Comments on: Obama and the American dream in reverse

By: Cyberian

Cyberian — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:38:20 +0000

To create the United States required the intellect and the painstaking debates of the Founding Fathers; to run it into the ground, only the crew of anti-intellectuals now ensconced in Washington.
“No thought, knowledge, or consistency is required in order to destroy,” writes Ayn Rand,
unremitting thought, enormous knowledge, and a ruthless consistency are required in order to achieve or create. Every error, evasion, or contradiction helps the goal of destruction; only reason and logic can advance the goal of construction. The negative requires an absence (ignorance, impotence, irrationality); the positive requires a presence, an existent (knowledge, efficacy, thought).
Evil men, though impotent, can disappoint, deceive, and betray the innocent; if they turn to crime, they can rob, enslave, and kill. This is one reason that man needs to practice the virtue of justice (to distinguish between the good and the evil). Peikoff, L. 1991

The Objectivism Research CD Rom: The Works of Ayn Rand [CD-ROM]. Available: http://www.amazon.com/Objectivism-Resear ch-CD-Rom-Works/dp/0971178704 Accessed on 2010/09/21

By: magnets

magnets — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:39:29 +0000

During Obama’s Town Hall Meeting on CNBC recently, Obama used himself as an example that that the American Dream is still alive. Kind of silly since he is the exception that proves the rule.

“Getting Back To The American Dream” is a book on Amazon that goes into lots of detail. At least I assume it is on Amazon.

By: mheld45

mheld45 — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:54:01 +0000

Your life is what you make it. If you give up like so many of you seem ready to do, your pessimistic visions will become reality. This country became what it is because Americans made their own dreams come true. The worst thing that can happen to us now is for people to go further down the entitlement road instead of working to earn their own futures.

By: person28

person28 — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:29:51 +0000

has anyone here actually been to a third world country?

seriously we aren’t doing that bad.

any american on unemployment is doing better than any chinese factory worker.

china may seem like its doing so well bc the media is biased to make things seem better than they are. ours is biased to make things seem worse.

By: Cyberian

Cyberian — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:42:34 +0000

“An honest man can see that America is now on the brink of chaos and even suicide. But without philosophy he cannot identify the opposite principles at work in our mixed economy or even know that the system is a mixture of opposites. If a man understands only that “Something is wrong,” he is vulnerable to those who clamor that what is wrong is that there is still too much capitalism in the country.
History, economics, journalism are not to be disparaged. But no amount of historical, economic, or journalistic data by themselves will change men’s mind on the issue of capitalism vs. statism.
The battle for the world is not a battle between two political ideals. It is a battle between two views of the nature of thought.
Capitalism is practical. Capitalism is moral. Capitalism is true. But men will never know it until they understand these three concepts, along with everything on which they hierarchically depend.
If men are ever to reach a world where man is free, free not by permission but on principle, they must first enact the cause of freedom: they must grasp and accept the intellectual base it requires.
If they do so, the next American Revolution—in whatever land it occurs—will be more than a historic interlude. Next time, it will have a chance of lasting.” (1991)

The Objectivism Research CD Rom: The Works of Ayn Rand [CD-ROM]. Available: http://www.amazon.com/Objectivism-Resear ch-CD-Rom-Works/dp/0971178704 Accessed on 2010/09/21

By: AZ_Inde

AZ_Inde — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:28:31 +0000

You got to love the righties. A lot of vacant space between the ears and not much for facts. And since they’re OK everyone else should be just fine. We’re all just whiners. No matter that many of us lost a huge chunk of our retirement savings or lost our pensions. Our homes aren’t even worth what we paid for them and if you were lucky you still have a job although instead of doing the work of 3 people you’re now doing the work of 6 or 7.
Many of the same people who say we’re whiners seem to think it’s our fault that all this happened. We were living beyond our means. Really? What the hell does that mean?
Many of these same people are retired, having worked for the same company most of their lives. They have a pension, social security and Medicare and their homes are nearly paid for.
They have the gall to criticize us for wanting the same thing. Instead they cheer when companies send jobs overseas because some how American workers make way too much money for their poor employers. So they say that competing with someone who makes less than a dollar an hour is some how fair. Some large companies don’t even pay taxes yet these same people say it costs too much for businesses to stay here.
So it was OK for them to make a decent living but we’re not worthy? Oh, that’s right we just need to set our sights a little lower.

By: drewbie

drewbie — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:14:04 +0000

Let me summarize this article.
1. The American Dream can be defined as “if you work hard, you can get ahead.”
2. Most of America seems to be having trouble getting ahead
3. You conclude the Dream may not actually be real.

Is it possible that people are having trouble with the second part because they aren’t doing the first part right? The credit boom was an easy way for people to get ahead *without* working hard. The American Dream was cheapened, and now that’s it’s been revalued, people seem to think it’s impossible.

By: GLK

GLK — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:10:06 +0000

Americans who are tapping their keyboards pining about the death of the American dream sound like a bunch of spoiled brats. You never think you are rich enough but from a worldly perspective most Americans are off the scale. Yet, you have no idea because your wants have reached a saturation level while Politicians and Madison Ave insist you deserve lots, lots more. Most of you whiners have far more than those who came before you and an unimaginably cushy life compared to 75% of the world’s inhabitants. Yet life in America is simply intolerable and getting worse all the time. Take a look around America and learn what 3rd World really is, you are a far cry from anything remotely close to it. Americans need to wise up and realize the Arianna Huffington’s of the world are making their living by telling you the sky is falling. Don’t buy it.

By: Zacs

Zacs — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 13:38:37 +0000

The American definition of poverty is quite unrealistic. In America, for 22K per year (2 adults, 2 children…and even a dog), a family can live in a safe structure, wear clean clothes every day, eat food (GASP…from WAL MART), work, and even pursue a hobby. Now, the housing might be “undesirable” in the American definition, but it will still be warm or cool depending on season, and dry, and provide necessary shelter. The clothing may not be fashionably acceptable, but it will provide the proper utility of clothing you. And though the food may not be Organic or sustainably farmed, or whatever else the rich liberals are all telling us we should eat, it will provide enough nutrition that one can live in excess of 70+ years with reasonable health (provided an individual makes healthy purchasing decisions, which, yes, one can actually do at Wal Mart). Now all one has to do is drive over the Mexican border and see people who are really poor; living in makeshift and unsafe shelter (cardboard boxes), eating non nutritious foods, and wearing rags. I lived the American definition of “poverty” for several years while I worked my way through college, and even found a good job during the so called “great recession,” but I suppose I was just “lucky.” Bernd, you and your misguided ilk need to stop whining. The American Dream is not for you or those that believe riches should fall into your lap just because you live and breathe.

By: gurroz

gurroz — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 02:14:30 +0000

Dafydd, Americans have smelled the coffee. Watching Obama, is like watching a horror movie, only the nightmares may last a life time! Where is Regan when you need him?