traveling open your eyes to how terrible the US is in many ways?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recently went to Taiwan, where they rank higher on the freedom index than even the US. It's amazing how things function when everyone obeys the law and it is clean everywhere. Never worried about crimes and guns anywhere. Public transport? Amazing. Regional railways that took over one hour long cost a grand total of about $2.80 FOR TWO TICKETS. Amazing when infrastructure is not built around cars and catering to car culture. Food, much higher quality. Next stop was in Thailand, where one in our party got sick. Went to the hospital and was seen immediately. Got checked out by the attending physician, took a stool sample to determine if there was an infection, and had the results in less than one hour. All of this without using insurance cost a grand whopping total of $83. Imagine how terrible it'd be in the US. Probably at least over $2000 for the same treatment and it'd take triple the amount of time. Even Thailand is so much safer with respect to gun violence and crime. Traveling really opens your eyes to how terrible the US has gotten. I honestly think we are borderline 2nd world. We aren't really that free, healthcare is unaffordable, zero guaranteed vacations, high cost of living, toxic food, terrible infrastructure, severely obese population, and out of control crime and gun problems.

Went to Denmark in September and had same impression. US has become a dump after letting millions of new immigrants in

We should focus on helping our own citizens first.

But both parties are in collusion to bring in cheap labor, and the middle class gets screwed. Housing more expensive , health care explodes

We need to stop all immigration now

OP is sitting around thinking of an excuse to use to tell us that we need immigrants and how our country is so bad because we have not let in more. If he were so concerned about schools and infrastructure he would acknowledge that increasing our population by 100+ over the last few decades was a poor idea. Also lots of immigration is a hamper to collectivism and social cohesion, which he loves. But he won't admit that. This is why he has been silent for a few minutes, he doesn't know what to say.

I think it’s worthwhile to talk about immigration but how is reduced immigration going to build bridges faster and improve the quality of education?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The U.S. may be imperfect in some ways, but whether the alternatives are superior depends on your perspective and position in society. If you'd like the government to take care of you, you'd be better off in a society where incomes are relatively low, taxes are high, and standards of living are relatively uniform, typically lower middle class relative to the U.S. If you prefer lower taxes, incentives for hard work, and are ok with widely unequal outcomes because people are unequal in their ambitions, intelligence, levels of effort, and personal characteristics, the U.S. is the place to be.

… and then you’ll cry about how hard it is to get into a doctor and how bad “the help” is.

[Anonymous]

You can definitely feel how socially backward the US is when you travel. Even some third world countries feel more relaxed and mature, and freer. This country is pretty uptight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead, move to Taiwan. Be sure to learn Mandarin Chinese.

this is harder version of Chinese (reading-wise). Traditional characters not the simplified stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:US is an undeveloped S hole of backwater rednecks with very low education.

Tens of thousands of their people die per year from guns and go bankrupt for epipens. What a laughably bad society.

Nobel Prizes in 2024:

Physics: American and a Brit
Chemistry: 2 Americans, 1 Brit
Medicine: 2 Americans
Economics: 1 Turk, 1 Brit, 1 American (all from MIT)

At least one American won every Nobel prize this last year for prizes in science and innovation (I left out literature and peace).

Yes, there are many Americans with poor education, but we also have some of the most brilliant people in the world. Look at technology -- the majority of software and devices you use every day are from American companies. Which country can match that?

And yet the US does nothing after a classroom of 8 year olds are blown away into meat piles with an AR-15, it happens over and over, 50,000 people die per year from guns, and they can't afford epipens.

Bit you got a Nobel prize for theoretical physics! Yay!

Ok you have a comeback for everything. Fine. The U.S. is bad. We all need to be and miserable as an obligation. If we are not, we are bad. We need to have another country come set us straight. Even if we think we know what is best we are deceived, we don't. If we are happy we are confused we really aren't happy our brains are just tricking us.

I am a good student of yours, right? Happy now?

This us the gun nutter who sensationalizes the deaths of children when most guns are used for murders of family members, suicides, or crime. Solving guns will create Nirvana and people will be stabbed to death, suicides will endanger other drivers and cops to kill themselves by car or cop

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not. I live in Germany, and I have to laugh when so many Americans fantasize about moving to Europe and talk about it like some kind of utopia. It's insanely naive. Every place has its problems and issues

The problem in the US is not that we have problems. It is our obstinate refusal to solve any of them while new problems continue to crop up. While many of these problems are sort of relegated to the poorest people in our country, they are increasingly “trickling up” to the middle class.

People are routinely dying from a lack of healthcare or going bankrupt from medical problems. This should have been resolved ages ago, and is simply not such a crisis in other countries.

Same with gun violence. Yes, there are a multitude of tertiary issues related to gun violence but the main issue is simply guns.

And now, we have a huge mentally ill homeless population suffering in our cities and it’s only growing.

And I think the worst part is that people seem so lonely and unhappy.

Why do we tolerate this?

When I go to my parents’ home country, it just isn’t so miserable. I’m staying in a middle class neighborhood, not a luxury hotel. I have been here often over the last 2 decades: People are grinning and bearing it. No one is shot in the street. If I need medicine I can just walk into the pharmacy and buy it for $2. People are out past 8pm having fun. People are just enjoying being with other people more.

Something is just broken at home. I really feel like I get a break abroad, from the horrible political news and violence and apocalyptic weather events. I have not felt this way before.

^^exactly. Compared to other countries we cannot do anything to improve or solve collective problems. our infrastructure is decaying because of it - it is well known. even making the smallest improvement to traffic or public space is incredibly costly because we’ve set up a system where people can easily throw wrenches into the works - and we have become so miserable and individualistic that people seem to enjoy crusading against change.

Who.appointed you to speak on behalf of the country. You don't know what is going on in people's heads. Your entire goal is to tell people to feel despair. "You need to hate America, I say, this is why!". You have an agenda.

yes … my agenda is that we should have a transit system on par with equally wealthy countries! And for my neighbors to have more of a sense of collective good so that they don’t spend their time crusading against housing development for example.

Beta bicycle YIMBY has entered the chat. Keep your nose out of your neighbor’s business.

Thanks for providing an example in realtime of the toxic attitude I’m talking about.

Can reasonable minds differ about development of infrastructure? Of course. But your frankly psychotic “beta bicycle YIMBY” nonsense is not a bona fide attempt to do anything except get your rocks off in a very weird exhibition of your oppositionality.

It is not an example, it is a command to stop telling people to embrace the “collective good.” This my “oppositionality” to your psychotic belief in the collective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The massive rural broadband package in the infrastructure act hasn’t connected a single home to the internet!

But Starlink has and is more effective in rural areas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, join expat forums if you really want to know what it's like. There's a reason people don't leave the US in droves.

1) We don't speak the language
2) There are few pathways for an American to become a permanent resident let alone a citizen in most desirable countries

That's it. That's the only thing stopping a mass exodus.

What is a desirable country?

New Zealand.

You can bypass Taiwan and go directly to New Zealand. It will be a Chinese colony in 20 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recently went to Taiwan, where they rank higher on the freedom index than even the US. It's amazing how things function when everyone obeys the law and it is clean everywhere. Never worried about crimes and guns anywhere. Public transport? Amazing. Regional railways that took over one hour long cost a grand total of about $2.80 FOR TWO TICKETS. Amazing when infrastructure is not built around cars and catering to car culture. Food, much higher quality. Next stop was in Thailand, where one in our party got sick. Went to the hospital and was seen immediately. Got checked out by the attending physician, took a stool sample to determine if there was an infection, and had the results in less than one hour. All of this without using insurance cost a grand whopping total of $83. Imagine how terrible it'd be in the US. Probably at least over $2000 for the same treatment and it'd take triple the amount of time. Even Thailand is so much safer with respect to gun violence and crime. Traveling really opens your eyes to how terrible the US has gotten. I honestly think we are borderline 2nd world. We aren't really that free, healthcare is unaffordable, zero guaranteed vacations, high cost of living, toxic food, terrible infrastructure, severely obese population, and out of control crime and gun problems.

Went to Denmark in September and had same impression. US has become a dump after letting millions of new immigrants in

We should focus on helping our own citizens first.

But both parties are in collusion to bring in cheap labor, and the middle class gets screwed. Housing more expensive , health care explodes

We need to stop all immigration now

OP is sitting around thinking of an excuse to use to tell us that we need immigrants and how our country is so bad because we have not let in more. If he were so concerned about schools and infrastructure he would acknowledge that increasing our population by 100+ over the last few decades was a poor idea. Also lots of immigration is a hamper to collectivism and social cohesion, which he loves. But he won't admit that. This is why he has been silent for a few minutes, he doesn't know what to say.

But but but diversity is our sTrEnGtH!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I go to Tanzania every year or so on a mission trip and it’s a good reminder how lucky I am to have been born in the US. If the US is so terrible, why are millions of people trying to enter illegally every year? If you feel the US is terrible you are welcome to go elsewhere. Your exit will help with our housing crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recently went to Taiwan, where they rank higher on the freedom index than even the US. It's amazing how things function when everyone obeys the law and it is clean everywhere. Never worried about crimes and guns anywhere. Public transport? Amazing. Regional railways that took over one hour long cost a grand total of about $2.80 FOR TWO TICKETS. Amazing when infrastructure is not built around cars and catering to car culture. Food, much higher quality. Next stop was in Thailand, where one in our party got sick. Went to the hospital and was seen immediately. Got checked out by the attending physician, took a stool sample to determine if there was an infection, and had the results in less than one hour. All of this without using insurance cost a grand whopping total of $83. Imagine how terrible it'd be in the US. Probably at least over $2000 for the same treatment and it'd take triple the amount of time. Even Thailand is so much safer with respect to gun violence and crime. Traveling really opens your eyes to how terrible the US has gotten. I honestly think we are borderline 2nd world. We aren't really that free, healthcare is unaffordable, zero guaranteed vacations, high cost of living, toxic food, terrible infrastructure, severely obese population, and out of control crime and gun problems.

Went to Denmark in September and had same impression. US has become a dump after letting millions of new immigrants in

We should focus on helping our own citizens first.

But both parties are in collusion to bring in cheap labor, and the middle class gets screwed. Housing more expensive , health care explodes

We need to stop all immigration now

OP is sitting around thinking of an excuse to use to tell us that we need immigrants and how our country is so bad because we have not let in more. If he were so concerned about schools and infrastructure he would acknowledge that increasing our population by 100+ over the last few decades was a poor idea. Also lots of immigration is a hamper to collectivism and social cohesion, which he loves. But he won't admit that. This is why he has been silent for a few minutes, he doesn't know what to say.

I think it’s worthwhile to talk about immigration but how is reduced immigration going to build bridges faster and improve the quality of education?

DP. By freezing up resources that are being diverted to people who should not be here in the first place. Honestly, it’s elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recently went to Taiwan, where they rank higher on the freedom index than even the US. It's amazing how things function when everyone obeys the law and it is clean everywhere. Never worried about crimes and guns anywhere. Public transport? Amazing. Regional railways that took over one hour long cost a grand total of about $2.80 FOR TWO TICKETS. Amazing when infrastructure is not built around cars and catering to car culture. Food, much higher quality. Next stop was in Thailand, where one in our party got sick. Went to the hospital and was seen immediately. Got checked out by the attending physician, took a stool sample to determine if there was an infection, and had the results in less than one hour. All of this without using insurance cost a grand whopping total of $83. Imagine how terrible it'd be in the US. Probably at least over $2000 for the same treatment and it'd take triple the amount of time. Even Thailand is so much safer with respect to gun violence and crime. Traveling really opens your eyes to how terrible the US has gotten. I honestly think we are borderline 2nd world. We aren't really that free, healthcare is unaffordable, zero guaranteed vacations, high cost of living, toxic food, terrible infrastructure, severely obese population, and out of control crime and gun problems.

Went to Denmark in September and had same impression. US has become a dump after letting millions of new immigrants in

We should focus on helping our own citizens first.

But both parties are in collusion to bring in cheap labor, and the middle class gets screwed. Housing more expensive , health care explodes

We need to stop all immigration now

OP is sitting around thinking of an excuse to use to tell us that we need immigrants and how our country is so bad because we have not let in more. If he were so concerned about schools and infrastructure he would acknowledge that increasing our population by 100+ over the last few decades was a poor idea. Also lots of immigration is a hamper to collectivism and social cohesion, which he loves. But he won't admit that. This is why he has been silent for a few minutes, he doesn't know what to say.

I think it’s worthwhile to talk about immigration but how is reduced immigration going to build bridges faster and improve the quality of education?

DP. By freezing up resources that are being diverted to people who should not be here in the first place. Honestly, it’s elementary.

Freeing* up

[Anonymous]

I love how this exact thread pops up every few months. Americans get shook when they see how well other countries are run when they don't have to deal with well, you know...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I go to Tanzania every year or so on a mission trip and it’s a good reminder how lucky I am to have been born in the US. If the US is so terrible, why are millions of people trying to enter illegally every year? If you feel the US is terrible you are welcome to go elsewhere. Your exit will help with our housing crisis.

How simplistic …

Consider this - the U.S. can be “terrible in many ways” but still be desirable to certain illegal immigrants at the same time. Wouldn’t that address your illegal immigration point?

Doesn’t mean the U.S. is hitting on all cylinders - it just means the U.S. is perceived to be at least marginally better for them than their current station.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not. I live in Germany, and I have to laugh when so many Americans fantasize about moving to Europe and talk about it like some kind of utopia. It's insanely naive. Every place has its problems and issues

The problem in the US is not that we have problems. It is our obstinate refusal to solve any of them while new problems continue to crop up. While many of these problems are sort of relegated to the poorest people in our country, they are increasingly “trickling up” to the middle class.

People are routinely dying from a lack of healthcare or going bankrupt from medical problems. This should have been resolved ages ago, and is simply not such a crisis in other countries.

Same with gun violence. Yes, there are a multitude of tertiary issues related to gun violence but the main issue is simply guns.

And now, we have a huge mentally ill homeless population suffering in our cities and it’s only growing.

And I think the worst part is that people seem so lonely and unhappy.

Why do we tolerate this?

When I go to my parents’ home country, it just isn’t so miserable. I’m staying in a middle class neighborhood, not a luxury hotel. I have been here often over the last 2 decades: People are grinning and bearing it. No one is shot in the street. If I need medicine I can just walk into the pharmacy and buy it for $2. People are out past 8pm having fun. People are just enjoying being with other people more.

Something is just broken at home. I really feel like I get a break abroad, from the horrible political news and violence and apocalyptic weather events. I have not felt this way before.

^^exactly. Compared to other countries we cannot do anything to improve or solve collective problems. our infrastructure is decaying because of it - it is well known. even making the smallest improvement to traffic or public space is incredibly costly because we’ve set up a system where people can easily throw wrenches into the works - and we have become so miserable and individualistic that people seem to enjoy crusading against change.

Who.appointed you to speak on behalf of the country. You don't know what is going on in people's heads. Your entire goal is to tell people to feel despair. "You need to hate America, I say, this is why!". You have an agenda.

yes … my agenda is that we should have a transit system on par with equally wealthy countries! And for my neighbors to have more of a sense of collective good so that they don’t spend their time crusading against housing development for example.

I don't want collectivism. So look I have an opinion as well.

fabulous, then enjoy the decaying bridges, flight cancellations, endless traffic jams, and uneducated children that are the result. Congrats!

You keep on talking at us here. But you mean nothing to us, so your curses of doom and gloom fall flat. You can't make things terrible by your mere declarations.

Oh so there aren’t flight delays and cancellations, decaying bridges, and heinous traffic? And we’re supposed to be taking your opinion seriously?

Put down the pipe, moron.