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.
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.
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.
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www.thebalance.com
5) Poverty rates are lower in other counties.
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.
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?
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.
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