> In this election it is worth mentioning an area that does not feature
> in the list of hot election issues, but which demonstrates to the
> whole world what makes American great.
> American is free; its citizens are free. America is the richest
> country in the world and best at everything. It is because each and
> every American is free to choose his or her own destiny, and spend
> their cash exactly how they wish.
> Thus American ranks a pitiful 42nd in terms of life expectancy, below
> almost every other developed country on earth. But despite this SOME
> Americans are longer lived than any on earth.
> The disparity between Connecticut, a rich state, and Mississippi for
> life expectancy is a staggering 30 years!
> 47 million Americans cannot afford health insurance.
> The US has dropped from second place in 1990 to 12th place in terms of
> human development, and has THE HIGHEST child poverty of any of the
> richest countries on earth (it is good to see that the US is best at
> some things).
> Some 14%%, that is 40 million Americans lack basic literacy. This is
> not because it has a higher standard - its standards are widely
> regarded on the "lite" side.
> The last census of 2006 shows 36 million below the poverty line.
>
> How is it that America has the highest number of fridges and
> televisions, asks the US conservative think-tank "Heritage
> Foundation"? This is like asking why the Iraqis do not enjoy the most
> peaceful place on earth due to the number of "peackeepers". If you
> can't work out the analogy, you are part of the problem.
>
> Gee whiz. Its great to be American!
>
> Source for stats: Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian Weekly, International
> News.