Don't listen to the left wing socialist crap, or to the right wing nonsense or to the suicidal progressive idiocy coming from both sides. We are witnessing the decline of the US as a world power as our government implements an increasingly progressive agenda and that means less freedom all around. If you want to truly understand where the US is headed, you must understand the history of progressivism in the US, beginning in the 1820's, advanced in the 1930's, and fully codified beginning in 2009.

Here's the truth:

The US is a country where campus newspapers are thrown into the trash en mass when they contain content that is objectionable (subjectively defined, usually by the left). So much for freedom of the press.

The US is a country wherein a person expressing an opinion supported by the majority of a state is vilified in the press and media by those who disagree with that expressed opinion. I won't even begin to describe the hypocrisy of the loudest of the critics of that opinion. So much for freedom of expression.

The US constitution is being shredded as we speak. The view of progressives is that the constitution is a "breathing" document. Isn't that a nice euphemism? Breathing! Breathing is good! Anyway, things like our constitution's checks and balances are being usurped with unappointed czars, increasing power of the unelected fed, and a very activist unelected judiciary where compassion and empathy trump written law. Eminent domain laws are now used for the public interest rather than the public good, "interest" being the operative word here. "Good" meant a road or a school. "Interest" means tax revenue.

Some refer to the 2nd amendment being used to keep the government under control. The idea that the 2nd amendment would be used to unseat a tyrant is ridiculous. If a "tyrant" were "seated" it would have been through the democratic process. Can you imagine what would happen if we were to use guns to unseat that tyrant? It would make Iran look like a water balloon fight. Talk about a crackdown...

It's funny how we all have different ideas about liberty. Some would say we sacrificed liberty for security. Personally, I never felt constrained by the Bush era security measures but that's just me. Maybe others really did have their liberty constrained. I'd like to hear some stories about that. The most likely argument will be about airport security, which is actually less invasive than the physical patdown I get walking into a House of Blues concert.

I'm not sure how having someone else tell me that I shouldn't drive a gas guzzling road hog, or that I shouldn't be able to pay for my own health care (without insurance), or that I have to move because the town can make more tax money by kicking me out to make room for condos developed by a private firm adds to my liberty.

How does an incarcerated innocent man being denied a DNA test equate to liberty?

How does removing the privacy of union votes square with the concept of liberty?

How the hell does a census bureau that forces me to answer unbelievably personal and increasingly invasive questions under the guise of a census supplement add to my liberty???

How does any of that equate to the notion of "leave me alone"?

I would argue that the biggest part of freedom is the freedom to fail, and I'm not just talking about money. If you want to be truly free, then you must reap the rewards and suffer the consequences of your decisions. The US is quickly becoming a nation that rewards failure and punishes success (unless it's the correct form of success).

No, the US is not the place to come if you truly value freedom and liberty. Not any more. If you leave the UK, you will no longer be a subject to the crown but you will not become a citizen of the US. You will become a US taxpayer. We are no longer referred to as citizens by our government. How's that for a cynical ruling class?

Look, I love this country but I abhor what it's becoming. Like you, I have been looking for someplace else to go. I haven't found it. In my opinion, there is no place better than the US for all its flaws. So I have decided to stay and fight. I have decided to move from the silent majority and to become politically activated. I must stand up to the tyranny of Republicans and Democrats alike. They are both corrupt and both have moved to destroy this country for greed and ideology. So if you decide to come to the US, please understand where it was, where it is, and where it's going. I don't care if you're a poor Mexican coming here (legally) to find a better way or if you're a rich European aristocrat coming here (legally) to buy up real estate. Just come here and help make it better. Avoid the left wing nutballs who want to try yet another utopian fantasy where we're all created equal but some are a little more equal than others. Ignore the right wing kooks who wag their moral fingers at you while cheating on their wives. Come here, THINK, and help make it better.

It's all about video and money. If you drop your cable service to a minimum and start watching on the internet, you have just lost the cable company money, even if they are also your ISP. Worse, (for them), if you start paying Hulu or someone else to watch internet video, or if Hulu gets you to watch and generates ad revenue as a result, you have just shifted revenue from the cable company to Hulu (or whomever). Take the scenario to the extreme and the cable company loses all ad revenue and is only paid as an ISP. This is already starting to happen and they are scared out of their wits. It threatens their very existence. What's not clear to me is if tiered service is intended to kill internet video altogether or if they are capitulating and trying to monetize the stream in whatever way they can.