How, like, totally embarrassing. In the wake of the big blackout, critics charged that the United States has a “Third World” power grid. Third World! News stories featured Iraqis giving us advice about how to survive with zero or, at best, intermittent power. Now we’re hearing how our roads, bridges, and water pipes are also “Third World,” while we struggle… return to article
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Reader Comments (22)Page 1 of 1 pagesas far as bush & co. (the professional looters) are concerned ,they are not concerned obviously because by the time the big shit really hits the fan they will all be dead! so i dont get it........what is the point of imperialism if ya’ll gonna be dead anyway?!! i mean, are ALL their penises that small??
Posted by sacha on Sep 5, 2003 at 9:55 AM I will be more than happy to see the US as a third world country...maybe then they will understand.
Posted by S on Sep 5, 2003 at 11:25 AM Wonderful! Makes me glad to be a Senior Citizen - I may not see the end of all this!
Posted by Ane Hanley on Sep 5, 2003 at 11:27 AM Hey, let’s trash it and give it back to the natives! Seems the thing to do.
Hmmm, are the Amish restraining themselves from laughing inside right now?
Posted by neil on Sep 5, 2003 at 7:03 PM I knew this right from the beginning.
Bush staged 9/11, if he weren’t pres. this would not have happened.
They planned Pax Am years ago, evil, evil men that need to be stopped now, not wait for elections.
They are going to fix the machines.
We can recover if it is started now.
Posted by Rochelle Snyder on Sep 6, 2003 at 6:49 AM I have been saying for years that the Republican Party’s main goal is to turn the US into a third world country - and that the Democrats haven’t got the viscera to oppose them. Needless to say, most folks looked at me like I had three heads. Thank goodness you have three heads too, Susan. I was feeling rather lonely.
Posted by Dean C. Nataro on Sep 6, 2003 at 9:37 AM The Bush white house has NOT been a “miserable failure” as Dick Gephardt stated in the democratic “debate” on the fourth. They have easily accomplished every one of their goals. They’ve lost an election but won a lawsuit, they’ve jammed a tax cut down our throats that gives billions (more like trillions) to thier homeboys, they’ve gutted the entire constitution/ bill of rights with the patriot act, they’ve dismissed any environmental regulation they’ve deemed threatening to big biz, they’ve completely crushed any voice of dissent espeacially the main stream press, they’ve pushed us into an unjust, illegal, and never-ending war we cant possibly win, they’ve eliminated 60,000 jobs a month, the list goes on forever...... These are all goals of the cheap labor conservative minority of america. If your one of them you realize that Bush and company have been an OVERWHELMING SUCCESS. They’ve accomplished all of this right under our noses, in a very short period of time (pre-meditated?) and the majority of us have done NOTHING to stop them! (yes myself included) ......................................................
The next time one of your wanna-be millionaire cheap labor conservative friends, family, or co-workers starts spewing their dimm-witted jibberish, tell them this....I’ve found a place where all the things you hate about “liberal america” doesnt exist. Theres no welfare, no medicare, no social security, no food stamps, no gun laws, no abortion, no public schools,no liberal media,etc. they’re very tough on crime, low level drug dealers get the death penalty along with gays and out-spoken women, prayer in school is manditory, the military budget is the only budget, etc. That place is called Afghanistan! (or insert third world country of your choice) If you dont like it here, move there. AMERICA.. LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT!
Posted by Shawn p Murphy on Sep 6, 2003 at 2:44 PM God please help us all.
That story makes me want to die :(
Posted by Sid Crowe on Sep 6, 2003 at 8:05 PM Shawn, What the fuck are you saying? Are you against Bush or with him? WTF?
Posted by neil on Sep 6, 2003 at 9:24 PM well NEIL from Boise..... what I’m saying is that to think Bush is stupid and his administration is a failure is wrong. These guys have set out from the get-go to screw us and they’ve done a pretty good job. For us to sit back and blow it off because were thinking Bush is too dumb to pull off all the evil shit he’s doing would be a mistake. The point of the article above is to say that the cheap labor conservative right wing has a plan and that plan is to completely break the back of the american middle class and keep us ALL bent over a barrel, that way we’ll have to turn to them for all of our needs and be at thier mercy. what I was trying to say is that so far they’ve succeded in advancing thier plan and to date theres no end in sight.
Posted by Shawn p Murphy on Sep 7, 2003 at 12:00 AM America love it or leave it? I am leaving it. This country maybe the richest country on earth materially but it is the poorest country spiritually! Since my children may choose to live here I intend to vote for Howard Dean and hope the tide turns.
Posted by lourdes green on Sep 7, 2003 at 10:37 AM In response to me aligning with the United Nations on the Iraq issue, my own father suggested I should leave this country. I looked him dead in the eye and told him that, if he didn’t believe in a democracy where we, the people, are entitled to disagree with our government, he should consider moving to a fascist state. Since I am generally a very gentle person, he was pretty shocked at my statement. I guess I have reached the conclusion that the only way I can demonstrate love for my country is to start fighting for it with the verbal sword of truth. Otherwise, I will be as responsible as anyone else for the failed experiment of democracy in this nation.
Posted by Leslee Hamrick on Sep 7, 2003 at 10:58 AM The only problem with Shawn’s post is that Afghanistan is in a state of chaos, although certainly the Taliban era Afghanistan was everything that our neocons could possibly want in a regime. Of course the Taliban is making a comeback. Anyhoo, thanks Shawn for the humor.
Posted by James on Sep 7, 2003 at 12:59 PM Shawn, agree with you on their success. I think it was your “love it or leave it” comment that led to the confusion.
I’ve thought about whether Bush is extremely stupid and lucky, extemely evil and protrays stupidity, or he’s just having all his strings pulled by daddy and company.
Either way, you’re correct in they have succeeded in getting their way and that just drives me crazy that people buy into the idea that the whole thing is for US safety, liberation of Iraqi people, etc., etc.
But I DO know it’s wrong no matter if Bush is just a dumb pawn or not.
I’ve also thought about whether Jeb might have meddled too much in this whole setup.
Why NEIL by the way? Yes, that’s my name.
Posted by neil on Sep 7, 2003 at 4:54 PM ..the only thing anyone should do with all these accusations is to verify their validity, like old ronnie use to say. I thought it the only thing he said that made since. Look trusting any source these days is giving away your responsiblity as a memeber of E Pluris Unum. Find the truth yourself, like a report. In a democracy voting is not a right as much as tool to choose a goverment you want. A very dangerous situation is developing, sides are being drawn, not unlike the civil war. The one thing this administration brought for sure is the right to ignor civility, high pitched white guys and women talking over people all the time on debates. That is not a debate, it is a chance for one side to gain support if the mediators are not strong cuttin their rudeness off, but letting it go, on and on. As a veteran I take exception to anyone in this administration calling other people traitors. While the highest ranking memeber is a deserter, his vice a draft evader, with only one or two veterans even in the republican party! 90% of Veterans are elected democrats. You can tell by their deliberate and constant interference in starting wars. I have a slight idea what might be something we can all do. If every democrat goes and has his or hers absentee ballot sent to their house, chooses a week before the election to ride as a group to their main post office and mail it then by shear numbers we can bury this party of deviders and liers. I want back a civil relationship between parties, these people bring nothing but disharmony, and will eventually start a war here, amongest us! Remeber the old british devide and conquer?
Posted by J.F.P. Harty on Sep 7, 2003 at 6:18 PM Seeing the world from a country in the middle east, usually considered third world but which I see in rather good shape after reading this article, I am relieved to see that someone inside the states actually knows what’s going on. The states’ foreign policies have alienated the peoples of most countries in the world (although official stances usually don’t reflect that), but before Bush most leaders made the US a better place and messed up the rest of the world. Bush is just taking everything down with him; his country, the environment, and just about every country that is not Britain. I hope more people wake up and notice that an idiot stole the 2000 elections and make sure it doesn’t happen again next year. And be sure the next president is not a democrat either they’re too soft to do anything, think green!
Posted by Sam on Sep 8, 2003 at 11:03 AM Susan Douglas just loves using the term, “Team Bush”. Get off it, you slimy bitch! I can’t stand “Team Bush” myself, but her feeble attempt at claiming that term is getting annoying… Hey Susan, any thoughts other than political bitterness enter your pretty little head?
I didn’t think so…
Posted by rocktime on Sep 10, 2003 at 2:40 PM Republicans in bed with big business? Old news. They long ago discovered that by feeding corporate greed with industry favorable legislation, money then flows to their own political coffers. Industries in general have abandoned the the concept of social responsibility in lieu of increasing their quarterly earnings. One wonders what kind of environment Republicans wish to leave future generations, apparently a legacy of foul air, contaminated water, massive budget deficits etc. Don’t they have kids or grandkids? No problem. Corporate profitability at any cost! We’ll all have jobs so who needs to breathe or drink? To them the ideals of low taxes and smaller government is much more desirable than clean air and water. Sadly this concept seems to have gathered significant support among many voters who only worry about the present and “what’s in it for me”.
Posted by e sorensen on Sep 12, 2003 at 8:26 AM Ultimately, guess who benefits most from tax cuts and small government? Not the 95% to 98% of American people left behind,...huh!
Well, I still believe we will pull it back together because I know that politics and politicians are not what makes this country great. What makes the United States of America a great nation is the American people. Those awful neo-cons will find out just how powerful the rest of us are in 2004,...I have no doubt about that whatsoever!!!
Posted by Leslee Hamrick on Sep 12, 2003 at 12:30 PM Excellent perception! That is why increasing numbers of young people are looking to working in an EU country. Also, record numbers of seniors are looking to retire elsewhere. Having a good retirement not longer cuts it in America as real inflation is rampant. Money Magazine tells us we should have saved two million dollars...what an assinine joke!Spendable income (not credit) for the so called middle class (and poor) is at an all time low. Meanwhile, incredibly, the great sheep majority thinks everything is OK.
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