Comments on: America world’s Number One? Think again

By: goldenbear

goldenbear — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:35:59 +0000

I don’t like these listing, who is Nr. 1 or 2 or worse. It creates what brought on WWI and WWII and many other wars. Just think of Iceland being #1 and then think at what price, who paid for all? And think how many people the U.S. has taken in during the last 50-60 years and sorry to say, in the last 20 years more people from other countries have come here and can offer little but being cheap labor and by now they are not cheap enough anymore but many of their homelands. But all the immigrants, legal or not, have been a burden to many of our systems, schools, cities, housing and also ethics. And Mr. Debusmann probably has traveled with a German or Swiss passport which gave him some access in countries where we are not so much welcome. Sometimes I am surprised about it because we and the Brits were the ones getting the oil out of the ground or even helping countries to be freed from the rule of the Colonial powers. Often there is very little logic to all nor to the thinking of Mr. Debusmann, who “missed de Bus in his thinking, Mann!”…

By: Laiquelleion

Laiquelleion — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:17:01 +0000

Can people please try to put things in a reasonable perspective ? Just claiming that the USA is bigger than for example sweden or Denmark and use that as an excuse to say that that’s the reason for it is misguided.

To be frank you actually have more people living per square Km than we have in Sweden. So you hence also have more taxpayers to actually pay for that infrastructure and healthcare.

I am not going th go in and start arguing about which system is the best as it is completely subjective to ones point of views. But it might be good for you to actually consider how well we actually live here and that it applies not only to a small portion of the populace but a quite large one. Healthcare is for everyone and is payed by everyone.

By: Nishachor

Nishachor — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:55:00 +0000

Out of all the statistics, the writer came up with bunch of lame ones??? YES, America is NO 1… why? Here’s why… we spend 6 times MORE in our prison system then education!!! The result…… 18% of Americans believe that “the sun revolves around the earth”… I rest my case.

By: upstater

upstater — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:29:50 +0000

It is no surprise how the US the US ranks with respect to social, health, education or business indicators.

Spending on “all things security” — add it up some time and include non-military stuff like prisons, homeland, paramilitary police — all of it. It certainly exceeds 10% of GDP, if not more.

This sort of thing bankrupted the USSR and the same thing is happening to the US.

The many jingoists that comment here otherwise have their heads buried in the sand.

By: An_Independent

An_Independent — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:39:34 +0000

Apples to Oranges comparison without any consideration given to population, ethnic diversification, land mass, etc. For example … Sweden is about 173,732 contiguous square miles while the US is 3.79 million non-contiguous square miles. Sweden has 86,000 miles of public roads whereas the US has 3,900,000 miles of public roads. Sweden has a population of 9.3 million while the US has a population of 307 million. Which country would have a bigger challenge to maintain an equivalent level of public services, social services, military, public education, etc to the other? Duh.

By: hariknaidu

hariknaidu — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:36:40 +0000

As a Bay Area graduate, 1960s, I must agree with your analysis. But there is more to fit than meets the eye, as I channel thrugh C-SPAN and its think-tank seminars and whatnots – ie. American Exceptionalism!

Neocons under GWB coined this nationalistic concept to justify their illegal invasion and occupation of Irag – Babylonian civilization! Now it has become the creed of the printed and electronic media. No one seems to exactly understand what it means. Or how jingoistic it sounds, etc.

My problem with inequality of wealth in America is that a super power going through decline and fall in its pretense of *power* may succum to nasty nationalist programs which may ultimately damage American credibility in a globalized world of emerging markets -i.e. challeng to US hegemony!

By: alconnelly

alconnelly — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:24:57 +0000

“Social justice” is a socialist concept. Socialist live large off the work of others. There is a hugh difference between between the charitable way and socialism. With the charitable way one makings sure that none starve, none go homeless, and that all have access to basic health care. With socialism the poor live very well in the suburbs and driven in limos to the hospital of their choice – well at least the is how it is in New Jersey USA.

By: mdblitz

mdblitz — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:44:29 +0000

The USA has its flaws, of course. It has been my experience with human nature that we complain and stomp our feet when asked to do something difficult. After doing it, though, we brag about the accomplishment. As a father I required my children to do things they complained about being difficult. A little complaining and feet stomping are good. Learning to make ourselves do the difficult is important. Social justice, what ever the heck that means at the moment, in my view will oneday implode a society.

By: Enfanterrible

Enfanterrible — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:32:56 +0000

I think that U.S will have to pass the torch to developing countries. All the supremacies must confront the declin: my country lost the world’s supremacy after Waterloo’s battle So why does the U.S would not confirm that rule ? A supremacy never last more than a few centuries.

Be proud you’re still in so enjoy

By: OneOfTheSheep

OneOfTheSheep — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:29:10 +0000

The voting on whether or not America is No. 1 is not done in the microstates of Scandinavia nor in the mosques of the world. Talk is cheap!

It is done by the feet of those who can and do move from one country to another. Those people overwhelmingly choose to live in the U.S., and they seldom leave unless deported.

Globalization has opened up the “prior private preserve” American consumer market, and that genie cannot beput back in the bottle. Our dollars improve those world economies who learn to manufacture products of sufficient quality that Americans will buy, even as some Americans struggle with the necessity to reinvent themselves so as to find productive employment here. Nobody promised easy.

America continues to improve the economic health of the planet, and remains alone and supreme as the modern world’s brightest beacon of hope to those who have open eyes. We are not, and never will be perfect; but there is none that can or will do what we do, or do it as well.