Is America the greatest country in the world?

Is the USA the greatest country in the world?

  • Yes it is.

    Votes: 26 40.0%
  • No, and it never was.

    Votes: 10 15.4%
  • No, but it could be.

    Votes: 7 10.8%
  • No, but it was and could be again.

    Votes: 26 40.0%
  • Other (I'll explain in my post)

    Votes: 9 13.8%

  • Total voters
    65
To follow up, the Founders of the country believed that only a people who governed themselves were a truly free people. Do you agree with that? Why or why not?

For most of the first 200 years of this country, the traditional family was the norm with very positive benefits from that. Fathers were expected to support their families if they were physically able to do so, parents were expected to parent their children and raise them up as responsible productive citizens, and there were principles and convictions that could not be compromised by people of exemplary character even if they had to act against their own interests.

This is what I think the speaker in the video was expressing.

Do you agree with that? Why? If not, why not?

Let's be real. The speaker in the video is an actor, acting in a TV series. His comments were general and open to interpreation.

I suggest you go back and review the census from the late 19th century and see how many widowed women lived in 'poor houses', many with children. That is one easy example of how far we've come (and where many conservatives seem to want us to return).
 
The point, moron, is what happened to that country.

Here's what what wrong, Freddo

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Says the creep who thinks it's just fine to exploit the death of a U.S. Border Agent for partisan political reasons.

Whose the creep, moron? If that comment is directed at me you're a liar.
 
To follow up, the Founders of the country believed that only a people who governed themselves were a truly free people. Do you agree with that? Why or why not?

For most of the first 200 years of this country, the traditional family was the norm with very positive benefits from that. Fathers were expected to support their families if they were physically able to do so, parents were expected to parent their children and raise them up as responsible productive citizens, and there were principles and convictions that could not be compromised by people of exemplary character even if they had to act against their own interests.

This is what I think the speaker in the video was expressing.

Do you agree with that? Why? If not, why not?

That's what you wanted him to say, but what he said was Liberal blather about War on Poverty, etc. and mocked the idea that he USA is a "Free country"

Did you catch that? There are 180 "free" countries and so the USA is no big deal in that regard

I hear what you are saying and I am considering it, but again I did not get the same message you did. What he said was that we have freedom and there is freedom in all those other countries too. So that isn't what makes America great. Again, I didn't draw the same inference from his remark on the 'War on Poverty' as you did. When, within that context, he inserts the remark of men being men, and not being afraid, I took his meaning as not necessarily a 'liberal' perspective but one of attitude.

I could be wrong. It sure wouldn't be the first time.
 
With all due respect, I think you should've chosen a video that takes more time to expand upon and take into account some of the reasons behind America's supposed shortcomings.

Firstly, you're a comparatively young nation. During the time in which powerful nations/empires in Europe were pursuing enlightenment, both spiritually and materially, Americans who were heading west were pre-occupied with ensuring their own survival against the odds and elements. That was their sole prerogative. In my opinion, your high rates of incarceration are rooted in a system that was designed to deter lawlessness during an era - and across a landscape - where the law had little reach beyond large settlements. That system is still in place, for better or for worse. Though I have to admit that I'm still undecided upon the American judicial system and the scope of punishments at its disposal. One the one hand, many of the jail terms handed down are savage to the point of spitefulness. However, and where I'm personally concerned, they provide a deterrent compared to some of the ubsurdly lenient sentences handed down in European courts, that often consider themselves more "enlightened" than their American counterparts (notice that e-word popping-up again?). I'm of the firm belief that a middle ground should be arrived at concerning the sentencing thresholds of our respective continents, where a reasonable agreement between time in jail and eventual outcome can be agreed on to provide a suitable deterrent without the convicted spending 50 years in jail for fraud.

During this period of great hardship, settlers took solace in their faith. It gave them comfort, and was accordingly celebrated. This, I think, is why there are more adults who believe in "sky fairies" when compared to other comparatively atheist nations across the Occidental world, who didn't face the same barren landscapes and inhospitable climates as those who were setting about populating a young nation where industrialisation had a comparatively further journey to travel. True, Christianity and its values were equally present in the nations mentioned, but citizens of those nation had less pressing reason to seek solace and salvation in their faith as their American contemporaries.

You can't compare literacy and poverty in America to the other "free nations" mentioned in the Newsroom clip. This is down to two core factors: landmass, population. The other nations mentioned are small compared to the United States. True, Australia and Canada come close, but it's lacking in the latter factor: population (both nations have a tenth of the population of the UK, a comparatively tiny island). Despite its expanse of wilderness and mountains, America does actually boast a rather large population. You simply can't take care of everyone. And in a nation that's states are bigger than some countries, there's an awful lot of everyones. The question of literacy, however, isn't as easy - in my mind - to tackle than that of poverty. And education, in my opinion, is where you begin to arrive at where America has faltered. This generation is more concerned with consumerism and instant gratification than its predeccesors. When you go back even to the '80s, America's youth were just as smart and intellectually capable as their contemporaries in the nations mentioned in the Newsroom clip. Regrettably, that isn't the case now. The American curriculum wasn't a partisan battle ground. It was a place geared towards imparting common sense, wisdom and tools that would ensure that graduates were marketable in the world of work. It impressed upon its charges the "Three Rs." Though I hasten to add that a decline in standards is also visible among the respective education systems in the countries mentioned. And I admit to not being able to put a finger on absolute causes, though I reckon a lot of it has to do with progressively declining standards exhibited by older generations.

Is America the greatest nation on earth? It's a matter of perspective ,especially when you consider the multinationally available interface you've posed this question on. You are, currently, the most powerful nation on earth, and are thus, in my opinion, entitled to promote your success, however comparatively disproportionate that promotion is. But it's worth mentioning that your power-wielding predeccesors did exactly the same. Britain celebrated its imperial, technological and cultural achievements, as did our Roman predecessors. Why shouldn't you?

Lastly, I want to touch upon the notion of freedom. The United States, even in its current state, is undeniably the freest nation on God's green earth. And until you've lived under what I and many others refer to as the EUSSR, you have no idea what you could potentially be throwing away. Dwell on that.
 
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The four photos above that propose to explain 'what went wrong' are interesting. It is particularly notable that the first three were very intelligent. Perhaps this shows that, as the fourth was the worst, unintelligent is even more dangerous.

The 4 photos prove to me that what you call intelligence can be a very dangerous thing.
 
I am going to ask again that the professional trolls or unpaid trolls or just those with short attention spans NOT derail this thread. If this falls within the realm of the moderators I would even request some help with that. This thread is not about the current or former occupants of the White House, It is not about political parties. It is not even about ideology.

It IS about qualities of character, conviction, purpose, moral centers, values, and attitudes that made America great, if you believe it was or is, or that do not make it great if you believe it is not.

The segregation you desire of these subjects is not possible or appropriate. Politics and ideology are intimately connected with character, conviction (especially where conviction involves war criminals and if their presence in a nation's government reveals anything about its greatness), values, etc. What you are asking is schizophrenic.
 
With all due respect, I think you should've chosen a video that takes more time to expand upon and take into account some of the reasons behind America's supposed shortcomings.

Firstly, you're a comparatively young nation. During the time in which powerful nations/empires in Europe were pursuing enlightenment, both spiritually and materially, Americans who were heading west were pre-occupied with ensuring their own survival against the odds and elements. That was their sole prerogative. In my opinion, your high rates of incarceration are rooted in a system that was designed to deter lawlessness during an era - and across a landscape - where the law had little reach beyond large settlements. That system is still in place, for better or for worse. Though I have to admit that I'm still undecided upon the American judicial system and the scope of punishments at its disposal. One the one hand, many of the jail terms handed down are savage to the point of spitefulness. However, and where I'm personally concerned, they provide a deterrent compared to some of the ubsurdly lenient sentences handed down in European courts, that often consider themselves more "enlightened" than their American counterparts (notice that e-word popping-up again?). I'm of the firm belief that a middle ground should be arrived at concerning the sentencing thresholds of our respective continents, where a reasonable agreement between time in jail and eventual outcome can be agreed on to provide a

During this period of great hardship, settlers took solace in their faith. It gave them comfort, and was accordingly celebrated. This, I think, is why there are more adults who believe in "sky fairies" when compared to other comparatively atheist nations across the Occidental world, who didn't face the same barren landscapes and inhospitable climates as those who were setting about populating a young nation where industrialisation had a comparatively further journey to travel. True, Christianity and its values were equally present in the nations mentioned, but citizens of those nation had less pressing reason to seek solace and salvation in their faith as their American contemporaries.

You can't compare literacy and poverty in America to the other "free nations" mentioned in the Newsroom clip. This is down to two core factors: landmass, population. The other nations mentioned are small compared to the United States. True, Australia and Canada come close, but it's lacking in the latter factor: population (both nations have a tenth of the population of the UK, a comparatively tiny island). Despite its expanse of wilderness and mountains, America does actually boast a rather large population. You simply can't take care of everyone. And in a nation that's states are bigger than some countries, there's an awful lot of everyones. The question of literacy, however, isn't as easy - in my mind - to tackle than that of poverty. And education, in my opinion, is where you begin to arrive at where America has faltered. This generation is more concerned with consumerism and instant gratification than its predeccesors. When you go back even to the '80s, America's youth were just as smart and intellectually capable as their contemporaries in the nations mentioned in the Newsroom clip. Regrettably, that isn't the case now. The American curriculum wasn't a partisan battle ground. It was a place geared towards imparting common sense, wisdom and tools that would ensure that graduates were marketable in the world of work. It impressed upon its charges the "Three Rs." Though I hasten to add that a decline in standards is also visible among the respective education systems in the countries mentioned. And I admit to not being able to put a finger on absolute causes, though I reckon a lot of it has to do with progressively declining standards exhibited by older generations.

Is America the greatest nation on earth? It's a matter of perspective ,especially when you consider the multinationally available interface you've posed this question on. You are, currently, the most powerful nation on earth, and are thus, in my opinion, entitled to promote your success, however comparatively disproportionate that promotion is. But it's worth mentioning that your power-wielding predeccesors did exactly the same. Britain celebrated its imperial, technological and cultural achievements, as did our Roman predecessors. Why shouldn't you?

Lastly, I want to touch upon the notion of freedom. The United States, even in its current state, is undeniably the freest nation on God's green earth. And until you've lived under what I and many others refer to as the EUSSR, you have no idea what you could potentially be throwing away. Dwell on that.

Thanks for the time and effort you put into writing that, Swagger. Some good stuff there. I find it interesting that you, a Brit, would see us as still the most free nation on Earth. And I won't argue that even as we have seen government chip away at our freedoms and the role of the people to govern themselves.

It is also important to realize that our country with 300+ million people cannot be compared to countries with populations little more than just one of our more populous states. Australia, for instance, occupies an entire continent with a total population of about 2/3rds of the population of California. Canada also has more land mass than the USA but has a population approximating that of California alone. As Swagger points out, much higher population densities and very large populations create issues not experienced by smaller, less densely populated countries.

And to Wry, my comments thus far have been my own but result from my impressions from the content of the OP. It doesn't matter that the speaker is playing a role and that the vehicle is a fictitious television program. The content is either worth exploring or it is not. I found it significantly pertinent to our current culture and national condition whether or not it was intended to be that.

At some point, I think we all are going to have to back off looking for people or groups to demonize and rather focus on what we actually want to be accomplished in this country. We are going to have to forget that we are loyal Democrats or Republicans or Libertarians long enough to figure out what sort of people we want Americans to be.

It was that I saw as the thesis of that video clip. I am wondering if anybody else saw it the same way?
 
For me yes. But, as was expressed in the video, we lag so far behind so many other countries in so many categories. In order to be intellectually honest, don't we have to at least look at that?

Which categories do you mean specifically? the education system in Korea may be better and you get free health care in Cuba but look at all the Cubans and Koreans who come here to live. America is the best country in the world hands down.

These are excellent points. You don't see a lot of Americans wanting to emigrate to Korea or Cuba. There are lots of Koreans and Cubans who would love to immigrate here.

And that is not an insignificant thing.


And not only do a great many people come here from Korea, but a very large percentage of them come here specifically FOR education.
 
Which categories do you mean specifically? the education system in Korea may be better and you get free health care in Cuba but look at all the Cubans and Koreans who come here to live. America is the best country in the world hands down.

These are excellent points. You don't see a lot of Americans wanting to emigrate to Korea or Cuba. There are lots of Koreans and Cubans who would love to immigrate here.

And that is not an insignificant thing.


And not only do a great many people come here from Korea, but a very large percentage of them come here specifically FOR education.

Yes they do, for higher education above the public school level. Not so for our public schools. A degree from one of our prestigious universities apparently opens a lot of doors.
 
this time, of cause, USA is No.1 almost in all things... the question is only about the space - may be, in this brench No.1 is devided between Russia(USSR) and USA
so, it's no theme for argue - your country is No.1 :)
but China is growing quickly... and this is socialistic country, trusting in marxism-leninism! :) 5 years - and China can become No.1 in economic power
 
These are excellent points. You don't see a lot of Americans wanting to emigrate to Korea or Cuba. There are lots of Koreans and Cubans who would love to immigrate here.

And that is not an insignificant thing.


And not only do a great many people come here from Korea, but a very large percentage of them come here specifically FOR education.

Yes they do, for higher education above the public school level. Not so for our public schools. A degree from one of our prestigious universities apparently opens a lot of doors.


Actually, a great, great many come for high school, and increasingly jr high as well. It is difficult for an international student to be enrolled in a public school here, so they apply to private high schools; some very prestigious, but also Catholic schools or wherever they can find a fit.
 
And not only do a great many people come here from Korea, but a very large percentage of them come here specifically FOR education.

Yes they do, for higher education above the public school level. Not so for our public schools. A degree from one of our prestigious universities apparently opens a lot of doors.


Actually, a great, great many come for high school, and increasingly jr high as well. It is difficult for an international student to be enrolled in a public school here, so they apply to private high schools; some very prestigious, but also Catholic schools or wherever they can find a fit.

That is probably correct. Most of our private and parochial schools are still quite excellent.
 

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