🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan22.220321.8579@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> jlacey@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (james.w.lacey) writes:
}The logic is thus, "since hundreds of thousands of people
}immigrate to America every year, and millions have immigrated
}here over the past century, this must be the best country
}in the world."

Well, certainly the "look, everyone wants to live here" bit of
"logic" is a factor, but there are many more that are probably
more important. In particular, the issue of individual freedom
and choice (at least, until the drug war started in earnest).

Americans look at other countries and see things by which
Americans are not constrained:

Official state religions

Mandatory government/military service

Mandatory separation of college-bound vs. trade-bound students
in the early/mid teenage years

Unreasonable (to Americans) search and seizure in the name of
public safety

Mandatory shop closing hours (a la Germany, Nederlands, etc.)

Legislation without true representation (House of Lords)


Add to the above the military might of the country, and you have
a citizenry who feel they are powerful as a country and powerful
as individuals. They can own as many guns as they like, they can
drive an automobile with no instruction after passing the most
absurdly minimal of tests, they can worship whomever they like
publicly, and they can stand in front of the White House and call
the President a horse's ass as long as they're not so loud as to
be considered disturbing the peace.

That kind of personal (and national) power breeds arrogance and
contempt; it is human nature. I seem to recall that England
herself had a rather healthy case of it a few hundred years back,
and it ended up costing her The Empire.
-- 
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