Why the United States Will Fall to Second-World Status
Posted: October 24th, 2012, 1:28 pm
1. The US Healthcare System is The Most Expensive in the World - Number one on the list of top ten reasons why the US will become a second world country is the US healthcare system. Living in Thailand where my tax rate is less than 15%, I still have access to one of the best and cheapest healthcare systems in the world. A recent EKG, chest x-rays, and 9 different types of blood work cost me less than $125. In the US, this would have been thousands. In fact, even if you have insurance in the US, the cost of healthcare is so high that many insurance companies now only cover a certain percentage of it. The insured has to pay the rest.
Living in a country that offers healthcare of the same high quality as the US (why do you think so many Americans are now coming to Thailand for medical tourism?), it's amazing to me that so many Americans put up with the most expensive healthcare system in the world.
2. Violence in US Schools is Some of the Worst In The World - Again, I live in Thailand where we don't have to worry about our kids being shot while they're attending school. In 2008, the United States had nine school shootings with 16 people being killed. So far, in 2009, the United States has had two school shootings already with two people being killed. There will likely be more by the end of the year. In Thailand, we've had none. In fact, in Thailand, we've only had one school shooting ever. In 2003. And that was as a result of the ongoing Muslim separatist violence in the south of Thailand. Since 2003, the United States has had 29 school shootings. If the US cannot get control of the violence in US schools, its kids are doomed.
3. The Unwiilingness of Americans to Learn From the Past - America got its butt kicked In Vietnam, Korea and now in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unwilling to learn from its mistakes in the past (the Vietnam and Korean wars), the US government in all its arrogance went into Iraq and Afghanistan to 'solve the problems' and to 'make the world safe'. Fast forward eight years, and the world is a less safe place than it was before, with Iraq and Afghanistan still having the same instability as before and, in Iraq's case, even worse than when it was under Saddam Hussein.
4. US Kids Alive Today Will Be Paying Off the Iraq 'War' Debt for Another 50 Years - While the US doesn't have enough money to solve its burgeoning healthcare, violence, economic and social problems, it continues to pump money into Iraq to the tune of more than $200 million every day. Today's kids will be paying off this 'war' debt for the next 50 years, which means their ability to improve the lot of the United States is doomed before it even starts.
5. Racial Problems - The United States has always been a racist country and continues to be so. As African Americans and Latinos still continue to be discriminated against (just because the US has a black president, doesn't make it any less racist), racial problems in the US will continue to increase. With 30% of the US, in the last census, not being white, this number is set to increase drastically in the next few years. In fact, studies show that in many major US cities, by the year 2015, the majority of people living in those cities will be non-whites. As their numbers and strength grows, so will their power, power that will be used to fight back against racism, and even more social problems will come along with that.
6. America Has One of the Highest Tax Rates in the World - With many Americans now paying 50% or more of their salaries in income tax, (federal, state and local tax), and sales tax, many Americans are taxed beyond anything they can handle. As social situations get worse and as the war in Iraq drains the coffers even more, taxes are likely to increase (no matter what Obama says!).
With one of the highest tax rates in the world, American citizens still get less for their money than other developed countries where the rate is lower. In England, we get a nationalized healthcare system and decent public transportation. Many European countries have free or cheap healthcare, excellent public transportation systems, free university education and more. The US gets nothing for its high tax system - no free university education, no free healthcare system, and no good public transportation systems (except in very rare cities) - nothing free.
In Thailand, every citizen has the right to cheap healthcare - 30 baht per visit (that's the equivalent of 80 cents), yet our tax rate is between 7-25% for most people. The US, with a tax rate of almost 50%, provides nothing like this to its citizens.
7. The US Social Security System is Going Bankrupt - For most Americans under the age of 55, by the time they retire, the US Social Security system will probably not exist - not unless the government can come up with a plan to fix it, and fast. If you're not yet retired in the US, it would behoove you to start saving for retirement now. Because, by the time you retire, if you don't, you won't be able to retire as the US Social Security system will be bankrupt.
8. America's Arrogance When It Comes to Other Countries - Instead of trying to build good relationships with other countries, the US continues to play the 'bully on the block', constantly telling everyone else how to behave while continuing to do what they tell other countries not to do. When the US falls to second-world status, and it will, some of these countries will be the ones in control and, if they act anything like the US has done, it will be 'pay-back time'. The next few years should be spent in building bridges and making friends and allies, not in the failed policies of the past. The world is now truly global and, if the US can't play well with others, it will be the one suffering the consequences.
9. Americans Always Believe Everything American is Better - Living overseas, I've always been astounded by this, but not actually surprised. Over 80% of Americans don't even own a passport, so most of them have never left the US. If they had, they would see that many other countries are far-advanced to the US in many areas - healthcare, technology, living standards, social services, public transportation, environmental issues - on and on.
America should start to learn from other countries, where the standard of living is better, where people have more of their money left over after taxes, and where the government provides a social services net for those who are less fortunate. Not everything about America is better. Believe me. Instead of learning from what other countries are doing better, the US continues to pretend they're not. An attitude like that, the proverbial sticking your head in the sand, is a recipe for disaster, but Americans don't see it. Sad.
10. The US Education System Falls Short of the Rest of the Developed World - The United States has one of the worst education systems in the developed world, yet the government pumps more money into it than many other developed countries governments. American kids fall further and further behind on international testing standards and most science and math geniuses are now coming from Asia and not from the US (the US ranks below average in science and math understanding, behind every other developed country).
In 2008, the US only had a 77% graduation rate - at the bottom of the ladder when compared to other developed countries. As technological advances continue to rise in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, they will decline in the United States. If the US cannot get its failing education system improved, the rest of its problems will seem minor. The education system of a country and of its children is the backbone of the country. Children who are ill-educated and behind the rest of the world drag their country down with them.
It's not a foregone conclusion that this scenario will happen to the US. There is still time for change. Unfortunately, the US and the majority of Americans are likely to continue as they have for decades. Pretending they are still the best in the world and that it will continue to be so. This will be the number one reason why the US will fall to second world status. Because, in this case, ignorance will not equal bliss.
http://voices.yahoo.com/why-united-stat ... om=2&cat=9
Living in a country that offers healthcare of the same high quality as the US (why do you think so many Americans are now coming to Thailand for medical tourism?), it's amazing to me that so many Americans put up with the most expensive healthcare system in the world.
2. Violence in US Schools is Some of the Worst In The World - Again, I live in Thailand where we don't have to worry about our kids being shot while they're attending school. In 2008, the United States had nine school shootings with 16 people being killed. So far, in 2009, the United States has had two school shootings already with two people being killed. There will likely be more by the end of the year. In Thailand, we've had none. In fact, in Thailand, we've only had one school shooting ever. In 2003. And that was as a result of the ongoing Muslim separatist violence in the south of Thailand. Since 2003, the United States has had 29 school shootings. If the US cannot get control of the violence in US schools, its kids are doomed.
3. The Unwiilingness of Americans to Learn From the Past - America got its butt kicked In Vietnam, Korea and now in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unwilling to learn from its mistakes in the past (the Vietnam and Korean wars), the US government in all its arrogance went into Iraq and Afghanistan to 'solve the problems' and to 'make the world safe'. Fast forward eight years, and the world is a less safe place than it was before, with Iraq and Afghanistan still having the same instability as before and, in Iraq's case, even worse than when it was under Saddam Hussein.
4. US Kids Alive Today Will Be Paying Off the Iraq 'War' Debt for Another 50 Years - While the US doesn't have enough money to solve its burgeoning healthcare, violence, economic and social problems, it continues to pump money into Iraq to the tune of more than $200 million every day. Today's kids will be paying off this 'war' debt for the next 50 years, which means their ability to improve the lot of the United States is doomed before it even starts.
5. Racial Problems - The United States has always been a racist country and continues to be so. As African Americans and Latinos still continue to be discriminated against (just because the US has a black president, doesn't make it any less racist), racial problems in the US will continue to increase. With 30% of the US, in the last census, not being white, this number is set to increase drastically in the next few years. In fact, studies show that in many major US cities, by the year 2015, the majority of people living in those cities will be non-whites. As their numbers and strength grows, so will their power, power that will be used to fight back against racism, and even more social problems will come along with that.
6. America Has One of the Highest Tax Rates in the World - With many Americans now paying 50% or more of their salaries in income tax, (federal, state and local tax), and sales tax, many Americans are taxed beyond anything they can handle. As social situations get worse and as the war in Iraq drains the coffers even more, taxes are likely to increase (no matter what Obama says!).
With one of the highest tax rates in the world, American citizens still get less for their money than other developed countries where the rate is lower. In England, we get a nationalized healthcare system and decent public transportation. Many European countries have free or cheap healthcare, excellent public transportation systems, free university education and more. The US gets nothing for its high tax system - no free university education, no free healthcare system, and no good public transportation systems (except in very rare cities) - nothing free.
In Thailand, every citizen has the right to cheap healthcare - 30 baht per visit (that's the equivalent of 80 cents), yet our tax rate is between 7-25% for most people. The US, with a tax rate of almost 50%, provides nothing like this to its citizens.
7. The US Social Security System is Going Bankrupt - For most Americans under the age of 55, by the time they retire, the US Social Security system will probably not exist - not unless the government can come up with a plan to fix it, and fast. If you're not yet retired in the US, it would behoove you to start saving for retirement now. Because, by the time you retire, if you don't, you won't be able to retire as the US Social Security system will be bankrupt.
8. America's Arrogance When It Comes to Other Countries - Instead of trying to build good relationships with other countries, the US continues to play the 'bully on the block', constantly telling everyone else how to behave while continuing to do what they tell other countries not to do. When the US falls to second-world status, and it will, some of these countries will be the ones in control and, if they act anything like the US has done, it will be 'pay-back time'. The next few years should be spent in building bridges and making friends and allies, not in the failed policies of the past. The world is now truly global and, if the US can't play well with others, it will be the one suffering the consequences.
9. Americans Always Believe Everything American is Better - Living overseas, I've always been astounded by this, but not actually surprised. Over 80% of Americans don't even own a passport, so most of them have never left the US. If they had, they would see that many other countries are far-advanced to the US in many areas - healthcare, technology, living standards, social services, public transportation, environmental issues - on and on.
America should start to learn from other countries, where the standard of living is better, where people have more of their money left over after taxes, and where the government provides a social services net for those who are less fortunate. Not everything about America is better. Believe me. Instead of learning from what other countries are doing better, the US continues to pretend they're not. An attitude like that, the proverbial sticking your head in the sand, is a recipe for disaster, but Americans don't see it. Sad.
10. The US Education System Falls Short of the Rest of the Developed World - The United States has one of the worst education systems in the developed world, yet the government pumps more money into it than many other developed countries governments. American kids fall further and further behind on international testing standards and most science and math geniuses are now coming from Asia and not from the US (the US ranks below average in science and math understanding, behind every other developed country).
In 2008, the US only had a 77% graduation rate - at the bottom of the ladder when compared to other developed countries. As technological advances continue to rise in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, they will decline in the United States. If the US cannot get its failing education system improved, the rest of its problems will seem minor. The education system of a country and of its children is the backbone of the country. Children who are ill-educated and behind the rest of the world drag their country down with them.
It's not a foregone conclusion that this scenario will happen to the US. There is still time for change. Unfortunately, the US and the majority of Americans are likely to continue as they have for decades. Pretending they are still the best in the world and that it will continue to be so. This will be the number one reason why the US will fall to second world status. Because, in this case, ignorance will not equal bliss.
http://voices.yahoo.com/why-united-stat ... om=2&cat=9