Quoting:The programme also revealed that News Online readers voted Homer Simpson as the Greatest American in history. End Quote

I don't know whether  to say "YES!!!!" or feel insulted?  :-/

A cartoon character that is a slovenly not overly bright albeit funny  middle aged man  is the Greatest American in History? HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA I will go with the laugh. Two thumbs way up!

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I don't know whether  to say "YES!!!!" or feel insulted?  :-/End Quote

Without sounding like a psychologist, I shouldn't attach too much emotional emphasis on this - It may be people's way of putting some humour into the situation.  :)

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Well, our  US government IS us, as a people. So saying they like us but not our government is a contradiction. You can argue all you like but when you boil it down WE are the ones voting these people in to represent us so we ARE our government. I got a really big kick out of the person from France who said they didn't envy us because we are fat. LMAO! I found it interesting that so far if you add it up we are fat, lazy, ignorant, Mcdonalds eating, Jerry Springer watching, war mongering young, stupid individuals with no apparent common sense! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! Thanks for the link to this, I enjoyed it immensely, seeing how I am nothing but an American ignoramus. LOL. Isn't it funny how people see each other from other countries and only see the cliche, instead of the truth of what they really are? And Americans are just as guilty as seeing the cliche in other countries as well...
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Well, our  US government IS us, as a people. So saying they like us but not our government is a contradiction.
End Quote

I surely hope not: I find your government deceitful, aggressive, evasive and incredibly arrogant.  But I've never considered the US people en mass to be so.  In a similar vein, I've disagreed with so much that consecutive governments here have done, I'd hate to be thought of in the same way as any government over the past thirty years.

Phil

Quoting:
Well, our  US government IS us, as a people. So saying they like us but not our government is a contradiction. You can argue all you like but when you boil it down WE are the ones voting these people in to represent us so we ARE our government.
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On some levels your are obviously correct, but given the disputes we had on this very board over say the Iraqi war, its clear that we all don't approve of our gov't's policies.  The Latin Americans I met never assumed that I supported - or didn't support U.S. policies.  They asked questions to find out, and judged me, as a person, based on my answers.  They didn't make assumptions about me, or associate me with the actions or policies of the Gov't.  That was my point.  I suspect that at any point in time our gov't will be doing something of which you disapprove and would not want to be associated with.  With all respect I hope this clarifies what I was trying to get at.

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And by the way Cheerleader, the % or our GNP that goes to foreign aid is one of the lowest of all industrial nations, and there are often string attached.  Not to say that we DON'T give aid, we certainly do, just less %age wise, than others do.
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This may be true, but, basing it on the total number of dollars we give to other countries, we are currently #1.  So, although %-wise, we are one of the lowest, it is not indicative of the total amount we spend on foreign aid.  

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I agree, Bobby.
It is a shame when a country's citizens are tarnished by the reputation of their leaders..........
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It is, but it happens everywhere all the time.  Hitler, anyone?  Germans were considered the enemy because of the government...does that mean all of them were bad?  

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Hitler, anyone?  Germans were considered the enemy because of the government...does that mean all of them were bad?  
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..and he wasn't even German.. but they did start this little war thingie which might prejudice opinion a little bit ;-)

Quote from Tom Lehrer:
Once all the Germans were warlike and mean,
But that couldn't happen again
We taught them a lesson in 1918
And they've hardly bothered us since then

;-)

Phil

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..and he wasn't even German.. but they did start this little war thingie which might prejudice opinion a little bit ;-)
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Hitler was Austrian, I don't think Hitler was his real name either. I heard that his first name was 'Arnold' - Is that right?

Quoting:Adolf's father, Alois Hitler, was the illegitimate son of Maria Anna Schicklgruber. It is generally supposed that the father of Alois Hitler was a Johann Georg Hiedler, a miller's assistant. Alois, however, was not legitimized, and he bore his mother's name until he was forty years of age when he changed it to Hitler.End Quote

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IIRC he was born as "Adolf Schickelgruber", but didn't want to keep his father's name as he didn't know his father, so used his mother's name "Hitler" instead.
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Why did I think Arnold? I've been watching too much Happy Days on the Paramount Comedy Channel! I knew the last name but I couldn't spell it. LOL!  :D

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This may be true, but, basing it on the total number of dollars we give to other countries, we are currently #1.  So, although %-wise, we are one of the lowest, it is not indicative of the total amount we spend on foreign aid.  

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You are absolutely right, as I tried to suggest.  I guess I would ask, as the richest country in the world, should we not help other poor countries more?  Personally I would say yes, especially in terms of building schools, wells, improving livestock etc. helping people help themselves.  I can understand the other point of view though.

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You are absolutely right, as I tried to suggest.  I guess I would ask, as the richest country in the world, should we not help other poor countries more?  Personally I would say yes, especially in terms of building schools, wells, improving livestock etc. helping people help themselves.  I can understand the other point of view though.
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I know this is going to sound incredibly cynical and I make no implications from the suggestion other than to voice it but isn't it in the interests of the rich and powerful to keep the poor and weak, poor and weak?

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I know this is going to sound incredibly cynical and I make no implications from the suggestion other than to voice it but isn't it in the interests of the rich and powerful to keep the poor and weak, poor and weak?
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That depends on how you look at it.  It is more an issue of dependence.  There is a  certain party of rich people here in the US that want to make the poor dependant on them for their well being, and the more freebees they give out the larger there dependant base.  So whets the big deal you ask?  If they give out all their money won't they be Poor?  Well he is the catch: this group of people doesn't give out their own money.  Instead they give away the income someone else earns, making it harder for someone to attain their level of riches.  That's why I will never vote for a certain political party here in the US...

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I know this is going to sound incredibly cynical and I make no implications from the suggestion other than to voice it but isn't it in the interests of the rich and powerful to keep the poor and weak, poor and weak?
End Quote

I don't think so, although I can understand your point.  Poor, weak ENEMIES, yes, but poor, weak friends?  I guess I'd prefer to have strong rich ones.  There is also the question of stability.  The U.S. derives much of its wealth from off-shore investments.  The stability of those countries depends on their prosperity, so the better off they are, the more stable, and therefore the better economic partners they become.