Unfortunately the America that rebuilt europe died with Kennedy. This is the America that flattened Laos and supported death squads throughout south america in the 80s, and likes to gorge upon consumerism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOshw4kIGR4

/\
American

And the Americans owe much of their freedom to you guys (well, Spain & France mostly).

Our country has a less than spectacular history. It doesn't mean every civilian in it does, though. I'm as sick as anyone about some of the things that have happened, but I know I cannot change it.

I hope you didn't get me wrong with my last post. I have absolutely nothing against you guys, the people, the citizens. :)

Its your government that I am disgusted with. :)

Yes, because I AM the united states of america! Because all of us are the same. Just because I live in this place means nothing. I don't send anyone anywhere, and did you know that 80% of the population feel that were going in the wrong direction? That were not happy with what were doing?

Italy I envy You!
Berlusconi has at least some personality. Polish politicians are so boring and lame.
Only one sex scandal and one suicide in recent years:-(
Unfortunately Poles have very serious problems with long-term memory and elect them time after time.

EDIT: Lepper & Co. was fun though.

I don't generally disagree with your self-righteous indignation and anger... however, exactly two elected officials are elected through the Electoral College, and one is the Vice President, who you don't even vote for. He or she is simply attached to the ticket.

And only twice in our history has the victory gone to a candidate who did not win the popular vote.

I have long advocated the abolition of the EC and the implementation of of a direct election, however the EC is not the hotbed of corruption and the denial of democracy that it is often made out to be. It's just a system that made a lot more sense 200 years ago than it does today (IMO).

You do, in fact, directly elect every elected official in this nation from Senator to County Coroner. They are all term limited, too... they are term limited by elections.

Please read my other post. :) I'm sorry if I offended you personally in any way, it was not my intention. That's why I wrote the other post to make sure someone doesn't get offended personally. :)

I am not indignant nor am I angry. And during elections I have always been taught that the majority of our leaders get elected through the EC, not the popular vote. Obviously you learned differently. I guess I am either uninformed, or my instructors were wrong.

No, seriously. I'm not indignant or angry. But us Statesians really are not free, no matter what anyone thinks. It's just a fact.

EDIT Oh wow. I totally misread your post. No, maybe the popular vote does count, I was just taught at school it didn't.

You should see me when I really have something to say ;)

Well... first... I surely didn't mean that in a negative way. If you feel as if your vote is useless then you feel disenfranchised, and you'd have every right to feel angry.

I think anyone not angry is either making a few million dollars after taxes each year, or isn't paying attention.

Well, you say we aren't free... Compared to whom?

I agree that our civil liberties are at greater risk than they have been in the past, and I agree that your social, economic, or ethnic class will have varying degrees of effect on each individual's freedom in this nation. And I think we have a lot of work to do.

But as much of a leftist radical as I might be... when you say we aren't free, I just gotta wonder why you think that in such glaringly absolute terms.

I mean, try being a woman in Saudi Arabia or Syria or Iraq. Try being from the wrong tribal heritage in Darfur. Try being Taiwanese or Tibetan under the yoke of the Chinese government.

And I'm honestly asking why you say that. I might not disagree, but as a general claim without supporting arguments, I just don't know what you mean, and I want to hear what you have to say...

You don't really, the people on the ballot aren't chosen by you. They are chosen by two parties, and if you don't like them, too damned bad.

Electoral college is important, for those two positions. The President decides who the USSC judges will be (confirmed by congress), they are in for life.

And term limits don't mean what you imply. Term limits mean exactly what it means when you are president, i.e. you can't hold the office for more than X (in this example, 2) consecutive terms. Most offices in the US Federal government have no term limits.

Could you imagine how screwed we'd be if there was no Preidential term limit and Bush got "voted" in again and again. We'd be in a mad max/fallout/wasteland/dr strangelove scnario before our heads stopped spinning.

I'm pretty sure Bush was doomed even if he could have run again. He had extremely low approval ratings in his second term.

FDR was the one who proposed, and subsequently got instated, the two term limit. It was for that exact same reason. He figured a leader that was popular enough to be voted in over and over again might get it in his/her head to take advantage of the public's adulation.

Bush wasn't even legally voted in in the second election for certain(remember that ohio thing they invetigated concerning rigged voting machines and people routing voters to the wrong polling places and shite), and the first time he got in I'm sure his brother jeb had something to do with the forced manual recount which caused gore to back down instead of waiting for the results.
Lucky for us, then, that Washington didn't take too much advantage of his situation in what was basicaly the only unlimited year term presidency.