What does freedom mean to Americans?

[NilePufferFanatic]

Freedom is being able to do what you want without interruption from others. I am not a free American... the list of things that I can't own is long. The things I want to do, I can't do. If I don’t pay my taxes the government will steal my home. If there is a business that wants my property, the government steals my home.

American Freedom is being able to use my Bill of Rights as a way of life. Ironically, freedom dies when we agree to quit using them.

I am a Christian, outspoken, gathering, gun carrying American.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Freedom is being able to do what you want without interruption from others. I am not a free American... the list of things that I can't own is long. The things I want to do, I can't do. If I don’t pay my taxes the government will steal my home. If there is a business that wants my property, the government steals my home.

American Freedom is being able to use my Bill of Rights as a way of life. Ironically, freedom dies when we agree to quit using them.

I am a Christian, outspoken, gathering, gun carrying American.

Freedom is being able to pick any font color you like and have it be ignored by all people who use MFK light.

 

[dr_sudz]

I live in Canada, and have always done so. I have never seen anyone from an impoverished state be able to raise to become president.. I really question if it is really truly possible. One mans freedom is another mans imprisonment. North Americans live in glut, and as the rest of the world tries to shed their own identity's and line up with the way North America lives we destroy the world at an alarming rate. So really how is it that if we can have all that we wish, what is the cost in reality? Someone is going to eventually have to pay for the freedoms we have today. I remember the commercials on TV stating that the future is our children, they keep playing those types of commercials and I now have children of my own, and if my children are able to grow up and have children of their own some where down the line one of the generations will have none of the freedoms we have because nothing will be left. Rich keep getting richer, and poor keep getting poorer.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

It would be very interesting to see how people who have been to other "more controlled" countries answer this question versus people who have only been here in the USA.

 

[voss345]

Freedom in America is ANYONE being able to start from nothing, work hard, and make something of yourself.

aka the American dream right on bro, just wrote a paper on this topic and the great gatsby for ap english

dont want to make a huge fight about the bombing middle east crap
(we really shouldnt of gone after afghanistan in the first place, even though osama is associated with the taliban hes from saudi arabia and so were 2/3 of the bombers). It our own fault, we created the taliban and the guerilla weapons to fight of the soviet invasion in the 80's
Personally were in a huge mess, although some good things have come out of Iraq, they are no longer ruled by a dictator who would use biological weapons on his own people ( the kurds) women can now show their face in public etc, and let the battle of lib conservative begin on how we should treat others freedoms haha

 

[voss345]

. Rich keep getting richer, and poor keep getting poorer.

partially because the gov taxes are messed up, the gov only taxes income, most rich people have all there money in investments and get huge sums of money through stock and interest so thats not taxed, so the next wealthy class down gets pummeled

say by to 2/5 of my pay check

 

[Dan F]

It would be very interesting to see how people who have been to other "more controlled" countries answer this question versus people who have only been here in the USA.

I've been to a number of countries outside the U.S. and I have to say we live in one of the most "controlled" countries in the Western Hemisphere. I know that in the Middle East and parts of Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia there are some pretty oppressive regimes, but for this side of the planet we're tops!

Look at our prison population. We currently have by far the highest incarceration rate of any country, with 756/100,000 people imprisoned. The only country that is even close is the Russian Federation with 611/100,000. #3 is New Zealand with 186/100,000 of their population incarcerated.

The U.S. has a lot going for it, but when it comes to "Freedom", we're definitely not leading the world.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

I've been to a number of countries outside the U.S. and I have to say we live in one of the most "controlled" countries in the Western Hemisphere. I know that in the Middle East and parts of Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia there are some pretty oppressive regimes, but for this side of the planet we're tops!

The U.S. has a lot going for it, but when it comes to "Freedom", we're definitely not leading the world.

Gotta respectfully disagree with ya Mr. Feller in terms of the US in relation to the world. The above mentioned countries make up over half of the world, hence I think the US is more free than most of the world.

In any other country esp. in some asian countries over half this board would probably go to jail simply for the opinions stated in this lounge! Prison rates have no relation to the freedoms of what people can and cant do of thier own free will.

Back on track thou, freedom in the US in relation to the world was not the original question....

 

[Dan F]

Gotta respectfully disagree with ya Mr. Feller in terms of the US in relation to the world. The above mentioned countries make up over half of the world, hence I think the US is more free than most of the world.

In any other country esp. in some asian countries over half this board would probably go to jail simply for the opinions stated in this lounge! Prison rates have no relation to the freedoms of what people can and cant do of thier own free will.

Back on track thou, freedom in the US in relation to the world was not the original question....

OK, you're right. We're certainly not anything like Myanamar or North Korea. If you listed all the world's countries in order of freedom, we're nowhere close to the bottom.

However, I do believe that prison rates are related to what people can and can't do - Don't you point out that many of us would GO TO JAIL simply for the opinions stated in this lounge? Our penal system is deeply flawed, most of our long-term federal prisoners are imprisoned for nonviolent crimes. I had a friend from Spain and she couldn't believe the things that can land you in jail here.

But like you said, back on track!

To me freedom means being able to get up in the morning and live my life the way I see fit. It also means being safe and secure. The problem is that there is an extremely fine balance between liberty and security.

A great example is the changes in airport security since 9/11.

There was a time, not so long ago, that I could bring my Tequila home in my carry-on. Old ladies didn't have to remove their shoes to get on a plane. Veterans with metal plates in their skulls didn't have to be taken into back rooms and be stripped down and examined. Those days are gone. Are airplanes safer? Maybe marginally so, but at what cost?

Other examples would be warrantless wiretaps and American citizens being hauled off to military prisons in foreign countries.

What bothers me about the "War on Terror" most is that we are trading a lot of liberties for little, if any, added security. Maybe I'm just insanely reckless, but I would love to get on a plane full of people who had not just had their shoes removed...

 

[Rhodes09]

freedom is an empty 50,000 gallon tank.....