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Much of the world pays $10-cents/gallon for gas...full service

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Americans look around the planet and see themselves as the last remaining super power, the nation with the most wealth, the most extensive military. They see themselves as a model, a country that everyone should both respect and emulate. Each day we are becoming more and more a nation characterized not by idealism but rather by arrogance. It is exactly this arrogance that can keep us from achieving the real international leadership to which we feel called. The first step back from this dangerous precipice is to recognize why Americans feel superior.

1. Geography. Because Americans live in their own hemisphere which they have dominated since the Monroe Doctrine in the early 19th century, they have had the liberty to live a very isolated existence. They have as a result not just physically, but also emotionally , distanced themselves from the rest of the world.

One reason why Americans feel superior is because our geography has so long protected us from reality. There are other powers on this earth that can do us harm. Unless we experience our own vulnerability we will continue to be insensitive to the daily suffering of people around the world

2. American Superiority in Battle. World Wars I and Ii gave Americans the feeling that there was no foe capable of besting us. Our success in turning the tide and playing a decisive roll in the winning of those wars gave us a sense military strength beyond that of any other nation. We have believed for generations that when we step into a battle we automatically change the context of that battle. We see ourselves as the decisive force capable of winning the day. Somewhere along the way our very real military power began to be seen as always having the right answer to every problem. Internationally that attitude of arrogance has cost us friends and allies.

3. Wealth. We are such a wealthy nation and so much of our own domestic pecking order has become based on wealth, that we have begun to see our wealth, too, as being equivalent to knowledge. In our international relations we too often proceed as if having unprecedented wealth makes us ipso facto the intellectual super star of the international community. Wealth can be impressive and flashy, but even in small circles wealth never guarantees that you are correct.

Americans have heard for so long about how wealthy we are. We have wrapped ourselves in our material possessions. We consistently want more, of everything. All that seems to satisfy us is feeding our insatiable desire for more things. As we pursue more and more we seem to care little about the condition of the rest of the planet. We feel that we are not obliged to be concerned about the fate of humanity as long as we have what we want, now.
4. By our bootstraps. Americans have taught each succeeding generation that the way Americans have become great is through their own efforts. Americans have worked hard, they say, for everything they have. Americans want to believe that the way to wealth is the old fashioned way. Americans are great, the story goes, because they have pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. No one helped Americans. They just toughed it out and worked hard, that's how Americans became the leaders of the free world and the most powerful nation of all times.

The only problem with that vision is that it lacks truth. American economic power has from the beginning had little to do with bootstraps and a lot to do with riding the backs of slaves, immigrants and third world nations. Americans still struggle to see themselves through the prism of truth and insist on the myth of the boot straps.

This belief in their own hard work and ignorance of the reality of how America's wealth is acquired is a major reason why Americans feel superior.

5. An English language education. There is a real irony in the fact that many Americans are working so hard to make certain that all Americans learn to speak and use English regularly. The irony lies in the fact that it is exactly this linguistic isolation that is part of the reason why Americans feel superior.

Everything Americans see on television, listen to on radio or read in magazines and newspapers is in English. We are only interested in what we are the center of. We know appallingly little about anyone else's culture, religion , sports, or daily life. We assume that because we don't know about something that it is automatically inferior to what we do comprehend

Americans miss out on so much culture that is written in other languages. We seldom experience the music, art or drama of other cultures. If it's not in English we aren't interested. One huge reason why Americans feel superior is because we are so totally ignorant of what else is out there.

President Bush asked and answered the question "Why do terrorists hate us so much?" His answer was because they hate democracy. Could they also perhaps not like us because of the arrogance we display? Knowing the reasons why we have become a people who feel superior to others may help us to move back towards the nation we truly want to be. .

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While 91% of Republicans say the United States is the world’s best nation, just 60% of Democrats feel that way. Twenty-one percent (21%) of Democratic voters say America is not the best, and nearly as many (20%) are undecided. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of unaffiliated voters feel America is the best, while 14% disagree.

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1. America spends 51% of tax dollars on the armed forces (even though they are the biggest and best in the world)

2. America ranks 12th on the human development index, this is a combination of life expectancy, literacy, education and the gross domestic product, i.e. the standard of living.

3. America incarcerates more people than any other nation on earth. the incarceration rate is 4 times that of the rest of the world.

4. The majority of americans have a very insular perspective on the rest of the world. they don’t care. apathy and ignorance reign supreme for the average american in regard to what is going on in the rest of the world.

5. America ranks 37th worldwide in quality of healthcare. that is not where the greatest nation on earth should rank in an area that is so incredibly important. france and italy are #1 & 2. we’re behind nations like oman, colombia, saudi arabi, united arab emirates and costa rica, and cuba is just 2 spots behind us.

6. America ranks 12th worldwide in test scoring for 4th graders, 28th for 8th graders and 19th for 12th graders.

7. The American government, the richest on earth by far, ranks 12th among first world nations in regard to the percentage amount given towards humanitarian aid, such as charities, development in foreign nations, international disaster relief, etc.

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By not taxing investments gains, you encourage people TO invest

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The people who tend to know where the Czech republic is, and what it's capital is, which i think is pretty much everyone, in spite of the fact that our education is pathetic, even though it is more or less on a par with that of the Czech republic.

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really Americans know a fair amount about African

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Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
signing off

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It's a term that people bandy about when they want others to tow the line or they want to get elected.

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Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
signing off