OrionWorks wrote:
No it's NOT a free country for many in our society. And what do you
mean by Legal???? Define legal.
Tell that to gay couples who simply wish to get married . . .
Homosexual people in the US are much freer than they used to be. So
are other minorities, and various groups who are despised by the
mainstream, such as atheists. Even since the 1970s, the expansion of
freedom and security here in Atlanta and the rest of the South are
dramatic and undeniable. Before 1963, black people could not even
vote here! In the early 1970s, when my brother and his friends drove
in cars with black and white young men together, in Virginia and
Georgia, they were constantly harassed and threatened by both the
police and the local KKK supporters.
KKK supporters are somewhat less free than they used to be, I will grant.
It may feel like a "free country" to many in America. Indeed it IS a
free country, comparatively speaking when compared to other societies.
We have more freedom than we ever did in previous decades. The
government is less intrusive than it used to be, especially compared
to the 1950s and the McCarthy era. People can home-school their
children, for example, which was not allowed for most of the 20th century.
Nevertheless, I'm concerned that our lists of freedoms are slowly
being eroded by a conservatively backed religiously up-tight
administration . . .
I honestly do not think this is a problem. When conservatives or
liberals go too far the voters get fed up and switch to the other side.
However, it is a grave mistake to believe that winning a 100 million
will make one happy. Quite often the exact opposite results as one's
"friends" begin hitting you up for loans and other amenities.
There have been many follow-up studies on people who win vast sums of
money. Most of them are delighted, and they are still happy many
years later. This is also true of people who earn vast sums of money.
By every measure, most of them are more satisfied with life than
ordinary middle class people or poor people. They also tend to live
longer and in better health. Generally speaking, wealth is good for you.
Some lottery winners blow it all or live miserable lives being
badgered by relatives, but most do not.
Of course there are some disgruntled wealthy people.
- Jed
