America is Great Because

[Life Long Learning]

1. America's standard of living is good, but at what cost to us, the world, and the earth?
2. Taking in immigrants doesn't make a country less racist, and, compared to other countries with immigrants, our number of foreign-born residents is low. Fourteen percent of people living in the US were born abroad, 25% in Canada, 28% in Australia, and 88% in the United Arab Emirates. (Numbers from Pew Research's web site.)
3. Norway, Denmark, Germany, etc. offer free college.

America with all its faults and virtues is the country of my birth, and, while I've visited other countries, it will always be my home. I try to see if for what it is and to celebrate its virtues and work on its faults. Independence Day, for me, is a reminder that I can (and should!) do both those things.

For countries like Kuwait which both boast an immigrant population of nearly 75 percent (workers), they will never be real citizens.  Read the fine print?  By law, your line must be from prior to a certain date.  I bet UAE also has some fine print?

[videogamesrock]

1. Just for food alone, the Americans use something like 5x as much land as America has. Not farmland land, total land. (Thanks, Sophia!) This means that the US essentially has to steal from other countries to make their ends meet. This is wholly unsustainable.

2. I, uh... *looks at riots* ... No.

3. Other countries have degrees that are even cheaper when you're a citizen of said country. And you don't have to qualify for a Pell grant or anything of the sort. The only reason why I'm getting an American degree is because it's easiest for me, as an American citizen, to do so. It'd be cheaper for me to get a local degree if I could do so.

The degrees are not cheaper, they pay a 25% vat tax and have almost half of their income taken away from the tax man.  Since they use the VAT system, all goods and services are also much more expensive than in the US.  Go Merica!

[LongRoad]

Here is another one.

#4  America is one of the easiest countries to become rich if you do these simple 3 things:
- Get a college degree
- Stay off of drugs
- Save 50%+ of your money
De Nada!

By rich I mean the income from your savings is >= your living expenses.  That is freedom.

A bonus one by the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

#5 "I like the creativity," "Creativity when it comes to your tackling problems," 

"Their openness — openness and open-mindedness — because it allows them to unleash the inner potential of their people. And thanks to that, America has attained such amazing results in developing their country," said Vladimir Putin.

I don't know.  Seems Vlad and his cronies have sure done a good job of unleashing inner potential (on the Internet).  Messing with folks mind and trying to divide the U.S. by trolls, bots, whatever is a dang sight cheaper then weaponry.

---

1. America's standard of living is good, but at what cost to us, the world, and the earth?
2. Taking in immigrants doesn't make a country less racist, and, compared to other countries with immigrants, our number of foreign-born residents is low. Fourteen percent of people living in the US were born abroad, 25% in Canada, 28% in Australia, and 88% in the United Arab Emirates. (Numbers from Pew Research's web site.)
3. Norway, Denmark, Germany, etc. offer free college.

America with all its faults and virtues is the country of my birth, and, while I've visited other countries, it will always be my home. I try to see if for what it is and to celebrate its virtues and work on its faults. Independence Day, for me, is a reminder that I can (and should!) do both those things.

For countries like Kuwait which both boast an immigrant population of nearly 75 percent (workers), they will never be real citizens.  Read the fine print?  By law, your line must be from prior to a certain date.  I bet UAE also has some fine print

The web site did say mention the worker status of the UAE's immigrants, but it supports my point. Just because you admit a lot of folks doesn't mean that you're not racist. Not to say the UAE is or isn't, but there is a disparity there.

[LevelUP]

I don't know.  Seems Vlad and his cronies have sure done a good job of unleashing inner potential (on the Internet).  Messing with folks mind and trying to divide the U.S. by trolls, bots, whatever is a dang sight cheaper then weaponry.

The media does a good job with dividing the U.S. without Russia's help. Because of the media, a large percentage of the population now has TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome)

Ask someone for or against Trump to name a single bill passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump that they are against and you'll hear crickets.

[jsd]

i appreciate the satire!

[bluebooger]

... I'm here

[eriehiker]

America is great because it freed my family from German occupation along with Canada and Great Britain. My dad was born in 1938 in Wevelgem, West Flanders, Belgium. When he was almost two, the Germans invaded. My family hid in the root cellar and prayed the rosary as they heard Germans walking upstairs. The Germans established their local headquarters right next to my family's house and soldiers stole vegetables from my grandfather's garden. During the war, two of my infant uncles were killed - one when glass shattered into his crib. One when he developed pneumonia and there was no available medicine. My grandmother had a nervous breakdown and never was the same afterwards. Following the war, my family sailed across the Atlantic and into Newark/the Port of New York past the Statue of Liberty. They spoke essentially no English, but moved to Michigan and started an auto body shop that still is successful today. My dad worked hard painting cars during the day and painting on canvas for fun at night. He also became a Catholic deacon and has married hundreds and preached to thousands.

I am under no illusion that America is perfect, but it has been great to my family and for my family. And that is why I think that it is worth fighting to make democratic institutions in America models for the world. And that is why I think that it is worth fighting for an America that is powerful, humble, creative, logical and a force for good in the world.

[LongRoad]

I don't know.  Seems Vlad and his cronies have sure done a good job of unleashing inner potential (on the Internet).  Messing with folks mind and trying to divide the U.S. by trolls, bots, whatever is a dang sight cheaper then weaponry.

The media does a good job with dividing the U.S. without Russia's help.  Because of the media, a large percentage of the population now has TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome)

Ask someone for or against Trump to name a single bill passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump that they are against and you'll hear crickets.

Oh, I don't know. Seem our president is doing a fine job of diving our country all by his little ol' self. In a poor attempt to celebrate America's independence, here are some of his words about his fellow Americans, the majority of whom are engaging in peaceful demonstrations.

  "One of their political weapons is cancel culture, driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and to our values and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America." 
“If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. It’s not going to happen to us.”
M”ake no mistake. This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence, and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress. To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage.”
Pres. Trump, Mt. Rushmore July 3, 2020.

[Sapientes]

Oh, I don't know. Seem our president is doing a fine job of diving our country all by his little ol' self. In a poor attempt to celebrate America's independence, here are some of his words about his fellow Americans, the majority of whom are engaging in peaceful demonstrations.

  "One of their political weapons is cancel culture, driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and to our values and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America." 
“If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. It’s not going to happen to us.”
"Make no mistake. This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence, and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress. To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage.”
Pres. Trump, Mt. Rushmore July 3, 2020.

Not one word is untrue and it needed to be said. We lose the ability to speak freely, if they get their way. I can't think of a better day to be reminded of that than Independence Day. Happy 4th everybody!

[LongRoad]

There's a theory in law. It's called "Dirty hands." In essence, if a plaintiff who sues a defendant is guilty of acting in bad faith about the matter at hand, the plaintiff can't recover.

When it comes to his speech, our president has dirty hands.
"One of their political weapons is cancel culture, driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and to our values and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America."

Ever heard of Rex Tillerson? How about John Kelly? James Mattis? Mira Ricardel? Jeff Sessions? the list is endless.

Reasonable minds can disagree without being disagreeable. Our president does not behave in a presidential manner. He's the president of ALL Americans. To talk about people in the manner he has done is reprehensible. He doesn't try to uplift the nation. It's demoralizing.

Oh, and for the record, I do not believe that it needed to be said. In the past when I read about complaints about the police, I often thought, "Well, they were stopped by the cops. They probably were in the wrong." And I understand that law-enforcement officials, like the military, have to operate under a different set of rules. Now, with video cameras everywhere, my opinion has changed. While I still believe that the majority of men and women in law enforcement are good and decent people doing the best job that they can, I think that it's a career field that has attracted many people who are not of the same caliber. Kind of like the perverts who seek positions where they'll be in contact with kids. The stuff we're seeing on these cameras aren't "oops" moments. They're a reality that many AMERICANS have to face on a regular basis.

All of my ancestors were immigrants to the colonies or America. We have enjoyed the opportunities that living in this great country have come our way. That does not make me blind to the areas in which improvement in necessary.