Are you Proud to be an American ! (get credit, university)

[Richmonder27]

Originally Posted by missymomof3

How is it that even the most innocent threads end up as a rediculous, petty argument on here? It is really getting tiresome.

I agree, Missymom! People are so pretentious on here, its not even funny.

[Hoarfrost]

Originally Posted by Richmonder27

Thats because we aren't a Democracy. We are a Republic.

We still have more freedoms than the other countries listed.

It isn't that.

"Economist Intelligence Unit Index of Democracy which focused on five general categories; electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation and political culture."

These are things that should be in any free government, Direct Democracy, Constitutional Monarchy, Republic, etc.

I didn't post here with the express intention of raining on anyone's parade. I gave my opinion and why, responded to some provocateur attempting to suppress unpleasant cognition I suppose, and posted some hard, scientific data. Rather than taking criticisms of your country to heart, you should be inspired to make it better. That's the difference between mindless Jingoism which is destructive and ordinary patriotism which is only mildly puzzling but generally harmless.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by atlantaATL

Nope If i couold i would live in another country

Why can't you? Just save your coins and move.

[ainulinale]

Originally Posted by Hoarfrost

Press Freedom Index:

1 Iceland 1.50 0.75 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
1 Luxembourg 1.50
1 Norway 1.50 0.75 2.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
4 Estonia 2.00 1.00 2.00 1.50 2.00 2.50
4 Finland 2.00 1.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
4 Republic of Ireland 2.00 2.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.83 1.00
7 Belgium 3.00 1.50 4.00 4.00 4.00 1.17 3.50
7 Latvia 3.00 3.00 2.50 1.00 2.25
7 New Zealand 3.00 4.17 5.00 2.00 0.67 2.83
7 Slovakia 3.00 1.00 2.50 0.75 0.50 2.50
7 Sweden 3.00 1.50 4.00 2.00 2.00 1.50 1.50
7 Switzerland 3.00 3.00 2.50 0.50 0.50 2.50 4.25
13 Canada 3.33 4.88 4.50 4.50 3.33 1.83 0.75
14 Austria 3.50 4.25 4.50 2.50 3.25 2.75 7.50
14 Denmark 3.50 2.00 5.00 0.50 0.50 1.00 3.00
16 Czech Republic 4.00 4.00 0.75 1.00 3.50 2.50 11.25
16 Lithuania 4.00 7.00 6.50 4.50 3.00 2.83
16 Netherlands 4.00 3.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
16 Portugal 4.00 2.00 3.00 4.83 4.50 5.17 1.50
20 Germany 4.50 5.75 5.50 4.00 2.00 1.33 1.50
21 Jamaica 4.88 8.63 5.50 7.50 4.17 3.33
22 Costa Rica 5.10 6.50 6.67 8.50 7.63 3.83 4.25
23 Hungary 5.50 4.50 3.00 2.00 6.00 3.33 6.50
23 Namibia 5.50 8.50 6.00 5.50 10.00 11.00 8.00
23 United Kingdom 5.50 8.25 6.50 5.17 6.00 4.25 6.00
26 Suriname 6.00
27 Trinidad and Tobago 6.13 5.00 5.00 2.00 2.00 1.00
28 Australia 6.25 8.79 9.00 6.50 9.50 9.25 3.50
29 Japan 6.50 11.75 12.50 8.00 10.00 8.00 7.50
30 Slovenia 7.33 6.50 3.00 1.00 2.25 3.00 4.00
31 Cyprus 7.50 14.00 7.50 5.50 22.00 20.83 pre-2005 data included Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
31 Ghana 7.50 9.00 8.50 15.00 13.50 8.75 23.00
31 Greece 7.50 9.25 8.00 4.00 7.00 6.00 5.00
31 Mali 7.50 16.50 9.00 8.00 12.83 11.00 12.50
35 France 7.67 9.75 9.00 6.25 3.50 4.17 3.25
36 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.00 11.17 5.00 7.00 3.67 6.83 12.50
36 Cape Verde 8.00 14.00 11.50 6.00 8.75 8.25 13.75
36 South Africa 8.00 13.00 11.25 6.50 5.00 3.33 7.50
36 Spain 8.00 10.25 10.00 8.33 9.00 7.67 7.75
36 Republic of China (Taiwan) 8.00 10.00 10.50 12.25 14.25 12.00 9.00
36 United States 8.00 14.50 13.00 9.50 4.00 6.00 4.75

Reporters sans frontières - Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index - 2007

While better than most, the US is clearly not the freest in any category that I know of.

I get a laugh out of this last one.

[Fred314X]

Remember the words of Winston Churchill (whose mother came from Brooklyn, incidentally): "A democracy is the worst form of government...except for everything else."

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by missymomof3

You all must be some of the angriest, most skeptical people I have ever seen in all my days. How is it that even the most innocent threads end up as a rediculous, petty argument on here? It is really getting tiresome.

When people start making claims about America being the "greatest/best nation on Earth", "God favoring America", or whatever else, then of course some of us are going to respond rather abrasively. I reiterate that I'm happy living here in the United States, but I have friends in Europe, and to me they are at no sort of "disadvantage" for not being over here on our soil. It's just asinine to suggest that we're "better."

[SilkCity0416]

Originally Posted by Fred314X

Remember the words of Winston Churchill (whose mother came from Brooklyn, incidentally): "A democracy is the worst form of government...except for everything else."

me don't get it.

[dodger15]

How can people come on here who live in the USA and not only dis it, but post some ridiculous list of countries? What that stupid list means is beyond me, I didn't bother with what the title was.

If you're gonna post some list backing up whatever point you're trying to make, you don't need to be here.

And, by the way, Namibia is #23 on your list. I think you'd be happier there.

[fromdust]

Originally Posted by SilkCity0416

me don't get it.

i think what churchill was saying that while the form of government known as democracy sucks, its still better than all other forms of ruling over a people.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

When people start making claims about America being the "greatest/best nation on Earth", "God favoring America", or whatever else, then of course some of us are going to respond rather abrasively. I reiterate that I'm happy living here in the United States, but I have friends in Europe, and to me they are at no sort of "disadvantage" for not being over here on our soil. It's just asinine to suggest that we're "better."

There is not a thing wrong with being Patriotic. Nobody has said that we are "better than" anybody else. God gives gifts to many people in many ways, one of them is to be born in the USA where I can say that I am a Christian and not have to worry about being arrested for it (and they call us Kentuckians sensitive!)