How would you describe the "American soul?"

3/13/2008 11:32:15 PM

james brown

3/13/2008 11:33:54 PM

Walmart.

[Edited on March 13, 2008 at 11:36 PM. Reason : Speaking for the majority, overall.]

3/13/2008 11:36:11 PM

full of cholesterol

3/13/2008 11:42:28 PM

full of contempt for their fellow man

3/14/2008 12:50:37 AM

In song...

3/14/2008 12:57:20 AM

tired of having half of its money stolen to support Laquisha's coke habit

3/14/2008 1:05:20 AM

So we're moving up to a half now? For a long time, Mr. Schmoe could get away with a third as the accepted exaggeration, but since Bush lowered taxes, it seems like you fuckers have gotten even more greedy, bitching about this supposed half all the time.

It's very ugly.

3/14/2008 1:09:57 AM

looking at my taxes, it's a half. don't lump me in with anyone else's statements, bridget.

3/14/2008 1:16:15 AM

In that case, I applaud you for your lack of greed.

You're probably the only person in North Carolina paying half their money in taxes.

3/14/2008 1:31:28 AM

Haha, I live in SC

3/14/2008 1:32:07 AM

South Carolina, too.

I thought you were gonna say you live in MA or NY or some shit.

3/14/2008 1:54:55 AM

Quote :

"tired of having half of its money stolen to support Laquisha's coke habit"

OK, look, you can't constantly be using obvious black names while simultaneously insisting that anyone who calls you a racist is straw-manning

If you're going to ascribe negative characteristics to a specific racial group, then by the definition of the term you are racist

I'm sorry, I didn't invent the fucking word, but I am going to school you in it's appropriate use,

you god damned racists.

3/14/2008 2:18:32 AM

Quote :

""tired of having half of its money stolen to support Laquisha's some idiot baby momma's coke habit""

any race included.

3/14/2008 2:51:25 AM

Quote :

"""tired of having half of its money stolen to support Laquisha's some idiot baby momma's coke habit"""

Come on, you know for a fact that Laquisha can't afford real coke! That's the GOOD shit! Dem darkies on the streets is doing CRACK cocaine! They're sticking gay-AIDS-infested needles full of drain cleaners straight into their baby's veins while they're pregnant! And it's their own fault when their babies come out all MUTATED and shit, and then us good american people have to pay more to support her baby!
You people piss me off.

3/14/2008 5:17:58 AM

Quote :

"So we're moving up to a half now? For a long time, Mr. Schmoe could get away with a third as the accepted exaggeration, but since Bush lowered taxes, it seems like you fuckers have gotten even more greedy, bitching about this supposed half all the time. "

How is a third even remotely an exaggeration? If you are middle class in this country, you pay between about 20-25% in federal taxes, another ~5-10% in state income taxes and an additional ~7.5% in SS and Medicare taxes (15% if you're self employed). And all of that is before you consider sales taxes, taxes on gas, property taxes, taxes on investments, taxes on utilities, regulatory taxes, tolls if you happen to live in a state with toll roads, and then all the various fees and payments you make to the government as part of your yearly living (vehicle registration etc). Adding up just the low end of all of that you get ~32% in taxes before the miscellaneous ones you pay every day. And don't forget that every tax a business pays comes out of your pocket, not the company's bottom line. People are being bled dry with taxes, but they don't really notice because they don't have to cut a check to uncle sam every year, or quarter.

3/14/2008 4:38:45 PM

That is a hard question, not one I'm completely comfortable with.


I wonder if America has lost its soul? The 60s turned us away from the idealism of the 50s, and somewhat rightfully so, but I feel like we threw out the baby with the bathwater, and when we found the tub empty, we filled it up with whatever we could consume.


I would like to say it is one of individualism, initative, and republican (little r) liberty. I'm afraid the 70s left us with a nihlisitc vaccum which has been filled with consumption.

3/14/2008 4:44:49 PM

^ I'm not comfortable with the question either. But GrumpyGOP's thread about patriotism led me to it, and made me wonder how others would answer.

I'm not happy about mine, but it's as honest as it can be:

Drunk.

Disoriented.

Proud.

Simple.

Incidentally, I find your analysis spot the fuck on.

[Edited on March 14, 2008 at 8:57 PM. Reason : ...]

3/14/2008 8:56:48 PM

In theory, the American Soul represents selflessness filled with hope. In practice, it represents selfishness filled with indifference.

3/14/2008 9:11:29 PM

The New Colossus

Quote :

" Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" "

3/14/2008 10:10:37 PM

Shit, give me a few hours and I'll write a goddamn essay about this.

3/14/2008 10:11:01 PM

the SOUL of America is beign PERSECUTED

good americans from sea to shining sea are being persecuted for their beliefs.

yes, my brothers ... AMERICANS ARE PERSECUTED on a regular basis

when we stand up and say that we want to protect the sanctity of marriage, the homosexuals try to smack us down, call us bigots, and PERSECUTE us for our RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.

when we stand up and and say that we want to educate our children in God's laws, we are PERSECUTED FOR LOVING GOD, struck down by the local and state governments, we are called intolerant, and force our children to learn about gay sex and the lie that humans were not made in God's image, but decended from monkeys

when we stand up and as that we are tired of working 12 hour days, 6 days a week, only to give our hard earned money to Laquisha and Tyrell so they can smoke crack all day and not work and have illegitimate babies, we are PERSECUTED for our beliefs, we are struck down and called RACISTS.

wehn we stand up and say that we are tired of giving criminal immigrants immigrants like Jose a free ride to clog up our government, take our jobs, consume our resources, and be allowed to commit crimes without being punished, we are PERSECUTED for our LOVE OF AMERICA, and struck down as being immigrant-haters

are you TIRED of being PERSECUTED, my brothers?

are you tired of being treated like a second-class citizen in your OWN COUNTRY?

well, IT'S TIME to make a REAL CHANGE






paid for by the Republican National Committee.

3/14/2008 11:18:22 PM

One half apathetic the other half manifest destiny.

3/15/2008 12:08:41 AM

Oh shit son.

We got 3 East Cary MS grads in this thread.

Shit just got real.

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 12:37 AM. Reason : yeah yeah chit chat but it's my thread suck it]

3/15/2008 12:36:49 AM

Quote :

"How is a third even remotely an exaggeration? If you are middle class in this country, you pay between about 20-25% in federal taxes, another ~5-10% in state income taxes and an additional ~7.5% in SS and Medicare taxes (15% if you're self employed). And all of that is before you consider sales taxes, taxes on gas, property taxes, taxes on investments, taxes on utilities, regulatory taxes, tolls if you happen to live in a state with toll roads, and then all the various fees and payments you make to the government as part of your yearly living (vehicle registration etc). Adding up just the low end of all of that you get ~32% in taxes before the miscellaneous ones you pay every day. And don't forget that every tax a business pays comes out of your pocket, not the company's bottom line. People are being bled dry with taxes, but they don't really notice because they don't have to cut a check to uncle sam every year, or quarter."

I'm sorry you bothered typing all that out. I said "Mr. Schmoe." And, yes, Mr. Schmoe is exaggerating when he bitches about a third.

3/15/2008 4:28:09 AM

I don't believe that he is.

3/15/2008 4:41:32 AM

And you would be wrong.

I mean, this 1337 guy is talking about 20-25% in federal taxes. Please...

Family of four making $75k/year was paying around 11% federal and 9% state/local in 2005.
http://tinyurl.com/yvsekh

Never mind that median household income is $45k, not 75.

One third is an exaggeration. There's what people claim they pay and then what they actually pay.

3/15/2008 7:52:00 AM

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 8:24 AM. Reason : whoops, wrong thread, but it sort of applies here too ]

3/15/2008 8:23:46 AM

Quote :

"Drunk. Disoriented. Proud. Simple."

I think we hit a high water mark sometime in the 40s. You had a generation who saw the depths of humanity in the Great Depression and the Second World War and who genuinely thought that the good guys had won, and they had. They weren't the perfect guys, but compared to the options, they were definitely the good guys. They felt that they had earned and deserved the prosperity that they received. The problem is, their children did not witness the events that lead up to the 1950s. They, having never been truly challenged as human beings, sought "more" to life than what they grew up with. Many of them identified very real examples of injustice in the world and sought to attack them, but in their zeal, they blindly attacked everything their parents stood for. Now, they are their parent's age when they first began their insurgency and, having sold out their lives in the 70s and 80s to massive consumerism, have nothing of substance to pass on to their children.

So you have our generations who are left to find, on our own, what America stands for, and with our grandparents (mine, at least, were of the "greatest generation"), we're losing that connect with what America might once have been.

Plus, lets be honest, it is hard to see the forest for the trees. We're so wrapped up in being American society that it is hard, no matter how much we try, to disassociate ourselves with its nature.

3/15/2008 10:20:03 AM

Quote :

"And you would be wrong. I mean, this 1337 guy is talking about 20-25% in federal taxes. Please... Family of four making $75k/year was paying around 11% federal and 9% state/local in 2005. http://tinyurl.com/yvsekh Never mind that median household income is $45k, not 75. One third is an exaggeration. There's what people claim they pay and then what they actually pay."

I think you misunderstand your source. The quote you get for the federal taxes is: "Today, Americans are paying roughly 11.8% of their personal income in federal taxes, compared with 9.6% in late 2003, Wachovia reports. Mr. Silvia says he expects the federal tax burden to keep rising."

Note that the subject is americans, not families of 4 earning 75k. That would include all americans including poverty. Otherwise, you are seriously suggesting that people making 75K are only paying less % in taxes than someone who makes 8k / year (brackets for your reference http://www.moneychimp.com/features/tax_brackets.htm). Also note that incomes between 45k and 75k are in the same tax bracket for most filing purposes. So let's look at your 45k shall we?

If you're single, making 45k:

Your average (federal income) tax works out to about 17%

(FWIW if you're making 30k it's about 14%)

So, 17% + say 7% state taxes (your numbers not mine) = 24% in just state and federal.

+ 7.5% in SS and medicare = 31.5%, and that as I said is before sales, investment, utility and gas taxes. And to get to 33% you only need to tack another $675 on to that. So lets figure gas tax averages about $.40 / gallon. Say you fill up a 15 gallon tank once a week, 52 weeks a year. That's $312 in taxes. Do you think after you add up your utility and sales taxes and other fees that you pay to the government each year that it amounts to significantly less than $363? If you're making 30k single (~14/hr), take 3% off. If you're self employed, add 7.5%.

Like I said, a third is hardly exaggerating.

Edit:
-----

Also note that I'm assuming that your state numbers are including property taxes. If not, well, you get the idea.

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 11:53 AM. Reason : property]

3/15/2008 11:52:10 AM

Quote :

"tired of having half of its money stolen to support Laquisha's coke habit "

We are spending more on social security than on national defense? seriously? fuck social security.

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 12:41 PM. Reason : .]

3/15/2008 12:40:34 PM

Quote :

"I think you misunderstand your source. The quote you get for the federal taxes is: "Today, Americans are paying roughly 11.8% of their personal income in federal taxes, compared with 9.6% in late 2003, Wachovia reports. Mr. Silvia says he expects the federal tax burden to keep rising." Note that the subject is americans, not families of 4 earning 75k. That would include all americans including poverty. Otherwise, you are seriously suggesting that people making 75K are only paying less % in taxes than someone who makes 8k / year (brackets for your reference http://www.moneychimp.com/features/tax_brackets.htm). Also note that incomes between 45k and 75k are in the same tax bracket for most filing purposes. So let's look at your 45k shall we? If you're single, making 45k: Your average (federal income) tax works out to about 17% (FWIW if you're making 30k it's about 14%) So, 17% + say 7% state taxes (your numbers not mine) = 24% in just state and federal. + 7.5% in SS and medicare = 31.5%, and that as I said is before sales, investment, utility and gas taxes. And to get to 33% you only need to tack another $675 on to that. So lets figure gas tax averages about $.40 / gallon. Say you fill up a 15 gallon tank once a week, 52 weeks a year. That's $312 in taxes. Do you think after you add up your utility and sales taxes and other fees that you pay to the government each year that it amounts to significantly less than $363? If you're making 30k single (~14/hr), take 3% off. If you're self employed, add 7.5%. Like I said, a third is hardly exaggerating. Edit: ----- Also note that I'm assuming that your state numbers are including property taxes. If not, well, you get the idea. "

dude, I applaud your effort, but trying to get our young Lib friends to realize the real amount of money we are all sending the government is an effort in futility. they wont realize it until they get a little older and wiser and have to actually start cutting checks out of investments and things like that. now, they get a return from the govt and think life is dandy.

3/15/2008 1:29:44 PM

http://awesomepower.ytmnd.com/

3/15/2008 4:10:11 PM

this seems like an odd question. i dont even know what "american soul" is....i guess i'd say "being really arrogant" idk

3/15/2008 4:15:59 PM

american soul is gangsta

3/16/2008 12:43:53 AM

I think American Cheese is pretty reflective of our soul.

3/16/2008 12:51:49 AM

pasteurized processed american cheese food.

3/16/2008 1:44:05 AM

http://hyper-power.ytmnd.com/

3/16/2008 3:56:28 AM

Tom Petty - Freefallin

...the good kind of American soul, anyway.

3/16/2008 6:00:37 AM

pasteurized processed american cheese food product.

3/16/2008 6:24:46 AM

Three gilded balls.

3/16/2008 10:39:37 AM

music
cheeseburgers
coke
art
tobacco
cowboys
street gangs
democracy
taxes
guns
cars
companies

Tom Petty - Freefallin

3/17/2008 10:10:13 AM

I would tell him or her to just listen to this:

"America the Beautiful" - Ray Charles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CILIBlQ2D0Q

3/17/2008 11:44:05 AM