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Lots of what you pointed out aren't major problems, rather things that the US needs to improve upon. And you can find stuff like that with just about any country because no country is perfect.
Well, to me these are very serious problems. I care much more about crime, education, health care and quality of living than I do about military power or total GDP. I mean, China would be one of the most successful countries in the world if only military and economic power are taken into account but who really believes that?
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So which country is the most successful?
There is no "most" successful country because everyone has different standards of success, that's my point.
@415_s2k, I couldn't rep you but that was an excellent post
I hope you don't say I'm ignorant or arrogant for explaining, but...you asked:
America has the world's largest economy, world's strongest military, world's most influential politics, our currency is the world's reserve currency, we have world's best universities, world's best technology with the world's best tech companies: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. We have the world's most influential culture with world's most successful entertainment industry. We've even gone to the moon and landed something the size of a car on mars. We're leading in all of these areas and more, and I consider that to be the reason the US is the most successful with the most dominant culture.
1. I don't see why having the world's largest economy is a good or a bad thing. The real measure of wealth (that is relevant to people) is GDP per capita and the US doesn't lead the world there - although it's doing very well. If China's total GDP overtakes the US in a few years just by virtue of the size of its population, will China suddenly become a 'better' country than the US?
2. How does it improve your quality of life to know that your country has the world's strongest military? If I were American, I'd be pretty upset about the enormous amount of money that is wasted on the military when the US already spends more on defense than the next 10 countries combined.
3. You have the world's most influential politics because many people around the world are concerned about America's aggressive foreign policy and how it will affect them. This is not a positive thing. People don't care about Canada's politics because Canada is considered harmless.
4. Again, who the hell cares what the world's reserve currency is? How does that affect you personally?
5. You have some of the world's best Universities but how many students are able to attend these really prestigious Universities? Most Americans go to a cheaper, lesser known regional University that's certainly no better than regional Universities in Western Europe, Canada or Australia - only much more expensive.
6. Several countries are on the cutting edge of technology - Japan could certainly compete with the US for the #1 spot - and most innovations are a result of close international cooperation.
7. European culture has been far more influential around the world than American culture. American culture itself is strongly influenced by European culture so a lot of "American" cultural exports are actually of European heritage. Whether it's language, literature, religion, cuisine, politics or music, European countries have had a much greater impact on the world than the US. I mean, think of your own country. The US is what it is today because of Europe (Great Britain and France in particular). Your language was exported to you from Europe and so was your religion, much of your cuisine, your political foundations, your capitalist economy and so much more. The influence of American culture in modern times pales in comparison. I doubt any of the currently popular entertainment will still be known and respected around the world a hundred years from now.
8. As for science, the US is nowhere near the leader that it used to be. The fact that you have to go back to a notable achievement almost 60 years ago is very telling. Nowadays, the most exciting and promising research is done by CERN through the Large Hadron Collider.
I hope you don't take my posts to mean that I don't like the US. I just don't understand the reasons some people give for why it's a great country (the military, total GDP) when in my opinion, there are so many other qualities you could mention that are much more significant to most people. Why not talk about natural diversity, the wonderful local cuisines, the 'melting pot' society, the different climates, stuff like that? I think most reasonable people would agree with you that the US has a lot of great things to offer in these respects
Because we are so jealous of their greatness, amazing lifestile, beautiful women and cultured people.
Don and you also forgot to mention (and perish the thought) the vast holdings of NATURAL BLONDES we have in Minnesota, North Dakota, Western Michigan...AND some parts of Wisconsin. Please Don, do not attempt to hide from the world your devotion to America's natural blonde women, share the love Don!
I mean, China would be one of the most successful countries in the world if only military and economic power are taken into account but who really believes that?
Perfect point!
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European culture has been far more influential around the world than American culture.
Nobody in his own mind can possibly deny that!
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The real measure of wealth (that is relevant to people) is GDP per capita
Actually, it's not, for many decades now. There are simply too many ways to boost it without really increasing the economy. Or the vice versa. In case of US - paper shuffling is extreme.
Also, a couple more things should be taken into account to make the comparison meaningful - the size of a grey economy (informal sector) and PPP.
The PPP is a very challenging thing. OECD's methodology is doing a resonably good job, but it tracks only a handful of countries.
The "tradional PPP" is useless, unless the countries have almost exactly the same economies and consumption.
With economics now often even more politicized than politics, almost all people are very confused about all the stats they are thrown at.
During the Olympics last year they had a short story about an archer from Bhutan and the nation she is from. Apparently in Bhutan they use a statistic that I have not heard other countries using - GDH or Gross Domestic Happiness. Too naive or something to be considered?
8. As for science, the US is nowhere near the leader that it used to be. The fact that you have to go back to a notable achievement almost 60 years ago is very telling. Nowadays, the most exciting and promising research is done by CERN through the Large Hadron Collider.
Yup. Another year of insignificant scientific achievements.
2012 Nobel Peace Prize in Chemistry Robert J. Lefkowitz
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
and Brian K. Kobilka
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA "for studies of G-protein–coupled receptors"
2012 Nobel Peace Prize in Physics Serge Haroche
Collège de France and Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
and David J. Wineland
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA "for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems"
I'm glad that I didn't have to search 60 years for a notable scientific achievement as these awards were presented in October.
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That's right...
