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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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This is the same as first world problems.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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"We have one chance left."
People...and candidates...like this, are the singular, best example why America could be destined for it's darkest, end days.
Sorry, T Hocking...I appreciate the higher sentiments of the OP, but this is the reality, right here, right now.
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10b4me
Mountain climber
Retired
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Yes. If it wasn't great why do people want to come to this country?
Hey wilmot, I am almost sixty-three. I remember seeing homeless people in the skid row section of LA back in the early '60s.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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^^^
Fact.
Like the 40%+ of Americans who are going to vote for this POS:
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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yes.
For most people who would say "no", they are arguing for perfection, which will never exist.
Because we ARE addressing:
poverty , crime, corruption, luck of health insurance and free college education, drone strikes, green house gass, to name the most obvious.
We are the largest seat of technical innovation on the planet:
The top five countries with the most Nobel laureates are all western nations - with the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Sweden topping the rankings for the best minds in peace, literature, science and economics.
The United States has had the most Nobel Prize winners, with 336 winners overall. It has been most successful in the area of Physiology or Medicine, with 94 laureates since 1901
And our dominance in this is INCREASING:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11926364/Nobel-Prize-winners-Which-country-has-the-most-Nobel-laureates.html
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Bill Mc Kirgan
Trad climber
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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No. Because as a nation we lack humility.
However, as a people we have the capacity for greatness, and that gives me hope.
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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Yes, America is great - the land, artistically, scientifically...
Problem is: Everything great can be destroyed. The corporate, juridical, politically system and people's blindness to it's flaws is slowly destroying America. There is a hook to everything and the same system that in its emergence brought greatness is now used for exploitation by the 1% corporate establishment - making fellow countrymen their "new-order-slaves" - which brings destruction...
More than half the American population believe they are saved by something that is damaging to them...
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Yes,
I like these birds - although there is no balance things are not in symmetry As no rules,apply to those who have the wealth and a mysagenistic perfect temperament
Or will hence forth be spelt trumperament?
but lest us never forget.; one ring to bind them one ring to rule them all
(((pHART Noise)))
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Bushman
climber
The state of quantum flux
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Yes.
America has always been great.
Then people showed up.
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gunsmoke
Mountain climber
Clackamas, Oregon
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Yes.
But what is the future? America was founded on a set of principles that included the notion of the individual having a great degree of autonomy over their own affairs (i.e., freedom). This was, and to a lesser degree still is, in great contrast to Europe. America became the greatest nation since the Roman Empire, and arguably the greatest nation ever. But why? Why did we vastly outperform Europe? Because we are somehow genetically superior? No, because giving individuals autonomy leads to prosperity. The question "Is America great?" seems to imply great compared to other nations. As we rapidly change our system to be like that of Europe, it is foolish to think that we won't have European results. Hence, a future of greatness seems unlikely.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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rbord
Boulder climber
atlanta
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The great set of notions our country was founded on included slavery. The great set of notions didn't give half the people - women - the right to vote, to have a say in how we govern ourselves.
But we're going downhill compared to those great founding notions? In some ways, in this election, we seem to be returning to them.
But when push comes to shove, and we look at ourselves, the glass is half full - we're great! OK, human enough.
But even today, we're one of the very greatest greenhouse gas producers, both on a total, and per capita basis, so we still have that.
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gunsmoke
Mountain climber
Clackamas, Oregon
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The great set of notions included mechanisms for correcting errors. Finding problems, even grave errors, in certain aspects of society does not indicate a need to change aspects that prove beneficial.
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thebravecowboy
climber
The Good Places
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Yes! The physiography, quite! The people, the culture, less so
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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"America the Great." How stupid does that sound?
Gretzky was "great."
Show me how many goals the US has scored?
We have a lot of assists, sure, but how often do we score?
Not very.
I realize this is not a political thread. But, of all of the past presidents, only JFK was a true hockey fan, to my knowledge, though Barry will join him next year when Mystery Person takes over.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
There is a photo to be had of Barry with the 2013 Stanley Cuppers, the LA Kings.
(zBrown is no where to be seen in it...don't believe his BS.)
edit: Who's been to Great America in the Bay Area?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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No. Switzerland and Norway are great. After them it is a race for the bottom.
In Switzerland you can bring yer whole kit onto the train. If you did that here you'd be shot...
Rather telling how many choose not to play by the rules. That is one of our greatest failings.
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rbord
Boulder climber
atlanta
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Completely agree gunsmoke. There is some greatness here for sure. Those mechanisms have meant that 150 years after slavery ended, black median wealth is 1/13 white median wealth, when it used to be 0/13. IMHO, how we see that as a reflection of our greatness probably has a lot to do with how we see ourselves to begin with.
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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Yes. (There - played by the rules!)
It once was, or at least was pretty fair until 20 March 2003. Going downhill ever since, likely to continue.
It is presently in great danger from inequality, climate change, debt, upsurging Asian economies, world overpopulation, potential nuclear threat, and a narcissistic megalomaniac who is swaying a frightened and gullible electorate toward neo-fascism.
Refer to Malemute's post Nov. 4 for a glimpse beyond blind nationalism.
Look to some Scandinavian countries - especially Norway - for a higher degree of civilization. No, none is perfect, but humanity is not.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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The top 5-10% of the people are great but many of the rest pretty much suck.
We aren't any better in Canada though, just more moderate ( by the way I have met many good Muricans).
The US was great economically in the 50's and 60's because it came out of WW2 with industries intact where as the main competition had most of its industrial capacity destroyed.
The biggest threat to the US is itself.
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zBrown
Ice climber
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是中国伟大的
Shì zhōngguó wěidà de
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