America is the wealthiest and most powerful country. American citizens have the highest standard of living, the lowest infant mortality, and the longest life spans of any people on planet Earth. The American system of Democracy and the U.S. Constitution protects the individual from abuses by the rich and powerful. Employers are required to make sure that the workplace is safe and they are required to treat their workers fairly. People are treated as innocent unless they are proven guilty in a fair and open court. America has more of a commitment to solar energy and conservation than any other country. The American government always “plays fair” …. this is the American Way.
The government does not operate “secret” jails. If an American is arrested he is always provided with a competent lawyer and is guaranteed prompt access to the courts. No one ever languishes in jail for months or years without even being formally charged with a crime in open court, not in some secret government proceeding. The police and other government representatives are prohibited from lying to citizens in this country. Americans have more freedom of speech than the citizens of any other country, and poor people in America receive the same fair treatment when dealing with the American government as rich people do. The government is not allowed to spy on its citizens; the Bill of Rights and the Constitution protect people from these abuses.
All of the statements in the preceding two paragraphs are incorrect. I could write many more. Many people will respond by saying, “Yes, America is not perfect. But it is still the very finest country on the planet.” This statement is also far from accurate, and is an intellectually lazy cop-out. Anyone who takes this position is simply closed minded and ignorant. These people have not lived in other parts of the world for any significant time and have not seen that many other countries have figured out better ways of solving problems than America has. For example, almost all of the first-world wealthiest democracies guarantee adequate health care to all people (citizens and visitors) as a basic human right. All of the rich countries except America.
In today's news I see that Europe has rejected America's demand for detailed banking information on all airline travelers. The vote by the European Union brings into focus the fact that European countries assure their citizens far more personal privacy than the American government does.
Since becoming president one year ago there was great hope that Barack Obama would solve some of these problems. Instead of behaving like an open minded, well educated progressive, Obama's behavior on the major issues has been that of a center-right Republican. Kind of a more articulate and kinder/gentler George Bush Jr. --President Barack Obama is certainly “cooler” and nicer than President Bush II, but in actual practice his policies are not significantly different.
LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/world/europe/12swift.html
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