Yes, it's done. All my enthusiasm for naught. :-( I really was not expecting that. But, the cards have been dealt. Not the best outcome in my opinion, a rocky road ahead perhaps, but America will be fine.
Lately I read: here is a deep-seated belief in America that the United States is approaching the eve of its destruction. Read letters to the editor, peruse the Web, and listen to public discourse. Disastrous wars, uncontrolled deficits, high gasoline prices, shootings at universities, corruption in business and government, and an endless litany of other shortcomings—all of them quite real—create a sense that the American dream has been shattered and that America is past its prime. If that doesn't convince you, listen to Europeans. They will assure you that America's best day is behind it. The odd thing is that all of this foreboding was present during the presidency of Richard Nixon, together with many of the same issues. There is a continual fear that American power and prosperity are illusory, and that disaster is just around the corner. The sense transcends ideology. Environmentalists and Christian conservatives are both delivering the same message. Unless we repent of our ways, we will pay the price—and it may be too late already. It's interesting to note that the nation that believes in its manifest destiny has not only a sense of impending disaster but a nagging feeling that the country simply isn't what it used to be. We have a deep sense of nostalgia for the 1950s as a “simpler” time. This is quite a strange belief. With the Korean War and McCarthy at one end, Little Rock in the middle, and Sputnik and Berlin at the other end, and the very real threat of nuclear war throughout, the 1950s was actually a time of intense anxiety and foreboding. A widely read book published in the 1950s was entitled The Age of Anxiety. In the 1950s, they looked back nostalgically at an earlier America, just as we look back nostalgically at the 1950s. American culture is the manic combination of exultant hubris and profound gloom. The net result is a sense of confidence constantly undermined by the fear that we may be drowned by melting ice caps caused by global warming or smitten dead by a wrathful God for gay marriage, both outcomes being our personal responsibility. American mood swings make it hard to develop a real sense of the United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century. But the fact is that the United States is stunningly powerful. It may be that it is heading for a catastrophe, but it is hard to see one when you look at the basic facts. from The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century George Friedman
Eso, that is an interesting article, and I can agree with some of it. 'Approaching the eve of destruction' is probably a bit of an exaggeration, but people are I think wondering just where america is headed, what path will it take, one towards economic and military strength or one towards overspending, continued economic weakness and a smaller role in world affairs. Like the article says, that issue is often the topic in editorials and letters to the editor. People are legitimately concerned. Maybe the fear is, is america in decline? Our nostalgia for the 50's, maybe it is a bit of selective memory. Bad things were also happening, but the national memory is of post war prosperity, simpler times, strong families, patriotism. Some examples.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSTdHClwwSg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CgNwBh8vOY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPnG1-CbkYM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_PZPpWTRTU Lately(infers ongoing) I have been doing something, something has been happening A slight difference Recently(not very far in the past) I DID something Recently I HAVE been DOING something, or something has been happening. or I have recently been doing something.
Meanwhile, presidential elections are coming to Czech republic too. And like everything here (I don't know why) they are turning to comedy http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/c ... dge/870193
I have to admit I am completely ignorant about the current elections in CR, but I welcome this discussion to learn more. I wish you guys the best. Hope the country picks the candidate that will usher it into a world of success and prosperity. Maybe then you will be the country that leads the rest of europe out of it's lethargy. The link you sent made me curious to find out more....so I found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_pres ... tion,_2013 Question....Regarding first round and second round(if necessary); the whole voting eligible population will be asked to go out to the poles and cast another vote? We have our primaries(by state) throughout the first half of the election year. And then the final election in November. My curiosity on this matter is 1. What is the length of time between 1st and 2nd round? and 2. What will be the difference in the turnout of voters between the first and second rounds? If the election is not decided in the 1st round, voters will again be asked to reinvigorate their enthusiasm and again make the effort to go to the poles and cast a vote. Another question....The leading candidate, according to the wikipedia link, comes from a comunist background?
Yes, it's two rounds majority system (the second round is between two candidates with highest number of votes from the first round – if no candidate obtains 50+% majority in the first round) similar to elections system already used for Senate elections (Senate is upper chamber of Czech parliament). Interval between first and second round will be 14 days if necessary (if no candidate obtains more than 50 percent in the first round) If we can assume by Senate elections, second round turnout could be 30-50% lower than in first round. You have to understand, that twenty years ago this country was communist state. Every company, every school was under state control. Between 1948-89, if you wanted to have good job, your children accepted to the university, permission to go on foreign holidays, you had to collaborate with The party more or less. Even many people who were dissidents after 1968 was communists in fifties. After war many people really believed in communists ideas, they felt that Western countries betrayed them. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_agreement Many former members now say they was member only because they wanted to have job etc. In many todays democratic parties are people with communist pasts. If you are interested in LONG text about this issue, try this: http://monumenttotransformation.org/atl ... upnik.html
I surely see your point. I wasn't taking that into consideration. They needed to at least verbally align themselves with the communists in order to make it in the system. Many I'm sure did so reluctantly and only superficially. Good luck with the elections!
