DelayedReaction

Here's a question I wish I could ask the candidates, but since I can't I'll ask you guys instead. Pretend you are a Presidential candidate at a debate, and you recieve the following question:

Question: What is the best and worst aspect of the United States of America, and what as President would you do to protect the good and fix the bad?

Here's the twist; I want people to put their answer before they see anyone elses. To do that, use the [/spoiler] tags.

So here's mine:
Spoiler: "I think the best part of our country is our civil liberties; our individual freedom and our right to express ourselves without persecution. To uphold this value I would lobby for the appeal of such intrusive acts as the USAPATRIOT act, and strive for a Constitutional Amendment that provides us with a right to privacy. The worst part of our country is the divisive nature of our politics, and how we target the opponent and not side of the issues he represents. I propose an immediate demonstration of bipartisan politics; I want myself and my opponent to throw a rock concert. Actually several concerts, one in each region of the country. The goal of these events would be simple; to get young voters out of their beds and into the voting booth where they need to be! These concerts would be free (paid for our of my own campaign funds, and if my opponent wouldn't mind matching funds I wouldn't complain), and open to anyone who is a registered voter. Not a registered voter? Well fortunately we would have registration booths right there! If both myself and my opponent were to join together and show solidarity against apathy, I believe it would be a start in the fight against partisan politics."

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If ignorance is bliss, you must be having an orgasm.

ARTelevision

Spoiler: The best aspect of our country is the human potential of our people. The worst thing about our country is our educational system and the main reason for the uneducability of our citizens is the media and its creation, sustenance, and promulgation of what is called "popular culture."

I would begin a national dialog on these issues until the citizenry's consciousness is raised to the extent that it calls for solutions to the problems of the educational system and the destructive effects of popular culture as a product of the mass media. I think solutions can be achieved that keep the protection of responsible freedom of expression intact.

BTW - I hate these spoiler tags but I wanted to participate and not just be a stick in the mud about the request.

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create evolution

MSD

Spoiler:
Best: Our tradition of freedom and rights for every person in our country.

Worst: People's ignorance to what is happening in the world around them caused by the reassuring tone of the droning of the talking heads on the idiot box and the radio, and the apathy people show in their unwillingness to change this for fear of hearing something other than that reassurance that the world is exactly how they want to think it is. As president, I would do the little bit that I could to raise awareness of the ignorance and apathy of the average citizen. I would quickly lose popularity because people do not want to break the shell of ignorance that prevents them from the possibility of thinking for themselves. I suppose I would try to begin education reforms to break the cycle of learning to conform, then teaching to conform.

A close second is the strictly two-party system, with each side putting its own interests above the common good. I would campaign for elimination of the vote percentages required to participate in presidential debates, and work toward giving parties other than the big two a serious chance at holding office. Again, I would lose support, this time losing the support of my own party and the opposing party who can always agree that any other parties should be kept down to the point that they can never get more than a seat or two in Congress.

Dwayne

Spoiler: I honestly cant think of anything good about America. Other countries can beat us in atleast one other way. As for what I would change about the country, well the worst part of America is how no one seems to care for other people. Thats not to say that there arnt people out there who do care what happens to other people but on the majority people only care about themselves. Take for example Enron. Those CEOS didnt care what happened to everyone below them. On a more down to earth level, look at our health care. Cuba even has better health care than us and yet nither of the two party candidates wants to make health care free. I would make America better by holding people accountable for their actions. The CEOs of Enron would be in jail now if I had anything to say about it. We would also have free health care if I had my way.

Kadath

Spoiler: The best thing about this country is its abundant resources, be they in the form of our vast tracts of fertile land, our population of smart and hardworking people, or our indomitable spirit. I would protect these resources by not overexploiting them and working to develop new areas in which we can excel.
The worst thing about this country is our complacency. While we received a shock on September 11th regarding our national security, we are still complacent about our position as the greatest and most powerful nation on the Earth, about the rights that grant us more freedom than any others, and our wealth and prosperity. We must never settle, never be satisfied with what we have accomplished, never compare ourselves to others as if that were enough. We must be our own toughest critic; though we may love this nation, we must always strive to make it better, to provide a better future for our children than we had ourselves.

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it's quiet in here

Cynthetiq

Spoiler: best: our people... and the worst.. our people.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

CoachAlan

Spoiler: Best: Free enterprise and the entreprenurial spirit. In America people are willing to take chances, to try new things, to push the envelope and display the kind of grand vision that has made us a world leader in technology, economy, and politics.

Worst: Our ego- and ethnocentric view of other nations and other peoples. Americans may think it's not cool to eat grasshoppers, or that it's not cool for a woman to wear a burka, but that doesn't make it so. Other societies have their own norms and customs.

To maintain the good, I would contniue with the generous allowance of small business loans. I would also federally fund schools to make sure that all kids have adequate facilities and teachers, rather than being dependant on their local area's wealth.

The internet is a great tool to alleviate the bad aspect I mentioned above. The more people are exposed to other cultures, the more accepting they become. I would also take great measure to make sure our civil rights were protected.

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"If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, I shall not go!"
- Mark Twain

mrbuck12000

Spoiler: I guess i would have to say the worst aspects of america are that we are beginning to see such a divide between the rich and the poor. I heard a guy talking the other day about how he was working for some really i mean really bill gates type rich people and his buddy just started to cry because he could never be that rich. why does money have to rule everything. I don;t know how to change that what i think it is a division in this country that needs help....SOON!!!

mr $.02

mr b

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"There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, it's probably in Tennessee --that says, fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. Fool me ... You can't get fooled again." - G.W. Bush quoted by the Baltimore Sun - Oct 6, 2002

jb2000

Spoiler: The greatest thing about this country is our near universal respect for the concept of freedom, albeit perhaps slightly divergent ideas of what that idea entails. To maintain this, we need to encourage diversity of ideas, and promote an active and vigourous sustained national debate about what exactly our freedoms entail.

One of our greatest problems is a seeming decline of compassion, that is a lessening sense of understanding for what our fellow citizens are undergoing. We are all too willing to write off a homeless person or welfare recipient as a lazy ne'r-do-well, or to eagerly take away someones guns because we don't like them, or condemn a whole community because we don't share their sexual preferences. We need to promote a sense of civic pride and responsibility, and a sense that our freedoms are only as well protected as our willingness to protect the freedoms of others.

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"Don't tell me we're so blind we cannot see that this is my land! I can't pretend that it's nothing to do with me.
And this is your land, you can't close your eyes to this hypocracy.
Yes this is my land, I won't pretend that it's nothing to do with me.
'Cause this is our land, we can't close our eyes to the things we don't wanna see."

- DTH