Recently, this kind of rant has been rampant on the Internet. It seems to be one of the most popular themes in recent history. For all of the Americans who keep propagating this myth I have an idea, stop. Oh, there will always be doomsayers and malcontents but for the rest of us, let’s not drop the oars and jump ship just yet. If you have been fortunate enough to be born in the USA you have quite a few things going for you. Let’s take a look at just the top few.
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You’re wealthy: You have the top economy in the world. Period. The closest single economy in the world is barely half that of the United States. The EU as a whole is larger but by a damn small margin. Give that a moment of reflection. It takes 27 independent countries with thousands of collective years in business to come together to rival the US economy. You’ve been in business for a little over 200 years. 2006 Statistics.
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You’re healthy: The average life expectancy in the world has nearly doubled in less than a century. Recently the US has taken some shots for not living up to the averages of some of our European neighbors but let’s be realistic. How many more years do you want to be around to have to have your bed pan changed? This is the best time in the world to be alive. You can expect to live on average 78 years in the US. Not too shabby. The highest average is 81.
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You’re happy: A vast majority of America’s population is happy with their life. Even considering the most recent economic and political turmoil in the country, as a rule Americans enjoy their lives. America’s not perfect and there are nations that score higher on the index but there is a cost associate with being the at the top. How many of us wouldn’t be happy to work a 30 hour work week?
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You’re smart: Ooops…Honestly, the US could use a little humble pie on this one. America is losing ground with basic education. If the US intends to compete in the world market it must address this failure. The US ranks poorly on the world stage for basic education, not even making the top 25 in 2007. On the bright side, the US still lead the world in institutes of higher education. America also fair quite nicely in the amount of our population that utilize higher education opportunities.
- You’re generous: Over the course of it’s short history, America has been a fairly good neighbor. Sure there have been times that stand out as clear lapses in judgement. There have even been times when America has made wrong choices, but when weighing the bad against the good the US has given far more than it has taken. There’s no real way to calculate the immense amount of charitable contributions that the US has made over the years. However, it is safe to say that America has given mammoth amounts of wealth to help out other nations. Most of the people in the US genuinely like the rest of the world and are willing to show it in a very real way (heck, we even like Canada).
So, what’s the point? Simply this. Dissent is one of the greatest things about America. People are free to like or dislike what ever they choose. The unfortunate reality is, however, that some of the folks who really don’t like the US convince those of us that do that the “American way” is on the way out. Once that is repeated over and over again more people believe it and the prophecy takes on a life of it’s own. In truth, America is exactly where we put it and it will be exactly where we take it tomorrow. The old maxim is as true as it has ever been. We will reap exactly what we sew.
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Megadisclaimer: Take nothing at face value. Everything on this blog is for entertainment purposes. It won’t change the world, or even your opinion in most cases. If you believe everything that you read stop reading now!