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Why America is the Greatest Country in the World (1 Viewer)

TripItUp

Footballguy
It seems a little captain obvious to me, but there seem to be questions in this forum as whether or not the United States is a great country.   

Here are the reasons we are the greatest nation from somebody that's actually been to over 50 countries.

1.  We take on and support more immigrants than any other nation (and it's not particularly close)

2.  Our industry has done more to revolutionize the world than any other country (and it's not particularly close)

3.  We do more and have done more to fight the bad guys(North Korea, Nazi Germany, ISIS etc) (and it's not particularly close)

4.  We provide more international economic aid than any other country (and it's not particularly close)

5.  We have so much opportunity,  the son of an immigrant and a minority can become the most powerful person in the world/POTUS

6.  We do more for the global environment and conservation than any other country(despite carbon footprint which is admittedly high)

We have our flaws, but to say we are not the greatest country is to ignore the facts.

 
And several fight against those things...like making even legal immigration harder...fighting doing even more for environmental protection...doing even better with foreign aid.

If those are why we are great...why support someone who is actively working against doing more of those things?

 
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It seems a little captain obvious to me, but there seem to be questions in this forum as whether or not the United States is a great country.   

Here are the reasons we are the greatest nation from somebody that's actually been to over 50 countries.

1.  We take on and support more immigrants than any other nation (and it's not particularly close)

2.  Our industry has done more to revolutionize the world than any other country (and it's not particularly close)

3.  We do more and have done more to fight the bad guys(North Korea, Nazi Germany, ISIS etc) (and it's not particularly close)

4.  We provide more international economic aid than any other country (and it's not particularly close)

5.  We have so much opportunity,  the son of an immigrant and a minority can become the most powerful person in the world/POTUS

6.  We do more for the global environment and conservation than any other country(despite carbon footprint which is admittedly high)

We have our flaws, but to say we are not the greatest country is to ignore the facts.
What are 6 things Donald Trump has worked to stop?

 
You’re not the best nation, you’re one of many top notch nations.  However, you seem to be trending downwards.  
 

And for #3, try joining a world war when it starts instead of waiting on the sidelines.  Almost forgot, North Korea 🤣🤣

 
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TripItUp said:
It seems a little captain obvious to me, but there seem to be questions in this forum as whether or not the United States is a great country.   

Here are the reasons we are the greatest nation from somebody that's actually been to over 50 countries.

1.  We take on and support more immigrants than any other nation (and it's not particularly close)

2.  Our industry has done more to revolutionize the world than any other country (and it's not particularly close)

3.  We do more and have done more to fight the bad guys(North Korea, Nazi Germany, ISIS etc) (and it's not particularly close)

4.  We provide more international economic aid than any other country (and it's not particularly close)

5.  We have so much opportunity,  the son of an immigrant and a minority can become the most powerful person in the world/POTUS

6.  We do more for the global environment and conservation than any other country(despite carbon footprint which is admittedly high)

We have our flaws, but to say we are not the greatest country is to ignore the facts.
I agree completely.  That's why the Trump presidency (and his continued support) bothers me so much.  Trump is leading us backwards in most of these points. 

 
Zigg said:
You’re not the best nation, you’re one of many top notch nations.  However, you seem to be trending downwards.  
 

And for #3, try joining a world war when it starts instead of waiting on the sidelines.  Almost forgot, North Korea 🤣🤣
At that point in time, the US was not the Super Power it is today.  You're comparing apples to car tires.

Or maybe we shouldn't join any at all?  If that were the case, most of Europe would be in it's 5 or 6th generation of German citizenship.  And North Korea would span the entire peninsula.

You seem a bit ungrateful.  You from the US?

 
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Zigg said:
You’re not the best nation, you’re one of many top notch nations.  However, you seem to be trending downwards.  
 

And for #3, try joining a world war when it starts instead of waiting on the sidelines.  Almost forgot, North Korea 🤣🤣
I generally still feel like the US is top of the heap and am proud to be an American, but I can certainly understand a perspective like you expressed in your first sentence. I hope you're wrong about the trending downward thing, but I can't deny that even Lee Greenwood's got to be feeling kind of pessimistic at this particular historical juncture. 

but in spite of all our current warts and issues, I think the list of countries that could seriously be considered better or equal is still somewhere between short and non-existent. Trip did a solid job of listing American strengths - I'd add that our cultural diversity is second to none, we're still the gold standard for freedom of expression and the marketplace of ideas, and the standard of living for average citizens is still far better than the vast majority of the rest of the world. For all the non-stop doom and gloom we get pounded into our heads daily, I believe the reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated.

but my man, it sounds like you're also downgrading us for a reluctance to immediately rush in and start raising the body count in past global conflicts - basically, we're not trigger happy enough for your tastes? That is definitely a novel take on our military history, homes :lol:

 
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The rest of the world is still laughing at us for electing Trump. 

Our coronavirus response has been awful and countries have banned us from traveling to theirs (rightfully so).

Our healthcare system is worse than some third world countries. 

Our school shooting/gun problem. 

 
I'm assuming you LIVE in the US.  So, everything.

Heck, you can even post how much you dislike America on a message board and the secret police haven't shown up and "disappeared" you forever.  Congrats.  You're living better than 100% of the rest of the world. 
100%?

 
At that point in time, the US was not the Super Power it is today.  You're comparing apples to car tires. The United Stats was absolutely a super power before WW2. Wilson was one of the key players in the post WW1 negotiations, he organized the League of Nations (which fell apart when Congress backed out) and we had the largest economy in the world. We had a small military but that was by choice, not a lack of means. When we wanted to, we could produce the best fighting force on the planet given our size and incredible industrial advantage. 

Or maybe we shouldn't join any at all?  If that were the case, most of Europe would be in it's 5 or 6th generation of German citizenship.  And North Korea would span the entire peninsula. That is a false premise, history is far too complex to predict how things would have evolved without the US entering into WW2 or if the US had entered earlier. We could all be speaking Russian. We could have found ourselves surrounded by a massive Imperialist Japanese empire and a NAZI European empire. Who knows. 


TripItUp said:
It seems a little captain obvious to me, but there seem to be questions in this forum as whether or not the United States is a great country.   

Here are the reasons we are the greatest nation from somebody that's actually been to over 50 countries.

1.  We take on and support more immigrants than any other nation (and it's not particularly close) Raw numbers, yes we do. Relative to our size, we do not. Ignoring super tiny countries that recruit almost all their labor from the outside like Qatar and Monaco, U.S. immigrants represent a smaller % of the US population that countries like Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Norway and Germany. 

We have our flaws, but to say we are not the greatest country is to ignore the facts. That entirely depends on which sets of facts you consider important to making a country great. 

 
Right, Canada seems really nice. I've been to Toronto and Windsor. It seems just like being in America except lower crime and more affordable access to public services. 
It's affordable access if you can, y'know, get access.  "Access" being the keyword.  I mean, if you're talking about quick access, well, forget about it.  You might have already died before you can actually get in and see anyone.  But maybe that's built into the model - save money by making access hard.  That's why it's affordable.

 
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It's affordable access if you can, y'know, get access.  "Access" being the keyword.  I mean, if you're talking about quick access, well, forget about it.  You might have already died before you can actually get in and see anyone.
I hear mostly good things from Canadians about their health care system. Polls routinely show strong support in Canada for their system. Health care is just one thing though. Higher ed in the U.S. costs an average of $26,000 a year (not factoring room and board) where as it is about $5,000 in Canada for a year of undergrad. 

 
I hear mostly good things from Canadians about their health care system. Polls routinely show strong support in Canada for their system. Health care is just one thing though. Higher ed in the U.S. costs an average of $26,000 a year (not factoring room and board) where as it is about $5,000 in Canada for a year of undergrad. 
Here is the weird thing - I know Canadians too and the ones I speak to only like the fact that they don't have to pay anything.  That's it.  The quality and access to care - they don't like so much.  

I'm with you on the higher ed stuff - it's a scam and a racket here in the US.  The funny thing is - our higher ed is run by liberals.  Y'know, the same one who want free tuition, yet THEY'RE the ones massively overcharging everyone and raising prices.  Maybe it was all part of their plan?  Raise it so high people get sick of it so they can them swoop in as the heroes with their "free tuition" mantra.

 
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I don’t really understand the need to even say “America is the greatest country in the world.” Why does it matter? Number 1, number 4, number 14, how does it effect our daily lives? To me, saying things like that is often a part of blocking necessary and needed reforms, as many say things like we are the best, no need to change. 

 
I don’t really understand the need to even say “America is the greatest country in the world.” Why does it matter? 
Great Question.

I have seen a multitude of posts that have challenged this assertion, which in my opinion demonstrates a general lack of understanding of our greatness.   And it's even implied in other posts that say how great Norway is or New Zealand or pick any other country that doesn't have an iota of our positive global influence.

So why does it matter?  Republicans/conservatives generally recognize our greatness and want to protect that greatness.   Democrats/liberals tend to believe the sky is falling and everything needs to be changed for reasons X/Y/Z.  I'm over generalizing here, but the larger point stands.  If you want to keep America great, you might not want to change everything that has made it great.

 
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Here is the weird thing - I know Canadians too and the ones I speak to only like the fact that they don't have to pay anything.  That's it.  The quality and access to care - they don't like so much.  

I'm with you on the higher ed stuff - it's a scam and a racket here in the US.  The funny thing is - our higher ed is run by liberals.  Y'know, the same one who want free tuition, yet THEY'RE the ones overcharging everyone.  Maybe it was all part of their plan?
I don't want to get into a healthcare debate. The polls of citizens on affordability, availability and quality are out there for anyone to see. 

As for the higher ed thing:

There is no unified liberal agenda. The Democratic Party is a patchwork of different people and ideas. Wanting free college tuition is not a universal point that all Democrats or liberals agree on. If you look at university presidents, 58% are over 60, 70% are male, 83% are white, 75% are Christian. They seem to likely represent a rather moderate version of liberal who are working to keep the status quo. 

 
Great Question.

I have seen a multitude of posts that have challenged this assertion, which in my opinion demonstrates a general lack of understanding of our greatness.   And it's even implied in other posts that say how great Norway is or New Zealand or pick any other country that doesn't have an iota of our positive global influence.

So why does it matter?  Republicans/conservatives generally recognize our greatness and want to protect that greatness.   Democrats/liberals tend to believe the sky is falling and everything needs to be changed for reasons X/Y/Z.  I'm over generalizing here, but the larger point stands.  If you want to keep America great, you might not want to change everything that has made it great.
America has constantly been changing. One might argue it's the constant change that has made us great. 

 
America has constantly been changing. One might argue it's the constant change that has made us great. 
One might also argue that the particular trends toward socialism have been the most harmful and has damaged our still dominant status.

I agree some change has been good, but there are some very alarming changes that are not so good.

 
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Great Question.

I have seen a multitude of posts that have challenged this assertion, which in my opinion demonstrates a general lack of understanding of our greatness.   And it's even implied in other posts that say how great Norway is or New Zealand or pick any other country that doesn't have an iota of our positive global influence.

So why does it matter?  Republicans/conservatives generally recognize our greatness and want to protect that greatness.   Democrats/liberals tend to believe the sky is falling and everything needs to be changed for reasons X/Y/Z.  I'm over generalizing here, but the larger point stands.  If you want to keep America great, you might not want to change everything that has made it great.
Again I simply do not understand. “Greatness” is undefinable and simply, and usually only, invites debate over what it means. To me it seems like navel gazing. As a whole we’ve done a lot of great things, a lot of bad things, and a lot in-between. I definitely understand conservative versus progressive, outside of party labels and affiliations, but focusing on an undefinable word or, some might say, feeling doesn’t seem helpful to me. 

 
Again I simply do not understand. “Greatness” is undefinable and simply, and usually only, invites debate over what it means. To me it seems like navel gazing. As a whole we’ve done a lot of great things, a lot of bad things, and a lot in-between. I definitely understand conservative versus progressive, outside of party labels and affiliations, but focusing on an undefinable word or, some might say, feeling doesn’t seem helpful to me. 
What word would you use to describe our country's unparalleled positive impact on the world?

 
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One might also argue that the particular trends toward socialism have been the most harmful and has damaged our still dominant status.

I agree some change has been good, but there are some very alarming changes that are not so good.
It is odd to me when I see words like “greatest”, and in this quoted post, “dominant.” To me this seems like a self-affirmation exercise. America has many resources, of all type, using words like greatest and dominant to describe America or its potential seems misguided to me.

 
I simply wouldn’t compare it, using words like unparalleled, why do you feel the need to?
I think I described my M.O. in the original post pretty clearly.  Our greatness(or use any other word you would like) is not being recognized and is being taken for granted. 

That's a very dangerous and alarming trend.

 
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One might also argue that the particular trends toward socialism have been the most harmful and has damaged our still dominant status.

I agree some change has been good, but there are some very alarming changes that are not so good.
Interesting. Our country's adoption of more socialism-like policies really got going in the 1930's. Considering most people also think that is when we started towards our peak as a country, I find that relationship difficult to see. That doesn't mean every policy that has elements of socialism have had a positive impact. It's extremely complex but I think if you look who we were as a country 100 years ago and who we are now, most of the changes have been extremely positive. 

 
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Interesting. Our country's adoption of more socialism-like policies really got going in the 1930's. Considering most people also think that is when we started towards our peak as a country, I find that relationship difficult to see. That doesn't mean every policy that has elements of socialism have had a positive impact. It's extremely complex but I think if you look who we were as a country 100 years ago and who we are now, most of the changes have been extremely positive. 
It's definitely a balancing act, but my concern and the concerns with many fiscal conservatives is that the country keeps going further and further towards absolute socialism.   It's absolutely stunning to me that Bernie and Warren got the votes that they did...scary as hell actually.

 
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Here is the weird thing - I know Canadians too and the ones I speak to only like the fact that they don't have to pay anything.  That's it.  The quality and access to care - they don't like so much.  

I'm with you on the higher ed stuff - it's a scam and a racket here in the US.  The funny thing is - our higher ed is run by liberals.  Y'know, the same one who want free tuition, yet THEY'RE the ones overcharging everyone.  Maybe it was all part of their plan?
I don't want to get into a healthcare debate. The polls of citizens on affordability, availability and quality are out there for anyone to see. 
I can go to any doctor I want, whenever I want for any service I want or need and don't pay a thing. The only complaints you'll ever see and that are held up against the system are wait times and guess what - there are wait times everywhere and it's prioritized based on need, you're not waiting for life saving or critical procedures. If you go to emergency with a sore tum tum, yeah you might wait. 

Canadian health care is incredible. The United States is no where near the best country in the world anymore and Trump is pushing them farther and farther down the list. 

 
Americans have done some great things. That does not make America great. 
 

Americans have done some ####ty things. That does not make America a ####hole country. 
 

Greatness is not a destination- it’s a journey.  And, right now we are not on a path towards greatness. 

 
Biff84 said:
TripItUp said:
It seems a little captain obvious to me, but there seem to be questions in this forum as whether or not the United States is a great country.   

Here are the reasons we are the greatest nation from somebody that's actually been to over 50 countries.

1.  We take on and support more immigrants than any other nation (and it's not particularly close)

2.  Our industry has done more to revolutionize the world than any other country (and it's not particularly close)

3.  We do more and have done more to fight the bad guys(North Korea, Nazi Germany, ISIS etc) (and it's not particularly close)

4.  We provide more international economic aid than any other country (and it's not particularly close)

5.  We have so much opportunity,  the son of an immigrant and a minority can become the most powerful person in the world/POTUS

6.  We do more for the global environment and conservation than any other country(despite carbon footprint which is admittedly high)

We have our flaws, but to say we are not the greatest country is to ignore the facts.
What are 6 things Donald Trump has worked to stop?
:yes:

 
unparalleled is probably the perfect adjective.  The numbers don't lie.
But why does it matter to you? If we had the most positive impact, leaving out the any negative impact, or if we had the second most? The third? What concrete impact would that have on future actions? We would still simply assess, formulate some kind of consensus and move forward no? But why weigh that down with an incessant need for self-congratulation?

 
One might also argue that the particular trends toward socialism have been the most harmful and has damaged our still dominant status.

I agree some change has been good, but there are some very alarming changes that are not so good.
I would argue that our embracing of trickle down economics and reduction in regulation of capitalism has had the biggest impact on our dominant status.  It's driven extreme wealth disparity, destroyed the middle class, destroyed out manufacturing base, left our government insufficiently funded to address failing infrastructure and social programs, and fueled a massive recession.

I'm no socialist, or supporter of socialism, but lets stop pretending that the boogie man you are fearful of coming is the cause of the existing problems.

 
I can go to any doctor I want, whenever I want for any service I want or need and don't pay a thing. The only complaints you'll ever see and that are held up against the system are wait times and guess what - there are wait times everywhere and it's prioritized based on need, you're not waiting for life saving or critical procedures. If you go to emergency with a sore tum tum, yeah you might wait. 

Canadian health care is incredible. The United States is no where near the best country in the world anymore and Trump is pushing them farther and farther down the list. 
Excuse me, sir, but Bladerunner has talked to Canadians so I think he knows what he’s talking about.

Everyone knows you’re just saying this so the secret police doesn’t make you disappear.

 
I think I've explained it twice in this thread now.  It should matter to everyone.
Forgiven my slowness in understanding. I still don’t see how recognizing greatness matters. Lessons learned, continuing what we think works, discarding what we think doesnt, that makes sense to me but recognizing greatness is simply too abstract a concept for me. No worries, sometimes people like me don’t get it. 

 
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I can go to any doctor I want, whenever I want for any service I want or need and don't pay a thing. The only complaints you'll ever see and that are held up against the system are wait times and guess what - there are wait times everywhere and it's prioritized based on need, you're not waiting for life saving or critical procedures. If you go to emergency with a sore tum tum, yeah you might wait. 

Canadian health care is incredible. The United States is no where near the best country in the world anymore and Trump is pushing them farther and farther down the list. 
I respect your opinion.  I'm glad it's working for you but the guys I talked to also addressed this.  If you get in a car accident and are laying in the middle of the road you'll get in.  Anything else you're waiting anywhere from 6 months to a year.

 
Our greatness(or use any other word you would like) is not being recognized and is being taken for granted. 

That's a very dangerous and alarming trend.
Who was it who said it wasn't great anymore most loudly and proudly and needed to be saved or "made great again"? I think a large percentage of your population voted for him based on such a slogan. 

If I remember right, I think he wore a red hat.

 
Excuse me, sir, but Bladerunner has talked to Canadians so I think he knows what he’s talking about.

Everyone knows you’re just saying this so the secret police doesn’t make you disappear.
Listen, you don't get to pick and choose which anecdotes you want to accept.  You either accept them all, or you accept none.

Get out of here with that nonsense.  You're as bad as the guys in the Portland thread who looked out their windows, saw no violence and declared the reports and videos of violence fake.

 
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It's definitely a balancing act, but my concern is is keeps going further and further to absolute socialism.   It's absolutely stunning to me that Bernie and Warren got the votes that they did...scary as hell actually.
What got them so many votes IMO is actually more of a historical conservatism than it appears. There is a longing for the "good old days" when wages were higher, college was affordable, wealth was more evenly distributed. It seems like (outside of things like the Cold War and racial issues), both sides of the political aisle want to put the country back on the trajectory it was once at. The difference is the perceived approaches to getting there and the believed reasons for why things fell apart. Starting around 1980 we saw for the first time the decoupling of American productivity and American hourly wages. Productivity continued to rise and rise while compensation went flat. There are many reasons why but I don't believe any of them have to do with socialism. 

 
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Listen, you don't get to pick and choose which anecdotes you want to accept.  You either accept them all, or you accept none.

Get out of here with that nonsense.  You're as bad as the guys in the Portland thread who looked out there windows, saw no violence and declared the reports and videos of violence fake.
In Canada we can accept any anecdotes we want, that’s what makes us the greatest country.

 
No you're not. That is absolutely ridiculous. 
I know you think that, but the guys in the Portland violence thread also said it was ridiculous that there was any violence there at all because they live there and didn't see anything right outside their windows.   

So, while I respect your opinion, yours doesn't hold any more or less weight than the Canadians I know.  Actually, yours probably holds less since, y'know, I know them.

 
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