America has Never Been a Great Country: However, it has Become “Unique”

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

America has Never Been a Great Country, but in the 21st Century The United States of America has become “unique,” and not in a good way. Our incompetent and corrupt government has intentionally separated our nation from all others who have changed and created a better quality of life for their people. In 2023 Americans are chanting, “ask not what we can do for our country, ask what has our country done for us?”

Over the seven decades our government has sent thousands of out finest young men and women to death in four unwinnable wars: Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Those who serve in Washington continue to ignore our needs and wishes and serve the rich and powerful. Our freedoms, guaranteed by the Constitution, are being removed one by one as the First, Fourth, Fifth, and 14th Amendments are ignored and violated daily.

It is an undeniable fact that America is the most warlike country in the world. The Pentagon’s annual budget amounts to more than five times the cost of all other nations combined. The military’s annual allotment is larger than the annual budget of several countries. Our government is more concerned with preparing for war than the welfare of our people. Sadly, our military has lost every war since WWII. Fact: watchdog groups confirm that the Pentagon wastes 50 cents of every dollar it receives. It’s way past time that our leaders place our people first instead of their personal ambitions.

The United States is the only nation in the free world without free or easily affordable healthcare for all. Many of our country’s families who struggle below the poverty line or in the low-income bracket are there because of medical bills  they will never be able to repay. Most Americans who have health insurance cannot receive the best medical care available. This is reserved for the super-rich. 

The average cost of one night’s stay in a hospital room is $2,883.00. Can you afford a three-night’s stay in a medical facility? My wife and I cannot. 

The reality is that our nation’s medical care is the worst and the most expensive in the world, and the highest level of care is only a “right” for the wealthy.

Many developed nation’s offer free education for anyone who wishes to continue their education beyond the high school level. In the 21st century, the costs of attending a college or university are prohibitive for at least 80 percent of our country’s people. This situation has become so severe, it is now a threat to national security. Many of our tech jobs are occupied by younger men and women from nations beyond our borders. However, our government refuses to place education in priority status. 

Every year we lose more of our finest young minds simply because the price of higher education is prohibitive for the majority. 

Over the last four decades women have become third-class citizens, as they were in the mid-twentieth century. The pecking order in America is white men, men of color, a three inch organism in a woman’s uterus, white women, and finally women of color. 

On one of the darkest days in American history, an ultra-conservative Supreme Court admitted once and for all that women are unworthy and incapable of making decisions about their own physical and mental health. The SCOTUS reversed a 49-year-old decision by a legitimate Court and overturned Roe v Wade, which guaranteed a woman the right to a legal abortion. I wouldn’t be surprised if their next target is the 19th Amendment. 

No longer do Republicans encourage Americans to exercise their right to vote. Every red state in our nation is passing legislation intended to suppress voting rights. The singular reason is simple and disgusting. If every election had a turnout similar to the general election in 2020, right-wing politicians would never win elections in any blue or purple state, and definitely experience defeat in every future presidential election. 

Oddly, it is the Republican Party which continues to make baseless claims about voter fraud, when they are the ones who fear fair and equitable elections. 

Trump continues to whine about his huge loss in 2020. He has lost every court action claiming “massive fraud.” Most candidates endorsed by Trump lost in 2018, 2020, and 2022. 

I have maintained for years that the Republican Party is composed of racists, bigots, and misogynists. The illegitimate presidency of Donald Trump and the surrender of principles and morals by his party, recently confirmed my allegations. Trump, several members of Congress, and right-wing governors including Texas’ Greg Abbott, Florida’s Ron DeSantis, and Tennessee’s Bill Lee continue to exhibit their extreme level of homophobia, openly attacking same-sex marriage and the rights of transgender Americans. It’s very clear that you cannot be a member of the Republican Party, or more accurately the “American Fascist Party,” unless you harbor anger, hatred, and the acceptance of violence as a solution.

America is also unique in the fact that it is the only country in the free world which allows a single religion to influence its politics. It is of no concern to our leaders that this is a direct violation of the first sentence in the First Amendment, and the primary reason our Founding Fathers left England for the New World. 

The right-wing’s adamant support for Christian leaders, commonly known as the Christian Religious Right, excludes the rights of members of other religions, and those like myself who reject all organized religion. 

The most important fact is that after 15 nations were scrutinized by one group, the people of the United States rank 15th in quality of life. As the richest nation in the world, it is unforgivable that this is an accurate and damning fact. “The American Life” is only possible for the rich and powerful. 

I worked in management for the 2010 Decennial Census. One of the facts we discovered is that the wages and benefits of the working class had not increased over the last 20 years. The 2020 Census added 10 more years to this unforgivable statistic. “The rich continue to get richer and the poor, poorer.”

Finally, the reality is that the government of the United States is the most corrupt, and the most incompetent in the world. Is that something to brag about? It sure as hell proves that we stand alone in the world of developed nations.

I wish this was good news, but our government has removed any opportunity to offer a positive outlook for America.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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