What is the greatest threat facing the United States of America right now?

[FORD]

Alright, let's have it. What is REALLY threatening to destroy this country?

Vote, and discuss........

[sadaist]

Tough to pick 1.

But I would say outsourcing of jobs & manufacturing to other countries. We don't make nearly as much here as we can & should...or even used to recently. When I buy a $.99 cent bandana, it's made in fucking China! You're telling me we can't make a 12" x 12" piece of thin cloth here in the United States? It's cheaper to actually have them packed up & put on a ship to travel thousands of miles across the entire Pacific Ocean to get here? Mind-boggling.

When I call my credit card company, is it really cheaper that the call goes to the other side of the globe to an Indian woman? It may cost more for the employees & building lease here in the states, but how many less complaints would they receive that were based on language difficulties?

I just think such a large portion of the population being poor is our greatest threat. And by 'poor' I don't mean whatever the government poverty line is. I think it's at like $12k annually or something ridiculous like that. But even if you make $35k per year, having a decent apartment & vehicle is gonna be tight finances. You won't be vacationing in Tahiti anytime soon.

I don't think our greatest threat is war or terrorism. Our country has been in some serious conflicts and still was prosperous at home. Back in the days when we actually had jobs for people to earn a living.

Just my take on it.

[FORD]

That would fall under predatory capitalism.

[Jagermeister]

I voted for Predatory Capitalism I guess as it relates the the economy in general. Even though unemplyment has droped it's still at 8% which is really bad. We need more high paying jobs in the private sector.

[LoungeMachine]

Our own Supreme Court.

Combined with no public funding of federal elections.

:gulp:

We The People have been made obsolete.

[FORD]

The Supreme Court - installed by the Predatory Capitalist BCE - further enabling predatory capitalism with Shittyzens United.

[hambon4lif]

Definitely outsourcing. Those long-term unemployed are going to face a bitter end when they reach the end of their road, only to find out that there are still no fucking jobs to be had.

That, and the 'war on terror'.....being told that we need to be protected from terrorists...by terrorists.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

i voted for the "pc", but i had to think about the football one :(

[vh rides again]

I would have to say our dependance on oil and the rising costs of it.

It is destroying our economy, sucking everyone dry.

[lesfunk]

Obama's birth certificate

[binnie]

Obesity.

[binnie]

Tough to pick 1.

But I would say outsourcing of jobs & manufacturing to other countries. We don't make nearly as much here as we can & should...or even used to recently. When I buy a $.99 cent bandana, it's made in fucking China! You're telling me we can't make a 12" x 12" piece of thin cloth here in the United States? It's cheaper to actually have them packed up & put on a ship to travel thousands of miles across the entire Pacific Ocean to get here? Mind-boggling.

When I call my credit card company, is it really cheaper that the call goes to the other side of the globe to an Indian woman? It may cost more for the employees & building lease here in the states, but how many less complaints would they receive that were based on language difficulties?

I just think such a large portion of the population being poor is our greatest threat. And by 'poor' I don't mean whatever the government poverty line is. I think it's at like $12k annually or something ridiculous like that. But even if you make $35k per year, having a decent apartment & vehicle is gonna be tight finances. You won't be vacationing in Tahiti anytime soon.

I don't think our greatest threat is war or terrorism. Our country has been in some serious conflicts and still was prosperous at home. Back in the days when we actually had jobs for people to earn a living.

Just my take on it.

Believe it or not, it is cheaper to do it that way. It's the same situation here too.

Mrs binnie works for a textile design company who use Chinese manufacture. The big retailers who they supply too determine the price and this year even Chinese labour is too expensive for the company to meet those targets so they are having to use Bangladesh instead. Frightening.

The fact of the matter is: unless we are all prepared to pay a little more for those goods, they aren't getting made in our countries.

[FORD]

Obesity.

Another byproduct of predatory capitalism. Mostly due to high fructose corn poison and other crap that may not exist in other parts of the world the way it does here. Also a contributing factor to the "couch potato culture".

[ELVIS]

Obama

[FORD]

Obama

Damn, I was sure you would either go with the gay guys or the pandemic of the month. So what makes Obama the greatest threat?

[Unchainme]

Lack of the NFL season..

;).

[sadaist]

That was me that did the 1 vote for "FORD and those other goddamn librul hippies"



Couldn't help myself. :)

[FORD]

Lack of the NFL season..

;).

Of course, even that can be considered a form of predatory capitalism, since most NFL owners would fit that category.

[Dr. Love]

A complacent citizenry that is disengaged and does not bother to vote and HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE (on both sides).

[FORD]

Great answer, Doc. And may Egypt and Wisconsin be lessons to us all.

[VanHalener]

The greatest threat is me retaliating for you turning down my Van Halen when I'm cranking Mean Street.

I'll tear you a new hole and stick a big woofer in it.

~And now you know~

[binnie]

Another byproduct of predatory capitalism. Mostly due to high fructose corn poison and other crap that may not exist in other parts of the world the way it does here. Also a contributing factor to the "couch potato culture".

It's the product of warped expectations: expectation (and sense of entitlement) that we can can consume and spend, spend without consequence.

[Blaze]

Oxygen is our biggest threat! ;)

[binnie]

Obama

I've been saying it for years now, but the next US President should be Burt Reynolds.

Who wouldn't want The Bandit running their country?

[ELVIS]

So what makes Obama the greatest threat?

Spending more than Bush by far and keeping us at perpetual war...

[hideyoursheep]

When the country in which you live decides it is acceptable to provide golden parachutes to the already wealthy and cut funding to poor, malnourished children, then, my friend, your country is ALREADY fucked.

[Blaze]

Ex-TBW executive pleads guilty to mortgage fraud

By James Vicini – Fri Apr 1, 6:40 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The former chief executive officer of bankrupt Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp pleaded guilty on Friday to his role in a $1.5 billion fraud scheme that contributed to the company's collapse.

The U.S. Justice Department said Paul Allen, who joined TBW in 2003 as its CEO, entered the plea in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, to one count of conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud and to one count of making false statements.

Allen, 55, who lives in Oakton, Virginia, faces up to five years in prison on each count. The judge set sentencing on June 21.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/us_nm/us_mortgage_fraud_hearing

Both companies filed for bankruptcy protection in August 2009.

Other TBW executives who have pleaded guilty include former president Raymond Bowman; former treasurer Desiree Brown; and Sean Ragland, a former senior financial analyst. Executives from Colonial Bank also have pleaded guilty.

The case is USA v. Allen, No. 11-cr-165, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.


The fact that so much can be stolen and that person is not corporally or capitally punished...

5 years. That is appalling.