It's A Free Country...Or Is It?

Our new site is based on the notion that here in the United States, you can express yourself however you want. Hey, It's a Free Country, right? But we also know that political discourse has reached a point where people are talking past, not to, each other. We've been asking our guest bloggers "What does the phrase mean to you?" and "What's broken in politics, and how do we fix it?" Now we want to hear from you! Take the Free Country survey below. You don't have to answer all of the questions, just tell us what's on your mind.

September 07, 2010 02:20:30 PM
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Leslie3174

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These days, it means that I have to work very hard to find some semblance of a truth through the cacophony of strident voices throwing around labels and soundbites that confuse, not clarify the issues. But, it's still better than the alternative - i.e. a not free country!

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Democracy is a messy business under the best of circumstances, but it seems that one of the worst problems might include the fact that politics has become a career - rather than something you do either when you can afford to or as a sabbatical from your real job. This requires people to raise tons of money and spend more time campaigning than they do actually legislating. And it has put government in the business of protecting business rather than protecting people.

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Real campaign finance rules would be a start. Then total transparency under all circumstances would help, and applying constitutional rights, such as free speech, to individuals and not to corporations or business partnerships would also help.
Also term limits at the national level would also help.

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Most people I know blame the media for a lot of what's wrong in America today. I'd like to see WNYC really explore the role of the media in depth. What does responsible journalism mean and what does it mean now as opposed to what it means during a war or during say the Civil Rights era? What is the media's role in perpetuating a particular point of view? Should fringe groups, no matter how small or marginalized in a community be given media attention? What is the role of an editor as opposed to a reporter? Does the media have a responsibility to fan the flames of a debate or tamp them down or neither? Is provocative name calling or questioning appropriate in an interview? I think an in depth exploration of this would be really meaningful.

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September 07, 2010 01:51:18 PM
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PhilipM

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If taken literally the phrase is rather redundant. Linguistically however, it has a targeted allegorical meaning that is not very precise. Generally it means: I am going to have my way and there is nothing you can do about, a punctuation mark of sorts; or, a contentious way of conveying inflexibility. It can also be said in a raising of the eyebrow whimsical way, indicting philosophical disagreement, but tolerance. I think it is said most often in response to when someone suggests that one does or does not do something in a certain way. It is then that one feels that a certain line was crossed and responds tersely "It's a free country". The emotional conveyance is thus translated: I am going to do it no matter what you say so get off my back.

I think the best response to it would be: "That's your opinion" ... well, DUH!

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Lack of a major third party. But if you really think about our system of 'the separation of powers', then it could very well be possible that we are stuck here for reasons of our own making. All that 'separation', all that duality etc - is what we are left with in the end. It could be worse.

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Charge each politician with a something or other misdemeanor the minute he or she is sworn into office. This way if they ever contemplate doing something illegal, the fact that they already have a record may be a deterrent for further corruption.

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A serious attempt at strengthening independents into a more formidable party.

Should people have to pass a test to be able to vote?

All I need to sit on a jury is citizenship? Really? How does being a lay person add to the professionalism of legal practice and jurisprudence; 'especially' as it relates to determining "guilt" or "innocence"?

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September 07, 2010 01:32:55 PM
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RCT

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It means that I can make choices as to my ideas, attitudes, beliefs and values without fearing government retaliation or repression. Moreover, within certain limits, it means that I may act on such ideas and beliefs without government constraint. I can start a business, teach a class, write a book, move to another City, go to school -- or build an islamic community center. Free to me means free to think, grow, experience and express.

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Too much private money means corporate control of our political system. Corporations do not merely advertise or support political candidates; they research, run focus groups, pay organizers and otherwise try to influence an all-too-gullible public. No one is a wholly rational actor; people will always act on feeling, intuition and, unfortunately, out of prejudice. Politics is broken because the business community works to activate what's worst in people -- their inability to think, and tendency to act emotionally -- rather than what's best. The same people who brought you Marlboros and Cheetos, are feeding the so-called Tea Party.

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Move to Sweden. Seriously, I'm beginning to think that the situation is hopeless; I've had it. My husband's business, and my job, were adversely affected by the recession. Hope was reborn when Obama was elected. We are very pleased with his legislative record; we wanted more but, considering what he was up against, we think he did well. Now, the lunkheads who blow with the wind and Cheetos are going to elect a Republican House. We're terrified, because we well know what the Republicans will do when they get power back; namely, try to undo all that has been achieved in the past two years. This morning, on our way to work, my husband remarked to me (we were listening to Morning Edition), "If we were French, we could retire." (We turned sixty earlier this year; but we exercise and eat healthy, so don't feel sorry for us.) I replied, "Do you think that we could glue on mustaches and wear berets, and sneak into France."

I meant that. If I could claim EU membership, I'd sell the house, take my 21 year-old son, and be out of here in a nanosecond. McConnell, Boehner, and the Tea Party are, for me, the final straw.

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A chance for those of us who are not NYT correspondents, politicians or media celebrities to publish op-eds.

Conversations as per the Huffington Post.

Organizing tasks so that we can at least TRY to knock back the Repubs in November.

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September 07, 2010 12:17:38 PM
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Barbara Lifton

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It means that we have a natural and constitutional right to speak our minds openly without fear of retaliation or supression by the government; that we have the right to chose our representatives in free and open elections; that we are free to practice or not to practice any spiritual belief; that we have a natural right to privacy, including the right to make decisions about childbirth and sexual choice; and that we have a system of laws, not poltics, in the way our governemt is run.

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Nothing. This country has always been, from our beginnings, chaotic, insane, indecisive, misinformed, brilliant and open- even in periods of seeming repression like during wars. All we need is more accurate information about what is really going on in goevernment- which mean we have to demand that the media provide real investigative journalism.

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See above.

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PLEASE do something about the new voting machines- thousands of seniors like my husband and me, will be disenfranchised because they are digital!!!! HELP!

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September 07, 2010 10:42:30 AM
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A Citizen

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What's broken in American politics is the American voter. As a country, we are incredibly lazy and simply won't exercise our most cherished right. Routinely, the turnout in my district can barely be measured in terms of percentage of eligible voters...it can more easily be counted using one's fingers and toes.

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