WHY America is the greatest country in the world

[bozon]

Actually, if you are going by the cliché, I'm almost as un-prussian as you can get. 

I've spent a couple of years in Bayern and they educated me that everyone out of Bayern are damn Prussians...
The irony was that most of the people I knew there were not original Bavarians and quite a few of those were not even Germans.

[Brooke]

I fell a sleep reading Brookes thread

 

There no mention of pies and beaver

There are places in the US with fine pies.  I have had many at my local British pub (the Three Lions) and said "To Zack!" prior to the first bite. 

Beaver . . . hmm.  Well, we do have them near where I work.

[zack1234]

As for the topic, I do think that the US is the greatest country in the world. 

Is it perfect?  Of course not.  Could it be better still?  Of course.  Is it improving at this moment?  Unfortunately, no -- thanks to [can't talk about it in this forum].  Does it matter what you are measuring?  Of course.  You can pick a lot of stats where the US is not best.  But you can also pick a lot of important ones where it is, and if you consider averages of important stats, it can be lower than #1 in many things and yet still best in the aggregate.  Is it good to do a lot of chest thumping?  No.  But it also isn't good to swallow a bunch of slanted swill as equivalent to the full measure of truth.

Here's a speech about America that I think is a lot better than one from a TV show with an agenda:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfuOOwJxsdU

I agree

But its Bono who is a complete T££"!

[jeep00]

I agree

But its Bono who is a complete T££"!

For the most part I agree on both of these, except for 1) it not imprpving now because it is and 2) the continued misunderstanding of those who think it isn't and why.

Barring that, well said Brooke.

[Brooke]

the continued misunderstanding of those who think it isn't and why.

Things aren't in decline in every category (technology continues to increase dramatically, for example) and some groups seem to have better influence and stature even over recent history (women, for example).  But I see a lot of things going in the wrong direction ([can't talk about it here]; amount of regulation; country and world financial condition; job market; decline of the culture of work, marriage, family, freedom of speech, and free enterprise; Iran so far being allowed to get nuclear weapons; a completely bungled handling of Middle East policies, rise of ISIS, etc.; collapse of border security; dangerous erosion of rule of law, impartiality of government agencies, and adherence to the Constitution; bias of the press; opposition to freedom of the press).

I would be genuinely interested to hear reasons why that is misunderstanding on my part, though.  I love to discuss and to hear other points of view.

[Brooke]

Canadians are good people.  But you'd think with all that European heritage, they could produce a decent beer

Kokanee is pretty good! 

[PR3D4TOR]

Lewis Black's take on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCDZMWVWuc