What the hell is happening to this country? With retired generals testifying on Rumsfeld’s being “incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically ….” (retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton), this article seems oddly appropriate. You’d think we were becoming Sony or something. We sure seem to trying hard to emulate them.
Consider these facts, institutions and people:
1. Katrina, FEMA, “heckuva job, Brownie”.
2. America spends twice as much per capita on healthcare as any other industrial nation, yet our life expectancy ranks #46 in the world.
3. The Iraq War, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Bremer, President Bush, US Congress.
4. Instead of making a car that people want to buy, Ford is laying off workers by the thousands.
5. Enron.
6. US public school education.What do they all have in common? They’re an expression of the rise of something new in American life: spectacular incompetence.
When we do incompetence, we do it big. War and disaster, Katrina and Iraq, expose our most massive incompetence. It seems like everything we touch turns into a mess. We’ve become a culture of the inept. A nation of screw-ups, we’re led by leaders who are competent at only one thing: fucking up.
Does anyone in America still know how to do a good job? Does anybody even know what a good job is?
It starts at the top, with the guy we voted for as our president.
Does anyone in America still know how to do a good job? Does anybody even know what a good job is?
The last generation that new what they were doing fought WW II and they are mostly dead or dying. The “Boomers” are generation of idiots (too many drugs I think) that think they are owed something. It is going to be up to the Gen-Xers to fix the mess. Luckily we can use the Gen-Ys for man power.
It’s like websites, folks. I think if you’re conscientous and critical, you show up at websites like this, you watch dl.tv and crankygeeks.
If you’re willing to settle for being an average dweeb, you’re over at myspace — not even considering the question.
It’s likely that even individuals I have serious political disagreements with — here — are mostly diligent at what they do. The passion shows through. Conformity, safety, fear of the unknown rules the lemmings. Don’t step out of line!
It seems simple to me – as an American, I can point out:
We’re far too entertained. Corporate media intentionally keeps us blind by providing silly fodder for viewing, public TV doesn’t do much better in exposing global injustice. Have you seen your local news channel reporting on who won American Idol last night? I have!
Related to that point, we’re far too interested in sports. 1/3 of the news goes to actual world and local events, 1/3 of the news goes to weather, and 1/3 of the news goes to sports. Trust me, even though Joe Quarterback had a great game yesterday, it won’t make a difference to anybody on the planet by this time next year.
We consume too much. We also generate too much waste, by not recycling enough (takes time, see next point).
We want everything RIGHT NOW. This is reflected in everything from bitching about how long shipping packages takes, to how people drive, to how we watch TV.
We believe everything we’re told. We’re told drugs are bad, and should be illegal – while alcohol and cigarettes stay legal. We’re told everything the government’s doing is correct, and not to be questioned. We’re told there’s some invisible man somewhere in the universe that will grant us peace for infinity, provided we don’t break the rules while we’re on earth. MOST OF US BELIEVE THIS B.S.
The thing I remember when dealing with most people, is that half of them are below average intellectually — and half of that group is dumber than that. This means, if you have 400 random people standing in rows, 200 are somewhat stupid, and 100 of them are way stupid. I keep this in mind, and it helps my insanity linger at a nice simmering point, instead of boiling over.
The world is what we make of it. Unfortunately, we’ve made it fun, convenient, competitive to a fault, blind to the truth and facts, and basically a big ol’ clusterhump.
That’s our tradition, and our heritage. Get used to it. The sucker will probably burn up in a few decades, so who cares?
Simple: America is KING at one function: MAKING MONEY. That is its soul purpose, and in that, we rank #1.
How does Ford fit into your statement, 0113?
“It’s likely that even individuals I have serious political disagreements with — here — are mostly diligent at what they do. The passion shows through.”
I agree completely. Too bad not enough people in this country are passionate about doing things the right way any more.
While I agree that Bush has made huge mistakes, can we stop pretending that every president before him was a brilliant genius who led the country to perfection?
I REMEMBER Carter. Maybe you don’t.
You know, this wouldn’t seem like the same “I hate America” bullshit if you would at least ask for solutions, and not more singers in the choir.
I do too, and his biggest mistake was that he let his principles and convictions get in the way of compromise and what needed to be done.
However, he was unswervenly honest and ethical, something that can not be said of any president that has followed him. George W would seem to be the zentih of that, in fact.
Tom
>>>I REMEMBER Carter. Maybe you don’t.
It starts at the top, with the guy we voted for as our president.
It starts at the top, with the guy we voted for as our president.
Get off it Uncle Dave. Not everything is Bush’s fault.
You sound like a Democrap? Your list is BOGUS. Go move to France or Venezuela if you don’t like it here.
It isn’t a perfect world or haven’t you noticed.
the US is #1 you are #2.
1: I also can’t help but notice that much our decline has come from the general whithering away of individual self-reliance that has come as a result of the progressive era.
Similar lists could have been made 50, 75, or 100 years ago. Scandal and incompetence goes hand in hand in politics. The big problem is the world has become a more dangerous playground, and mistakes are less tolerated. No longer can we wield a big stick and expect nations to quake. Winning the Cold War and being the last remaining superpower has bought about a new set of problems and challenges that the Nation is failing to address.
#11/12 : You guys do realize that everything in blue is not typed by the poster and is, instead, a direct quote from the author of the article?
I continue to see people rip on the poster for statements/facts/opinions shared within blue boundries when in fact its not their words at all. Let it go and respond upon the article, dont slam the person bringing you something to do.
the hop.
Bush is an evil villan master mind. The incompotence/stupid act is just a red herring to keep everyone distracted.
I thought Karl Rove was the “evil villain master mind”?
I love that picture in the posting…
it starts at the top? what about the people who voted for the top?
You know, this wouldn’t seem like the same “I hate America” bullshit if you would at least ask for solutions, and not more singers in the choir.
I have to wonder if you’re just playing to your stereotype when you bring up that tired “why do you hate america” strawman yet again. You seem pretty coherent in most other ways. Just once I’d like to hear you admit that it’s possible to disagree with you (and your ilk) and still love this country and want what’s best for it. If you can’t do that, you have zero credibility.
Does Roger Ebert lose credibility as a film critic because he can’t offer a rewrite of a screenplay he doesn’t like? Can you criticize the coach of a baseball team if you don’t have a game plan that would have turned the season around? Can you dislike the food at a restaurant if you don’t have the ability to go into the kitchen and show the chef how to do it right?
#8) “You know, this wouldn’t seem like the same “I hate America” bullshit if you would at least ask for solutions, and not more singers in the choir.”
I don’t hate America. Just the incompetents, political idealogs/demigogs and money grubbers who keep running for office and we’re stupid enough to keep electing to run it. My solution: stop voting in people like Bush.
#11) Quite right. He’s just at the top of the pile of crap in Washington at the moment.
I think the incompetence at the federal level (i.e. Katrina response, health care) is deliberate. The whole neocon belief system is based on the idea that government is the problem, not the solution. Make the government look bad, and people will support the concept of having less and less of it.
#3: “We’re told there’s some invisible man somewhere in the universe that will grant us peace for infinity, provided we don’t break the rules while we’re on earth. MOST OF US BELIEVE THIS B.S.”
Actually, more and more people DON’T believe this and more and more people DON’T obey the “rules.” Conincidence to the problems at hand? I don’t think so. I think a big part of the problems in this world and in this country is not enough “love thy neighbor” and not enough “turn the other cheek.”
It’s not just Christianity. It’s any religion. The reason we’ve become incompetent and medicore is because we feel no purpose. If our existance truly is “life sucks, then you die,” why give a crap? Religion gives people a reason for living and not just existing.
George W. Bush is not the reason and is not the solution for America’s problems. The solution is for each individual and each family to gain a sense of pride and self-worth to do their very best in whatever they do to make their community a better place.
think the incompetence at the federal level (i.e. Katrina response, health care) is deliberate. The whole neocon belief system is based on the idea that government is the problem, not the solution. Make the government look bad, and people will support the concept of having less and less of it.
This is wrong on so many levels. At best, you’re getting your labels confused.
-Government, in particular healthcare and education spending, has grown substantially under the Bush administration. (I do NOT intend this as a compliment for the Bush administration, in case there is any confusion.)
-The so-called “neo-conservative” wing, as opposed to the libertarian wing of the conservative movement, is the least likely to push for small government.
-The failures of government during Katrina were much more severe at the state and municipal level than at the federal level. And the largest failure at the federal level occured at the Army Corps of Engineers – this was not a sudden failure, but a failure that occured over 4 decades.
Just thought I’d share this quote…
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” – H. L. Mencken
There are a lot of solutions to these problems, but Americans are too busy complaining about stupid crap like:
“I can’t use my cell phone while inside the local mega shopping mall.” or
“My kid’s school lunch has an extra gram of fat in it, I’m raising hell!” or
“Let’s protest the local ‘eat a cockroach for charity’ contest because its cruel to animals.”
Politicians must sit on their butts all day and laugh at us while tacking our tax money and favors.
I’ve always believed the Peter Principle was a valid notion. Once again, this just seems to validate it.
that was the funniest article i’ve read this week.
no joke. and thats kinda sad.
#24 – I did not say “more” or “less” government. Basically what the neocons wants is a massive shift in government’s role in society: little or no assistance in emergencies or to the less fortunate, little or no oversight of corporations. They see government’s job simply as promoting the “free market” and channeling federal pork dollars to favored corporations. No law can be enacted any more unless it protects, if not increases, the profits of some corporate contributor. Agencies like the FAA, FDA, FCC, FEMA, etc. no longer function in their original roles as protectors of the common good, but simply act in allegiance with corporations to channel pork money to them and shield them from any responsibility for harm they cause to the public. In doing so, government agencies can no longer perform their original intended purposes with any sort of competence.
#3, I was reading your post and thinking… “this isn’t only an American problem, but a Western Civilization one”… Much of what you said also applies to us, Europeans. Seems like Roger Waters was prophetic when he wrote the album “Amused to Death”, published around 1992. The song upon which the album is titled goes on like this, “…, the species has amused itself to death…”. People being numbed by TV is one of the main themes.