Hello, there. I'm a U.S. citizen and, to tell you guys the truth, I'm not very happy with my country either.
The U.S. government is, as most know, incredibly intrusive. We're an imperialist nation, and have been for a long time. I know that, before 2001, we had over 700 military bases outside of our own country - I'm not sure what the count is now. Our foriegn policy is absolutly ridiculous too. For example, in Afghanistan, the U.S. military allied itself with Islamic fundamentalist warlords to fight the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban and the power switch is making no difference to the people under the control of the warlords. The reason the U.S. is probably in there in the first place is to have a strategic place in the Middle East under their control to operate from. That's only a suspicion, however, as the government will not come out and simply state exactly why it does everything it does. Politics in the U.S. are incredibly complicated, and I'm afraid I'm still figuring them out, even though I've been trying to figure them out for years now. I know exactly how the government is SUPPOSED to work, but unfortunatly, every administration normally finds some way to bend or break the rules. I love what the U.S. is supposed to stand for: freedom and equality. It's not like we ever strayed from that path, we've just been moving down it at a horribly slow pace.
sad
The problem with the media in the U.S. stems mostly from the fact that a few large companies own all the major news networks. There are alternate ways of getting information, but for some reason I cannot fathom, many people don't bother to look for them. So many people are so wrapped up in their own lives, sometimes they can't see what's right in front of them. Many aspects of the media influences people to want money and material things in place of, say, information about the world around them. I know it can be like that in other places too.
But not all Americans are uninformed or apathetic. And honestly, a lot of U.S. citizens are really struggling right now (some people have always been). With the cost of so many things in the U.S. rising (as things are rising all over the world) and large companies laying off mass amounts of employees thanks to the current recession, many families are going without heat, food, and health care. I volunteer for a labor organizing drive that tries to organize people who need help, people who want to help, and just about anyone who disagrees with how the government is run now. As an organization, we help provide food for those who need it and inform workers about their rights as well as what's happening with the economy. We're attempting to build up to a point where we can effect government policy so that it benifits the people and not the overblown corporations.
As much as I disagree with my country's policy, there really isn't too much I can do at the moment. I turned 18 last year and have been voting, but I don't think that does too much. I volunteer for Amnesty International and various other organizations. I also try to learn as much as I can about everything political. I'm a college student majoring in Political Science and International Studies in hopes that someday I can effect the world in a positive way.
Howard Zinn on the American Empire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg 
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