"Our whole sense of self as a nation and as individuals is predicated on the American Dream. "
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<br>Maybe not our whole sense of self, but I think it's pretty close to call this our national identiy - that the American Dream is a worthy and achievable goal.
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<br>"The American Dream isn't about everybody, it's about ME. "
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<br>That might sound horrible until you realize it really is about everyboy, because while achieving the American dream is a personal goal (all about ME), there also exists in the belief of the American dream that it is there for any who strive to achieve it (whether or not that is true is a separate discussion).
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<br>"It's about me being able to work my ass off and become a successful person in life."
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<br>Nothing wrong with here. Maybe change it to "Anyone who works there ass off becomes succesful". But individually it's me busting my ass to become succesful. If my neighbor does the same thing, more power to him. Where this idea would be appalling is if you assign blame to anybody who doesn't achieve success - like anyone who isn't rich, simply must not have worked hard enough and deserves to be a failure, homeless, destitute, etc. I can't see where Rade made that leap.
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<br>"This whole idea of a democracy (please no lessons about how we're a republic) is about the power of the individual to make the choices which affect their own lives."
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<br>We also get to make decisions about other lives with our vote, but I think most people who cast their ballot are thinking of their own condition first, others second. It's why regardless of whether or not ethanol is good for the country, people in Iowa don't vote for candidates who oppose it. It's why Californians who depend on migrant workers vote for candidates that support immigration reform without considering if immigration reform is good for the entire country. People who run businesses next to a military base on BRAC vote for the candidate who vows to keep the base open despite it being fiscally sound to actually close it when you look at the national budget.
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<br>"We became a nation largely because the British royalty became too greedy and taxed us into oblivion."
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<br>I don't really know the accuracy of this statement, but nor do I find it appalling.
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<br>"The sense of self, individual power and choice is demonstrated in the Bill of Rights. It was SO important to us that the first thing we did after we founded our nation was to sit down and list a bunch of stuff the government could never touch. The Constitution did not grant people certain rights, it enumerated a very limited set of rights for the government because all other rights were deemed to be endowed by the Creator. "
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<br>Couldn't agree more, the bill of rights is all about individual freedom. One of the many reasons I don't like Justice Thomas, didn't like Bork as a nominee before him, or Fred Thompson for president. They are all of the opinion that the bill of rights doesn't imply a right to privacy, I am.