Hi there,
I was reading everybody's opinion on this and some of you are spot on. As a Canadian living in Europe, I can say that the US is a form of "pure Capitalism" like many countries in South America where social systems are virtually non-existent. Good retirement plans are private, health care is private, universities are only for the wealthy, crime is rampant compared to other First World Economies, etc. The gap between rich and poor is huge, and each year this is keeps on growing. The US has a "sick" population since many people can't afford decent (or even basic things like check ups, dentists, medicine, etc).
Now, I don't believe in extremes like pure capitalism or communism BUT a good balance between both ideas is needed if you want a health, safe and forward looking country with well-educated people. A country should offer it's people a good (free) schooling system, affordable tertiary education, decent basic health care, a feeling of national and local security (i.e. not feeling the need to sleep with a gun in the house to feel safe.) etc. And to me, this is not what the US offers to it's citizens... and what is worse, many people there think that these basic "rights" are somehow only found in "bad socialist (communist) countries" and that their way is the best. It doesn't matter that kids with cancer are kicked off health plans or that you need a credit card before a hospital will touch you or that their "Freedom of Speech" is only for those that don't speak out against them like Michael Moore - or that, heaven forbid, publishes a book that supposedly promotes witchcraft i.e. Harry Potter... In fact, a country that allows "Creationism" to be taught in schools but questions evolution has somehow lost its way in this great big ocean of change that the world is experiencing.
