Yeah, they have good health care courtesy of the American economy that incentivizes mbuttive medical research by allowing it to be profitable. That is, new drugs are extremely profitable in this country, with Americans paying the prices for the rest of the world's benefit. And the fact that doctors are better paid means more and better doctors. The guy with the 180 IQ and a serious work ethic can still go into medecine and make a bundle, rather than being lost to industry by pursuing a high pay situation as a businessman. Where do you want your best people, anyway? Someone who is working to save your life, or someone who is working to separate you from your money?
Which is one of the reasons why they can't match our industrial productivity.
I'm rapidly coming to think that there is more to the Democrat's fears of a theocracy at work in this country than the usual hot air. I don't much care for the excessive influence of the bible thumpers in this country's politics. Everyone is having kittens over the judge that ruled the pledge of allegence unconsbreastutional, but just because most Americans are Christians is no excuse for doing it. What if the pledge said "under Allah" or "under Buddah" or "under the Great Spirit" instead of "under God"? I'll tell you - the Bible thumpers would be having kittens at the thought that their kids even having to hear it, let alone say it.
Violence is a problem for the US, for sure. There has always been a culture of the use of personal violence. OTOH, we have the right to carry a gun in most places, that makes such violence a really risky proposition for the criminals. In England, their incidents of "hot" burglaries, where the home they burglarize is actually occupied, is much higher than the US, because US burglars, when asked about it in prison, respond, "That's the way to get shot."
And of course we don't have the government taxing a gallon of gasoline with $3.00 worth of taxes that now makes $3.00 a gallon gas cost $6.00. We can buy and drive cars that the whole family can get into at one time, and go someplace, with all the luggage we need, without having to depend on public transportation and share space with strangers, as well as lugging 200 lbs of luggage by hand up to the train or plane or etc. Just throw it in the trunk and head for Yellowstone the Grand Canyon Las Vegas etc.
Some of it is the liberal propensity to give criminals a pbutt, forgive them, and not punish them. Some more of it is that they don't chase the drug violators as hard as we do, which I tend to think is a good thing. We go too far in this regard.
Freedom to do more things, pursue more endeavors without government interference. Opportunity to move up in one's economic situation is greater here. I had a friend that was extremely successful in the 80's due to the proliferation of personal computers, and made enough money for the rest of his life. He was becoming disillusioned with the American way of life and actually traveled to England for the possibility of moving there. He got a load of the price of housing, and a few other things when he got there, and we never heard another thing about it. He came back to Indianapolis and is still there.
Dave Head
