Why does America need to be great "again"? When wasn't it great? Explain in detail.

Growing up in the 50s and 60s, I along with most of the rest of the world, looked at a country that had the resources, the manpower, the (American) know-how and the will to be absolutely self-sufficient in every way. Imports from the far east consisted of cheap electronics and plastic toys.

Then you started to import Japanese motorbikes, got involved in an unwinnable war, handed over control of fiscal policy to the banks.

Remember how reluctant the US was to be drawn into conflicts?

Remember when "Made in the USA" signified solid, dependable (if a little dull) engineering?

Remember which countries economy was a financial model for the rest of the world? Upright and honest to a fault.

What went wrong? The 60s happened.

I still love the US and it was my home for some time. It's still a great country.

But the "American Dream" has probably long since gone for the majority of the people.

We are outsourcing everyjob. All blue collar production jobs like steal mills car production is done elsewhere. After world war two we were self suffient country now we outsource everything it makes me sick

Otis is on point here. America isn't producing anything anymore, we are losing the trade battle, our national debt is out of control, the federal government is indifferent, incompetent and rife with stagnation, under the ever increasing control of corporate influence. The gap between the haves and have-nots grows wider by the day. We have lost (or abandoned) leadership and respect among nations, our prosperity is being strangled by the spiraling cost of healthcare, while freedoms are being chipped away at an alarming rate, and we are raising a culture of shiftless, overentitled slaves to the idiot media.

The aptly named "Greatest Generation" -that of my grandparents- are surely spinning in their graves at what is becoming of their society. That's just a few items off the top of my head, but I hope I made a reasonable point.

Make America great again; Onward Christian soldiers; Don't Tread on Me; Remember the Alamo.....

Good marketing, not much planning involved.

Gosh, our whole beginnings were steeped in "Un-Greatness".

From Stealing the land and murdering the people native to this country to underhanded dealings that lead to trying to control oil fields . . .

The only real greatness are the small town cute stories covered in the "Fluff Pieces" on the nightly news. While I am patriotic one has to realize that we over threw the Governing body to start this nation . . . If the same thing happened today it would be Treason and severely un-patriotic. 

While it IS great to live here, we should never be naïve as to believe the path to this freedom isn't mired in blood and muck we whole heartedly waded through on the way.