Is America a Good Country or Not?

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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

two thumbs down

America is a horrible country. It's a country of greed, and we see that more than ever before now with the financial crisis that has put the world in a recession. America is a backward country that is still practicing some barbaric acts such as the death penalty. Americas views on abortion are far behind that of any industrialised country. America spends 10 times more than China on military. I find it quite disturbing that America is spending $700 billion a year to blow people up, yet refuse to spend money on universal healthcare, and demonises welfare which is deisigned to help people (not blow them up). There are great people in America, but compared to other countries, America takes the cake for being the nastiest. The nasty people in America are far nastier than anyone I've ever met worldwide. This is reflected in what America does around the world. You got the CIA going around the world assassinating, torturing, and kidnapping people. America claims to promote democracy, but how is assassinating elected leaders and installing puppet governments upholding democracy? As a country, America has framed Iraq for having WMD so they can take their oil. Bear in mind the USA has never apologised for ruining that country and tearing it apart. 1 million Iraqis have died as a result of American rampage. Israel is the top recipient of U.S. aid. What does Israel do with this aid you ask? They purchase weapons so they can annihilate Palestinians. Is there nothing America will do for money? America is also a safe haven for racists. Racists from around the world who get their websites shut down in their home country usually relocate their website to U.S. hosts. This is because racism is illegal in many countries, whereas it is seen as freedom of speech in America. I have talked to Muslims in America who are afraid to tell people they are Muslim. So how exactly is this country free? Americans have a real warped sense of what freedom is. While racism is seen as freedom of speech, civil liberties are the lower than any western European country, and even lower than the 51st state of Canada. Many ignorant Americans frequently try to assert America is a free country, but in fact it has the most number of people in prison out of any country. Just go to any airport in America and tell me how free it is. It's an authoritarian country gone out of control. One of the problems with Americans is that they know nothing about other countries, so how can they make any comparison as to whether or not USA is a good country or not? Anything they know will be through their right wing agenda oriented media.

http://www.rbgtube.com/play.php?vid=1923

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070730/hedges

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz71r0w_vOU&feature=related

Compared to Native American governments or similar Foreign.

We are living in a great country believe this is true. In the United States you have so much good and a few really bad people. It is by far the best country anyone will ever know.

Here on Native American land, all Indian governments by the United States laws can not be subject to any law nor any court beside their own government. Perfect breeding ground for corruption, and elections can be far from satisfactory.

What happens to your life here on Native American land is ONLY left up to the United States for your protection, and no one else can help.

I assure you if this place were an Island like Cuba, many of us except for the pampered few would all be boating our boats to the United States for freedom.

People should never under estimate what good things they may have, and the goodness by with good things come.

If you were in any other foreign country like Saudi Arabia you would be personally owned, and believe me without the United States it is the same here, and the threat is seriously underestimated.

If you lived in Russia your family could possibly face transportation to Japan or Saudi Arabia for labor and sex slavery. Clearly documented in C.I.A. survey records for sex labor trade out of Russia.

Bless the United States the United States is beautiful.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."-Abraham Lincoln

the good the bad the ugly

Well gas prices are expected to curve off at five dollars, the depression will probably get a little better, democrat presidents may change the US ( I don't know if for the better). America had a great few couple hundred years, though we are not the most efficient anymore, we're the only country to get rid of slavery with a civil war. Universal health should raise the country from 37th best health in the world. Oh yeah and we're in a sexually repressed environment that needs to be more secular like several more efficient countries.

But we have a class system that gives people from any class to move up. Imagine living in a country where your future is being a farmer because your father was, his father was, and his father was etc. The constitution is also why this country has been pretty successful and has great potential, people need to stop fearing the government and vote in politicians who meet their needs. Make sure you get to see the world everyone should, you cant determine much about a country if you haven't seen the better and the worse. There is much good here as there is bad don't hang onto the bad, it's just bad stress.

It still is great

As an expat, I can say that whatever the short comings, America is still a GREAT country, and people will kill to be here. It has its huge short comings, but then power has its down falls.

Cheers,

Me

www.dreamzfulfilled.com

America is a Great Country

I agree with Elaine in the respect that I don't see any immigrants swimming to Canada or The Phillipines. However, for an American to have a mentality of 'our side, your side', THAT is what is wrong with America. That is what leaves Elaine, presumably on the right, to believe any nonsense about a civil war in America.

I served my country proudly in the Marine Corps, and that serving was under both a republican president and a democratic president. I have been spat at, at various places on our planet, I have also been welcomed with smiles. I was proud to be a symbol of their right to accept me as they saw fit. America's problem has nothing to do really with how the world perceives us. We are extremely generous to countries who vote against us, yet we are steadfast. We defend those who cannot defend themselves, yet they are ungrateful. When America takes a hit, they dance in their streets, yet it is the American soldier that will die in their streets for them as they dance.

America's problem is those who reside within her great boundaries. I consider myself just left of center, but I do not perceive America as two rivals, 'our side, your side'. When America gets past that mentality, and appreciates itself, the outside world perception may also change. I would have liked to see Elaine back up her sentiments with examples supporting her opinion on Leftists working dilligently to change perceptions of our country for the worse. I proudly worked dilligently in a USMC uniform to change the perceptions of America for much better. Better yet, I don't need any supporting sources for Elaine's opinion, as it is her opinion I also fought to defend, from over here on the Left. If there is a split amongst those who put their party, or their 'side' before their own morals, it is far from being a Democratic Party problem only. There are splits in the Republican Party as well, which just about brings us to a four way split. 'Victim Mentality'... what a great term for an individual to use to describe the 'other side', while playing the 'victim' of the perception of our country. The perception of our country rests on the hands of EVERYONE in it, not just a political party.

America remains a great country despite this split, due to the fact that many many men and women have died to defend every American's right to dissent and voice their opinions.

Decency is on the decline because of leftists

If America is such a terrible country as many on the left believe, why is it that millions of people have and do risk their lives to get here? How many other countries in the world have even a close second to the numbers of people who want to go to that country versus those wanting to come to America?

Americans, particularly the poorest of us, are the most generous, compassionate, selfless, and helpful people in the world.

Americans share their wealth, technology, ideas, and time helping more people throughout the world than any other people.

Ralph: BushCO as you call them are no more shameful in their behavior than many other presidents and their administrations.

With that said, those on the left are working very dilligently to change the hearts and minds of people to become indecent by promoting their moral and ethical relativism which serves only to increase perversions of all kinds, commodification of humanity, and a victim mentality that will inevitably create another civil war.

Still a good country?

I'm not sure anymore.

If we still are a decent country, it's DESPITE BushCo and their shameful behavior.