Why do so many people want America to be like Europe?
Throughout the history of this country we have rescued countries from being occupied, helped after natural disasters, given food and money during drought. Certainly the US has had a better life style than any other country on earth and that is because of Democracy and Capitalism. After world war 2 all of Europe was in shambles and the US rebuilt them. They have not paid back the loans used to rebuild.
They had an opportunity to model after the US government and business style and most have chosen not done so. The are living a life style that is lesser than ours and calling us arrogant because we do better. Since we proved our way works better, why would Americans want to be less than they are?
Me2010-03-19T14:06:01Z
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Considering 3/4 of Americans do not even own a passport, I am willing to bet you fall into this category. Now, how can anyone who has never stepped foot outside the US, or even lived in another country, European or not, make such blanket statements?
Here are a few facts you may find interesting. 1) USA ranking on Literacy scale: #9 (#1 Sweden and #2 Norway) OECD 2) USA ranking on health care quality index: #37 (#1 France and #2 Italy) World health organization 3) USA ranking of student reading ability: #12 (#1 Finland and #2 South Korea) OECD PISA 4) USA ranking of student problem solving ability: #26 (#1 South Korea and #2 Finland) OECD PISA 5) USA Ranking on student mathematics ability : #24 (#1 Hong Kong and #2 Finland) OECD PISA 6)USA ranking of student science ability: #19 (#1 Finland and #2 Japan) OECD PISA 7) USA ranking on women's rights scale: #17 (#1 Sweden and #2 Norway) World economic forum report 8)USA ranking on life expectancy: #29 (#1 Japan and #2 Hong Kong) UN human development report 9) USA ranking on journalistic press freedom index: #32 (#1 Finland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands tied) Reporters without borders. 10) USA ranking on political corruption index: #17 ( #1 Iceland and #2 Finland) Transparency international 11) USA ranking on quality of life survey: #13 (#1 Ireland and #2 Switzerland) The economist magazine 12) USA ranking on environmental sustainability index: #45 ( #1 Finland and #2 Norway) Yale university 13) USA ranking on infant mortality rate: #32 ( #1 Sweden and #2 Finland) Save the children report 14) USA ranking on human development index: (GDP, education, etc) #10 (#1 Norway and #2 Iceland) UN human development report
Another myth: Denmark gives the most of its GDP (1.01%) to developing countries: Norway gives 0.91%: The Netherlands give 0.79% and so on until the end of the list, where the USA sits. Yes the USA ranks DEAD LAST in foreign aid at the pathetic 0.1% of its GDP, compared to the other 21 nations listed as developed nations. The idea that the US government is a heroic bunch that runs around the world helping the poor and the ddis-empoweredis not backed up by the evidence. We have one of the stingiest governments on Earth.
Most Americans believe the US spends 24% of its budget on aid to poor countries: the actual amount is well under a quarter of 1%. Our country also ranks #5 on the asylum-seeker acceptance rates (#1 is Denmark and #2 is Canada)
Just some food for thought. I guess these are just a few of the reasons why any other country, much less a European one, would want to be like America.
for a start Europe has repaid every single cent lent to it by the US in the war, in fact the UK made it's last payment in 2005. (and you cut off all aid to the UK in 1946, so you certainly didn't rebuild anything there)
then we have the fact that while SOME Americans live very good standards of living,
most of you don't,
(90% of the wealth of america is in the hands of 10% of it's citizens, the other 90% can bask in the reflected glory but still get to worry about bills)
you have the highest percentage of people living below the international poverty line than any other 1st world nation, you have the largest percentage of population in jail of any nation outside of communist dictatorships, this matches your insane levels of crime (the closest a european nation has come to an american murder rate, was northern ireland in the early 1990's when they were almost in civil war!) you have the highest illiteracy rate in the first world, the highest percentage of single parents and the highest percentage of teenage pregnancy. you spend twice as much per GDP on your healthcare than most other nations yet somehow only manage to be 37th on the world lists of best healthcares. your nation is one of the most polluted on earth with only 3rd world junkyards beating you. your democracy is basic and limited, with only two parties to choose from - your either one or the other, most other countries like to have a bit of choice and get a wide range of views your legal system is based on the richer you are the more you can get away with.
your business style, paid for Hitlers and Japans rearmament in the 1930's, (you were still giving money to Hitler in 1940!! and Japan until 1941!) which then lead to millions of deaths, (since then you have done nothing but moan about having to save the day - from a mess you helped make in the first place) your business style paid for communist china to come into existence, who in turn repaid you by causing the deaths of thousands of young americans in both korea and vietnam. you bankrolled Saddam's army in the 1980's, (that didn't turn out well, did it)
and lets not its forget your business style that paid for the taliban, (who i suspect still have not repaid you yet)
and your the fattest nation on earth with one of the lowest life expectancies.
personally i too wonder why more people don't try the American way.
Whoa... you lost me after ..'They are living a lifestyle lesser than ours'.... A person like you does not want an answer, you just want idiots to agree with you. Let America be what it wants to be, and let Europe do fine as usual.
I am American and Live in Europe. The ''Marshall Plan'' to rebuild europe after WW2 was not offered full of expectations of a quick payback. The USA has a 3 trillion dollar debt it has not ''paid back''. Tell me again how '..American Capitalism, ...we do better..' You conveniently forgot to mention all the European disaster Relief Organizations, Doctors Without Frontiers, and the economic strength of the British Pound and the EURO. How much money did Europe pledge after the Sunami? Beaucoup!! How many rescue teams did Europe send to earthquake zones in Turkey and Haiti, along with America ? Muchos amigo. Have you ever been to Europe? No.
RONALD.... isn't your last name McDONALD? http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/Ronald_McDonald.jpg
JAJAJAJA Ignorant, Europeans dont have to worry about a lot of things we do and their economy is waaaaaaaay stronger, they dont owe as much money as we do and there is racism but not as mucn as here, the only reason why so many people from mexico wants to be here is because is closer, BUT, now we have a great realistic president , i hope Obama have enough time to fix so much problems left by Republicans