Well it is almost the Fourth of July and the 'America is the root of all evil' crowd is crawling out of the wood work. Matthew Rothschild of The Progressive and Chris Satullo of the Philadelphia Inquirer blather on that we all ought to hang our heads in shame.
http://www.progressive.org/mag/wx070208
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080701_Chris_Satullo__A_not-so-glorious_Fourth.html
Personally, I think they ought to heed their own advice.
America is the best thing going. Sure there are other democracies, democracies with better health care, democracies that are greener, perhaps you might even prefer a socialist state. But doing a simple cost/benefit analysis proves out that America is the best bang for your buck.
For those of you who want our government to be your mommy, to take care of you when you are sick, to guarantee you housing and a job. You often point to Europe as your ideal. Let's take a quick look at some simple facts.
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK all have personal tax rates approaching or over 50%, add in the VAT and you get numbers closer to 70%... that's 50% of all you have coming in, and 20% of all you have going out. Socialized medicine and a welfare state still sound great to you?
I've lived in Europe and while it's a great place to visit I wouldn't want to live there... actually, that's not completely true... I wouldn't want to pay taxes there.
I've lived in Asia, and while having a policeman standing on the street corner twenty-four hours a day never bothered me, I'm sure it would make at least a few of you very uncomfortable.
Where else can one enjoy the same freedoms that we enjoy? Dutch Cartoonists in jail, Bridget Bardot convicted and fined for voicing her opinion, Scottish police apologising for puppy pictures...
You may not agree with the policies of our government, but hey! You can voice those opinions without any fear of retribution. Want to tell everyone that the World Trade Center collapse was not the result of airplane collisions but a secret plot by the CIA and shadow government... no one will come knocking at your door at three o'clock in the morning to escort you off to a reeducation camp.
So this Fourth of July, sit back, enjoy your barbecue, watch some fireworks, and give thanks that you either live in the greatest country on earth or that you can express your vitriolic opinion without fear of getting shot in the head and buried behind the barn.
Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan... you are free to practice the religion of your choice with no repercussions, no witch hunts (sorry Wiccans).
Want a gun? want ten? Stock up, be it for hunting or self-defense... hell you can even bury ammunition in your own backyard if you want to.
Sure we have our flaws, but there are no Utopias... compare what you have and what others offer, stay if you like, leave if you like (and if they will take you in)... heck! You're Free! Enjoy it.
Democrat, Republican, Independent... Socialist, Communist, Fascist...if you really want to be. No one is coming after you because of your political affiliation, as long as you operate under the constraints of the law and constitution.
Because, despite all of your incessant whining, you really aren't all that bad off.
Cheers!
~Finntann~
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