Let's face it: America kind of sucks

[Billy000]

I never boast of my posting prowess like this EVER. You are a fucking liar, and you even quoted it. Another lie since that says I used that word and I didn't.

No dinner for you for telling lies. Brush and floss and go to bed, bad boy

Lol you didn’t use the word owned huh? Um okay. No see, you were expecting me to get all flustered by pointing out that I still live here and was not welcome. However I already addressed this point in my OP.

 

[healthmyths]

The United States sucks in multiple fields.

Crime rate (Crime Index by Country 2022 Mid-Year) -- it's 87th out of 142 countries, marking it slightly more dangerous than Nicaragua and far more dangerous than third-world-countries such as Bosnia & Herzegovina, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, etc.

GINI indicator (income inequality - List of countries by income equality - Wikipedia): The United States has a GINI coefficient of 41.5 (2019), ranking it far worse in terms of inequality than countries such as Tunisia, Tanzania and Syria.

Human Development Index: Not among the worst, but it's still not ranking first (it's 21st out of 191, surpassed by tons of European countries and some Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Japan & South Korea).

GDP (nominal) per capita (List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita - Wikipedia): The United States ranks 12th, falling below a couple of countries.

Homeless population (List of countries by homeless population - Wikipedia): The United States has 17.6 homeless people per 10,000, far more than Turkey (8.5 per 10,000), Spain (6.4 per 10,000), Romania (7 per 10,000), Italy (8.4 per 10,000) & Brazil (10 per 10,000).

Suicide rate (List of countries by suicide rate - Wikipedia): The United States has 14.5 suicides per 100,000 people, far worse than any country in Europe aside from Montenegro, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia & Lithuania. It also ranks worse than many Asian, African & South American countries.

PISA rankings (Programme for International Student Assessment - Wikipedia): Yeah, even in terms of education we sort of suck.

Healthcare accessibility (https://www.usnews.com/news/best-co...most-well-developed-public-health-care-system): Literally any country in Europe has a better healthcare system than us. I don't have to elaborate much into that.


But hey, we're doing pretty good in other things too!

School shootings (School Shootings by Country 2022): The United States ranks uncontested as the first country in the world for number of school shootings (a total of 288 school shootings between January 2009 & May 2018).

Incarceration rate (List of countries by incarceration rate - Wikipedia): The United States is the country with the highest rate of incarcerated people, counting a total prison population of 639 incarcerated people per 100,000 inhabitants.

Military spending (List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia): Our population is highly ineducated, the healthcare system sucks & cities are filled with homeless people? Oh, who cares! At least we're spending 801bn$ (38% of the global spending) on our military. At least our petrol prices will not rise!

External debt (List of countries by external debt - Wikipedia): The United States has an external debt of 30.4 trillion dollars, or 102% of our GDP. That's roughly $60,526 of debts per capita for the average American citizen.

Intentional homicide rate (List of countries by intentional homicide rate - Wikipedia): 6.3 intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, worse than the entirety of Europe and even extremely underdeveloped & violent countries such as Bolivia, Burundi, Sudan, Cuba, Pakistan, India, Rwanda, Latvia, Malaysia, Ghana, etc.

Rape rate (Countries Compared by Crime > Rape rate. International Statistics at NationMaster.com): We're 14th in the world for rape rate (27.3 rapes per 100,000 citizens), worse than countries such as ZIMBABWE.

Infant and under-five mortality rate (List of countries by infant and under-five mortality rates - Wikipedia): We rank 148th out of 193 countries for infant mortality rate, once again worse than the majority (if not all) Europe, and worse than countries such as Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Cuba & Belarus.


So, exactly, what are we the best at? And don't come to me with "movie productions" or "hamburgers eaten per capita". I'm talking about serious things that are critical to the everyday life.

Oh I was right about your attention span but your IQ??? You wrote such an impactful word..." ineducated,"!!!! Wow talk about a double edge!
I did commend you for your efforts though to provide facts. Thank you.
Now if you just go one step further and then put the counterbalancing of YOUR one sided facts like this:
FACT one counter to your fact: Oh, who cares! At least we're spending 801bn$ (38% of the global spending) on our military.
The military budget covers the

• DoD, $715 Billion
• overseas contingency operations,
• the VA, $113.1 Billion
• Homeland Security, $54.9 Billion
• the State Department, $63.6 Billion and
• many others that involve national security. $10.3 Billion..

Why U.S. Military Spending Is More Than You Think It Is

U.S. military spending is $934 billion for FY 2021 once you add components hidden in other budgets. Here's the breakout since 2003.

www.thebalancemoney.com

But of course you take the entire sum and allocate as it FITS your position!
The US providing funding and/or American military hardware aid to over 150 countries annually for defense purposes.

United States military aid - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

But again... that FACT you ignored. So while many countries (for example NATO members are to spend 2% of their GDP on their own military
FACT: In 2006, NATO Defence Ministers agreed to commit a minimum of 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) how many do?

Funding NATO

NATO is resourced through the direct and indirect contributions of its members. NATO’s common funds are composed of direct contributions to collective budgets and programmes, which equate to only 0.3% of total Allied defence spending (around EUR 3.27 billion for 2023). These funds enable NATO to...

www.nato.int

Now I know with your limited attention span these numbers are very huge.. but only 4 countries reach their GDP while the USA exceeds the USA GDP of 2%.... which goes back to the previous comment..150 countries depend on the US military budget of $800 billion that you criticize!
Hey Dummy... good idea! Let's withdraw all the troops, planes, ships, etc bring all back and let these countries...hmmmm like Ukraine be on their own! Which is what you are asking. Let's just spend that $800 billion on Climate Change! Yea that's the ticket!
I can go on with further refuting your comments but as you can see, when you deal with details like correct spelling of "uneducated" not ineducated," it takes some effort!

OH and as far as this reason the US sucks that you wrote:
External debt (List of countries by external debt - Wikipedia): The United States has an external debt of 30.4 trillion dollars,
Are you aware of this number:
According to the latest report of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which was released in October 2016, the U.S. owns a total of $9.46 trillion in foreign securities, including $6.76 trillion in equity and $2.70 trillion in debt. This debt can come from foreign governments, institutions, or companies, so most of these debts are not exactly a country’s debt. The report covers holdings accrued as of the end of 2015, so it will be likely that information on American holdings of foreign debt as of 2016 will not be released until later this year.

10 Countries That Owe the US the Most Money

In the same way that federal debt can be owned by foreign entities, whether they are governments, companies, or individuals, foreign debt can be owned by the U.S. - All Parts

www.insidermonkey.com

Do you understand what that means ? First of all the USA does NOT have an external debt of $30.4 Trillion!
Of the total $7.42 trillion held by foreign countries, Japan and Mainland China held the greatest portions. China held 980.8 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. securities. Japan held 1.21 trillion U.S. dollars worth.Aug 2, 2022

Major foreign holders treasury securities U.S. 2024 | Statista

As of January 2024, Japan held United States treasury securities totaling about 1.15 trillion U.S.

www.statista.com

Do you understand what that means??? The US is OWED by foreign countries INCLUDING JAPAN/China $9.46 TRILLION which is over $2 Trillion more than the US owes THEM? Do you understand that? Total foreign countries OWE the US: $9.46 trillion. The US owes them $7.42 Trillion meaning foreign countries still owe the USA $2.02 Trillion. The rest of the national debt is owed to Americans! Do you comprehend how you totally did as the BIASED MSM does... you didn't tell the whole STORY... YOU wrote
"The United States has an external debt of 30.4 trillion dollars," That is NOT true as the $30.4 trillion is the national debt of WHICH zero is owed to foreign countries because foreign countries OWE the USA $2.02 Trillion AFTER the $7.42 trillion is paid off!
Do you understand???
And that's just 2 of your "US Sucks" examples totally blown out of the water!
I could go on and totally obliterate your other examples so why don't you do a little more research and maybe you'll understand you have been a a foil, a puppet, just plain uninformed! I appreciate your now presenting your biased and totally one aspect side of reality.
A) The US military's $800 billion helps 150 countries fend off their enemies
B) The US is owed $2 trillion by foreign countries in plain debt let alone our military assistance! See the below chart as to how NATO countries are to spend 2% of their GDP on their OWN defense and the USA has spent nearly 4% of our GDP partially assisting these countries.
Again facts the BIASED MSM that holds the same opinion... "The USA Sucks"... tell that to 147 million people that want to come this sucking country!

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

"Countries that don't have culture". At least a good 80% of the countries are older than the United States & have a far better culture. Want me to name some? Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan, Romania, India, Germany.

They don’t have the welfare subculture that we have to deal with. Send that subculture to those countries and watch the numbers reverse.

 

[ihealyou]

They don’t have the welfare subculture that we have to deal with. Send that subculture to those countries and watch the numbers reverse.

Actually they do. I've already submitted the link with the list of countries ranked by welfare spending and they are amongst the nations with the highest spending in terms of social welfare.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

Actually they do. I've already submitted the link with the list of countries ranked by welfare spending and they are amongst the nations with the highest spending in terms of social welfare.

They don’t have an entire subculture that is dependent as culture. (With the exception of those inundated by Muslime filth who I congratulate for getting a taste of what democrats create here in America). Those countries don’t have a black-centric subculture that thrives on dependency and crime. And you know it.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

Actually they do. I've already submitted the link with the list of countries ranked by welfare spending and they are amongst the nations with the highest spending in terms of social welfare.

This clip must be Norway or France or something…

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Communist? I'd like to remind you Romania is one of the most right-wing countries in Europe, 99% of its population adheres to Christianity and it was originally founded as a kingdom (which goes against the very basic principles of communism). But of course an American barely knows his own country, let alone European ones.

Dumbfuck I suggest you read the post I was commiting to.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

The United States sucks in multiple fields.

Crime rate (Crime Index by Country 2022 Mid-Year) -- it's 87th out of 142 countries, marking it slightly more dangerous than Nicaragua and far more dangerous than third-world-countries such as Bosnia & Herzegovina, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, etc.

GINI indicator (income inequality - List of countries by income equality - Wikipedia): The United States has a GINI coefficient of 41.5 (2019), ranking it far worse in terms of inequality than countries such as Tunisia, Tanzania and Syria.

Human Development Index: Not among the worst, but it's still not ranking first (it's 21st out of 191, surpassed by tons of European countries and some Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Japan & South Korea).

GDP (nominal) per capita (List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita - Wikipedia): The United States ranks 12th, falling below a couple of countries.

Homeless population (List of countries by homeless population - Wikipedia): The United States has 17.6 homeless people per 10,000, far more than Turkey (8.5 per 10,000), Spain (6.4 per 10,000), Romania (7 per 10,000), Italy (8.4 per 10,000) & Brazil (10 per 10,000).

Suicide rate (List of countries by suicide rate - Wikipedia): The United States has 14.5 suicides per 100,000 people, far worse than any country in Europe aside from Montenegro, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia & Lithuania. It also ranks worse than many Asian, African & South American countries.

PISA rankings (Programme for International Student Assessment - Wikipedia): Yeah, even in terms of education we sort of suck.

Healthcare accessibility (https://www.usnews.com/news/best-co...most-well-developed-public-health-care-system): Literally any country in Europe has a better healthcare system than us. I don't have to elaborate much into that.


But hey, we're doing pretty good in other things too!

School shootings (School Shootings by Country 2022): The United States ranks uncontested as the first country in the world for number of school shootings (a total of 288 school shootings between January 2009 & May 2018).

Incarceration rate (List of countries by incarceration rate - Wikipedia): The United States is the country with the highest rate of incarcerated people, counting a total prison population of 639 incarcerated people per 100,000 inhabitants.

Military spending (List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia): Our population is highly ineducated, the healthcare system sucks & cities are filled with homeless people? Oh, who cares! At least we're spending 801bn$ (38% of the global spending) on our military. At least our petrol prices will not rise!

External debt (List of countries by external debt - Wikipedia): The United States has an external debt of 30.4 trillion dollars, or 102% of our GDP. That's roughly $60,526 of debts per capita for the average American citizen.

Intentional homicide rate (List of countries by intentional homicide rate - Wikipedia): 6.3 intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, worse than the entirety of Europe and even extremely underdeveloped & violent countries such as Bolivia, Burundi, Sudan, Cuba, Pakistan, India, Rwanda, Latvia, Malaysia, Ghana, etc.

Rape rate (Countries Compared by Crime > Rape rate. International Statistics at NationMaster.com): We're 14th in the world for rape rate (27.3 rapes per 100,000 citizens), worse than countries such as ZIMBABWE.

Infant and under-five mortality rate (List of countries by infant and under-five mortality rates - Wikipedia): We rank 148th out of 193 countries for infant mortality rate, once again worse than the majority (if not all) Europe, and worse than countries such as Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Cuba & Belarus.


So, exactly, what are we the best at? And don't come to me with "movie productions" or "hamburgers eaten per capita". I'm talking about serious things that are critical to the everyday life.

Fuck dude why are people trying to come here? You can go back to the shithole country you came from

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

Republicans like to pretend that the US is the best country in the world in every way because they cannot stand the thought of other countries doing something better than us. However, the main flaws the US has are much of less of issues in other first world countries.

1) Our healthcare system is garbage with or without ObamaCare.

Republicans like to harp on ObamaCare and pretend that it is rhe reason why our system sucks, but when you ask them the simple of question of "well, was our system good before ObamaCare?", they will refuse to answer. Secretly they know that our healthcare system has always sucked but they will not admit that out loud. But hell, at least ACA improved it to some degree. Republicans secretly like the idea of their healthcare coverage not being denied because of pre-existing conditions, but its another thing they will not admit out loud. Obama came up with it so the knee jerk reaction is that it is terrible.

I also want to point out the myth that republicans have about other first world healthcare systems. They pretend that wait lists run rampant for basic care and that these people suffer. That's of course not true. Systems in Western Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea are all quite high functioning even if they are not perfect.

Here's all the ways comparable, first world national healthcare systems are superior to the US's:

A. Life expectancy is better
B. Premature death rates are lower.
C. Less suffering with long term chronic diseases
D. Healthcare quality and access is far better
E. Maternal morality rates are better.
G. Hospital rates are lower for chronic diseases.
H. Post-operative complications are lower in prevalence.
I. Medication and procedure errors are lower.

And oh yeah, this is thanks to socialized medicine rather than shitty for-profit healthcare very few people can afford.

Now you say that the US does have state of the art treatments in some examples, but this hardly matters if the large majority of the population does not have access to this ridiculously expensive care and the overall nation suffers in areas where it matters most.

How does the quality of the U.S. health system compare to other countries? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

Despite spending more money per capita on healthcare than any similarly large and wealthy nation, the United States has a lower life expectancy than peer nations and has seen worsening health outcomes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This chart collection combines various measures of...

www.healthsystemtracker.org

2. Infrastructure systems are better in comparable nations.

A. The US ranks 13th in infrastructure quality in the world.
B. Only 2% of our GDP spending goes to infrastructure.
C. Airports in other countries are better.
D. High speed rail in the US is half of the speed of comparable countries.
E. Internet connection is much better in other countries.
F. Our roads are shitty in comparison to these other nations. Traffic jams are less severe in such nations.

That's far from "American exceptionalism." Hell, Biden gets credit for at least passing a law making improvements even if it was not enough.



3. Gun violence in the US is far greater than in other countries like Australia, the UK, and Canada.

A. Mass shootings are far more common in the US than other politically stable countries.
B. Gun murders account for 79% of all murders in the US. In Canada it is 37%, Australia 13%, and the UK is 4%
C. Gun deaths per capita are FAR higher than in other countries.

Gun Violence in the US Far Exceeds Levels in Other Rich Nations

Gun violence is a huge issue in many other countries—just none that the US would consider a peer.

www.bloomberg.com

4) Wealth inequality is one of the worst in the world.

In 2020, the top 20% of the population earned 52.2% of all U.S. income. The median household income fell significantly for the first time since 2011 to $67,521. That's 2.9% down from 2019's number. The richest of the rich, the top 5%, earned 23% of all income.

The Cause of Income Inequality in America

U.S. income inequality has worsened significantly in the past 30 years. What does income inequality look like in the United States and what are the causes?

www.thebalance.com

5) Poverty rates are lower in other counties.

Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are proof that poverty in the US doesn't have to be this high

In 2004, the US child poverty rate was about 12 percent. Denmark's was less than 2 percent.

www.vox.com

Conclusion: America kind of sucks. I know inevitably the response I am going to get to this thread will be somewhere along the lines of "if you don't like it here, leave!" Well see the truth of the matter is that I think America is great in some ways and I would rather stay here and fix what is wrong with it.

 

[Billy000]

We both know you don’t have an argument to explain how I am wrong.

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

We both know you don’t have an argument to explain how I am wrong.

You are right that America kind of sucks under Biden and Democrat control, compared to how nice it would be under a dramatically more Conservative alternative.

But it's not for the reasons you state.

• Obamacare sucks and doubled my costs and co-pays/deductibles
• Crime is the problem including gun violence, but it's not because of the guns. It's because Dem DAs don't prosecute and Dem leaders pass stupid things like "no bail".
• Wealth inequality is not a measure of a nation's median standard of living and is a stupid politicized metric. If everyone is poor, there is great wealth equality, but it's the wrong direction. Best to have some people succeed, and then pass on the good fortune by employing others.

It's because of inflation, crime, the border crisis, and other deliberate actions by the bunch of incompetents we will throw out in two days.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

Let's face it: Billy000 kind of sucks.

 

[Billy000]

You are right that America kind of sucks under Biden and Democrat control, compared to how nice it would be under a dramatically more Conservative alternative.

But it's not for the reasons you state.

• Obamacare sucks and doubled my costs and co-pays/deductibles
• Crime is the problem including gun violence, but it's not because of the guns. It's because Dem DAs don't prosecute and Dem leaders pass stupid things like "no bail".
• Wealth inequality is not a measure of a nation's median standard of living and is a stupid politicized metric. If everyone is poor, there is great wealth equality, but it's the wrong direction. Best to have some people succeed, and then pass on the good fortune by employing others.

It's because of inflation, crime, the border crisis, and other deliberate actions by the bunch of incompetents we will throw out in two days.

Actually you’re flat out wrong about ACA. You’re probably referring to that garbage Heritage Foundation article.

Here is the real truth:

How the ACA dented the health care cost curve | Department of Health Policy

www.vumc.org

Of course, either way, you’re a moron if you think we had a good healthcare system prior to Obama.

Lol of course it is a measure of the median. That’s so dumb. The median wage is directly attributed to have how much wealth is concentrated at the top. The median measurement cannot exist without measuring the top earners. Who taught you math exactly?

 

[easyt65]

Republicans like to pretend that the US is the best country in the world in every way because they cannot stand the thought of other countries doing something better than us. However, the main flaws the US has are much of less of issues in other first world countries.

1) Our healthcare system is garbage with or without ObamaCare.

Republicans like to harp on ObamaCare and pretend that it is rhe reason why our system sucks, but when you ask them the simple of question of "well, was our system good before ObamaCare?", they will refuse to answer. Secretly they know that our healthcare system has always sucked but they will not admit that out loud. But hell, at least ACA improved it to some degree. Republicans secretly like the idea of their healthcare coverage not being denied because of pre-existing conditions, but its another thing they will not admit out loud. Obama came up with it so the knee jerk reaction is that it is terrible.

I also want to point out the myth that republicans have about other first world healthcare systems. They pretend that wait lists run rampant for basic care and that these people suffer. That's of course not true. Systems in Western Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea are all quite high functioning even if they are not perfect.

Here's all the ways comparable, first world national healthcare systems are superior to the US's:

A. Life expectancy is better
B. Premature death rates are lower.
C. Less suffering with long term chronic diseases
D. Healthcare quality and access is far better
E. Maternal morality rates are better.
G. Hospital rates are lower for chronic diseases.
H. Post-operative complications are lower in prevalence.
I. Medication and procedure errors are lower.

And oh yeah, this is thanks to socialized medicine rather than shitty for-profit healthcare very few people can afford.

Now you say that the US does have state of the art treatments in some examples, but this hardly matters if the large majority of the population does not have access to this ridiculously expensive care and the overall nation suffers in areas where it matters most.

How does the quality of the U.S. health system compare to other countries? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

Despite spending more money per capita on healthcare than any similarly large and wealthy nation, the United States has a lower life expectancy than peer nations and has seen worsening health outcomes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This chart collection combines various measures of...

www.healthsystemtracker.org

2. Infrastructure systems are better in comparable nations.

A. The US ranks 13th in infrastructure quality in the world.
B. Only 2% of our GDP spending goes to infrastructure.
C. Airports in other countries are better.
D. High speed rail in the US is half of the speed of comparable countries.
E. Internet connection is much better in other countries.
F. Our roads are shitty in comparison to these other nations. Traffic jams are less severe in such nations.

That's far from "American exceptionalism." Hell, Biden gets credit for at least passing a law making improvements even if it was not enough.



3. Gun violence in the US is far greater than in other countries like Australia, the UK, and Canada.

A. Mass shootings are far more common in the US than other politically stable countries.
B. Gun murders account for 79% of all murders in the US. In Canada it is 37%, Australia 13%, and the UK is 4%
C. Gun deaths per capita are FAR higher than in other countries.

Gun Violence in the US Far Exceeds Levels in Other Rich Nations

Gun violence is a huge issue in many other countries—just none that the US would consider a peer.

www.bloomberg.com

4) Wealth inequality is one of the worst in the world.

In 2020, the top 20% of the population earned 52.2% of all U.S. income. The median household income fell significantly for the first time since 2011 to $67,521. That's 2.9% down from 2019's number. The richest of the rich, the top 5%, earned 23% of all income.

The Cause of Income Inequality in America

U.S. income inequality has worsened significantly in the past 30 years. What does income inequality look like in the United States and what are the causes?

www.thebalance.com

5) Poverty rates are lower in other counties.

Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are proof that poverty in the US doesn't have to be this high

In 2004, the US child poverty rate was about 12 percent. Denmark's was less than 2 percent.

www.vox.com

Conclusion: America kind of sucks. I know inevitably the response I am going to get to this thread will be somewhere along the lines of "if you don't like it here, leave!" Well see the truth of the matter is that I think America is great in some ways and I would rather stay here and fix what is wrong with it.

Democrats do their best to destroy the country then declare 'The Country Sucks'.

 

[scruffy]

The country is just fine

It's Billy who sucks

 

[James California]

~ America has been dumbed-down by media and politicians. Many do not pay attention or simply do not care. This will take an entire generation to correct — if at all.

 

[francoHFW]

Democrats do their best to destroy the country then declare 'The Country Sucks'.

View attachment 721957

40 years of reagan's giveaway to the rich tax rates and cuts in investment in college and training and infrastructure and everything else has made the country what it is today. The worst inequality upward mobility and homelessness ever anywhere in the modern world. It's time and way overdue to tax the rich again and start leading the world again instead of being a dumb*** conspiracy nut job republican backwater....

 

[francoHFW]

The country is just fine

It's Billy who sucks

it's a great country but the Republicans enjoy way too much turning it into a Banana Republic with a zombie base of BS

 

[Meister]

40 years of reagan's giveaway to the rich tax rates and cuts in investment in college and training and infrastructure and everything else has made the country what it is today. The worst inequality upward mobility and homelessness ever anywhere in the modern world. It's time and way overdue to tax the rich again and start leading the world again instead of being a dumb*** conspiracy nut job republican backwater....

The rich are paying their taxes.
Change the tax code, super duper

 

[westwall]

Republicans like to pretend that the US is the best country in the world in every way because they cannot stand the thought of other countries doing something better than us. However, the main flaws the US has are much of less of issues in other first world countries.

1) Our healthcare system is garbage with or without ObamaCare.

Republicans like to harp on ObamaCare and pretend that it is rhe reason why our system sucks, but when you ask them the simple of question of "well, was our system good before ObamaCare?", they will refuse to answer. Secretly they know that our healthcare system has always sucked but they will not admit that out loud. But hell, at least ACA improved it to some degree. Republicans secretly like the idea of their healthcare coverage not being denied because of pre-existing conditions, but its another thing they will not admit out loud. Obama came up with it so the knee jerk reaction is that it is terrible.

I also want to point out the myth that republicans have about other first world healthcare systems. They pretend that wait lists run rampant for basic care and that these people suffer. That's of course not true. Systems in Western Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea are all quite high functioning even if they are not perfect.

Here's all the ways comparable, first world national healthcare systems are superior to the US's:

A. Life expectancy is better
B. Premature death rates are lower.
C. Less suffering with long term chronic diseases
D. Healthcare quality and access is far better
E. Maternal morality rates are better.
G. Hospital rates are lower for chronic diseases.
H. Post-operative complications are lower in prevalence.
I. Medication and procedure errors are lower.

And oh yeah, this is thanks to socialized medicine rather than shitty for-profit healthcare very few people can afford.

Now you say that the US does have state of the art treatments in some examples, but this hardly matters if the large majority of the population does not have access to this ridiculously expensive care and the overall nation suffers in areas where it matters most.

How does the quality of the U.S. health system compare to other countries? - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker

Despite spending more money per capita on healthcare than any similarly large and wealthy nation, the United States has a lower life expectancy than peer nations and has seen worsening health outcomes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This chart collection combines various measures of...

www.healthsystemtracker.org

2. Infrastructure systems are better in comparable nations.

A. The US ranks 13th in infrastructure quality in the world.
B. Only 2% of our GDP spending goes to infrastructure.
C. Airports in other countries are better.
D. High speed rail in the US is half of the speed of comparable countries.
E. Internet connection is much better in other countries.
F. Our roads are shitty in comparison to these other nations. Traffic jams are less severe in such nations.

That's far from "American exceptionalism." Hell, Biden gets credit for at least passing a law making improvements even if it was not enough.



3. Gun violence in the US is far greater than in other countries like Australia, the UK, and Canada.

A. Mass shootings are far more common in the US than other politically stable countries.
B. Gun murders account for 79% of all murders in the US. In Canada it is 37%, Australia 13%, and the UK is 4%
C. Gun deaths per capita are FAR higher than in other countries.

Gun Violence in the US Far Exceeds Levels in Other Rich Nations

Gun violence is a huge issue in many other countries—just none that the US would consider a peer.

www.bloomberg.com

4) Wealth inequality is one of the worst in the world.

In 2020, the top 20% of the population earned 52.2% of all U.S. income. The median household income fell significantly for the first time since 2011 to $67,521. That's 2.9% down from 2019's number. The richest of the rich, the top 5%, earned 23% of all income.

The Cause of Income Inequality in America

U.S. income inequality has worsened significantly in the past 30 years. What does income inequality look like in the United States and what are the causes?

www.thebalance.com

5) Poverty rates are lower in other counties.

Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are proof that poverty in the US doesn't have to be this high

In 2004, the US child poverty rate was about 12 percent. Denmark's was less than 2 percent.

www.vox.com

Conclusion: America kind of sucks. I know inevitably the response I am going to get to this thread will be somewhere along the lines of "if you don't like it here, leave!" Well see the truth of the matter is that I think America is great in some ways and I would rather stay here and fix what is wrong with it.

I suggest you leave then.