The United States is Great.
I love the United States of America.
I am a lucky human to have been born here. Honestly, I think Americans take our freedom for granted sometimes. I think about it fairly often, and I have to list a few things that I think make us a stand-out place:
--Blogs. Guess what? I'll bet people in China and North Korea don't get to blog/vent/complain about anything without fear of retribution or of their families being taken away by the secret police in the night. Blogs are great.
--Talk Radio. Ok. Some people might think that talk radio is controlled by conservatives, but I've seen some interesting ratings incursions lately by progressives and third parties, and of course the great Coast to Coast AM is...well, it's something else altogether. As much as you might hate those propaganda-ish right-wing shows, at least you have a forum that is actually becoming a more broad spectrum of the beliefs and leanings of Americans. That couldn't happen in, say, Saudi Arabia.
--Expensive Pet Food. I'm sure you're wondering what I mean by this. If you live in a place where you can spend upwards of $30-$50 on a bag of food for your dog, I would say you live in a highly realized civilization. Seriously! If you are that caring about what an animal eats, it means that you have a high regard for life, no matter its station in the grand scheme of nature. Add to that the fact that you even have the money to spend on such a thing...well, compared to almost everyone else in the world, you're wealthy. Americans on the whole care about animals, and that says a lot about a society.
--News, 24/7. Some people might hate this trend in journalism. I for one am happy that Ted Turner went nuts one day and decided that a 24-hour-a-day news channel was a good idea. Look at how informed we are now, compared to, say, 1976 when we had to wait for the news at 5 and 5:30 p.m. and that was IT. Of course, cable news could be SO much better, and I do see moments of greatness every few weeks here and there. Perhaps one day the medium will stop pandering to the lowest common denominator and highest ad buys and actually become something great, like "Frontline" or "NOVA." One can hope.
--You can start your own business. This is, without doubt, one of the greatest things about America. I moved to Utah in 2000 and started my own business on credit cards, money I made from selling a house in Kansas, and former employment experience. I am my own boss, I have my own hours, and I can sit around and type on the computer when I'm not busy...I can also work whenever I want, even at 9 o'clock at night in my robe. If you have a dream, all it takes is courage to quit your job and just GO FOR IT! Most people aren't aware that this is possible since they are bogged down in debt, brainwashed into that whole "you must have a real job when you get out of college" crap, and of course the house and 2.7 kids thing. It's not impossible! It's not! Just do it. DO IT! Dreams made real are what make America great. Yes, starting your own business involves risk. But how do you know if you'll make it, and maybe make it BIG, unless you try? At least in America, you have the freedom to try. The financing, of course, is another story...but with the right idea, that's not impossible, either.
--Las Vegas. *sigh* Do I even need to say anything about a town based on taking your money, which is given freely in exchange for seeing some pretty lights, happy wheels going around, and giant pirate fights on Las Vegas Boulevard? I rest my case. Don King walked up to my husband on the strip one night, just walked right up to him, shook his hand and said, "Man...I LOVE this country." Then he and his entourage just kept on walking.
In the immortal words of Don King...man, I LOVE this country! I do. Happy 4th.
I am a lucky human to have been born here. Honestly, I think Americans take our freedom for granted sometimes. I think about it fairly often, and I have to list a few things that I think make us a stand-out place:
--Blogs. Guess what? I'll bet people in China and North Korea don't get to blog/vent/complain about anything without fear of retribution or of their families being taken away by the secret police in the night. Blogs are great.
--Talk Radio. Ok. Some people might think that talk radio is controlled by conservatives, but I've seen some interesting ratings incursions lately by progressives and third parties, and of course the great Coast to Coast AM is...well, it's something else altogether. As much as you might hate those propaganda-ish right-wing shows, at least you have a forum that is actually becoming a more broad spectrum of the beliefs and leanings of Americans. That couldn't happen in, say, Saudi Arabia.
--Expensive Pet Food. I'm sure you're wondering what I mean by this. If you live in a place where you can spend upwards of $30-$50 on a bag of food for your dog, I would say you live in a highly realized civilization. Seriously! If you are that caring about what an animal eats, it means that you have a high regard for life, no matter its station in the grand scheme of nature. Add to that the fact that you even have the money to spend on such a thing...well, compared to almost everyone else in the world, you're wealthy. Americans on the whole care about animals, and that says a lot about a society.
--News, 24/7. Some people might hate this trend in journalism. I for one am happy that Ted Turner went nuts one day and decided that a 24-hour-a-day news channel was a good idea. Look at how informed we are now, compared to, say, 1976 when we had to wait for the news at 5 and 5:30 p.m. and that was IT. Of course, cable news could be SO much better, and I do see moments of greatness every few weeks here and there. Perhaps one day the medium will stop pandering to the lowest common denominator and highest ad buys and actually become something great, like "Frontline" or "NOVA." One can hope.
--You can start your own business. This is, without doubt, one of the greatest things about America. I moved to Utah in 2000 and started my own business on credit cards, money I made from selling a house in Kansas, and former employment experience. I am my own boss, I have my own hours, and I can sit around and type on the computer when I'm not busy...I can also work whenever I want, even at 9 o'clock at night in my robe. If you have a dream, all it takes is courage to quit your job and just GO FOR IT! Most people aren't aware that this is possible since they are bogged down in debt, brainwashed into that whole "you must have a real job when you get out of college" crap, and of course the house and 2.7 kids thing. It's not impossible! It's not! Just do it. DO IT! Dreams made real are what make America great. Yes, starting your own business involves risk. But how do you know if you'll make it, and maybe make it BIG, unless you try? At least in America, you have the freedom to try. The financing, of course, is another story...but with the right idea, that's not impossible, either.
--Las Vegas. *sigh* Do I even need to say anything about a town based on taking your money, which is given freely in exchange for seeing some pretty lights, happy wheels going around, and giant pirate fights on Las Vegas Boulevard? I rest my case. Don King walked up to my husband on the strip one night, just walked right up to him, shook his hand and said, "Man...I LOVE this country." Then he and his entourage just kept on walking.
In the immortal words of Don King...man, I LOVE this country! I do. Happy 4th.
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