asked. IT IS NOTHING BUT A POWER TRIP FROM A MAN THAT CANNOT EVEN HOLD AN INTELLIGENT CONVERSATION, WHOM IS NOT WELL-SPOKEN.

Does anyone know even a round-about figure of the amount of debt Bush put us in? I don't, but I know it is high enough that it will take the latter presidents years to fix the mess Bush made.

About the oil- of course those countries are going to sit on it when our dumb ass gov't will waste our money on them. Honestly, I'm glad that our gov't is not tapping into our oil reserves; they are being reserved for a reason, although I am unsure of the exact reason.

Unfortunately the healthcare issue is not even be addressed by the current candidates. I have noticed that they are all just skirting the issue. Hopefully after these next four to eight years are over, we can get a president in office that will care about their own people. Until this happens many controversial debates will be held by many people across the nation, about the could-haves, should-haves, would-haves.

I love America and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I wouldn't want to have raised my children anywhere else either. I am proud that my 19 year old daughter and her husband have a house and a baby. She is still in college and works, he also works full time. They got their house on their own, no programs, no help. They saved and they bought out in the middle of no where a little starter house. My son is in college he works every day after school until 10pm and every weekend all day. He has to for gas and bills. That is how we raised him, he is what you call self sufficient. I believe it is what you call an adult.

The problem is in America we want it all, we want it now and we want it free or at least we want the governments help in getting it. Do I believe the government should help it's people of course. Do I depend on the government, Do I take advantage of the government? NO

There was a time when you didn't ask for help until you absoulutely had to, until there was nothing left you could do for yourself. Now everyone has their hand out. This is what makes it so damn hard for those of us that need the help. For those of trying to get disability or help with meds. You have to fight, because they deal with so many scam artists every day, that they just assume your another one. Thus, all of the stupid paperwork, and unnecessary stress. I swear people have an excuse for everything. You ask them anything and they will give you an excuse. How about what we can do instead of what we can't?

Politics that is a whole other subject...I am not even going to touch. But as far as the country goes...there are many things that need to change and it is sad, but I say again, I love America, now pour me a hot cup of cocoa and I want whip cream on top! Love, M

Amen Ladymfar!! Way too many people are playing the system and that is wrong. People have learned years ago that it is easier for the goverment to take care of them instead of going to work. Like you said the goverment is another issue. How do we expect to change things when the lobbiest are shelling out billions of dollars to get what they want.