So Is The USA The Greatest Country In THe World? If Not, Why Not?

[NoNukes]

If we aren't the greatest country on Earth, tell me who is? Despite our faults, we are still a pretty open, generous society. I've been to many countries and haven't seen any that I would prefer to live in over the USA. Not to say that we don't have problems or that things couldn't be better.

Like I said earlier, it depends what you want out of life and what you believe in. I have seen countries that I would rather live in than the United States. I have been living in one of them for 16 years without any yearning to return to the United States.

 

[S.J.]

Of course we're number one. Look how many things we're number one in. We leave them all behind in the dust! This is why we need to have the biggest defense budget, because every nation on Earth wants to put an end to our utopian way of life. It's why we invade more nations on Earth than any other nation.

A picture doesn't mean much without a source.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

The video is total crap. Anyone who believes that government can do better hasn't been paying attention to history or current events and that's the point of the video: you need to surrender you life to a central planner who will create a workers paradise here on Earth for you. Liberals love that I think because its a guaranteed fail

 

[Obamanation]

Of course we're number one. Look how many things we're number one in. We leave them all behind in the dust! This is why we need to have the biggest defense budget, because every nation on Earth wants to put an end to our utopian way of life. It's why we invade more nations on Earth than any other nation.

A picture doesn't mean much without a source.

Even if it were true (which it isn't - None of those issues on a per capita relationship are true all). Some of those things are signs of FREEDOM!!

I won;t apologize for the same freedom so many have given their lives for us to maintain!!

 

[MisterBeale]

I don't know about it being the greatEST 3-1/2 minutes in television history, but I'll buy 'one of the greater and more memorable' spans of 3-1/2 minutes.

They say that 'art reflects life', and this scripted performance for the opening episode of a television series seems to assume such a role - reflecting life - and has gone viral.

Don't look at it so much as a Liberal Rant (although it certainly is that, from a certain vantage point).

Think of it as Quality Control, on the national-societal-cultural level; or, more precisely, a call for objectivity, honest reflection, coming to grips with various realities, and a call to action.

We have been milking our WWII Victory Mindset for 70 years now - we are the greatest - something that our parents and grandparents won for us, not we - and that is wearing thin.

We have not done too badly for ourselves in the decades since that Victory, mind you, in a great many respects.

But we have grown arrogant - falsely arrogant - to an extent that should worry all of us, and cause us to set that aside, and to work much harder as a nation, to change some things that have gone wrong or that require a lot of maintenance and repair and tweaking before we are anywhere close to being 'back on top', in subject area A or B or C.

I love my country - I've worn its uniform, overseas, albeit outside of any combat zone - and - after my God and my family and a vague sense of higher duty to mankind at large - my country has every ounce of my affection and loyalty - and I would fight - and die - to keep it free from outside domination and to maintain the freedoms that we extend to each other by law.

But that does not mean that I'm obliged to walk through life with a set of Red-White-and-Blue blinkers on, either; ignoring Reality for what I think it is or wish it might be or hope it is or delude myself that it is.

As much as I despise Liberal and Conservative whining about sooooooo many things in our national life and even here on this little message board community...

As much as I think that both Liberals and Conservatives blow things out of proportion oftentimes regarding scenarios in which things are nowhere near as bad as they portray them...

This little 3-1/2 minute -long video-based Liberal Rant was a Winner, a Keeper, and pretty much dead on target.

As an Arrogance-Eliminator and Thought-Provoker and Wake-Up Call and as a Call to Action, with more regard and tender loving concern for the country than is immediately discernible at first glance, while you're watching it, until you sit back, reflect upon what was said, and ponder true motives behind such a outburst.

It strikes me that a person articulating such a theme in real life, or one for whom such a theme resonates properly and is well-received, is demonstrating a very considerable Love of Country...

But that's just me...

( and, that's probably the most Liberal-sympathetic thing that I've said in a very long time - should I be scared? - I'm not going over to the Dark Side... just kidding... )

You like most others obviously don't get the irony of the "news anchor" as the ranter.

Specifically that as the facts have shown 85% of ABC,CBS & NBC news execs,anchors,reporters gave to democrats/Obama in 2008.
So with "anchors" like Pullman portrayed ranting about how many things are wrong with the USA he and the majority of low information people SEEM TO FORGET ONE major point!
Anchors,news people like this ranter deal DAILY in the exceptions! That is they ONLY report the rare. The occasional. The Exception. But the problem they make it sound like it happens
all the time! Now yes we all KNOW it couldn't happen all the time but why are these news people constantly promoting angst! Anger!
Case in point this comment by Obama.."air raiding villages, killing civilians"! Now this anchor would find that newsworthy right? My goodness evil American soldiers killing civilians.
Or Kerry calling our troops "terrorists" in Iraq... again isn't that disgusting???

The major problem with news people and people like Obama,Kerry, et.al. is they forget .. THE PEOPLE THAT HATE the USA use these statements as the RULE because after all
the news people said so!

So I have to look at this "anchor's" rant as so totally inappropriate with the TRUTH... But it is how the media presents the exceptional violent events for example as happening... every day...

Jeff Daniels, not Bill Pullman. But then again, low information is, as low information does.

 

[Inkslinger]

It is still a great country. It just is having some burps due to those running it. Once someone strong is behind the wheel again...the USA will be better than it has been lately.

I disagree.
America is infected with Imperialism and corruption... the endless wars, We the Corporations and all that.

 

[MisterBeale]

Of course we're number one. Look how many things we're number one in. We leave them all behind in the dust! This is why we need to have the biggest defense budget, because every nation on Earth wants to put an end to our utopian way of life. It's why we invade more nations on Earth than any other nation.

A picture doesn't mean much without a source.

Agreed. I am a big enough person to admit when I am wrong. I am not a hyper partisan. I always found that graphics paint a more convincing picture than words alone, but your take on this issue and unwillingness to be swayed by fancy graphics is to be commended. So I did the extra leg work. It turned out that when you take into account the "per capita" statistics, many of those numbers turn out very different. ON the other hand, there are other stats that are more telling. . . .

For per capita crimes? Turkey is the leader.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita
For per capita rapes? Lesotho takes the cake.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_rap_percap-crime-rapes-per-capita
Oil used? We far out strip the next competitor China. Hell, we out match China, Japan, India, and Russia all put together! So in this regard, doing the leg work makes us look even worse. lol
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_oil_con-energy-oil-consumption
Indeed, we do have the most per capita divorce rate. I guess you could say we are the most selfish, morally infirm people on the planet. We're number one on this one.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_div_rat-people-divorce-rate
We do indeed have the highest percentage of teen-mothers, coming in at 52.1 per 1000 pregnancies. What can we expect from selfish individualistic hedonists, right?
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_tee_bir_rat-people-teenage-birth-rate
We only rank 13th in Heart disease however, Slovakia got top honors there.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_hea_dis_dea-health-heart-disease-deaths
I'm not sure I even need to post the stats for McD's, do I?
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/foo_mcd_res-food-mcdonalds-restaurants

I'm afraid no stats could be found for plastic surgery. I guess that is a statistic that is a bit too fickle for social scientists to do research on.

So we'll move on. Perhaps we'll replace it with something a bit more indicative.

Prisoners?
The U.S. has more people locked up than a so called dictatorship? What does that tell us? How can we call ourselves a "free" country, when we have more laws, and more ways to get yourself locked up than a police state? What nation is more of a police state, a nation with a BILLION people, and so called less freedoms, or a so called "open society" and half as many people? When we have more than twice as many people locked up and half the population?

Freedom is hard to deal with I suppose.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_pri-crime-prisoners

And here's a few more we're number one in. . .

We're number one in car thefts, more than four time the number than our nearest competitor. God bless the free market. The free black market.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_car_the-crime-car-thefts
We're number one in total crimes.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_tot_cri-crime-total-crimes
And don't forget, we've got more fat people than anywhere else on earth. According to this stat, chances are 33% you are one of them.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity

 

[healthmyths]

Yeah... I let this go earlier, but now that you've highlighted it... RW brings up a valid point...

Most of the rest of the world could not be trusted with the power we have...

Many of the nations of Europe and the Middle East and Asia would have been doing the "Unser Vaterland Uber Alles" happy-dance by now, having conquered much or all of the world - Imperial Era II and/or Colonial Era Redux..

We're a little more laid-back than that... by no means perfect, but better than many...

Look at the USA after WWII. 1945-1950
We were the only superpower left standing, we had the bomb, we occupied Germany and Japan. How many nations in history would have reacted like the US did?

We instituted the Marshall Plan and actually rebuilt our former enemies
We demanded no repayment of war debt or retribution
We turned over territory we fought and died to capture to its original owners
We left the Middle East and all its oil reserves

Since WWII, the US has helped stabilize the world at great expense. We have defended Democracy and bolstered the global economy

I agree with all of this, but there have been some major fuck ups that have tarnished America and it's reputation.

America's "tarnished" reputation comes from our MSM needing to constantly find the negative blow it way out of proportion and then say "this happens all the time"!
For example... OUR President once said "air-raiding villages killing civilians"!
Well guess what the world hears... The USA ALL the TIME, methodically and systematically ALL the TIME "air-raids villages killing civilians"... and why because our
MSM survival depends on this old print adage.."IF IT BLEEDS IT LEADS"...

The true tragedy is the MSM has contributed MORE to the tarnished image then there really is!
In pushing THEIR AGENDA the MSM biases fellow media types and the vicious FALSE cycle continues!

Nearly 60% of Americans have little to no trust in Mass Media.
Why does the American public not trust the media?

 

[LeftofLeft]

for all of the "America is The Greatest Country in THE WORLD" talk from the left and right, how could anyone ever want to "fundamentally change America"?

 

[NoNukes]

Of course we're number one. Look how many things we're number one in. We leave them all behind in the dust! This is why we need to have the biggest defense budget, because every nation on Earth wants to put an end to our utopian way of life. It's why we invade more nations on Earth than any other nation.

A picture doesn't mean much without a source.

Even if it were true (which it isn't - None of those issues on a per capita relationship are true all). Some of those things are signs of FREEDOM!!

I won;t apologize for the same freedom so many have given their lives for us to maintain!!

There is freedom in other countries without some of the concessions.

 

[Kondor3]

The video is total crap. Anyone who believes that government can do better hasn't been paying attention to history or current events and that's the point of the video: you need to surrender you life to a central planner who will create a workers paradise here on Earth for you. Liberals love that I think because its a guaranteed fail

Each of us see the message (contained in this video) quite differently.

I viewed the video and received the message as an American, and not as a Conservative nor Centrist nor Liberal - but as an American.

Many of the things that the speaker bemoans in the video are things which are glaringly obvious to even the most unobservant dullard as one looks-about to survey one's world.

The video did not call for Big Government nor did it call for Laissez Faire.

The video was intended to draw attention to just how much we have slipped in so many area over the past few decades, and that, in turn, is an implicit Call to Action.

There are things best left to the private sector.

There are things best left to the public sector.

There are things best left to a collaboration between the two.

There is room and need for both in a sane, well-balanced, functioning Republic.

Which is not the kind of political environment in which we now operate.

Neither the Left nor the Right have all the answers.

And both the Left and the Right are full of <bleep> clean up to their ears on a variety of issues.

But a blend of the two - periodically tweaked as the balance tilts a bit too far one way or the other - has almost always been the long-term answer for America's problems.

Answers found by Americans - not Corporatists - not drones enthralled to the Corporatists - not the Communists and Socialists - not drones enthralled to the Communists and Socialists - and not Anarchists or their drones...

Answers found by Americans, who have no problem borrowing a bit from the Left and a bit from the Right and doing what is proper for the welfare of the American People - not a political party or business consortium, but the American People.

I would have thought that such sane and cogent and constructive criticism would ring true for most open-minded folks who listened to it.

But... again... it resonated that way for me... and I am not sufficiently naive to believe that it will resonate in that same manner for everyone else.

 

[Oldguy]

for all of the "America is The Greatest Country in THE WORLD" talk from the left and right, how could anyone ever want to "fundamentally change America"?

Is America perfect? Is there nothing wrong here? Is there nothing which needs to be changed?

 

[S.J.]

It was a leftist rant. He started off by saying "the reason nobody likes liberals is because they don't win elections". There's your first clue, not to mention his comment about all the other countries who enjoyed freedom, but leaving out the fact that they have freedom because the U.S. is willing to fight for it on their behalf. Whenever you see somebody pointing out everything negative they can find about this country, but leaving out everything positive, you know it's a liberal doing it.

 

[Oldguy]

It was a leftist rant. He started off by saying "the reason nobody likes liberals is because they don't win elections". There's your first clue, not to mention his comment about all the other countries who enjoyed freedom, but leaving out the fact that they have freedom because the U.S. is willing to fight for it on their behalf. Whenever you see somebody pointing out everything negative they can find about this country, but leaving out everything positive, you know it's a liberal doing it.

America fought for Canadian freedom? Ya don't say?

 

[JWBooth]

It was a leftist rant. He started off by saying "the reason nobody likes liberals is because they don't win elections". There's your first clue, not to mention his comment about all the other countries who enjoyed freedom, but leaving out the fact that they have freedom because the U.S. is willing to fight for it on their behalf. Whenever you see somebody pointing out everything negative they can find about this country, but leaving out everything positive, you know it's a liberal doing it.

America fought for Canadian freedom? Ya don't say?

War of 1812?

 

[S.J.]

It was a leftist rant. He started off by saying "the reason nobody likes liberals is because they don't win elections". There's your first clue, not to mention his comment about all the other countries who enjoyed freedom, but leaving out the fact that they have freedom because the U.S. is willing to fight for it on their behalf. Whenever you see somebody pointing out everything negative they can find about this country, but leaving out everything positive, you know it's a liberal doing it.

America fought for Canadian freedom? Ya don't say?

You think Canada wouldn't be speaking German (or Japanese) right now if the U.S. had not stopped Germany and Japan in WWII?

 

[JWBooth]

It was a leftist rant. He started off by saying "the reason nobody likes liberals is because they don't win elections". There's your first clue, not to mention his comment about all the other countries who enjoyed freedom, but leaving out the fact that they have freedom because the U.S. is willing to fight for it on their behalf. Whenever you see somebody pointing out everything negative they can find about this country, but leaving out everything positive, you know it's a liberal doing it.

America fought for Canadian freedom? Ya don't say?

You think Canada wouldn't be speaking German (or Japanese) right now if the U.S. had not stopped Germany and Japan in WWII?

There is no good reason to think they would.

 

[S.J.]

America fought for Canadian freedom? Ya don't say?

You think Canada wouldn't be speaking German (or Japanese) right now if the U.S. had not stopped Germany and Japan in WWII?

There is no good reason to think they would.

That statement shows how truly stupid you are. Thanks.

 

[Oldguy]

It was a leftist rant. He started off by saying "the reason nobody likes liberals is because they don't win elections". There's your first clue, not to mention his comment about all the other countries who enjoyed freedom, but leaving out the fact that they have freedom because the U.S. is willing to fight for it on their behalf. Whenever you see somebody pointing out everything negative they can find about this country, but leaving out everything positive, you know it's a liberal doing it.

America fought for Canadian freedom? Ya don't say?

War of 1812?

Yeah...well...they handed us our ass and STILL became a free nation. 'Magine that!

 

[Oldguy]

It was a leftist rant. He started off by saying "the reason nobody likes liberals is because they don't win elections". There's your first clue, not to mention his comment about all the other countries who enjoyed freedom, but leaving out the fact that they have freedom because the U.S. is willing to fight for it on their behalf. Whenever you see somebody pointing out everything negative they can find about this country, but leaving out everything positive, you know it's a liberal doing it.

America fought for Canadian freedom? Ya don't say?

You think Canada wouldn't be speaking German (or Japanese) right now if the U.S. had not stopped Germany and Japan in WWII?

Uh...yeah.