Dave Barry summed this case up in his review of the year 2007 in the Miami Herald.

"JUNE

. . . the nation is riveted by the drama of Paris Hilton, who, after a string of motor-vehicle violations including driving with a suspended license, driving at excessive speed through a nightclub, driving over the young of an endangered species and driving with the brain functionality of a cabbage, is ordered to go to jail, then is released from jail, and then -- in what many observers see as an unfair punishment, based solely on resentment of her celebrity status -- is burned at the stake.

No, seriously: Paris is sent back to jail for several brutal weeks, during which she is repeatedly subjected to a harsh generic hair conditioner. Somehow she survives this ordeal and, upon leaving jail, adopts a low public profile, except for appearing with Larry King, who does a fine job once he realizes, about 40 minutes into the interview, that she is not Goldie Hawn."

Paris Hilton is a symptom of America's ailments not the cause.

she is not screwing up America. Cannot see why she gets any attention. who cares what she does? wish she would go away.

She should be banned from the entertianment media industry for life. People strongly do not want hear news about her. Paris Hilton fans are nothing but sick freaks. If she appeared on the newspaper, cut her picture out and use it as a dartboard.

She's a result of how F'ed up we are, not a cause.

SpicyPeach said it all! I can't top that!!!!

Not quite sure I get her inclusion on this list. Of course, she's the ultimate overblown nothing, but is her influence such that she can really pull down the structure of American society when she's up against such stellar destructive incompetents as George Bush, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld, etc.? Is she screwing up America because she's screwing most everybody in America? That must be it.....

She probably does not know what a screwdriver is! Update: I think she is the type of person that would sit out on the patio picking the dirt out of her nails. The only use for her is being a pickle tease.

Again, if a person like Paris Hilton is capable of screwing up an empire, we are in worse shape than I previously thought. And if your child emulates her, your child is a moron. In other words she has nothing to do with how dumb your daughter is......................but you do. Anybody ever notice how kids that are forced to go to church on Sunday read less than kids who aren't? Hurting America?!? I need to move.

No. This talentless and racist (yes) bitch isn't screwing up America. . .but people that spend money to further her (ahem) career are more to blame. . .

Although she's not as bad as Micheal Moore, Jerry Springer, Snoop Dogg, Rockstar Games, or the minds behind Nip/Tuck, she is not a positive role model in the slightest. Whatever physical beauty she may have is cancelled out completely by her personality. She does not act intelligent and she is compeltely amoral. Her show, The Simple Life, was simply awful and completely UNentertaining.

Paris Hilton screwing America? If only!