Americans Aren't Sure Anything In America Works Anymore

[applegrove]

Americans Aren't Sure Anything In America Works Anymore

by Ariel Edwards-Levy at the Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/america-future-survey_564bae1de4b045bf3df193bd?utm_hp_ref=politics

"SNIP...............



Here's a brief, non-exhaustive list of things that a new poll says Americans don't have much faith in: the government, businesses, the economy, the power of their vote and the future of the United States.



The overall mood of the country is one of "anxiety, nostalgia and mistrust," according to the 2015 American Values Survey, which was released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.



"Fear is not an emotion that you see often in public opinion polls, but it was clearly there in the fall of 2008 and early 2009" after the economic collapse, said Karlyn Bowman, of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, during a Tuesday panel discussion of the survey. "Americans aren't confident that we've fixed what went wrong."



Many, in fact, see the country as on the decline. The poll found that 53 percent of Americans say the nation's culture and way of life have changed for the worse since the 1950s. Forty-nine percent now say America's best days are behind it, up from 38 percent who said the same in 2012. Democrats remain more bullish, while Republicans and tea party members are the most pessimistic.



...............SNIP"

[Alenne]

1. I wonder what happened in the fall of 2008. Hmmm!

I'm thinking 53% of Americans longing for the 50s are racist assholes.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

5. 53%?

Were 53% of Americans today even alive in the 1950's? Was this a survey of old folks homes? The older boomers would have been kids then. A whole bunch of the boomers weren't born until the early 60's. How well can any of them speak to how awesome the 50's were? I know I'm not longing for the 50's since I was born in the late 70's.

[Igel]

6. Lots of people not alive in the '50s are sure about how bad it was.

Same problem, but one that many have no difficulty with. It suits them.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

7. Oh, but they are saying they prefer the 50's to now

They think they would prefer way more racism, sexism, discrimination against gay and trans-gendered people than we have today. Can't get enough of that stuff. Nothing bad for old white, straight guys though. Sounds wonderful.

[raccoon]

10. Try living in the South during the summer with no air conditioning. The "fabulous 50's" weren't

so fabulous in that respect.

[hifiguy]

2. Everything the oligarchy wants or needs to work is working

just fine. But nothing else is.

[applegrove]

3. Yes. And the GOP base knows something is wrong but have not yet figured out that because government,

taxes and unions (and other regulations) have been gutted by the GOP, they are in the pickle they are in.

[hifiguy]

4. That's a big part of it to be sure.

[n2doc]

8. RW hate radio and Faux spew this crap all the time

Every day, it is "America is broken! America is no longer Great! Things are terrible and getting worse! And it is all because of the Scarey Black Man"

Every. Frickin'. Day.

[pampango]

9. "Democrats remain more bullish, while Republicans and tea party members are the most pessimistic."

The party of "NO" and of small government (to be drowned in a bathtub) and of fear of change, of minorities, of foreigners are the "most pessimistic". That is not too surprising. Conservatives have always been the most pessimistic, the most "society is falling apart", the most fearful people.

[treestar]

11. The 50s really?

Racist assholes.

The problem with being conservative is that you will see progress as societies always progress. So you're doomed not to get what you want.

[hobbit709]

12. Is anyone really surprised by this.

It now takes two incomes to maintain half the standard of living from one income in the 60s.
In 1974 when I first came to Austin, you could work 20-25 hrs a week at a minimum wage job and be able to pay rent, bills eat and go out once or twice a week. Now 40 hrs at minimum wage lets you sleep under the overpass because it won't even pay the rent. Austin is the only major city in the US with a declining black population-they can't afford to live here any more.
If you're in the bottom end of the economic scale you are pretty much screwed today.