Counter-balance to a recent post that provided 14 Startling Sad Facts about the US.
https://steemit.com/life/@davebrewer/proud-to-be-an-american-with-lee-greenwood-and-14-startlingly-sad-facts-about-americans
I ended that post promising to follow-up with a new post explaining Why the US is the Best Country in The World
Roll tape.
GENTLEST FOREIGN POLICY OF ANY MAJOR POWER IN HISTORY
The US has been an abstaining super-power, since obtaining super-power status after WW1. The US has not entered wars as a super-power with the intention of gaining and holding ground. If Germany had won WW1 or WW2 would the map of Europe look as it currently does? If Russia had won the Cold War, would the map of Europe look as it currently does? US enters wars on the side of freedom. US is an abstaining super-power, meaning no interest in permanently subjugating and permanently conquering any lands or people.
LAND OF OPPORTUNITY
The US ranks in the top 5% globally for GDP per capita. 8 out of 190 in 2016. Countries higher on the list tend to be banking/financial havens (Luxembourg and Switzerland) or have an economy based substantially on natural resources (Norway and Qatar). If you work hard in the US you are guaranteed to have the opportunity for an abundant life. In the US, the destiny of the young is not given to them by their birth, it is created by them by their actions, ingenuity, work ethic and innovation.
STRONG ENFORCEMENT OF CONTRACTS AND LAW
The US is ranked 8 out of 190 in terms of contract enforcement. Confidence in the rule of law allows investments to be made in property and persons, knowing that arbitrary decisions by kings, despots, dictators or democrats are unlikely to result in loss of your capital.
MORE SOCIAL MOBILITY and SOCIAL EQUALITY
The US leads in belief in a meritocracy. It doesn’t matter where you originated, at what level in society, the sky is the limit in terms of opportunity in the US. And despite larger inequalities of wealth and income than in some other countries, Americans believe in social equality in a way not typical of other countries. In the US it is widely believed that just because you are rich, doesn’t make you better. This isn’t common on global basis.
GLOBAL LEADER IN INNOVATION
In 2016, the leaders in international patent applications were US (58K), Japan (44K) and China (30K). Global Innovation Index for 2017 ranks innovative countries as Switzerland (1), Sweden (2), Netherlands (3), US (4), UK (5). There is no single perfect measure of innovation. But we can note the country where all of the following companies got started and then subsequently thrived: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Tesla, Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Hollywood entertainment industry, etc. etc.
CONSUMER ACCESS TO DEBT FINANCING
The US is near the top of the heap in providing consumers with access to credit facilities. For US consumers having these types of debts, average debt per person is $16K credit cards, $27K car loans, $48K student loans, and $169K mortgages. Is the average US consumer too deep in debt? Perhaps. But debt isn’t inherently good or bad. It is up to each person to take advantage of debt to better their situation. The US makes this possible, so an average anybody can pursue opportunities, that would be out of reach in most other countries.
ROBUST GROWTH OF LOCAL ENERGY SOURCES
Many new sources of energy are being found and brought on line in the US. Shale, natural gas, renewables via solar and wind. Predictions are US reliance on foreign energy could drop from 25% today, down to 17% by 2035. Reduced reliance on foreign energy sources produces better global stability, limiting the ability of energy rich states to blackmail others. This blackmail occurs today between Russia and Europe, to the disadvantage of Europe and the world.
ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES DO NOT DIVIDE AND TERRORIZE THE POPULATION
In places like New York, you can see the way in which Serbs and Croatians, Sikhs and Hindus, Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants, Jews and Islamic Palestinians, all work and live together in relative harmony. Religion and government are separated in the US. There is no official religion sanctioned by the state. And all rights are individual rights, as opposed to granting special rights to any racial or ethnic groups. Immigrants can come to US and become “full Americans”. This is not possible in places like India, or Germany, or Japan, or many other locations around the world.
UNDISPUTED LEADER FOR GLOBAL INNOVATION IN MEDICINE
“U.S. medical research remains the primary global source of new discoveries, drugs, medical devices, and clinical procedures,” said University of Rochester neurologist Ray Dorsey, M.D., M.B.A.. “However, a decade of unprecedented growth in research activity has been followed by a decade of steady decline which now leaves open the possibility that other nations could assume global leadership given their increasing investment in biomedical research.” Medical research has become an increasingly global endeavor and investments by other countries, particularly in Asia, are eroding U.S. leadership. In 2004, U.S. medical R&D spending represented 57 percent of the global total. By 2014, the U.S. share had fallen to 44 percent with Asia – led by China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Singapore – rapidly making up ground and increasing investment by 9.4 percent per year. If current trends continue, the U.S. will be overtaken by China as the global leader in medical R&D in the next ten years.
Congratulations and thank you if you read this extended post. Too many words, not enough pictures.
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DaveB
Images from: sovereignman.com, infiniteunknown.net, linkedin.com, policymed.com, marketingmag.com
References from:
http://www.businessinsider.com/10-reasons-why-america-is-an-awesome-country-2011-11
http://www.dineshdsouza.com/news/10-great-things-about-america/