America is not the greatest country!!!

[BuckToothMoron]

Trump and lot of his supporters keep on chanting the slogan of America being the greatest country. Ans as someone who traveled thr globe it always amazes me how did this slogan get circulated based on nothing but just propaganda.
Someone wrote an answer to that that illustrated my thoughts.
Now dont get me wrong , America is one the best countries but definitely not the greatest.

First, we need to establish what exactly we mean by “best”, otherwise we don’t know what data to provide. As I see it, our idea as Americans has tended to be that we’re the richest, most powerful, freest country in the world, the place where it’s best to live. So let’s focus there.

Let’s get right to it: we’re the richest. The United States has the highest GNP at over $20 trillion. China is second.

However, that might not be the best to lead with, because it’s more a question of GDP per capita. Unfortunately, the USA is only 20th by that measure. The top country is Liechtenstein. In fact, even Ireland is higher[1].

But then, it’s not just about wealth, it’s about the ability to better your situation. The United States was always about the “Cinderella story”, the ability to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. This is known as social mobility, and obviously the United States is tops in that, right?

’Fraid not. In fact, it comes out as 16th, after Argentina. Most of Europe, including the “socialist” Scandinavian countries provide better environments for “making it from nothing”[2].

But certainly, it’s not just that, it’s also about not being poor. So let’s consider the percent of people living in poverty. Unfortunately, the USA comes in at 42nd[3], right below Morocco.

But there’s freedom. The USA is definitely number one in freedom! Except that it isn’t. According to the Cato institute it comes in at 17th, which is all the same one better than Albania[4]. Ah, but there’s the United States’ vaunted economic freedom. The USA doesn’t regulate companies to death like so many other nations. Well, there it comes in at 11th, tied with Canada, and behind most other English speaking nations (UK, Ireland, New Zealand)[5].

But we’re healthy! We have access to the world’s best healthcare, right? Actually, the USA lags in just about every health indicator, including life expectancy (45th), where once again, we are just ahead of Albania[6], who we absolutely trounce when it comes to infant mortality… although we do only rank 56th[7], well behind pretty much all of Europe (and of course Cuba, which beats the US in most health measures).

But we can of course be proud of our history. The United States made the greatest sacrifice at the beginning of the 20th century and saved the world from tyranny in the second world war. 420,000 Americans gave their lives in that war. Their valor will honestly never be forgotten. It must, however, be put into context… the USSR lost between 20 and 27 million people in that war, China lost 15 to 20 million. In fact, among the allied nations, the United States came in 12th in casualties. Both the UK and France lost more people, and of course much higher percentages of their populations[8].

OK, but happiness. Down to earth happiness: where is the best place to live? Turns out it’s Finland. The United States comes in 18th[9].

There is one measure, though, that the United States definitely leads every single other country by: guns per capita. 1.01 guns per inhabitant. The number two country, Serbia, doesn’t come close, with only 0.58[10]. So, if your German friend is really into guns then that might sway him.

Or, you can perhaps just understand that the United States is a great country for people who like American culture. Some people would only feel comfortable there, nowhere else. Most people who were not raised there, though, would find very few objective measures by which the country is better than theirs, assuming they come from the developed world, therefore by definition it can not be “the greatest country” by any objective measure.

I would point out that pretty much every one of those measures shows the much derided, “socialist” Scandinavian countries outperforming the United States. Interestingly, Ireland does as well. So if you happen to be of Irish or Scandinavian descent, maybe you can take solace in that.

https://www.quora.com/My-friend-fro.../Kevin-Dolgin?ch=99&share=672bbff6&srid=h8y11

I tried to read your whole post, but it was rather uninspired for as long as it is......so can you just tell me which country is the greatest in your opinion?

 

[night_son]

Trump and lot of his supporters keep on chanting the slogan of America being the greatest country. Ans as someone who traveled thr globe it always amazes me how did this slogan get circulated based on nothing but just propaganda.
Someone wrote an answer to that that illustrated my thoughts.
Now dont get me wrong , America is one the best countries but definitely not the greatest.

First, we need to establish what exactly we mean by “best”, otherwise we don’t know what data to provide. As I see it, our idea as Americans has tended to be that we’re the richest, most powerful, freest country in the world, the place where it’s best to live. So let’s focus there.

Let’s get right to it: we’re the richest. The United States has the highest GNP at over $20 trillion. China is second.

However, that might not be the best to lead with, because it’s more a question of GDP per capita. Unfortunately, the USA is only 20th by that measure. The top country is Liechtenstein. In fact, even Ireland is higher[1].

But then, it’s not just about wealth, it’s about the ability to better your situation. The United States was always about the “Cinderella story”, the ability to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. This is known as social mobility, and obviously the United States is tops in that, right?

’Fraid not. In fact, it comes out as 16th, after Argentina. Most of Europe, including the “socialist” Scandinavian countries provide better environments for “making it from nothing”[2].

But certainly, it’s not just that, it’s also about not being poor. So let’s consider the percent of people living in poverty. Unfortunately, the USA comes in at 42nd[3], right below Morocco.

But there’s freedom. The USA is definitely number one in freedom! Except that it isn’t. According to the Cato institute it comes in at 17th, which is all the same one better than Albania[4]. Ah, but there’s the United States’ vaunted economic freedom. The USA doesn’t regulate companies to death like so many other nations. Well, there it comes in at 11th, tied with Canada, and behind most other English speaking nations (UK, Ireland, New Zealand)[5].

But we’re healthy! We have access to the world’s best healthcare, right? Actually, the USA lags in just about every health indicator, including life expectancy (45th), where once again, we are just ahead of Albania[6], who we absolutely trounce when it comes to infant mortality… although we do only rank 56th[7], well behind pretty much all of Europe (and of course Cuba, which beats the US in most health measures).

But we can of course be proud of our history. The United States made the greatest sacrifice at the beginning of the 20th century and saved the world from tyranny in the second world war. 420,000 Americans gave their lives in that war. Their valor will honestly never be forgotten. It must, however, be put into context… the USSR lost between 20 and 27 million people in that war, China lost 15 to 20 million. In fact, among the allied nations, the United States came in 12th in casualties. Both the UK and France lost more people, and of course much higher percentages of their populations[8].

OK, but happiness. Down to earth happiness: where is the best place to live? Turns out it’s Finland. The United States comes in 18th[9].

There is one measure, though, that the United States definitely leads every single other country by: guns per capita. 1.01 guns per inhabitant. The number two country, Serbia, doesn’t come close, with only 0.58[10]. So, if your German friend is really into guns then that might sway him.

Or, you can perhaps just understand that the United States is a great country for people who like American culture. Some people would only feel comfortable there, nowhere else. Most people who were not raised there, though, would find very few objective measures by which the country is better than theirs, assuming they come from the developed world, therefore by definition it can not be “the greatest country” by any objective measure.

I would point out that pretty much every one of those measures shows the much derided, “socialist” Scandinavian countries outperforming the United States. Interestingly, Ireland does as well. So if you happen to be of Irish or Scandinavian descent, maybe you can take solace in that.

https://www.quora.com/My-friend-fro.../Kevin-Dolgin?ch=99&share=672bbff6&srid=h8y11

As a nearly twenty-eight year veteran of the U.S. Army, as someone who has lived (albeit briefly in some of them) in more than a handful of foreign nations, from Germany and North Africa to South America and Asia, I can without reserve or the need to deceive tell you, tell anyone that America is indeed the greatest nation of the Enlightenment Era, and very likely to ever exist in all of human history. America is a grand and secure "fishbowl", an enclave unlike any other civilizational stronghold anywhere else on the planet. Bombs have never dropped from America's sky onto her cities and likely never shall. Enemy infantry divisions have never landed on her shores and likely never shall. Suicide bombers have never run rampant through her streets and death squads have never hunted her back roads middle of the night, nor have secret police ever kidnapped her citizens before or after midnight. But alas, those truths are just the esoteric, rare but ultimately most comforting perhaps about life in America, from the standpoint of a military historian or a philosopher. Most Americans take them wholly for granted without a second thought and rarely demonstrate gratitude for that being the case.

More relative to everyday life in these United States is the true and endless opportunity the born and even immigrant American Citizen is empowered with; a depth of opportunity never before possessed by the individual citizen in human history. I get that many, many Americans despise their own nation these days due in no small part to a combination of revisionist American History and postmodern Arts and Humanities brainwashing; the modern social sciences dogma really is founded upon destroying patriotism and national pride. However, in our America one truly can rise to any heights on his or her own merits and no statistic thrown out on an opinion commentary website will change that. America: the land of infinite possibility for self-improvement. You ought to try it sometime. You might be surprised how far you can take yourself, and just how much you've taken her for granted--this land of ours where you are free to condemn the best damn thing to ever happen to your life: being born here, born free.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Trump and lot of his supporters keep on chanting the slogan of America being the greatest country. Ans as someone who traveled thr globe it always amazes me how did this slogan get circulated based on nothing but just propaganda.
Someone wrote an answer to that that illustrated my thoughts.
Now dont get me wrong , America is one the best countries but definitely not the greatest.

First, we need to establish what exactly we mean by “best”, otherwise we don’t know what data to provide. As I see it, our idea as Americans has tended to be that we’re the richest, most powerful, freest country in the world, the place where it’s best to live. So let’s focus there.

Let’s get right to it: we’re the richest. The United States has the highest GNP at over $20 trillion. China is second.

However, that might not be the best to lead with, because it’s more a question of GDP per capita. Unfortunately, the USA is only 20th by that measure. The top country is Liechtenstein. In fact, even Ireland is higher[1].

But then, it’s not just about wealth, it’s about the ability to better your situation. The United States was always about the “Cinderella story”, the ability to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. This is known as social mobility, and obviously the United States is tops in that, right?

’Fraid not. In fact, it comes out as 16th, after Argentina. Most of Europe, including the “socialist” Scandinavian countries provide better environments for “making it from nothing”[2].

But certainly, it’s not just that, it’s also about not being poor. So let’s consider the percent of people living in poverty. Unfortunately, the USA comes in at 42nd[3], right below Morocco.

But there’s freedom. The USA is definitely number one in freedom! Except that it isn’t. According to the Cato institute it comes in at 17th, which is all the same one better than Albania[4]. Ah, but there’s the United States’ vaunted economic freedom. The USA doesn’t regulate companies to death like so many other nations. Well, there it comes in at 11th, tied with Canada, and behind most other English speaking nations (UK, Ireland, New Zealand)[5].

But we’re healthy! We have access to the world’s best healthcare, right? Actually, the USA lags in just about every health indicator, including life expectancy (45th), where once again, we are just ahead of Albania[6], who we absolutely trounce when it comes to infant mortality… although we do only rank 56th[7], well behind pretty much all of Europe (and of course Cuba, which beats the US in most health measures).

But we can of course be proud of our history. The United States made the greatest sacrifice at the beginning of the 20th century and saved the world from tyranny in the second world war. 420,000 Americans gave their lives in that war. Their valor will honestly never be forgotten. It must, however, be put into context… the USSR lost between 20 and 27 million people in that war, China lost 15 to 20 million. In fact, among the allied nations, the United States came in 12th in casualties. Both the UK and France lost more people, and of course much higher percentages of their populations[8].

OK, but happiness. Down to earth happiness: where is the best place to live? Turns out it’s Finland. The United States comes in 18th[9].

There is one measure, though, that the United States definitely leads every single other country by: guns per capita. 1.01 guns per inhabitant. The number two country, Serbia, doesn’t come close, with only 0.58[10]. So, if your German friend is really into guns then that might sway him.

Or, you can perhaps just understand that the United States is a great country for people who like American culture. Some people would only feel comfortable there, nowhere else. Most people who were not raised there, though, would find very few objective measures by which the country is better than theirs, assuming they come from the developed world, therefore by definition it can not be “the greatest country” by any objective measure.

I would point out that pretty much every one of those measures shows the much derided, “socialist” Scandinavian countries outperforming the United States. Interestingly, Ireland does as well. So if you happen to be of Irish or Scandinavian descent, maybe you can take solace in that.

https://www.quora.com/My-friend-fro.../Kevin-Dolgin?ch=99&share=672bbff6&srid=h8y11

Happiness cannot be measured, it is a stupid metric.

The US is a great country because it is the best country, so it is great by default.

No country has the combination of all the things that make us great.

Great country? Yes...greatest ? No
I can think of at least 20 countries that provide a better life for its citizens ( health, education, safety, prosperity, vacation time, etc...)
Switzerland, Qatar, Australia, Canada, UAE, Norway, Denmark, Germany, etc...

in the last 50-60 years what have those countries contributed to the world in the fields of medicine,engineering and science?....what has their influence been on the worlds culture?.....and why did you pick here instead of there?...

 

[whitehall]

Anybody who compares poverty in Morocco to the "poor" in the U.S. literally needs their head examined. Almost 20% of Moroccans live on less than $4.00 per day and literally die of starvation. The statistical "poor" in the U.S. are generally overweight.

 

[Issa]

Trump and lot of his supporters keep on chanting the slogan of America being the greatest country. Ans as someone who traveled thr globe it always amazes me how did this slogan get circulated based on nothing but just propaganda.
Someone wrote an answer to that that illustrated my thoughts.
Now dont get me wrong , America is one the best countries but definitely not the greatest.

First, we need to establish what exactly we mean by “best”, otherwise we don’t know what data to provide. As I see it, our idea as Americans has tended to be that we’re the richest, most powerful, freest country in the world, the place where it’s best to live. So let’s focus there.

Let’s get right to it: we’re the richest. The United States has the highest GNP at over $20 trillion. China is second.

However, that might not be the best to lead with, because it’s more a question of GDP per capita. Unfortunately, the USA is only 20th by that measure. The top country is Liechtenstein. In fact, even Ireland is higher[1].

But then, it’s not just about wealth, it’s about the ability to better your situation. The United States was always about the “Cinderella story”, the ability to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. This is known as social mobility, and obviously the United States is tops in that, right?

’Fraid not. In fact, it comes out as 16th, after Argentina. Most of Europe, including the “socialist” Scandinavian countries provide better environments for “making it from nothing”[2].

But certainly, it’s not just that, it’s also about not being poor. So let’s consider the percent of people living in poverty. Unfortunately, the USA comes in at 42nd[3], right below Morocco.

But there’s freedom. The USA is definitely number one in freedom! Except that it isn’t. According to the Cato institute it comes in at 17th, which is all the same one better than Albania[4]. Ah, but there’s the United States’ vaunted economic freedom. The USA doesn’t regulate companies to death like so many other nations. Well, there it comes in at 11th, tied with Canada, and behind most other English speaking nations (UK, Ireland, New Zealand)[5].

But we’re healthy! We have access to the world’s best healthcare, right? Actually, the USA lags in just about every health indicator, including life expectancy (45th), where once again, we are just ahead of Albania[6], who we absolutely trounce when it comes to infant mortality… although we do only rank 56th[7], well behind pretty much all of Europe (and of course Cuba, which beats the US in most health measures).

But we can of course be proud of our history. The United States made the greatest sacrifice at the beginning of the 20th century and saved the world from tyranny in the second world war. 420,000 Americans gave their lives in that war. Their valor will honestly never be forgotten. It must, however, be put into context… the USSR lost between 20 and 27 million people in that war, China lost 15 to 20 million. In fact, among the allied nations, the United States came in 12th in casualties. Both the UK and France lost more people, and of course much higher percentages of their populations[8].

OK, but happiness. Down to earth happiness: where is the best place to live? Turns out it’s Finland. The United States comes in 18th[9].

There is one measure, though, that the United States definitely leads every single other country by: guns per capita. 1.01 guns per inhabitant. The number two country, Serbia, doesn’t come close, with only 0.58[10]. So, if your German friend is really into guns then that might sway him.

Or, you can perhaps just understand that the United States is a great country for people who like American culture. Some people would only feel comfortable there, nowhere else. Most people who were not raised there, though, would find very few objective measures by which the country is better than theirs, assuming they come from the developed world, therefore by definition it can not be “the greatest country” by any objective measure.

I would point out that pretty much every one of those measures shows the much derided, “socialist” Scandinavian countries outperforming the United States. Interestingly, Ireland does as well. So if you happen to be of Irish or Scandinavian descent, maybe you can take solace in that.

https://www.quora.com/My-friend-fro.../Kevin-Dolgin?ch=99&share=672bbff6&srid=h8y11

Your definition of what is GREAT, is way to narrow. Your focused primarily on social and economic statistics for individuals living in these countries. How about things like:

01. Impact on the rest of the world.
02. Political impact
03. Military and Security Impact
04. Technology impact
05. Scientific impact
06. The Impact of America's Universities
07. The Impact of America's Space Program
08. The Impact of America's Business and entrepreneurial achievments
09. The United States impact on making the ENGLISH language the dominate language on the planet.
10. Which country is the leader and most powerful member of the largest and most successful military Alliance in history NATO? You guessed it, the United States
11. Who had the biggest role in forming and influencing the development of the United Nations? The United States
12. Where is the United Nations Headquartered? New York City
13. Which country has the most Billionaires? The United States
14. Where do GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK come from? The United States
15. Is there another soft drink that is more popular worldwide than Coke? Nope
16. Are there any global eating establishments as popular and as well known as Subway and McDonalds? Nope
17. Music. Which Music artist from what country sell the most albums records, or stream the most music Worldwide? American music artist win this category hands down.
18. Who has the largest most successful TV and movie industry in the world? The United States of course with HOLLYWOOD! All the top global grossing movies are primarily American made.
19. Which country has the newest drugs and medical technology? The United States
20. Is there another country who can deploy their entire military force anywhere around the world? Nope. The closest would be countries like the United Kingdom and France, who have relatively tiny military forces compared to the United States. Russia also has some capacity in this regard, but its much smaller, and wouldn't involve the entire country's military forces.
21. Which country has the greatest military force in terms of combined size, capability, and technology? The United States.
22. Which country was primarily responsible for helping development international organizations like the World Bank, IMF, and WTO? The United States.
23. The overwhelming fact is, we lived in a world that was primarily created by two U.S. Presidents, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman during the 1940s.
24. Which country is the wealthiest in the world? This goes far beyond annual GDP numbers or GDP per capita. Were talking about everything, all wealth, land, assets etc. The United States has about 1/3 of the worlds total wealth. It is #3 in the world in wealth per adult, with Switzerland and Australia slightly ahead.
25. CHINA actually has the largest total GDP in the world when you adjust for purchasing power parity. In 2017 China was at $23 Trillion, and the United States was at $19.5 Trillion. But remember, China has a labor force of 806,700,000 people. The size of the U.S. labor force is only 160,400,000. So the United States produces almost as much as China despite having a labor force that is 5 times smaller!

26. The United States impact on World War II is not measured in the casualties it took. In fact, suffering massive numbers of casualties should be seen in some respects as a failure. So the fact that the United States only lost 405,000 troops in the war to the Soviet Union which had at least 10,000,000 military deaths needs to be put in that perspective. Soviet losses often came from poor leadership, planning, and communication. The Soviet Union also only had to worry about one front, the German front in Europe. The United States unlike the Soviet Union spent much of its resources taking on Japan in addition to Germany. Also, The United States provided overwhelming amounts of raw materials and food that saved the Soviet Union and other countries from starvation and economic ruin. The United States also had the largest BOMBER fleet and engaged in the most industrial bombing of Japan and Germany during the war. This industrial bombing was key in defeating both countries because it sabotaged and handicapped each countries ability to build and develop new weapons.

27. The United States was the chief country that led the global fight against Soviet supported communism around the world during the Cold War. Its efforts are primarily why Soviet communism did not take over the world, a Soviet invasion of Western Europe and other countries was deterred from happening, World War III was deterred from happening, and there was never a nuclear war. U.S. strength and deterrence were the primary reasons these threats to peace, security, and prosperity were either defeated or prevented from happening.

28. The United States has been by far the most important country in helping secure and stabilize the Persian Gulf with its removal of Saddam and replacement with a new Iraqi government.

29. The United States has been by far the most important country in fighting the global war on terrorism, starting with its invasion of Afghanistan and the removal of the Taliban from power in that country. United States air power, and advise and support on the ground, played the biggest role in defeating ISIS with the Iraqi and Kurdish forces being the only ones to play a bigger role in terms of numbers of ground combat troops involved.

To sum up, its not even close really, especially when you combine everything. The areas where the United States lags behind in terms of life expectancy, and poverty, have more to do with mis-guided United States domestic policies than anything else. With the right domestic policies in place, the United States has the wealth and expertise to top most of this list sited as being places where America is a bit far behind.

Few other countries are at the top when it comes to tourist destinations and money made in the travel and entertainment industries. The United States is also one of the top countries in the world where people want to move to and live.

So many invalid points.
I begin with the removal of Saddam, even trump suggested it was a big mistake...look at how the middle east and the world is after removing Saddam. Rebuttal?

 

[Issa]

Trump and lot of his supporters keep on chanting the slogan of America being the greatest country. Ans as someone who traveled thr globe it always amazes me how did this slogan get circulated based on nothing but just propaganda.
Someone wrote an answer to that that illustrated my thoughts.
Now dont get me wrong , America is one the best countries but definitely not the greatest.

First, we need to establish what exactly we mean by “best”, otherwise we don’t know what data to provide. As I see it, our idea as Americans has tended to be that we’re the richest, most powerful, freest country in the world, the place where it’s best to live. So let’s focus there.

Let’s get right to it: we’re the richest. The United States has the highest GNP at over $20 trillion. China is second.

However, that might not be the best to lead with, because it’s more a question of GDP per capita. Unfortunately, the USA is only 20th by that measure. The top country is Liechtenstein. In fact, even Ireland is higher[1].

But then, it’s not just about wealth, it’s about the ability to better your situation. The United States was always about the “Cinderella story”, the ability to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. This is known as social mobility, and obviously the United States is tops in that, right?

’Fraid not. In fact, it comes out as 16th, after Argentina. Most of Europe, including the “socialist” Scandinavian countries provide better environments for “making it from nothing”[2].

But certainly, it’s not just that, it’s also about not being poor. So let’s consider the percent of people living in poverty. Unfortunately, the USA comes in at 42nd[3], right below Morocco.

But there’s freedom. The USA is definitely number one in freedom! Except that it isn’t. According to the Cato institute it comes in at 17th, which is all the same one better than Albania[4]. Ah, but there’s the United States’ vaunted economic freedom. The USA doesn’t regulate companies to death like so many other nations. Well, there it comes in at 11th, tied with Canada, and behind most other English speaking nations (UK, Ireland, New Zealand)[5].

But we’re healthy! We have access to the world’s best healthcare, right? Actually, the USA lags in just about every health indicator, including life expectancy (45th), where once again, we are just ahead of Albania[6], who we absolutely trounce when it comes to infant mortality… although we do only rank 56th[7], well behind pretty much all of Europe (and of course Cuba, which beats the US in most health measures).

But we can of course be proud of our history. The United States made the greatest sacrifice at the beginning of the 20th century and saved the world from tyranny in the second world war. 420,000 Americans gave their lives in that war. Their valor will honestly never be forgotten. It must, however, be put into context… the USSR lost between 20 and 27 million people in that war, China lost 15 to 20 million. In fact, among the allied nations, the United States came in 12th in casualties. Both the UK and France lost more people, and of course much higher percentages of their populations[8].

OK, but happiness. Down to earth happiness: where is the best place to live? Turns out it’s Finland. The United States comes in 18th[9].

There is one measure, though, that the United States definitely leads every single other country by: guns per capita. 1.01 guns per inhabitant. The number two country, Serbia, doesn’t come close, with only 0.58[10]. So, if your German friend is really into guns then that might sway him.

Or, you can perhaps just understand that the United States is a great country for people who like American culture. Some people would only feel comfortable there, nowhere else. Most people who were not raised there, though, would find very few objective measures by which the country is better than theirs, assuming they come from the developed world, therefore by definition it can not be “the greatest country” by any objective measure.

I would point out that pretty much every one of those measures shows the much derided, “socialist” Scandinavian countries outperforming the United States. Interestingly, Ireland does as well. So if you happen to be of Irish or Scandinavian descent, maybe you can take solace in that.

https://www.quora.com/My-friend-fro.../Kevin-Dolgin?ch=99&share=672bbff6&srid=h8y11

As a nearly twenty-eight year veteran of the U.S. Army, as someone who has lived (albeit briefly in some of them) in more than a handful of foreign nations, from Germany and North Africa to South America and Asia, I can without reserve or the need to deceive tell you, tell anyone that America is indeed the greatest nation of the Enlightenment Era, and very likely to ever exist in all of human history. America is a grand and secure "fishbowl", an enclave unlike any other civilizational stronghold anywhere else on the planet. Bombs have never dropped from America's sky onto her cities and likely never shall. Enemy infantry divisions have never landed on her shores and likely never shall. Suicide bombers have never run rampant through her streets and death squads have never hunted her back roads middle of the night, nor have secret police ever kidnapped her citizens before or after midnight. But alas, those truths are just the esoteric, rare but ultimately most comforting perhaps about life in America, from the standpoint of a military historian or a philosopher. Most Americans take them wholly for granted without a second thought and rarely demonstrate gratitude for that being the case.

More relative to everyday life in these United States is the true and endless opportunity the born and even immigrant American Citizen is empowered with; a depth of opportunity never before possessed by the individual citizen in human history. I get that many, many Americans despise their own nation these days due in no small part to a combination of revisionist American History and postmodern Arts and Humanities brainwashing; the modern social sciences dogma really is founded upon destroying patriotism and national pride. However, in our America one truly can rise to any heights on his or her own merits and no statistic thrown out on an opinion commentary website will change that. America: the land of infinite possibility for self-improvement. You ought to try it sometime. You might be surprised how far you can take yourself, and just how much you've taken her for granted--this land of ours where you are free to condemn the best damn thing to ever happen to your life: being born here, born free.

9/11? Boston bombing? Orlando ? San bernadino? Las Vegas? Columbine? Sandy hook ? Virginia tech? Synagogue shootings ? Church shootings ? JFK? Reagan murder attempt ? Almost 30 000 deaths a year? Poverty line percentage compared to most western countries? Access to higher education. And its cost ? Health care system ?

 

[U2Edge]

Trump and lot of his supporters keep on chanting the slogan of America being the greatest country. Ans as someone who traveled thr globe it always amazes me how did this slogan get circulated based on nothing but just propaganda.
Someone wrote an answer to that that illustrated my thoughts.
Now dont get me wrong , America is one the best countries but definitely not the greatest.

First, we need to establish what exactly we mean by “best”, otherwise we don’t know what data to provide. As I see it, our idea as Americans has tended to be that we’re the richest, most powerful, freest country in the world, the place where it’s best to live. So let’s focus there.

Let’s get right to it: we’re the richest. The United States has the highest GNP at over $20 trillion. China is second.

However, that might not be the best to lead with, because it’s more a question of GDP per capita. Unfortunately, the USA is only 20th by that measure. The top country is Liechtenstein. In fact, even Ireland is higher[1].

But then, it’s not just about wealth, it’s about the ability to better your situation. The United States was always about the “Cinderella story”, the ability to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. This is known as social mobility, and obviously the United States is tops in that, right?

’Fraid not. In fact, it comes out as 16th, after Argentina. Most of Europe, including the “socialist” Scandinavian countries provide better environments for “making it from nothing”[2].

But certainly, it’s not just that, it’s also about not being poor. So let’s consider the percent of people living in poverty. Unfortunately, the USA comes in at 42nd[3], right below Morocco.

But there’s freedom. The USA is definitely number one in freedom! Except that it isn’t. According to the Cato institute it comes in at 17th, which is all the same one better than Albania[4]. Ah, but there’s the United States’ vaunted economic freedom. The USA doesn’t regulate companies to death like so many other nations. Well, there it comes in at 11th, tied with Canada, and behind most other English speaking nations (UK, Ireland, New Zealand)[5].

But we’re healthy! We have access to the world’s best healthcare, right? Actually, the USA lags in just about every health indicator, including life expectancy (45th), where once again, we are just ahead of Albania[6], who we absolutely trounce when it comes to infant mortality… although we do only rank 56th[7], well behind pretty much all of Europe (and of course Cuba, which beats the US in most health measures).

But we can of course be proud of our history. The United States made the greatest sacrifice at the beginning of the 20th century and saved the world from tyranny in the second world war. 420,000 Americans gave their lives in that war. Their valor will honestly never be forgotten. It must, however, be put into context… the USSR lost between 20 and 27 million people in that war, China lost 15 to 20 million. In fact, among the allied nations, the United States came in 12th in casualties. Both the UK and France lost more people, and of course much higher percentages of their populations[8].

OK, but happiness. Down to earth happiness: where is the best place to live? Turns out it’s Finland. The United States comes in 18th[9].

There is one measure, though, that the United States definitely leads every single other country by: guns per capita. 1.01 guns per inhabitant. The number two country, Serbia, doesn’t come close, with only 0.58[10]. So, if your German friend is really into guns then that might sway him.

Or, you can perhaps just understand that the United States is a great country for people who like American culture. Some people would only feel comfortable there, nowhere else. Most people who were not raised there, though, would find very few objective measures by which the country is better than theirs, assuming they come from the developed world, therefore by definition it can not be “the greatest country” by any objective measure.

I would point out that pretty much every one of those measures shows the much derided, “socialist” Scandinavian countries outperforming the United States. Interestingly, Ireland does as well. So if you happen to be of Irish or Scandinavian descent, maybe you can take solace in that.

https://www.quora.com/My-friend-fro.../Kevin-Dolgin?ch=99&share=672bbff6&srid=h8y11

Bombs have never dropped from America's sky onto her cities and likely never shall. Enemy infantry divisions have never landed on her shores and likely never shall. Suicide bombers have never run rampant through her streets and death squads have never hunted her back roads middle of the night, nor have secret police ever kidnapped her citizens before or after midnight.

The citizens of Honolulu were certainly bombed in 1941. The Philippines was part of the United States for over half a century and was invaded and overrun by Japan. Lots of Japanese divisions and combat aircraft dropping bombs, as well as the horrors of occupation. Parts of Alaska were also invaded by the Japanese. German U-boats sunk U.S. ships in U.S. waters. American cities would often experience blackouts, because of German U-Boat threat.

You also had fighting on U.S. territory during the Mexican American War.

Then in the War of 1812, British divisions invaded multiple places in the United States. Washington D.C., the capital of the country was taken and overrun by British troops. The White House was burned and destroyed as well as several other buildings throughout Washington D.C.

Then of course there is the Revolutionary War. You could claim we were not officially a country in 1775, but the United States was by July 4, 1776. The Revolutionary War lasted until 1783. Reminders of the continued threat from the United Kingdom after the War of 1812 exist in old forts that line the American coastline on the East Coast and into the Gulf Of Mexico. In particular Fort Jefferson, a massive fort near Key West on the Dry Tortugas. Its huge, the largest masonry structure in the world after the Great Wall Of China. Fort Zachery Taylor in Key West is also another reminder of this time period in American history.

 

[whitehall]

If you are ignorant enough you can make statistics work simply by leaving out certain data and injecting emotion and anger into the mix. The laughable comparison between the U.S. (pop 330 million) and Leichenstein (pop 37,000) is an example. Ireland barely manages to support 4 million and a quarter of the population in Morroco lives on the edge of starvation. Sure you can find angry Americans who hate their Country when a republican is in office and mental incompetents who ain't got a freaking clue but all-in-all nobody would want to live anywhere else.

 

[Issa]

If you are ignorant enough you can make statistics work simply by leaving out certain data and injecting emotion and anger into the mix. The laughable comparison between the U.S. (pop 330 million) and Leichenstein (pop 37,000) is an example. Ireland barely manages to support 4 million and a quarter of the population in Morroco lives on the edge of starvation. Sure you can find angry Americans who hate their Country when a republican is in office and mental incompetents who ain't got a freaking clue but all-in-all nobody would want to live anywhere else.

Morocco edge of starvation? Hahahahahahahaha

 

[impuretrash]

That's when we tell them if it is not that great than get the fk out and leave moron!

If all the people who hate America would just pack up and leave already, our greatness would increase exponentially.

 

[U2Edge]

Trump and lot of his supporters keep on chanting the slogan of America being the greatest country. Ans as someone who traveled thr globe it always amazes me how did this slogan get circulated based on nothing but just propaganda.
Someone wrote an answer to that that illustrated my thoughts.
Now dont get me wrong , America is one the best countries but definitely not the greatest.

First, we need to establish what exactly we mean by “best”, otherwise we don’t know what data to provide. As I see it, our idea as Americans has tended to be that we’re the richest, most powerful, freest country in the world, the place where it’s best to live. So let’s focus there.

Let’s get right to it: we’re the richest. The United States has the highest GNP at over $20 trillion. China is second.

However, that might not be the best to lead with, because it’s more a question of GDP per capita. Unfortunately, the USA is only 20th by that measure. The top country is Liechtenstein. In fact, even Ireland is higher[1].

But then, it’s not just about wealth, it’s about the ability to better your situation. The United States was always about the “Cinderella story”, the ability to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. This is known as social mobility, and obviously the United States is tops in that, right?

’Fraid not. In fact, it comes out as 16th, after Argentina. Most of Europe, including the “socialist” Scandinavian countries provide better environments for “making it from nothing”[2].

But certainly, it’s not just that, it’s also about not being poor. So let’s consider the percent of people living in poverty. Unfortunately, the USA comes in at 42nd[3], right below Morocco.

But there’s freedom. The USA is definitely number one in freedom! Except that it isn’t. According to the Cato institute it comes in at 17th, which is all the same one better than Albania[4]. Ah, but there’s the United States’ vaunted economic freedom. The USA doesn’t regulate companies to death like so many other nations. Well, there it comes in at 11th, tied with Canada, and behind most other English speaking nations (UK, Ireland, New Zealand)[5].

But we’re healthy! We have access to the world’s best healthcare, right? Actually, the USA lags in just about every health indicator, including life expectancy (45th), where once again, we are just ahead of Albania[6], who we absolutely trounce when it comes to infant mortality… although we do only rank 56th[7], well behind pretty much all of Europe (and of course Cuba, which beats the US in most health measures).

But we can of course be proud of our history. The United States made the greatest sacrifice at the beginning of the 20th century and saved the world from tyranny in the second world war. 420,000 Americans gave their lives in that war. Their valor will honestly never be forgotten. It must, however, be put into context… the USSR lost between 20 and 27 million people in that war, China lost 15 to 20 million. In fact, among the allied nations, the United States came in 12th in casualties. Both the UK and France lost more people, and of course much higher percentages of their populations[8].

OK, but happiness. Down to earth happiness: where is the best place to live? Turns out it’s Finland. The United States comes in 18th[9].

There is one measure, though, that the United States definitely leads every single other country by: guns per capita. 1.01 guns per inhabitant. The number two country, Serbia, doesn’t come close, with only 0.58[10]. So, if your German friend is really into guns then that might sway him.

Or, you can perhaps just understand that the United States is a great country for people who like American culture. Some people would only feel comfortable there, nowhere else. Most people who were not raised there, though, would find very few objective measures by which the country is better than theirs, assuming they come from the developed world, therefore by definition it can not be “the greatest country” by any objective measure.

I would point out that pretty much every one of those measures shows the much derided, “socialist” Scandinavian countries outperforming the United States. Interestingly, Ireland does as well. So if you happen to be of Irish or Scandinavian descent, maybe you can take solace in that.

https://www.quora.com/My-friend-fro.../Kevin-Dolgin?ch=99&share=672bbff6&srid=h8y11

Your definition of what is GREAT, is way to narrow. Your focused primarily on social and economic statistics for individuals living in these countries. How about things like:

01. Impact on the rest of the world.
02. Political impact
03. Military and Security Impact
04. Technology impact
05. Scientific impact
06. The Impact of America's Universities
07. The Impact of America's Space Program
08. The Impact of America's Business and entrepreneurial achievments
09. The United States impact on making the ENGLISH language the dominate language on the planet.
10. Which country is the leader and most powerful member of the largest and most successful military Alliance in history NATO? You guessed it, the United States
11. Who had the biggest role in forming and influencing the development of the United Nations? The United States
12. Where is the United Nations Headquartered? New York City
13. Which country has the most Billionaires? The United States
14. Where do GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK come from? The United States
15. Is there another soft drink that is more popular worldwide than Coke? Nope
16. Are there any global eating establishments as popular and as well known as Subway and McDonalds? Nope
17. Music. Which Music artist from what country sell the most albums records, or stream the most music Worldwide? American music artist win this category hands down.
18. Who has the largest most successful TV and movie industry in the world? The United States of course with HOLLYWOOD! All the top global grossing movies are primarily American made.
19. Which country has the newest drugs and medical technology? The United States
20. Is there another country who can deploy their entire military force anywhere around the world? Nope. The closest would be countries like the United Kingdom and France, who have relatively tiny military forces compared to the United States. Russia also has some capacity in this regard, but its much smaller, and wouldn't involve the entire country's military forces.
21. Which country has the greatest military force in terms of combined size, capability, and technology? The United States.
22. Which country was primarily responsible for helping development international organizations like the World Bank, IMF, and WTO? The United States.
23. The overwhelming fact is, we lived in a world that was primarily created by two U.S. Presidents, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman during the 1940s.
24. Which country is the wealthiest in the world? This goes far beyond annual GDP numbers or GDP per capita. Were talking about everything, all wealth, land, assets etc. The United States has about 1/3 of the worlds total wealth. It is #3 in the world in wealth per adult, with Switzerland and Australia slightly ahead.
25. CHINA actually has the largest total GDP in the world when you adjust for purchasing power parity. In 2017 China was at $23 Trillion, and the United States was at $19.5 Trillion. But remember, China has a labor force of 806,700,000 people. The size of the U.S. labor force is only 160,400,000. So the United States produces almost as much as China despite having a labor force that is 5 times smaller!

26. The United States impact on World War II is not measured in the casualties it took. In fact, suffering massive numbers of casualties should be seen in some respects as a failure. So the fact that the United States only lost 405,000 troops in the war to the Soviet Union which had at least 10,000,000 military deaths needs to be put in that perspective. Soviet losses often came from poor leadership, planning, and communication. The Soviet Union also only had to worry about one front, the German front in Europe. The United States unlike the Soviet Union spent much of its resources taking on Japan in addition to Germany. Also, The United States provided overwhelming amounts of raw materials and food that saved the Soviet Union and other countries from starvation and economic ruin. The United States also had the largest BOMBER fleet and engaged in the most industrial bombing of Japan and Germany during the war. This industrial bombing was key in defeating both countries because it sabotaged and handicapped each countries ability to build and develop new weapons.

27. The United States was the chief country that led the global fight against Soviet supported communism around the world during the Cold War. Its efforts are primarily why Soviet communism did not take over the world, a Soviet invasion of Western Europe and other countries was deterred from happening, World War III was deterred from happening, and there was never a nuclear war. U.S. strength and deterrence were the primary reasons these threats to peace, security, and prosperity were either defeated or prevented from happening.

28. The United States has been by far the most important country in helping secure and stabilize the Persian Gulf with its removal of Saddam and replacement with a new Iraqi government.

29. The United States has been by far the most important country in fighting the global war on terrorism, starting with its invasion of Afghanistan and the removal of the Taliban from power in that country. United States air power, and advise and support on the ground, played the biggest role in defeating ISIS with the Iraqi and Kurdish forces being the only ones to play a bigger role in terms of numbers of ground combat troops involved.

To sum up, its not even close really, especially when you combine everything. The areas where the United States lags behind in terms of life expectancy, and poverty, have more to do with mis-guided United States domestic policies than anything else. With the right domestic policies in place, the United States has the wealth and expertise to top most of this list sited as being places where America is a bit far behind.

Few other countries are at the top when it comes to tourist destinations and money made in the travel and entertainment industries. The United States is also one of the top countries in the world where people want to move to and live.

So many invalid points.
I begin with the removal of Saddam, even trump suggested it was a big mistake...look at how the middle east and the world is after removing Saddam. Rebuttal?

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emarites, and Bahrain have NEVER been safer and more secure since the removal of Saddam from power. In 2018, the murder rate in Iraq was less than the murder rate in California in 1990. Compare that to SADDAM's time in power from 1979 to 2003, when his actions led to the deaths of 1.7 million people. Saddam invaded Iran and used WMD on Iranian troops and civilians. This led to over a million deaths and other casualties and brutal 8 year war, for more costly and brutal than anything seen in the aftermath of the removal of Saddam in 2003. Then there is Saddam's illegal invasion and ANNEXATION of Kuwait in 1990. The first time another country and been invaded and annexed since ADOLF HITLER did it in World War II. Saddam also invaded parts of Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. Saddam launched hundreds of Scud Ballistic missiles against Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, and Israel. Saddam used Weapons Of Mass destruction more times and on a greater scale than any other country since World War I. Saddam's invasion and annexation of Kuwait caused the 1991 recession due to the damage done to oil markets from the loss of Kuwaiti oil. Then there was Saddam setting fire to all of Kuwaits oil well heads and the environmental and economic damage that cost. Then there are the thousands of Kuwaiti civilians that are today still missing from Saddam's invasion and annexation. Saddam also dumped large amounts of stored Kuwaiti oil into the Persian Gulf causing massive environmental damage.

Instability in the Middle East has come from the Arab Spring in late 2010 and involved countries like Syria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. That's not related to Iraq and the removal of Saddam which occurred 7 years earlier in 2003. Syria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt were peaceful and stable until 2011, long after Saddam had been removed from Iraq, and during the most peaceful year in Iraq since the invasion in 2003.

You picked the easiest of your "alleged invalid points" to rebut!

Of course Trump called it a mistake. Trump is an idiot isolationist who knows nothing about defense policy, foreign policy, the military etc. Trump is a BED WETTING fan of PUTIN and seems controlled by him give how reverential he is when he speaks of him. He is not a Republican at all. That's just a mask he wore to get elected President.

 

[whitehall]

If you are ignorant enough you can make statistics work simply by leaving out certain data and injecting emotion and anger into the mix. The laughable comparison between the U.S. (pop 330 million) and Leichenstein (pop 37,000) is an example. Ireland barely manages to support 4 million and a quarter of the population in Morroco lives on the edge of starvation. Sure you can find angry Americans who hate their Country when a republican is in office and mental incompetents who ain't got a freaking clue but all-in-all nobody would want to live anywhere else.

Morocco edge of starvation? Hahahahahahahaha

It's not funny when 20% of the population lives on less than $4 per day.

 

[TroglocratsRdumb]

Democrats cause about 99% of America's problems.
America could be the best country in the world if we deported all of our worthless Democrats.

 

[Issa]

If you are ignorant enough you can make statistics work simply by leaving out certain data and injecting emotion and anger into the mix. The laughable comparison between the U.S. (pop 330 million) and Leichenstein (pop 37,000) is an example. Ireland barely manages to support 4 million and a quarter of the population in Morroco lives on the edge of starvation. Sure you can find angry Americans who hate their Country when a republican is in office and mental incompetents who ain't got a freaking clue but all-in-all nobody would want to live anywhere else.

Morocco edge of starvation? Hahahahahahahaha

It's not funny when 20% of the population lives on less than $4 per day.

Have you checked food prices ?
A baguette is 25 cents, in the US count on 2 dollars, i can eat a healthy meal for $1. Over here you cant even buy a soda with ir.
My regular breakfast when I am Over there is the following (whole wheat baguette, barley soup , pastry, jam, olive oil, honey, freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh green tea with mint leaves) for $2. In the US goodluck having a burnt coffee for that price.

 

[whitehall]

You almost gotta laugh that the poster claims that the statistical "poor" in the U.S. are worse off than the "poor" people of Morocco when the U.S. allocates 2.5 million dollars every year to the country where 20% of the population are on the verge of starvation. What the hell is a baguette? If a "healthy" breakfast costs $2.oo in Morocco it means that 20% of the population only has a dollar and change left for the day.