Some additional insight into the world for you, most countries with "Democratic Republic" in their name are anything but.Maybe you just aren't experienced with the world, Scorpio. Would explain quite a few quirks of yours.
I remember being naive enough to think capitalism was fair. Then I stopped being 14.
Who ever taught you that capitalism was fair? It's not and never was, but it's still the best system out there. Go live elsewhere under the other systems you seem to talk up and see if you are still as free as you are today.
I have, and what else do you propose we do with inmates? The average across the US to incarcerate one inmate for a year is $31,307, though New York runs between $50-60,000. Inmates are a burden on society first by causing harm for their initial crime, and then the ongoing upkeep. The criminal justice reforms keeping people out of prison don't seem to be working as people arrested and then released go on to commit additional crimes.Have you looked at America with it's for profit industrial prison complex that contracts convicted felons to work for often times less than a dollar a day while they profit off the rest of the labor?
What right does one man have to the sweat of the brow of another? And no that doesn't sound like slavery. No one is forcing you to do any one job.Have you looked into America's form of debt backed capitalism that causes people to be born already indebted to the state, forcing them to work as early as possible to start paying for things they should already have the right to acquire?
What about these government backed corporations that enforce ridiculous rules and regulations and provide terrible workplace atmospheres while still paying barely above local living wages and entrapping workers into a never ending cycle of working themselves to death to pay off debt and barely making ends meet?
None of that seems like modern day slavery under a capitalist regime?
Your ability to feel that shows how insulated from true hardship. And you haven't experienced true slavery where another person is fully owned and controlled by another while being made out to be subhuman.
You could always join a hippie commune with other like-minded people. Just don't be an asshole like Bernie Sanders who reported was always there at mealtime, but was nowhere to be found when there was work to do.
So Mormon? Did you keep any of the magic underwear?I grew up thinking America and religion, Christianity in particular, were sacred things, worthy of admiration and loyalty. It's indoctrinated throughout America's terrible education system, standing for the flag and reciting pointless half hymns as early as kindergarten. I grew up in a cult, often on the fringes of "acceptable" society, that severely scrutinized who was desirable and who wasn't, and unsurprisingly enough, many who were not straight white males and their clearly dominated all white families were shunned, in the name of politics and religion.
These concepts are clearly born from greed and hunger for power. I've personally seen more Christian white backed institutions perform strict inclusion than any institution backed by people of another faith, ethnic background, or religious ideals. Growing up thinking that America and it's strong Christian overtones were a god send has caused me to take years to realize things like self worth (which was annihilated within my cult), solidarity, compassion, and open mindedness.
This country is equal parts on a rise and a downfall; I almost fear what the eventual fallout and crumble of this society will look like.
Looking at past empires the US's dominant position is at a point where historically it would decline. But the world has changed, the US would decline slightly and then just level out and go on for hundreds of more years rather than being a failed state. We could also be headed to another civil war where some states want to leave the union.
Try to prepare yourself and your family for whatever tomorrow may bring. Educate yourself in both knowledge and use skills allowing you to build, repair, and create things. This would allow you into other groups if the country broke down into a series of numerous enclaves.
Go take a yearly one-week trip out into nature without electronics. Unplugging will both cleanse your soul and put things into perspective helping you figure out what stuff actually does and doesn't matter. It will also keep you trained to navigate a societal fall.