I guess someone took exception to my characterization to the US being the best country in the history of humanity.
Let me offer that this is not the jingoistic opinion of some redneck, but a fact. For those even in our lowest economic classes, just being born in the US puts you in the top 1% of the world's population in terms of wealth.
A fact also proven by the masses of people who leave families and put themselves in jeopardy just for the prospect of a greater life.
I have maybe 50 clients who are immigrants to this country. I have many German immigrants as clients. Now Germany is not exactly a 3rd world country where the impoverished are looking to flee; but a country of great wealth and opportunities of it's own. I love asking these people about their decisions and often they look at me with that glazed donut look as to communicate "this is the greatest country in the world.... why wouldn't we want to be here?"
One of the things that seems to lack for the Blame America First crowd is really the lack of civic knowledge.
For instance, we take democracy for granted but do you realize how many democracies existed during the days of the revolution? It had never been done before in any sense of the meaning. The signers of the Declaration of Independence signed their death warrants for some lark of a notion that people should be free and not subjects to a ruling monarchy.
In a word.........CRAZY.
None of this means that our society is perfect. It also doesn't mean that it can't be stripped from us by allowing a government to usurp our rights for security.
But I don't care what standard you use, the fact is, this country is the greatest in the world and there's billions of people who would give up everything they own to be a part of it to prove it.
2 comments:
I stipulate the facts in your post, but all it proves is the United States is still coasting on its past accumulated capital.
"The best country in the history of humanity"? I agree that this view is likely shared by recipients of welfare (both corporate and personal), by bureaucrats and politicians at home, and by U.S. backed despots abroad, but is it as widely shared as you claim?
"The best country"? "Democracy"? Tell that to the scores of small businessmen and women put out of business by federal mandates and IRS prosecutions. Tell that to the person who is at this very moment being surveilled and wiretapped by Uncle Sam. Tell that to the scores of soldiers and civilians killed as a result of American imperialism in the Middle East and elsewhere. Tell that to the scores of patients who will SOON be killed as a result of Obamacare.
And, please, pretty please, do tell that to the inmates of Gitmo and Abu Ghraib.
America is a big, dumb, lumbering giant that is steadily shrinking in size, collective intelligence, and stature. Its days are numbered. Your emigre clients may well prefer this country to the socialist tin-pot banana republics from which they hail, but that tells us less about America than it does about the rest of the world. Just because most other countries are bad does not make America particularly good.
America is great because it's weaknesses are exposed like no other nation in the world. Therefore it can see and fix those weaknesses more quickly. But in the process its highly visible flaws make it seem like a bad place to some. For example, detractors like to point out wealth disparity. But in other countries there is less disparity because most people are poor.
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