Do you believe the US is the best country in the world? If not, then which?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Canada. if you had no idea where you were going to be born or what you station would be, Canada is your best bet. You could get richer in the US or Hong Kong but you could also wind up on street.

I will say, if you were an average person then definitely yes, Canada. If you are not an average person or have a child that isn't then Canada is surprisingly weak and you have more rights and services in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I think the US is best. I am an immigrant fwiw.
I understood it during covid. Federalism is what makes it great. Luckily the central (federal) govt couldn’t impose authoritarian restrictions that Canada or Australia did. One could choose a state to their liking as well (be it a very covid conscious California or a near normal state like say North Dakota?)

As an immigrant, you got to “choose” a state. But as someone who grew up in another city, trust me when I say it’s not an option for most people, just like immigrating to another country isn’t an option for most. When your family, home, job, and support systems are in one place, you can’t just up and move elsewhere whenever the political winds shift. There needs to me a minimum standard of freedom across every state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there's no doubt the US is the best country in the world. Whether folks want to admit it or not, most would live here in a heartbeat if given a chance.

Agree. Politically I have very little in common with your stereotypical "flag-waver" but I think it's almost willfully blind not to understand the advantages we have as American citizens, appreciate the work America has done to further the cause of freedom and democratic ideals around the globe, and accept that the vast majority of people in the world would choose American citizenship if given the opportunity. This certainly doesn't mean we are perfect. We aren't. And it doesn't mean that our future is inevitable. It isn't, and right now it feels increasingly tenuous in ways that greatly worry me.

But sort of like a Rawls thought experiment, if you were offered the choice before birth to decide between "American" or "random chance of all the other countries in the world," you'd be crazy not to choose America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in several countries on various continents and my parents come from two vastly different countries. When they met, they had no common language, religion or culture.

So please believe me when I say that there is no "best" country.

Each country is good at something. Right now I live in the US on a visa. It's great for healthy young people who want professional opportunities. Not so great if you're poor and have to live in violent, gun-filled neighborhoods, with exorbitant medical care and intermittent access to clean water or internet. Other countries all have their advantages and disadvantages.

But if you're talking about what matters to global stability today, then I can think of two concepts:

1. Climate change - the USA is one of the worst offenders. This needs to change. Poor countries are dying now because of climate events, heat waves, drought and rising seas.

2. Democracy and spreading it around the world. Interestingly, even as democratic institutions are threatened domestically, the USA is still the defender of democracy abroad, confronting China and Russia, among others. That is something we need to sustain, with the help of our allies.

Why did you put “access to clean water” this is not a problem in the USA.
I disagree about spreading democracy by force it didn’t work in Iraq, Libya or Afghanistan.

Flint, Michigan.
Jackson, Mississippi.

Spreading democracy refers to wealthy democracies acting as bulwark against inroads made by autocratic nations: Russia in Ukraine and China with its eyes on Taiwan are the most visible, but there is a fraught battle going on in developed nations for control of resources, just as there is a cyberwar going on regarding (dis)information and seeking to divide and weaken the other side.

Please become a more educated and aware citizen. These things are important.

You must be joking. America has never ever supported, and often suppressed, by violent means, democratic movements that were likely to elevate representative governments unfriendly to the US or unlikely to toe the American party line. Wake up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there's no doubt the US is the best country in the world. Whether folks want to admit it or not, most would live here in a heartbeat if given a chance.

Agree. Politically I have very little in common with your stereotypical "flag-waver" but I think it's almost willfully blind not to understand the advantages we have as American citizens, appreciate the work America has done to further the cause of freedom and democratic ideals around the globe, and accept that the vast majority of people in the world would choose American citizenship if given the opportunity. This certainly doesn't mean we are perfect. We aren't. And it doesn't mean that our future is inevitable. It isn't, and right now it feels increasingly tenuous in ways that greatly worry me.

But sort of like a Rawls thought experiment, if you were offered the choice before birth to decide between "American" or "random chance of all the other countries in the world," you'd be crazy not to choose America.

You've either swallowed the propaganda or are willfully ignorant of all the oppression America doles out around the globe when it perceives that a democratic process somewhere is likely to support policies it does not approve of.

I can tell you that "America supports of freedom and democratic ideals around the globe" is a uniquely American view. That is, this is NOT a view shared by most people around the globe outside of America. It is DEFINITELY not a view, for instance, that has any support in the Arab world. How can it, with so much evidence to the contrary? Latin America? Hello?

[Anonymous]

I think the US has the best potential, but it hasn't been acting up to its potential. There are parts of the US that are doing better and I would choose those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in several countries on various continents and my parents come from two vastly different countries. When they met, they had no common language, religion or culture.

So please believe me when I say that there is no "best" country.

Each country is good at something. Right now I live in the US on a visa. It's great for healthy young people who want professional opportunities. Not so great if you're poor and have to live in violent, gun-filled neighborhoods, with exorbitant medical care and intermittent access to clean water or internet. Other countries all have their advantages and disadvantages.

But if you're talking about what matters to global stability today, then I can think of two concepts:

1. Climate change - the USA is one of the worst offenders. This needs to change. Poor countries are dying now because of climate events, heat waves, drought and rising seas.

2. Democracy and spreading it around the world. Interestingly, even as democratic institutions are threatened domestically, the USA is still the defender of democracy abroad, confronting China and Russia, among others. That is something we need to sustain, with the help of our allies.

China is by far and away the worst emitter in the world. Emissions from the US have been declining for years in terms of both total and per capita.

Because it manufactures the world's goods and exports them.
The USA is one of the major consumers of Chinese-made goods.

Please understand that Americans consume and waste so much compared to other people in the world. China, with its eye towards economic development over climate sustainability, has been happy to pollute in order to sell you products.

This is slowly changing because there have been climate-linked weather events in China, but sadly not fast enough.

OUR attitudes need to change. For example, Halloween. Are you going to buy all that plastic crap that's made in China, and then point fingers at them and say it's their fault?

I'm all for criticizing autocracies and defending Uyghurs, but people need to understand their role in carbon emissions here.

Give me a break. Liberals touted globalization in the first place. China is by far and away the biggest emitter because they rely heavily on coal for electricity and keep building new coal plants. They also pumped their entire economy with massive stimulus to overstimulate their real estate markets and infrastructure building. All of that concrete, steel, etc. that they used to build those projects had to be made with intense energy input.

Lol, but of course the US is to blame because of Halloween decorations.

Buzz off.

I'm not PP but I have to add: CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita): China 7,6; USA 14,7
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC

And to the one who thinks Fiji is the best country in the world: it's the first land that sinks into the sea due to global warming.

[Anonymous]

This thread just makes me think of the great opening scene from Aaron Sorkin's "Newsroom" series.

The best part starts around 1:04. Jeff Daniels is amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The US is the lowest bar. It is the most racist and warmongering country on earth. First in climate destruction and spreading misery across the globe.

I am tired of being afraid of AR15’s gunning people down and racist MAGA’s killing POC every day.

We are trying to decide whether to move our family to Germany or Switzerland before 2024.

+1

This country is sh!t. It’s garbage. Trash.

You think just because we elected Biden that everything is different now? Grow up. The only way of turning this country around would be straight up eliminating the 70 million people who voted trump. Until that happens, it’s lipstick on a pig.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I think the US is best. I am an immigrant fwiw.
I understood it during covid. Federalism is what makes it great. Luckily the central (federal) govt couldn’t impose authoritarian restrictions that Canada or Australia did. One could choose a state to their liking as well (be it a very covid conscious California or a near normal state like say North Dakota?)

You should consider going back to wherever you came from if you’re going to preach that maga crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I think the US is best. I am an immigrant fwiw.
I understood it during covid. Federalism is what makes it great. Luckily the central (federal) govt couldn’t impose authoritarian restrictions that Canada or Australia did. One could choose a state to their liking as well (be it a very covid conscious California or a near normal state like say North Dakota?)

As an immigrant, you got to “choose” a state. But as someone who grew up in another city, trust me when I say it’s not an option for most people, just like immigrating to another country isn’t an option for most. When your family, home, job, and support systems are in one place, you can’t just up and move elsewhere whenever the political winds shift. There needs to me a minimum standard of freedom across every state.

Well I didn’t really get to choose and it was long before covid anyway.
I agree that more freedom within a state would be great. However, it is even worse when the central powers have so much power that it’s impossible to escape. China is a perfect example but I didn’t know Australia or Canada would be on par!
Even though I couldn’t move out of my very covid conscious state I could at least travel out of state and even out of country to see some normalcy and to let my kid experience it.
It would have been impossible if we were in Australia for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I think the US is best. I am an immigrant fwiw.
I understood it during covid. Federalism is what makes it great. Luckily the central (federal) govt couldn’t impose authoritarian restrictions that Canada or Australia did. One could choose a state to their liking as well (be it a very covid conscious California or a near normal state like say North Dakota?)

You should consider going back to wherever you came from if you’re going to preach that maga crap.

Is this the tolerance I have been told about?
Look, I am just happy that all the covid conscious people can gather in one place and all the others in another and everyone can be happy. I honestly don’t know how this is maga.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there's no doubt the US is the best country in the world. Whether folks want to admit it or not, most would live here in a heartbeat if given a chance.

Agree. Politically I have very little in common with your stereotypical "flag-waver" but I think it's almost willfully blind not to understand the advantages we have as American citizens, appreciate the work America has done to further the cause of freedom and democratic ideals around the globe, and accept that the vast majority of people in the world would choose American citizenship if given the opportunity. This certainly doesn't mean we are perfect. We aren't. And it doesn't mean that our future is inevitable. It isn't, and right now it feels increasingly tenuous in ways that greatly worry me.

But sort of like a Rawls thought experiment, if you were offered the choice before birth to decide between "American" or "random chance of all the other countries in the world," you'd be crazy not to choose America.

You've either swallowed the propaganda or are willfully ignorant of all the oppression America doles out around the globe when it perceives that a democratic process somewhere is likely to support policies it does not approve of.

I can tell you that "America supports of freedom and democratic ideals around the globe" is a uniquely American view. That is, this is NOT a view shared by most people around the globe outside of America. It is DEFINITELY not a view, for instance, that has any support in the Arab world. How can it, with so much evidence to the contrary? Latin America? Hello?

Latin America? Go to our southern border and tell me how many are trying to enter our country everyday. People from all over want in-and are willing to die for it. As for the Arab world, I have a hard time believing that Pakistanis, Omanis, or Egyptians would choose to stay in their country if given an easy opportunity to immigrate to America-despite our "oppression."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread just makes me think of the great opening scene from Aaron Sorkin's "Newsroom" series.

The best part starts around 1:04. Jeff Daniels is amazing.

wow that was pretty powerful, and very true. Thanks for sharing.

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty content here but I realize I am privileged.

Now that abortion is being outlawed, no, I don't want my daughters to live here as young women.