Ever get the feeling that your country is run by idiots?

[thevillageidiot13]

I also feel that my government is/has been run by idiots.

Then again, I live in America, so that's a bit of a given.

 

[Infinatex]

Yep. Our Prime Minister is a retarded *****... Worst thing is she wasn't voted in. The final say came down to 3 independent dickheads..

 

[b15h4m0n]

I get a lot of that feeling living in Poland. Recent presidential plane crash just made it worse, showed terrible divisions through the society that politicians of both sides try to use to their own advantage.

 

[Thrashgrinder]

Almost all the time. My country is run by religion selling fucked up piece of shit idiots..

 

[KaiRai]

To me it will always feel that way until the Liberal Democrats as a party are dissolved.

And yes, it does. A lot. Even the Tories I briefly considered voting for aren't doing as good a job as I hoped. Makes me glad I didn't vote for them.

But yeah. Everything is fucked. People higher up are reaping the benefits are fucking over those lower down, everywhere.

 

[Stillve]

If you don't feel that way, you're one of them

 

[Blydden]

All. The. Time.

Sigh. Stupid Republican Extremists.

 

[SimuLord]

I used to think that American government had reached unprecedented levels of Stupid. Then I read about the Andrew Jackson administration and realized that "president from a southern state spends two terms fucking over the economy, skedaddles out of office just in time for the whole thing to go to shit, and then everyone blames it on his successor (Martin Van Buren in Jackson's case, Obama in the current case), who has a one-term presidency while the next guy in office claims all the credit when things finally turn back to the good (John Tyler, please pick up the white courtesy phone, you have a call) is not unprecedented in American history.

Or I could discuss the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, FDR's second term in office (if it weren't for the gathering storm of WW2 stimulating the economy he'd have taken the blame for the double-dip Depression in 1937-39), hell, I could really sacrifice some sacred cows and poke holes in the Jefferson and Madison administrations except for the fact that they get a permanent pass as the authors of America's founding documents.

 

[dex-dex]

we have a robot as our prime minister
his name is Stephen Harper.

 

[ottenni]

Of course my country is run by idiots, we put them in parliament so we dont have to work with them. Its a foolproof plan.

 

[bushwhacker2k]

You know what's great about democratic governments? They're elected.

My two cents, which maybe are not very helpful.

I hope that "great" was a sarcasm.

Well, while it's arguable that all governments seem to make bad decisions here and there I think he was saying "at least you get a choice."

 

[Tim_Buoy]

snip

When it comes to which administration ran the US into the ground, I think you might want to focus on who was in the White House over the previous 8 years instead of who has been in it for two.

Things have been building towards a mess in the US for over a decade. You can't expect anyone to seriously believe that its been rainbows and sunshine until suddenly a Democratic black man was voted in as the U.S. President.

Anyway, I'd rather focus on productive ideas for fixing all of our problems world-wide rather than just pointing fingers... its easy to *****. How about working to fix things?

snip

About the level of literacy I've come to expect from Bush apologists. And no, I'm not a liberal, I just really hate Bush. He turned a billion dollar surplus into a trillion dollar deficit. He started a war in Iraq based on obvious fabrications, to benefit the oil companies and military-industrial complex that got him elected in the first place. And thanks to him, the world looks at the US as a retarded bully. He's the worst president we've ever had.

EDIT: His dad was alright. And Afghanistan was justified, if completely impractical.

one: im dyslexic (fuck i think thats how you spell it) so shut up
two :i never said i liked him i hate most presidents im saying for as much brain damage he received drinking he did an okay job
three: the worst president ever was hoover at least bush didnt reduce the country to living in shanty towns
four:whats wrong with supporting the military most major advances in technology is from the military

 

[MarsProbe]

Hello fellow Escapists, prepare for a rant. I was watching the local news yesterday and there is a man with cancer that has been refused treatment on the NHS for his cancer because the government says it is too expensive. He will die without those drugs. Also, both of my parents are disabled but have to pay £300+ for prescriptions a year. Meanwhile, the NHS is funding surf lessons (£250 per person) for people with ADHD.

So, does anyone have similar problems with their government?

What crazy nation is this you live in? Oh wait, didn't I see this same report on the enws this evening as well? Damn!

On that note, I also saw on the news they are also shutting down the UK Film Council? Yep, while they're looking for things to do, they may as well look to screw over any creative outlets that our country has. Stuff like that, along with the fact that they are probably going to shut down our shipyards, shows that our government really has no clue what it's doing. You can have as many new banking premises open in in your country as you can manage, but none of that will ever do one bit of good for the economy. All banks to is shunt money around, not create it. Unless we have some sort of industry that actually creates items (cars for example, but hey, we don't make them anymore!) that bring money in, then things are really unlikely to get better any time soon.

That Cardinal who said just today that Britain was a third world country? well, it may not be yet, but it could be soon, easily.

Also, don't get me started on how the current government has royally screwed us over. I myself voted Lib Dems as they seemed to be the people that were finally going to do the sensible thing and realise that perhaps it is the richer people that should be paying more tax than those who are less well. Maybe the hung parliament result had something to do with it, but either way, that's another political party I can cross off my list....

 

[Thedayrecker]

Short answer: Yes
Long answer: Obviously, yes

 

[Cat Cloud]

I'm probably posting too late, but I just need to get this out of my system...

snip.

Yep, it's totally the current administration's fault the US have the highest debt in the world, are in two wars (contributing to that debt) started by the previous president, and that the economy crashed as a result of complete deregulation of the market by the previous administration(s) and are socially behind most Western European countries despite being the most powerful nation on earth as a result of stupid fear of socialism.
On that note, I wonder how much people would like it if there were no free schools, no public sector transport, no laws against exploitation of workers and against child labor, etc. because those are all technically "socialist" things.
I would also know how our beloved deregulated market would like it if the government stopped its subsidies and other forms of helping businesses along. You can't expect that the government shoves billions up your ass and at the same has no say whatsoever in what you do.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. I understand that you're not happy with the situation in your particular state and in the country as a whole, but I just always go into a rage fit when people blame it on Obama. What's that all about? If he can't shovel the country out of the shit that's piled up mile-high above the US in two years he's somehow failed? I also fail to see how bringing the US social system up to par with us Europeans is bad, it works just fine in Germany, and as you might know Germany's a huge economic power "despite" the fact that it's a rather social country. Also look at Norway, wealthiest society on the planet, and yet they provide almost everything for their citizens, you're protected by the state from the cradle to the grave.

So true.

snip

snip

snip

No offense, but don't act like all of those things are Obama's fault. Gitmo wasn't closed because many republicans disagreed with closing it. He sent more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan because republicans complained that he was ignoring the fact that we are/were in a war. The court is a separate branch of government. He has little say in what happens there, besides electing candidates who should serve on the court.
And NASA, I'm sorry to say, has never really been supported by any of our administrations after the space race. Obama is focusing on the economy because he is assuming (correctly) that people care more about the economy (and their own wealth) than science and exploration. I am nervous by the amount of money he is spending, but if we keep switching between different policies regarding the economy we are going to get stagflation, which will be worse. To be honest, when it comes to the economy I think we're screwed no matter what we decide to do.

What Obama is trying to do is balance the parties and the people's interest, which is difficult, and probably near impossible. No matter what happens, there will always be a group of people (coughcouchfoxnewsandtheteapartycoughcough) that will criticize his every move. One thing you should also consider is that he is one branch of the government. The legislative branch, Congress, makes the laws, not him. He has to work with them to get anything done. He is, though, considered to be the ?face? of the government.
That still doesn't mean he locks himself in a room and comes up with his own ideas independant of everyone around him.

To answer the first posted question; some parts are stupid, some aren't. States deciding to continue to fund or even increase funding for prisons while cutting school funding is increadably stupid.

 

[charlest92]

the dutch version of Hitler (Geert Wilders, he wans to destroy Islam) is about to become prime minister of Holland, so yes, both a majority of voters in this country and the government are a bit "special".

Well we in america have the american version of hitler. Except that Osama hussein bin obama who hates america, is unable to properly perform the civillian salute for the flag, hates the boyscouts, tried to fire "cattle guards" the bars in the ground, has done nothing at all to help the economy, fucked healthcare permanantly, killed old peoples medicare, killed old people my killing medicare, possibly turned america away from ever electing another black dude forever, doubled americas debt, and showed us thet all of the world has reverted to twatdom by getting the nobel peace prize without accually doing anything.

America needs limits on all federal politicians not just the president. In congress you have 1 year to fuck america up, after the first 4 spent cleaning up after the last guy, so they get 5 years. The senate gets 4 years and both sides are banned from getting into the other side after their terms end. You pick one and you are done. BOOM America fixed. no more pay raises they get $30k per year so that they have to go back to work when they are done and there are no pay raises for 10 years at a time.

 

[poet_lawreate]

Yeah, I'm very upset that my first chance to vote ended in the removal of power from the Party I joined when I was 16 and given to a party which received less than 40% of the actual vote; a man who was not voted Prime Minister is again Prime Minister, except that the last one was a state-educated, working class-born Historian from Scotland and this one is a Champagne-swilling Eton and Cambridge-graduated Billionaire with three homes.

They're pulling us out of our debt, obviously, by cutting unimportant things like child benefit, pensioners' winter fuel allowance, film councils and public services. I mean, you wouldn't want them to increase taxes for the rich, stop non-doms from claiming benefit and dodging tax or reduce the amount of support given to private schools, would you? That's like asking Cameron to sell the silver spoon his newborn baby was born with.

So, yes, I am not impressed with this government. Tories, you are everything I was ever told you would be. I couldn't remember you from when I was six, but now I know it's all true.

 

[manaman]

No offense, but don't act like all of those things are Obama's fault. Gitmo wasn't closed because many republicans disagreed with closing it. He sent more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan because republicans complained that he was ignoring the fact that we are/were in a war. The court is a separate branch of government. He has little say in what happens there, besides electing candidates who should serve on the court.
And NASA, I'm sorry to say, has never really been supported by any of our administrations after the space race. Obama is focusing on the economy because he is assuming (correctly) that people care more about the economy (and their own wealth) than science and exploration. I am nervous by the amount of money he is spending, but if we keep switching between different policies regarding the economy we are going to get stagflation, which will be worse. To be honest, when it comes to the economy I think we're screwed no matter what we decide to do.

What Obama is trying to do is balance the parties and the people's interest, which is difficult, and probably near impossible. No matter what happens, there will always be a group of people (coughcouchfoxnewsandtheteapartycoughcough) that will criticize his every move. One thing you should also consider is that he is one branch of the government. The legislative branch, Congress, makes the laws, not him. He has to work with them to get anything done. He is, though, considered to be the ?face? of the government.
That still doesn't mean he locks himself in a room and comes up with his own ideas independant of everyone around him.

To answer the first posted question; some parts are stupid, some aren't. States deciding to continue to fund or even increase funding for prisons while cutting school funding is increadably stupid.

To answer your last paragraph first, I tried to keep using 'Obama administration,' and when I did name him personally, I really do mean his administration.

To be honest, you seem to be doing a lot of blame shifting, with a filibuster proof senate and house, his administration shouldn't have run into those problems with keeping any of the major promises he made. Overall his policies are failing, and failing fast. He still has another two years, I give him every chance to wow me. As of yet he as done everything but that.

As for NASA science and exploration funding is always important. The paltry sum NASA needed was less then 2% of the defense budget, and less then half a percent of the money that was spent to supposedly bail out the country economically. Education, and scientific research are as important to the future of the country as a strong economy. Just economically speaking, as willingness of the government to support scientific research, and a highly educated population draw companies to a country, and enable new fields and new companies to set up in an area. Look at the government participation in what would eventually become the internet, and imagine how many technology companies would not exist today in the US had the government not kicked off the project, and just left it to another country.

Same with civilian space programs, there is a reason the majority of them are based in the US.

 

[Cat Cloud]

snipquote]

To answer your last paragraph first, I tried to keep using 'Obama administration,' and when I did name him personally, I really do mean his administration.

To be honest, you seem to be doing a lot of blame shifting, with a filibuster proof senate and house, his administration shouldn't have run into those problems with keeping any of the major promises he made. Overall his policies are failing, and failing fast. He still has another two years, I give him every chance to wow me. As of yet he as done everything but that.

As for NASA science and exploration funding is always important. The paltry sum NASA needed was less then 2% of the defense budget, and less then half a percent of the money that was spent to supposedly bail out the country economically. Education, and scientific research are as important to the future of the country as a strong economy. Just economically speaking, as willingness of the government to support scientific research, and a highly educated population draw companies to a country, and enable new fields and new companies to set up in an area. Look at the government participation in what would eventually become the internet, and imagine how many technology companies would not exist today in the US had the government not kicked off the project, and just left it to another country.

Same with civilian space programs, there is a reason the majority of them are based in the US.

One of the promises Obama and his administration made was to listen to everyone and not just ignore one party. Although it is hard to see, his administration tried to bridge the gaps between the two parties for the last two years, especially during the first one. Recently he has been trying to get 'tougher' on policies he supports. Also, if he/his administration completely shut out republicans it would reflect poorly on him. He doesn?t have a full filibuster now, Massachusetts changed that fact during the health care debate, and putting legislation through Congress is, has been, and always will be complicated and longwinded.

I personally never thought he would achieve all his promises (he probably was assuming he would have a full eight years for them). But the big promises, like health care, are hard to achieve. He has said in a speech that this year he was going to focus on the economy.

Which policies are failing and in what way? I don?t doubt that your right, but you have to be more specific than that.

I agree with you on the importance of science, exploration, and education. I wish our government would focus on these areas, but they?re not. Like I said, they are focusing on the economy because that's what they think the people want them to focus on. I was mad when I heard about NASA?s funding getting cut. I think they made a grave error cutting it.

Many schools are now receiving even less funding than they had before. Many state governments have cut their public education funding (it is unconstitutional for the national government to maintain the public school system; it?s a state?s right). I think that the short sightedness of both the national and many state governments in regards to science and education will only help us dig ourselves deeper into the hole we are already in.