America, not the greatest country anymore

[MPClinton22]

A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook and I thought it was a pretty powerful statement. Some of the statistics, particularly the infant mortality rate, are somewhat misleading (infant mortality is listed with the highest rate as #1, so being 170 is actually pretty good). I hadn't seen it posted anywhere on IE yet and just wanted to see what people here thought of it!

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[Irish Houstonian]

Call me when America has 6 rings.

 

[Grahambo]

The mere title of this thread gets me angry.

 

[autry_denson]

People have different visions of what makes a "good" or "bad" nation. Most of us love our nation because we love its culture and its traditions, and we are attached to it (through institutions, through our families, etc.). Attempting to shed our cultural and personal attachments in order to evaluate the state of the nation objectively is very difficult, but extremely important for having honest public dialogue and moving the country forward in ways that reflect the visions of its citizens. By most measures of wellbeing, the US is near the middle of the pack of the developed nations. By other measures, we are among the leaders, and by others we are among the laggards. To point this out is essential to moving the nation where we want it to go. If it is done in a way that points out our strengths, and that acknowledges the sacrifices that our relatives have made for two hundred years, I see it as one of the most patriotic thing one can do.

 

[jakerbluegold]

+1

 

[phork]

Of course it isn't. We all know Canada is tops.

 

[CTIDANDREW]

Anyone else watch this show Newsroom? I really like it. Has already been renewed for a 2nd season.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Not able to watch the video currently, so I apologize if this isn't totally relevant, but the average human is much wealthier and healthier today than at any previous point in history. Much of those gains have come under the Pax Americana that started roughly 70 years ago, which isn't a coincidence.

So focusing on where the US places on X ranking misses the forest for the trees (and such rankings are notoriously easily to twist to partisan ends anyway). The only other organizations that have had a similarly strong positive effect on human progress are the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church (imho).

 

[MPClinton22]

My take on it is that the intent is good, but the execution could be a little better. I agree that spitting out facts about infant mortality and life expectancy doesn't really help discern the greatness of a nation, as greatness really isn't something quantifiable. What I do appreciate about the video though is that it makes people think and wonder, "Is America still the greatest country?" rather than just assume it is. The part that really speaks volumes to me is when he talks about how we used to dream big and create great things, but today it seems the current young adult generation has lost that initiative to dream big and is instead complacent and happy to just pat themselves on the back and say "America is the best!"

 

[ColinKSU]

Greatest country or not, I'd rather be here than anywhere else.

 

[Black Irish]

We are and continue to be as long as:

-We stop feeling sorry for ourselves and do not look to others to solve our problems

-We stop believing that a check in the mail at a certain part of our life is our due as citizens

-We continue to accept the poor, downtrodden, and oppressed as part of this great land even though they may weigh down our ranking on some international ranking of health & wellness

-We continue to defend ourselves and others against tyranny and evil here and abroad whether or not there is profit or material gain to be realized

-We continue to believe in exceptionalism for ourselves and everyone else and that the sky is the limit as long as you try your hardest

-Dying on your feet is ALWAYS preferable to living on your knees

-As long as you believe that, despite our mistakes, the USA stands for: freedom, justice, and the triumph of virtue and will lead the way in the world as a paragon of those virtues

If you do not believe these things, then I feel sorry for you and I am sure that there is another scared, defeated, second rate nation who will welcome you and your ilk with open arms. Otherwise, continue to fight and represent the USA as the finest nation on earth that has the courage to lead and stand for what is good and right.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Simple as this. America has been, and continues to be the best place to be. However, the gap is closing.

 

[Irish YJ]

Started watching the show. That scene is very powerful. Hooked in the first 5 minutes.

The message - IMO it's true. We are not what we once were. We will continue to slide so long as we keep our blinders on and kid ourselves that we are the greatest.

And by the way, I'm OK with Americans expecting a check in the mail at some point in life, as long as it's SS that they've paid into as they worked thier entire life.

I'm not anti-American, I'm just a realistic. Sad to see us decline when I know we can be the best at virtually anything.

 

[military_irish]

I've been to many places in my short lifetime and I will not lie some countries have better things here and there. But if we are to look at the big picture and America as a whole. No other nation in the world competes.\

Just my honest opinion.

No one will ever be happy with the way the government is run or the policies put in place. On the other hand, I am glad everyone is not in agreeance with everything because that would cause for a boring life.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

I don't think it matters who is the best and who isn't. I love America and being an American. Every country has its flaws and America has a bunch of them, but the opportunities here and the widespread culture and diversity is pretty unique. We do need to work on a lot of things, especially education.

 

[BobD]

Other countries are watching us, learning from our mistakes and "building better mouse traps". Luckily for us, we can control the internet, the econony of many countries depends on our consumption and we have the biggest, best and most bombs.

 

[Grahambo]

Thought this was a cool photo:

I do agree America has slipped down a few notches. We need to build it back up and if I have to pay more taxes to do it then I want to do it. I want to do whatever it is I have to do to help. I only live once and I don't want to live my life for me, I want to live it for others and those after me.

 

[enrico514]

No one stays on top forever...

 

[yankeeND]

I've been to many places in my short lifetime and I will not lie some countries have better things here and there. But if we are to look at the big picture and America as a whole. No other nation in the world competes.\

Just my honest opinion.

No one will ever be happy with the way the government is run or the policies put in place. On the other hand, I am glad everyone is not in agreeance with everything because that would cause for a boring life.

I agree with everything you said and just to add at least we are allowed the freedoms to express our opinions. Which to add is a birth right. There are still a lot of places that this is not the case. I too have been to quite a few countries in my short life and have seen better and worse but not the complete package of freedoms we have.

 

[mgriff]

Nationalism, thanks Napoleon. 95% of the world identifies themselves through nationalism. Of course we are going to think we are the best. Is it a great place to live? Yes. Do we have it better off than the vast majority of the rest of the world? Absolutely we do. Are we destroying ourselves? Certainly. No nation ever stays on top forever. Our time will end. My generation, Y I believe, will be the first generation since WWII to have a lower standard of living than the previous. But am I thankful I'm an American? You're damn right. I'm proud of what we've achieved but I simply feel like we've lost our way.

 

[IrishLax]

The United State has NEVER EVER BEEN FIRST in most if not all of those meaningless statistics. EVER. Period. It's like that first Obamacare thread where people tried to justify the need for socialized medicine because we have "shorter life expectancy" while not appreciating all of the demographic and socio-economic factors that makes those generalized stats worthless.

Threads like this irritate me beyond belief. Don't like the US of A? Then tell me what other country you'd move to and why. (Not a rhetorical question, I'm sure there are valid answers... but the point is that we should all be THANKFUL for the opportunities we've been given in this country that many in the world dream of rather than bitch and moan. Next time you want to complain, instead think about the sacrifices US citizens made on the beaches of Normandy to even give you the option of complaining about the Government/country).

 

[phork]

Other countries are watching us, learning from our mistakes and "building better mouse traps". Luckily for us, we can control the internet, the econony of many countries depends on our consumption and we have the biggest, best and most bombs.

You can't control the internet Mr. Gore. Besides, Canada has the oil.

 

[BobD]

You can't control the internet Mr. Gore. Besides, Canada has the oil.

You wouldn't believe what we can do with and to the internet. It isn't about what we have, as much as what we can take if we had to.

 

[Buster Bluth]

The United States is still the greatest country in the world, but we aren't heading in the right direction.

Fck Obama.

/thread.

 

[Buster Bluth]

My generation, Y I believe, will be the first generation since WWII to have a lower standard of living than the previous.

I've heard that, but I don't believe it for a minute. Equality is changing for worse (correctly identified by Marx as a symptom in capitalism), but people's lives are still better and better.

 

[GreatGolson]

as a white upper class male i beg to differ.

 

[mgriff]

I've heard that, but I don't believe it for a minute. Equality is changing for worse (correctly identified by Marx as a symptom in capitalism), but people's lives are still better and better.

Wages and inflation are a good start. Hey, I obviously can't speak it as gospel, because it hasn't happened yet, but I would not be shocked with the inflation we are seeing. My wife and I, just from March of 2010, are astounded at how much more we are spending on food per month, for our family of three. As we print more money, the value of our dollar goes down, and items cost more. Since wages are not keeping up with quantitative easing, we get less for similar salaries. Thank you fractional reserve banking. Since we are in a recession, we can't say for certain when it will end, but we can say for certain that more QE will cause further inflation.

The New York Times > Business > Image > Chart: Not Sharing in the Gains

Wages and Benefits: Real Wages (1964-2004) - Working Life

California: The Problem in a Nut Shell — The Looming Crisis of Healthcare « RTCrawford’s Weblog

Minimum Wage V.S. Inflation « The Road to Liberty

Historical Consumer Price Index

 

[Redbar]

The United States is still the greatest country in the world, but we aren't heading in the right direction.

Fck Obama.

/thread.

Yeah, we were rolling, everything was just perfect, until Obama came along and destroyed the good stuff we had built. He totally 100% changed the direction this country had been heading in for the previous 200 or so years. Some things you say...intelligent, some things you say...

If you believe all this venom you spew at the president I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you, it is in pretty good shape it was impervious to time and weather up until 2008. You should be able to appreciate that.

 

[HoosierIrish]

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[NDinFL]

Neg rep the Canadian