since Reagan. FFS, you're luck today if you don't get shot attending school. And much of this country has become a depressing pit!!! I don't have any "feel good" about the USA.

All violent crime, including gun crime is down.

If you can't see any reason to feel positive about the U.S., you aren't looking. Support for gay rights is high, people are coming out to not just protest, but vote against Republicans, people came out to fight back the first two crappie versions of the Muslim ban, we fought back Trump separating families, we lost the presidential election on a set of incredibly specific circumstances - meaning we have a good chance to win in 2020, the Republicans have been remarkably inept at legislating sso most of what has been done can be undone, most Americans support increased gun control and fighting climate change.

The fight for the future isn't over, but even now, we have lots of things we have accomplished.

I do have hope for the future, when the Millenials come into leadership. Let the old guard die out or go away! I'm a boomer; I'm speaking of the generation that is now 40 years old or younger. My kids' ages.

Obama was the best President of my lifetime and one of the best of all time.

Obama's Presidency has resulted in one of the most damaging eras in modern time.

I can't get over the feeling that this Country was not ready for Obama. In the pendulum that is political culture, he represented a swing that was historic. But the inevitable swing in the opposite direction has been fierce and we will pay the price for it for a very long time.

Don't worry, you're not remotely the only person who felt that way. That was probably Obama's greatest flaw.

The U.S. (hell, even the world) is kinda like a family owned business. Been in business for decades, generations. The founders started a small shop, worked very hard. Sweated, day and night. Built it up.

The next generation inherited a medium sized business, but could still see its fragility. Cared for it. Built it up. Kinda got careless a few times, but they could all still see the fragility so overall took care of business.

The generation after that had some hard times, almost went out of business. At about the same time, forces aligned trying to take over the business. The family got together, even called on more distant relatives. Churned through day by day, sacrificing immediate comforts, not knowing if success was possible.

Success!!! Enthusiasm abounded! Build for the future and even greater success! Infrastructure! Planning! Foresight!
Family feuds about the future direction, but general agreement that the future looked good! Handed off a huge very successful thriving business.

The next generation (sadly, in large part my own generation: the boomers) are/were the spoiled heirs of a large fortune. The infrastructure had ALWAYS been there, immutable, part of the landscape. No need to nurture or care! Without a sense of history as to the effort this took to build. Just spend! And I'm not talking about money...I'm talking about a different kind of capital: Vision. Integrity.

No need to plan, no need to maintain. We as a generation are like the heirs that run the family business in the ground with pettiness and squabbles and shiny cars that we wreck on the first Saturday night after we bought it. Champaign and coke till the well is dry.

Well, now it's about 5:30 AM and the sun is about to rise. The kids are at home and are going to want breakfast. But we need to stop at the store first and we really don't know how much is left on the debit card.

Maybe the kids will save us from ourselves.

Things were getting more progressive before that asshole came along. Then they went backwards at an alarming rate.