You know what is really funny About US Americans and their near religious reverence of their political institutions? You people think that the source of the problem is the solution. The constitution won’t save you. The constitution of the US describes a state that is incapable of operating and leaves open this sort of tyranny. Due the the broken structure of your government you’ve been unable to pass meaningful legislation for decades. There hasn’t been an amendment since the 1992 and that was to give congress a raise. You raise up normal day to day legislation like funding a small amount of infrastructure “build back better” and a right wing guaranteed profits law that only really benefits the insurance industry “america cares act” as major accomplishments.
The constitution isn’t what is going to fix this. The constitution describes a government written in the preindustrial age to maintain slave owner supremacy and protect the interests of the elite. It describes a system that is subject to a tyranny of the majority that has weakness in the very cultural fabric of Americans like hyper individualism, materialism and anti-intellectualism.
These aren’t just the rantings of a “tankie” either, this was called out by Tocqueville in 1831 and it has come to pass.
That’s not entirely true, the constitution gives Americans the opportunity to overthrow tyranny. People will exercise that right one day, maybe it won’t be too late.
You know what is really funny About US Americans and their near religious reverence of their political institutions? You people think that the source of the problem is the solution. The constitution won’t save you. The constitution of the US describes a state that is incapable of operating and leaves open this sort of tyranny. Due the the broken structure of your government you’ve been unable to pass meaningful legislation for decades.
I think this is absolutely true, but as someone living in central Europe, I’m really curious what country you’d cite as having a significantly better structure? Parliamentary systems have their own problems, as we’re seeing play out in Europe now. China certainly has issues with their government.
I agree with the sentiment, but not with the tone that suggests this is particularly unique to the US.
What is unique to the US is their civic religion with the saints of the founding fathers and the reverence of the documents themselves. Most modern countries rewrite their constitutions but the US is stuck with theirs because they worship it.
Many other governments have a better structure, but that isn’t the point of what I wrote. Maybe the US Americans can write something new that is even incrementally better and it would be a positive. I was born and raised in the US but have left it behind.
Most modern countries rewrite their constitutions but the US is stuck with theirs because they worship it.
Most modern countries organized themselves as constitutional democracies a lot more recently, though… it makes sense there’s less sense of tradition around it. UK and Netherlands are big exceptions, but most of Europe have constitutions that either go back to the mid 19th century or even the 1990’s for the eastern bloc…
Maybe the US Americans can write something new that is even incrementally better and it would be a positive.
The US has amendend its Constitution lots of times, though. It’s really only the last 30-40 years deadlock has become such a norm, and we’re seeing globally this problem is happening… I’d contend it has way more to do with all of those countries embracing neoliberalism and that ideology starting to die rather than government structure. And UK/US were the first in on that mess, so it makes sense they seem to be the ones floundering the most right now.
I dunno, I’m also an American that moved and started a family in Europe years ago, and while living here hasn’t improved my estimation of the US that much, I have definitely been disillusioned of the popular internet opinion that things are much better here. We have very similar structural problems and no political will to fix it.
I do not think things are better in Europe. I would never look to Europe or Europeans for inspiration. I would not be welcome in Europe. Not sure why everyone assumes this from my comments. Just because something is bad doesn’t mean that there is something better that currently exists. Describing a problem is the first step to a solution, it isn’t simply to imply that somewhere else has it better. Especially because the USA goes out of its way to destroy any alternative to itself and its system with a huge monopoly of violence and nuclear weapons.
You don’t need to cite another country as having a better structure to point out the one you currently live in is broken.
the systems that currently exist are not the only systems to have ever existed nor are the the only possibilities to choose from. Other options are possible.
Lastly, nothing about the tone is suggesting this is specific to the US. They are simply describing the US situation. You’re the only one comparing it to the situation of other nations.
You don’t need to cite another country as having a better structure to point out the one you currently live in is broken.
I didn’t say you do. I agreed, I just see this as a very international problem among western democracies that all embraced neoliberal politics and economies.
Lastly, nothing about the tone is suggesting this is specific to the US.
“You people think that the source of the problem is the solution.” does seem to be applying only to Americans, and the OP came back and did make an argument that this is a uniquely American problem.
You know what is really funny About US Americans and their near religious reverence of their political institutions? You people think that the source of the problem is the solution. The constitution won’t save you. The constitution of the US describes a state that is incapable of operating and leaves open this sort of tyranny. Due the the broken structure of your government you’ve been unable to pass meaningful legislation for decades. There hasn’t been an amendment since the 1992 and that was to give congress a raise. You raise up normal day to day legislation like funding a small amount of infrastructure “build back better” and a right wing guaranteed profits law that only really benefits the insurance industry “america cares act” as major accomplishments.
The constitution isn’t what is going to fix this. The constitution describes a government written in the preindustrial age to maintain slave owner supremacy and protect the interests of the elite. It describes a system that is subject to a tyranny of the majority that has weakness in the very cultural fabric of Americans like hyper individualism, materialism and anti-intellectualism.
These aren’t just the rantings of a “tankie” either, this was called out by Tocqueville in 1831 and it has come to pass.
That’s not entirely true, the constitution gives Americans the opportunity to overthrow tyranny. People will exercise that right one day, maybe it won’t be too late.
I think this is absolutely true, but as someone living in central Europe, I’m really curious what country you’d cite as having a significantly better structure? Parliamentary systems have their own problems, as we’re seeing play out in Europe now. China certainly has issues with their government.
I agree with the sentiment, but not with the tone that suggests this is particularly unique to the US.
What is unique to the US is their civic religion with the saints of the founding fathers and the reverence of the documents themselves. Most modern countries rewrite their constitutions but the US is stuck with theirs because they worship it.
Many other governments have a better structure, but that isn’t the point of what I wrote. Maybe the US Americans can write something new that is even incrementally better and it would be a positive. I was born and raised in the US but have left it behind.
Most modern countries organized themselves as constitutional democracies a lot more recently, though… it makes sense there’s less sense of tradition around it. UK and Netherlands are big exceptions, but most of Europe have constitutions that either go back to the mid 19th century or even the 1990’s for the eastern bloc…
The US has amendend its Constitution lots of times, though. It’s really only the last 30-40 years deadlock has become such a norm, and we’re seeing globally this problem is happening… I’d contend it has way more to do with all of those countries embracing neoliberalism and that ideology starting to die rather than government structure. And UK/US were the first in on that mess, so it makes sense they seem to be the ones floundering the most right now.
I dunno, I’m also an American that moved and started a family in Europe years ago, and while living here hasn’t improved my estimation of the US that much, I have definitely been disillusioned of the popular internet opinion that things are much better here. We have very similar structural problems and no political will to fix it.
I do not think things are better in Europe. I would never look to Europe or Europeans for inspiration. I would not be welcome in Europe. Not sure why everyone assumes this from my comments. Just because something is bad doesn’t mean that there is something better that currently exists. Describing a problem is the first step to a solution, it isn’t simply to imply that somewhere else has it better. Especially because the USA goes out of its way to destroy any alternative to itself and its system with a huge monopoly of violence and nuclear weapons.
You don’t need to cite another country as having a better structure to point out the one you currently live in is broken.
the systems that currently exist are not the only systems to have ever existed nor are the the only possibilities to choose from. Other options are possible.
Lastly, nothing about the tone is suggesting this is specific to the US. They are simply describing the US situation. You’re the only one comparing it to the situation of other nations.
I didn’t say you do. I agreed, I just see this as a very international problem among western democracies that all embraced neoliberal politics and economies.
“You people think that the source of the problem is the solution.” does seem to be applying only to Americans, and the OP came back and did make an argument that this is a uniquely American problem.
Thank you
This guy gets it.
Amen