This is something that we'll all be saying to our grandkids.

From the 1900's to arguably the 1990's, you could say that America was the number one country. Those days are numbered and the trail to the top gets harder to traverse everyday.

I hate to say it, it's not so great to live here anymore.

PS: The number one country now is probably Japan, since they utilize their resources the best or China/India, since they have the most people and they have more honors students than we have students.

5/8/2008 1:24:30 AM

first, ibtl, old, played out, rudimentary, redundant, etc

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 1:40 AM. Reason : "i remember when a pepsi was a dollar in the vending machine"]

5/8/2008 1:40:23 AM

Zager and Evans are gonna be bummed if we don't at least make it to 2525.

5/8/2008 1:45:37 AM

^^^ my brother lives in japan... its really not better. especially if you don't live in one of the mega cities. hell he doesn't even have air conditioning or heating in his home, I mean WTF

5/8/2008 1:49:59 AM

Fareed Zakaria actually had a pretty good little excerpt from his book about the "Post-American World." His premise is not that the United States has somehow collapsed are fallen behind, but that the rest of the world is finally catching up with us. It may feel like we're falling apart because we're no longer leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the planet, but at the same time, you have more people coming out of poverty than in any previous point in human history while our nation still grows. This moment was coming sooner or later, but I think in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, we were simply too blinded by our own greatness to realize how quickly things were changing around us.

In some ways, we are victims of our own success. We brought about a new world order, one that is relatively peaceful in the grand scheme of human history. Then when we trip up a little bit, we suddenly realize that we are no longer leaps and bounds ahead of the rest. The Bush administration may have made us realize it sooner, broken our illusion of hyperpower status and international exceptionalism earlier than expected, but the whole movement was already in motion before he even stepped on the stage.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/135380

5/8/2008 2:11:27 AM

^^ Oh yeah, and life in Japan isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Cost of living is insane in that country, so that even if you make a salary similar to the United States, your quality of life is not nearly as good.

5/8/2008 2:14:09 AM

not to mention their marijuana laws are outrageous

5/8/2008 2:27:17 AM

Quote :

"China/India, since they have the most people "

WTF? Having more people is a GOOD thing?

You really want to live in India? Aside from top 2-3 big cities, the rest of the country is a shithole. China is a bit better.

I hope that was a joke.

You mention one of the most advanced countries in the world as the best place to live, and then alongside you mention 2 of the least developed countries?

5/8/2008 6:13:36 AM

Rank Country GDP (purchasing power parity) Date of Information
1 World $ 65,820,000,000,000 2007 est.
2 European Union $ 14,450,000,000,000 2007 est.
3 United States $ 13,860,000,000,000 2007 est.
4 China $ 7,043,000,000,000 2007 est.
5 Japan $ 4,417,000,000,000 2007 est.
6 India $ 2,965,000,000,000 2007 est.
7 Germany $ 2,833,000,000,000 2007 est.
8 United Kingdom $ 2,147,000,000,000 2007 est.
9 Russia $ 2,076,000,000,000 2007 est.
10 France $ 2,067,000,000,000 2007 est.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html

5/8/2008 7:06:18 AM

Ive got good news for you spontaneous. You can get a plane ticket to just about anywhere. Feel free to "better" your life.

I dont think there is a better country to live in from top to bottom and have the numbers we have.

5/8/2008 9:04:33 AM

spontanus, feel free to move to europe.

(nobody has a/c, garbage disposals are unheard of, icemakers in a fridge are out of the question, no ice in your drinks at restaurants, gas is well over 6/7$ a gallon respectively, nobody owns a car bigger than the smallest pinto you can find in the states)

oh and japan let's not get into that. they live like sardenes, my trips were great over there. it costs about $100 to go to a movie and get fast food. the prices are horribly inflated for anything fun there, and again, no a/c unless you find a supermarket.


b4 creating shit like this in soap box, take a trip abroad and come back and say to our faces "americe is #2 or #3 guis" - ain't gonna happen

/thread

5/8/2008 9:08:40 AM

OMG my life sucks! I only make 50K and own a house, a plasma TV, and a new car! Why do I have bills?! Everything should be free!

5/8/2008 9:43:05 AM

Quote :

"From the 1900's to arguably the 1990's, you could say that America was the number one country. Those days are numbered and the trail to the top gets harder to traverse everyday."

No longer #1 eh? Well, pick up any connected phone in the world and dial 00 + 1* + area code and number and see where you get.

5/8/2008 9:48:55 AM

obligiatory:

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, YOU CAN GIIIIT OUT!!!



nah, but seriously, america rocks

it may have suffered greatly after it's experiment with socialism, but individual rights are paramount

america (as it was designed -- as it's supposed to be,) is, and may forever be, the BEST COUNTRY EVER

5/8/2008 9:55:45 AM

Quote :

"From the 1900's to arguably the 1990's, you could say that America was the number one country."

WTF? Do I even need to point out The Great Depression?

5/8/2008 10:04:20 AM

Visiting the U.K. definitely gave me a greater appreciation for the U.S.A. Everything cost twice as much as here and everything was smaller and more crowded. My hotel room in London was maybe half the size of a room at a Days Inn and cost $300 a night. The tube is crowded, stuffy, and a pain in the ass to navigate. And yeah, no ice, no free refills, and the window is your air conditioning.

The only thing I like about European cities is that you don't have to drive everywhere to get necessities; grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and department stores are accessible on foot, being right on the street instead of in the middle of an acre-size parking lot. Apartments and offices are in the same area, sometimes the same building, as retailers and restaurants, so you don't have to drive 5 miles out of your way to pick up dinner on the way home from work. We have that in New York and maybe D.C., but that's about it.

5/8/2008 10:08:49 AM

Spontaneous is one of those people who has never actually left the country, but he just sees on TV how much better other countries are than the U.S.

5/8/2008 10:23:25 AM

I would argue that that we were not USA #1 like we enjoy thinking ourselves as until after WW2.

Really we were not even a world heavy weight contender until following WW1; when the old giants pretty much beat themselves into submission.

5/8/2008 10:26:10 AM

Quote :

"it may have is currently suffereding greatly after from it's continued experiment with socialism,"

5/8/2008 10:31:48 AM

and it's obsession with buying plastic shit made overseas

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 10:32 AM. Reason : +]

5/8/2008 10:32:38 AM

and if you aren't completely satisfied that we indeed are still usa #1 feel free to travel to any european airforce base and watch their propellor planes (occasional eurofighter) and tinker toys take off, with their 1960's style supply trucks and jeeps.


then come back to reality and watch a couple b-1 bombers take off from an airfield at edwards air force base or a shuttle launch in florida, and while your at it, check out the international space station we've pretty much 95% funded, and if that doesn't convince then you are right. usa #2. we lost. oh well.

5/8/2008 10:35:21 AM

no doubt there are some great things about other countries, and some shitty things in the US.....but after traveling abroad my feeling is always affirmed....There's no place like home.

In my experience, I'd say the most comprable place to the US is Germany...I really enjoyed bravaria.

5/8/2008 10:36:20 AM

someone doesn't know history

Quote :

"From the 1900's to arguably the 1990's"

More like from the 1945s until current

5/8/2008 10:38:57 AM

^^ because clearly spending 25% of the budget on defense to give the military cool gadgets is reflective of the condition of the whole country.

I guess it depends on how you are comparing countries. Yes we are still #1 when it comes to military power; but there are other ways to evaluate the countries of the world.

5/8/2008 10:39:40 AM

all your responses in here pretty much support Spontaneous' original post. GG

5/8/2008 10:40:10 AM

Golovko where are you currently living and where would you rank the US among countries around the world to live in?

and Spontaneous where would you put the US, #2? #20? #200?

5/8/2008 10:42:29 AM

TreeTwista, arrogance, denial, and turning a blind eye to your faults is not the qualifications that make a country great.

Well, that pretty much sums up the population.

5/8/2008 10:45:12 AM

this is turning into a bbq thread

5/8/2008 10:45:19 AM

Golovko, nice job turning a blind eye to the two simple short answer questions I asked you

5/8/2008 10:48:14 AM

This is really not a objective question. There are several ways to rate countries and it all depends on on the subjectivity of the person we ask.

To Ali al-CamelJockey Iran may be the best country for its islamic shi'a law setup. For some stoned out hippy that wants the government to hold his hand all life a place like the Netherlands may be #1.

5/8/2008 10:55:33 AM

When did air conditioning and kitchen appliances become the standard for how great a country is?
I mean, by that way of looking at it, Dubai is definitely #1.

5/8/2008 11:01:37 AM

LOLcano

yeah that is true in a lot of european countries A/C really is not even needed.

5/8/2008 11:04:44 AM

The US is the best country in the world because of our endless appeals system

5/8/2008 11:06:37 AM

Quote :

"Golovko, nice job turning a blind eye to the two simple short answer questions I asked you"

lol. as expected...avoid the problem by pointing the finger. GG. Success is in your future!

5/8/2008 11:28:46 AM

Quote :

"yeah that is true in a lot of european countries A/C really is not even needed."

elderly people in france beg to differ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_European_heat_wave

make sure you look at the numbers for other years too, 2003 isn't the only one.

usa, survival of the fittest at its finest

5/8/2008 11:41:26 AM

Quote :

"lol. as expected...avoid the problem by pointing the finger. GG. Success is in your future!"

i asked you two simple questions which you avoided answering

how in the hell are you turning this around on me?

i asked:

- what country do you live in?
- where would you personally rank the US?

and you try to spin that as me ignoring problems? what the fuck is your problem?

5/8/2008 11:46:38 AM

it's not a war we are fighting golovko, you don't have to run, it's only questions.

maybe it's the french coming out in him

5/8/2008 11:57:42 AM

We can't bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell them stories that don't go anywhere. Like the time I took the ferry to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe so I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on them. Give me five bees for a quarter you'd say. Now where were we, oh ya. The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because if the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.

5/8/2008 12:06:22 PM

The US was #1?

5/8/2008 12:52:12 PM

USA! USA! USA!

5/8/2008 12:55:02 PM

^^^^, ^^^^^ lol, jokes on you, bud.

Quote :

"yeah that is true in a lot of european countries A/C really is not even needed."

its not that its not needed its just a different culture. most buildings there have been around forever and were never built with central heating/ac in mind. Its not that they don't have the tech. or money for it.

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 1:25 PM. Reason : .]

5/8/2008 1:23:24 PM

i can only assume you would rank the US as the #1 country in the world since you refuse to answer otherwise

5/8/2008 1:25:08 PM

I would only assume that ranking a country is to compensate for something else.

this isn't fucking basketball or football

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 1:27 PM. Reason : .]

5/8/2008 1:26:15 PM

you make no sense at all

i guess you cant rank ANY countries since they ALL compensate for SOMETHING

fucking brilliant

5/8/2008 1:27:11 PM

^as i said, you dumb shit, this isn't a sporting event...if you want to rank USA #1 then pick a fucking field. Most arrogant people? sure number 1 i agree. Soccer (the real football)...i can't count that high...

best place to live, quality of life etc.? you have your ups and you have your downs just like anywhere else
best government to live under? fuck no.

5/8/2008 1:29:05 PM

If i had my way I would go live in teh Cayman Islands. However, I would not be able to find good employment there and would be far from my family. So while this country has a lot of problems imho for my current life goals and priorities i would have to say USA #1

5/8/2008 1:30:20 PM

Quote :

"Golovko where are you currently living"

this question still flies right over your head apparently...its such a difficult and subjective question to answer!!!

Quote :

"and where would you rank the US among countries around the world to live in?"

clearly you arent capable of determining how YOU rank the united states

5/8/2008 1:30:42 PM

lol at the initial post. and Golovko, we certainly have many faults that continue to drag us down. I think most of us are aware of that. Im not some flag waving arrogant blindfolded patriot. I dont think anyone in here has ever seen me in here posting about the US' greatness. But I still find it hard to say that we arent #1 or a very serious contender (in which case the differences would be negligible between the top anyways).

But I still do not think that we have been surpassed overall in being the best place to live. We definitely need to turn things around if we want this to CONTINUE. But I think someone said it best when they stated that we arent as far ahead as it seemed like we were for so long, but that doesnt mean we arent still at the top.

5/8/2008 1:37:20 PM

I'm still unclear on what the totally subjective scale being spoken of here... "Best country all around?" "Best country to live in?" "Most powerful?" "Most economic freedom?" "Best human rights record?" "Least government corruption?"

There are far too many factors to come with one list of best to worst. Sure we're up near the top on a lot of things, but we're also not near the top on several others.

5/8/2008 1:43:14 PM

Quote :

" oh and japan let's not get into that. they live like sardenes, my trips were great over there. it costs about $100 to go to a movie and get fast food. the prices are horribly inflated for anything fun there, and again, no a/c unless you find a supermarket."

You're stupid.

Seriously.

Movies cost about 15 bucks and you get an assigned seat. Food is roughly the same with the caveat that beef costs more over there than here. Seafood is dirt cheap. If you live in a major city you don't need a car because public transportation doesn't suck.

I'm not saying Japan is perfect (far from it) but their standard of living is pretty much the same as the US.

Central heating isn't standard there because they generally use space heaters and AC units. It's just the way they build their houses (most people in new houses have central air).

[Edited on May 8, 2008 at 1:58 PM. Reason : set em up!]

5/8/2008 1:44:11 PM