Well, there is not many positive things to say about our government lately, but I will say that i would rather be a citizen of the United States, than any other country. Yes, our government does have it's flaws, but which government doesn't? Look at Mexico for example, would you rather live there? Risking your life every time you go out into the public, because of drug deals and murders that are happening, while the government stands and watches. Yeah sure, our government is corrupt as well, but it is not nearly as bad. Especially, when the Mexican government does not even protect its citizens from all the violence that is going on down there, in fact they are pretty much involved in most of it.
What about other countries? Japan, China, Italy, the list goes on and on, but the question is would you rather live there, or the United States? My answer is absolutely not, there is now way I would prefer any other country than the one I live in now. The streets are safe (somewhat), the people are nice, and we all love football. Just kidding on the last part, but really our government is not exactly how it should be compared to what we think it should be. That might be something that we should just let go, eventually. It's just not going to workout everytime. Of course, there are some bonehead mistakes that are made from time to time, but these politicians are human to. Everyone makes mistakes--no one is perfect. Sometimes we just have to lay off. We are the ones who elect these people to office anyway, shouldn't we be the ones to blame? Put yourself in their position, when it comes down to it you are never going to make everyone happy. I think these people have a lot of guts to get up there and lie to the whole country, day after day. Again I am joking, but I have some respect for government officials. They have a lot to do and not enough time to do everything. Yeah I will give them a break, I guess.
After reading your blog entry, I contemplated everything you wrote before I chose to respond and I have to say that I disagree wholeheartedly with your position.
ReplyDeleteAmerica is NOT as remarkable as you claim. If every Americans adopted your viewpoint, there would be no motivation to improve. You said it yourself, there are PLENTY of issues America has and they most certainly need to be resolved. There are many, MANY things wrong with our government that should not be looked past just because we live in "the land of opportunity". Politics, for example, has become a popularity contest. It has become less and less about what politicians can do for America (or pretend they can do) and more and more about who has the bigger fan club. You say that you are aware that politicians lie and that we should just deal with it, but I, as an American citizen, find it rather difficult to ignore the many lies. I also can not simply turn a blind eye to the flaw in a government that would support shutting down an organization- designed to do nothing but help women, men, and children- to further an agenda. I also can't ignore the lack of adequate healthcare for citizens who are in desperate need of it.
And to ask, "Would you rather live here or in Mexico?" is a completely unfair question. I think any American would choose America simply for the fact that Mexico has always been a poor country. It has nothing to do with the government here being better. Perhaps you should compare American government to England's government... or even Canada's. I realize that most Americans dislike Canada, but that doesn't mean they have a weak government. In fact, the Canadians seem to be one of very few populations that seem almost entirely satisfied with their political system. Not only are they happy, but they have national healthcare and don't seem to immigrate to America very often.
As Americans we should not simply accept the flaws in our government. We live in a country where we were taught to speak up for what is right and fair, but what you are asking us to do is remain silent. And I for one refuse to accept that.