Is America a Good Country or Not?
Periodically pollster Scott Rasmussen asks voters whether they think America is basically fair and decent or whether America is basically unfair and discriminatory. In the latest survey, 64 percent say America is basically fair and decent, and 22 percent say it is unfair and discriminatory. Men (70 percent) are considerably more likely than women (59 percent) to say that America is fair and decent. As one might expect, blacks tend to think America is unfair and discriminatory rather than fair and decent, by a 47 percent to 37 percent margin. Whites take a positive view (67 percent to 18 percent) and so do "others" (63 percent to 33 percent), a category that I assume is mostly made up of Hispanics. Republicans by a wide margin (78 percent to 12 percent) see America as fair and decent, while Democrats are split (49 percent to 36 percent).
This poll was conducted on March 31 and April 1 (registration required). Rasmussen has asked this question 19 times since November 2006; the fair and decent response peaked at 64 percent then and in early February (because of Barack Obama's showings in the primaries?). The most negative response (54 percent to 32 percent fair and decent over unfair and discriminatory) came in July 2007.
I think this split among Democrats is a permanent problem for the party. The Democratic base is split between those who like hearing good things about America and those who like to hear the nation denounced or, if that's too strong a word, criticized. Bill Clinton was skillful enough to weave together rhetoric celebrating America and apologizing for its past misdeeds, but not all Democratic politicians are so deft.
You see a similar pattern in the responses to another Rasmussen question, should the United States do what its allies want or should the allies do what the United States wants? All: Allies should do what the United States wants, 42 percent to 29 percent. Republicans: Allies should do what the United States wants, 66 percent to 13 percent. Democrats: United States should do what the allies want, 39 percent to 30 percent. Interestingly, voters under 30 come out on the side of allies doing what the United States wants, 57 percent to 28 percent.
There's little equivocation on whether people who move to the United States should adopt American culture or retain their home country culture. American culture comes out way ahead among all voters (78 percent to 11 percent), Republicans (89 percent to 4 percent), and Democrats (69 percent to 16 percent). Multiculturalism has a very small base in our country.
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"Move to another country!" is just a cheap attack on a fellow American's right to his opinion. YOU should move if you can't tolerate the free speech of others.
America is very good is some ways and very bad in others. We have tremendous cultural freedom but a tyrannical justice system, for example. Our economy is outstanding but we have longstanding racial divisions.
For Mr. Ryan
I would like to suggest that you sir, should move to another country if you despise your own as much as you appear to. While you are calling the death penalty (execution of convicted criminals) "barbaric," you seem to be praising abortion (killing of innocent children). While we are on the subject of the "barbaric" death penalty, why don't you go live in just about ANY middle eastern country being ruled under a theocracy, watch them stone a woman for being alone with a man that was not her husband, and THEN tell me how barbaric the USA is. I will be the first to admit that we have problems. EVERYONE does. But I work in the travel industry, and have visited countries with universal health care, and so called civil liberty. Those people would give anything just to have the opportunity to live here if they could. Maybe you would prefer China, where children are being drowned in rice patties because their families weren't legally supposed to have another child. Or how about France where they rioting in the streets, burning cars, etc. Or how about England where a young man recently died because the government denied him a life-saving liver transplant because he was a recovering alcoholic and they did not "trust" him to stay on the wagon. THAT is what "universal heath care" gets you - you end up on a 6 month waiting list for a much needed procedure. Here we just complain that the costs are too high, but at least we have access to quality medical care. Even if you get stuck with a $25,000 medical bill, at least you are alive! And talk about racism! America is one of the most tolerant nations in the world. Northern Europe is NOT most of the world. Asia, the middle east, Russia all look down on homosexuals, while many of those countries keep their people enslaved to strict, "barbaric," or oppressive government rule. And excuse me, but I do not see the Palestinian people making a real effort for peace. You have the President of Iran vowing to amass nuclear weapons for the sole purpose of blowing Israel off the map (look up a few of his UN speeches), but Israel is to be condemned for defending her people? And the people are nasty in America? Really? The ones who lined up for miles just to give blood after 9/11? Or maybe you mean the ones who drove hundreds of miles just to bring supplies and offers to help rebuild after Katrina. Maybe the problem with Americans is not that they're "nasty," but that they are sick and tired of being trashed at every turn but ungrateful, clueless people like you! Tired of people taking advantage of them, tired of working 40 hours a week so that Uncle Sam can take half of their pay check and give it to the guy next door who dropped out of high school and collects a weekly check from the government, who also happen to be paying for his housing and his health care. Excuse me for being sick and tired of people like you, who do nothing but complain, and nothing to make a difference. I work with charities and help my neighbors. I do unto others... what do you do?
It's UNITED STATES
AMERICA IS NOT A COUNTRY.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_America_a_country_or_a_continent
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