Is America Great?

I got into an argument today with some folks (on Facebook of course) about whether or not the United States is a great country. To my astonishment, many of the people on the feed denied that the United States is great at all and proceeded to compare the U.S. to third world countries and worse. I've traveled to other countries, and from what I have personally seen, the U.S. has a lot going for it.

I absolutely agree that the U.S. has some problems that need to be sorted out. In my opinion, however, the pluses far outweigh the minuses.

The U.S. has a very high standard of living. Real GDP/capita is currently $57,608 [in 2018], which is not the highest, but arguably the highest among large countries. Compare that to China’s $15,395 . Astonishing, right?

It’s the most popular immigration destination. Clearly the US has the largest immigrant population among all the countries in the world. This is is even more impressive when you consider that the US’s immigration policy is very restrictive. According to the U.N.'s 2015 report 46,627,102 people living in the United States were born in other countries. So there must be some compelling reasons for people to want to come.

The U.S. is culturally and racially diverse, and was shaped by large waves of immigration from Europe and beyond. American literature, art and music reflect the rich heritage of the country’s people

It’s a great place to do business. Every year, Swiss business school IMD conducts a ranking on which countries are the most competitive. This is the most reputable competitiveness ranking in the world. In the 2017 ranking, the US is ranked #3.

 The U.S. economy is the world’s largest in terms of gross domestic product, and also the most technologically powerful. The country’s most significant exports are computers and electrical machinery, vehicles, chemical products, food, live animals and military equipment. The U.S. also has the world’s largest coal reserves.

In addition, the U.S. Influences other countries by the export of intangible products like movies, TV shows, music, software, and video games. Essentially, almost all media we consume today in the west is American, and many cultures are strongly influenced by the US’s.

The United States is top-notch for research and education. It has not only the vast majority of the world’s best universities: MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and Caltech. The United States has had the most Nobel Prize winners, with 336 winners overall. It has been most successful in the area of Physiology or Medicine, with 94 laureates since 1901.

We are Americans ... We are Immigrants

Most Americans don't have to look very far back in their family history to find an ancestor who immigrated to America. With the exception of people who are full blooded Indians and people whose ancestors were captured and brought here as slaves - our ancestors immigrated to America. All came to find a better life, to flee from war, to find more prosperous land, to find more freedom.

I look back at my heritage, only three generations on my mother's side, and I don't really know on my father's side when my people came here. My great grandmother on my mother's side was full blooded Indian, Cherokee I have been told. My great grandfather was Dutch, a farmer in southern Illinois. I gather from my mother's stories that my great grandmother, Dora, passed as white. It was not the done thing for a white man to marry an Indian woman. According to my mom, Dora's brothers, Mom's uncles lived in houses in the woods somewhere and mostly hunted and trapped to survive. One of them was a horse trainer. And one of them looked just like the Indian on the Indian head nickel.

The only thing I know about my father's side is that my grandfather was a country doctor in west Texas, San Angelo. He would make house calls in the rural areas, and sometimes be paid with livestock rather than cash ... chickens and pigs. I have no idea when my father's people came to America. His last name, my birth name, was Chambers. A proper English name. Cameron is a family name on my father's side, derived from the Scottish Cameron Clan. And somewhere in my father's family history is Irish also. My father was a veteran of World War II, and his father fought in World War I.

My ancestors on both sides came to America for their own reasons, reasonably to find a better life. They did not come as refugees, they came for the opportunities available in a young country.

The United States only dates back to 1776. Colonists, pilgrims, and explorers came earlier. Few Americans can trace their family history back more than a few generations as having lived in America. We are immigrants. Me, born in Texas, raised in Florida, date my family history back only three generations.

I don't understand how Americans so begrudge immigrants who come here wanting a better life. We all want a better life for ourselves and our children. I can't understand how the descendants of people who fled the World Wars can seek to block those who flee the current wars. And I will never understand, how any American can be so threatened by people entering this vast wonderful country in search of a better life.

Proud to Be an American

I am proud to live in America. I am happy for my luck to be born in the greatest country on earth. I accept America's flaws and foibles, and consider them minor compared to her many positive attributes. We have freedom. Not complete freedom. Complete freedom is chaos leading straight to anarchy. Laws are a framework, a structure for society.

The structure of laws, and yes, fear of punishment is absolutely necessary to hold society together. The evil nature of people must be kept in check for any society to thrive. Just like a child who knows no rules, a citizenry lacking laws grows anxious. A society that is too lax breeds disorder. If those citizens who are inherently evil, are not regularly kept in check, they will do their evil doings on those citizens who are mainly good.

American criminal and civil punishments are generally reasonable. Although we allow the death penalty for the most serious crimes, we do not cut off the hands of thieves. And, although a creditor may seize a debtor's property, debtors do not go to prison.

The taxes that we pay are fair and reasonable compared to other countries. Consider Sweden -- 59% personal income tax rate; or Aruba at 60%. Average personal income tax in the U.S. is 39%; England's is 45%.

We are a democratic republic. Americans can participate in a general election, or choose not to vote at all. Some countries require their citizens to vote or be subject to a fine or imprisonment. We elect our politicians to pass laws that benefit the most people most of the time. If those politicians fail to do so, we can choose to vote them out the next term. We are free to vote our conscience, or not to vote at all.

There are many more reasons to love America. I like the mantra - "Love it or Leave it". I firmly believe that it is the duty of every U.S. resident to respect our society and uphold the laws of our country. We were once considered a "melting pot" with people from all over the world coming together to form our great society. And although, it is just fine for each of us to honor our roots - we are all Americans.

Stand proud.

Friends don't let friends vote Trump.

I try my best to refrain from commenting on politics, but this time ... enough is enough. If I alienate you as a reader, so be it. I don't want to be like the German citizens who looked the other way during Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Of course, we all want America to be great, who doesn't? Trump's rhetoric is racist, damaging and divisive. Let alone that he is inciting violence. I came across the following as a comment online. I would give proper credit, but I don't know where I found it. Good information, here it is:

"On several occasions, Trump is recorded at his rallies exhorting his minions to commit acts of violence against those who disagree with him and offering to pay the legal expenses of anyone who acts on his "suggestions."

Nov 22, 2015: Video showed a gang of men kicking and punching a Black Lives Matter protester at a rally in Birmingham, Alabama. When asked about the Alabama incident, Trump blamed the victim. "Maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing."

Feb 1, 2016: Trump told his supporters, "There may be somebody with tomatoes in the audience. If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the #$%$ out of them, would you? Seriously. Okay? Just knock the hell -- I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees."

Feb. 22, 2016: Trump has even threatened to personally get in on the action. "I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell ya," he said of a protester.

Trump should be charged with a Federal offense, Solicitation to commit a crime of violence:

18 U.S. Code § 373 - Solicitation to commit a crime of violence

(a) Whoever, with intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a felony that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against property or against the person of another in violation of the laws of the United States, and under circumstances strongly corroborative of that intent, solicits, commands, induces, or otherwise endeavors to persuade such other person to engage in such conduct, shall be imprisoned not more than one-half the maximum term of imprisonment or (notwithstanding section 3571) fined not more than one-half of the maximum fine prescribed for the punishment of the crime solicited, or both; or if the crime solicited is punishable by life imprisonment or death, shall be imprisoned for not more than twenty years."

Some of Trump's Positions (from his campaign site):

Immigration Reform:

A nation without borders is not a nation. There must be a wall across the southern border. Make Mexico Pay For The Wall

Gun Control/ Second Amendment:

The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.

My Comments:

Immigration Reform according to Trump:

Build a wall AND make Mexico pay for it? How exactly is that supposed to work? How can we make Mexico pay for a wall? Many of us would like to see the immigration laws enforced, I include myself in that, but at what cost? Do we want to completely alienate Mexico, which despite all their foibles, has always been a U.S. ally. Are we to believe the Mexicans come and take our jobs? Why not punish the employers who hire undocumented workers? Are we to believe that Mexicans over burden our welfare system? I doubt it, at minimum you need to prove who you are to collect any sort of welfare benefits. There are not really hand-outs to undocumented aliens, other than emergency medical care. Are we to be so lacking in humanity to deny that as well?

Gun Control/ Second Amendment according to Trump:

I don't really have a dog in that hunt. I see both sides. My problem with Trump's statement on his site, is that he MISSTATES the Second Amendment. That is not what the Second Amendment says. Period.

The Second Amendment:

 "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Gun advocates, including Trump, tend to leave out the first clause of the Second Amendment, particularly the part about "A well regulated militia..." to drive home their point. When Trump misstates a constitutional amendment on his campaign site during a run for the republican nomination, he makes himself a complete liar to me. Remember, Hitler always advised to go for the big lie.

An article I came across that is a first hand impression of a Trump rally is here.