[Marianne22236]

I totally agree with you. I am an American, I vote my conscience, I write letters of protest to my elected offcials, and I have participated in anti-war rallies. I think our government is very self-interested, and helps when it thinks its economic interests would be served. On the other hand, many Americans are sincere in their desire to help the world. Much of the aid to other countries comes from contributions of individuals, not the government. Many of us realize how materially fortunate we are, and wish to spread the wealth. Please realize that there are millions and millions of Americans who are frustrated with the government, are concerned about the world community, do not believe that American values are superior to other cultural's values and don't quite know what to do about it. Judging the values of another society is not just an American thing--the difference, I believe, is that American is often in a position to act on their judgements. In fact, parts of the world community expect us to involve ourselves and criticise us when we don't. Overall, I think our country is too quick to judge, too arrogent, and acts too often out of self-interest. On the other hand, the situation is more complex than it seems, and Americans are far from united on their opinions. We are an extremely diverse nation....

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Name : Marianne22236, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 40, City : Cleveland, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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