VS were talking about this and we have different views, I say we are not the greatest nation in the world anymore. Does that mean I think the good old USA stinks, not at all. Does this mean I think everyone in America is a slug? No, like VS said there are great people in this country and I agree with him 100%. If we look at our issues 20% poverty amoung children Where we rank in education Our infrustructure conidition Tax policiy Affordable Healthcare, we pay more in GDP on healthcare than anyone, yet we are the un-healthiest as a country Our Govement is broke, it's about as non functional as in can get. Congress cannot pass diddle Our Goverment is spying on Americans IRS is targeting groups to whom they do not agree with. How divide we have become Our banking system has had major issues 16 times since 1790, Canada's has had 0. Now lets look at what is working Military is the best, no doubt with this one National Parks, best in the world Secondary Education is the best Freedom, although most countries have freedom, we have more. The people in America at heart still believe and our terrific. Don't think I don't love this country and I am not hating on it either. Just pointing out we have some work to do, if we want to be the best again.
I concur that America has slid down the slope. The causes are multiple and the cures are even more. It's not an easy road to recovery and that's why most Americans are not willing to take that path.
Given the choice, I'm still living here. We have lots of problems that need addressed, but I think they are magnified because we see them every day. Other countries are dealing with similar issues, we just don't see it every day. Our federal government has bloated to an extreme level and if we don't work to reform it and shift the balance of power back towards the states I can see us falling from that greatest country in the world status. We need to focus our attention to internal issues and deal with those with a higher priority than issues outside out borders. Let the rest of the world work on those issues while we try and mend our own wounds.
"Greatest" is a relative term. IMO, as flawed as we are and though I concur we are a on very dangerous downward spiral that will soon cause our demise, as of today, we are still the "greatest". If not, then who? I guess one can cite a few European countries such as Norway and Sweden that statistically look pretty good in a lot of areas, but they are able to ride the coat tails of many larger countries in areas such as defense, so that it is comparing apples to oranges. And they are very socialistic and have their share of problems as well. 20% of children living in poverty? I don't dispute that is the number that the govt. puts out there, but with all the welfare and assistance programs, very few, if any Americans are malnourished or without shelter. Most of our "poor" people are also obese and have a high rate of diabetes within their ranks because of it..go figure. Now if you want to talk about the percentage of kids that are neglected and in an unstructured environment with little to no adult guidance in their lives, I am sure that number is every bit of 20% or more, so to that extent your point is still valid, but for a different reason.
at my point in my life unless something crazy happens im gonna stay right here. as arron lewis said "i never needed the goverment to hold my hand" i can and will do the same stuff i do now i will just depend on my hobies like hunting and survival junk i think is neat.
Yes new I have watched that many times. Who's the best today? I would put Canada and Australia up on my top three with us. Here is a question why are we number one?
This thread reminds me of this: Why America is NOT the greatest country in the world, anymore. - YouTube
We are not # 1 for many reasons political and private reasons. Japan is doing pretty good, Canada it looks good from the outside but I wouldn't want all the government interference. To get this country back to #1 we really need to get everyone working and stop this welfare state that this country has become.
We as a country are very very young and have much to learn. Its the process of evolution that every great nation falls and we are definitely on a downward spiral trend. Its just a matter of time before our system crumbles. Its inevitable IMO. Don't get me wrong I love our country, am proud to be an american and IMO we are still the greatest nation on earth at the moment. But we are too spoiled as a nation and its gonna bite us in the a$$ before to much longer, I believe.
No doubt Canada and Australia provide a higher standard of living than most of the world, but their taxes are higher than ours which is an area you expressed concern about in the USA. Canada has federal, provincial income taxes that combined are higher than our rates. In addition, they have a federal sales tax of 5% as well. Both countries are 10% the size of America, so they don't have the international standing or responsibility that we incur (whether we want the responsibilityor not). It is easy to want to be an isolationist in theory, but much more difficult to do so in reality when we are the largest economic market in the world. Why are we number 1? As already mentioned in thread, we are still the #1 military power and economic market. We still have the most democratic form of government with better checks and balances in place. More freedoms and a more fair court system. As flawed as we are, are we are still less regulated with more freedoms and still have an entrepreneurial environment which allows the individual to start and make a sucessful business if he(she) is willing to work hard enough and willing to take the risk. Our debt is our Achilles' heel. This is an area that Canada and Australia have us beaten hands down, for whatever the reasons. That and the trampling of our freedoms and the ever increasing corruption of our government. (Both democrat and republican) So I share your concern and wonder how much longer we can sustain. But I contend our problem is only escalated when we put in policies that make us more like the European models rather than differentiating ourselves from them.
I think the opinions of our current and former service members would hold great weight in this conversation. Many of them have lived and worked in many parts of this world. Why are we number 1? The American spirit. Unfortunately, that spirit has been ripped and torn as of late by people who have no idea what is means to be American. We are all supposed to be given a fair chance at life without any bs laws that equal the playing field. We are supposed to be free of non stop government interference in our lives. We are supposed to be free of the dozens of taxes that seek to take money from those people who actually carry the burden of this country on their backs every day. I still believe we are the best country in the world. That being said, I can see where in the not so distant future we are not. The good people of this country need to forge ahead and speak their minds. Too many times in this PC world, the good people feel as though they cannot say what they feel for fear of being considered "barbaric", "inflexible", or "insensitive". Enough already.
We were at one time the greatest. Now we have turned into a freakshow. The greatest generation (world war 2 era) created the worst generation ever. The generation of my parents will be the end of this once great country.
The WW2 generation created the baby boomers (the worst generation ever) and most of the entitlement programs we have today...
Neighborhood - About the same. City - About the same. County - A little worse off. State - Way worse. Nation - A little worse off. World - About the same. We are not the greatest country in my opinion. As you can see I live in Illinois, if I lived in Texas I might think different.
