A Place Like No Other?

Re: # 16

Siyana Sahib… when you say employment and justice to minorities, do you mean like what is going on in France? Or what goes on in Germany to their Turk minority and to Desis in the UK. Where Unemployment among 18-24 yr old immigrants in France is roughly 50%? Do you know that on average a European (native as well as immigrant) waits for six months to have a splinter removed from his or her ass in their failed socialist healthcare systems. Just today Germany raised the retirement age to 67 realizing that their cradle to grave welfare system is a major failure. Europeans are by far the most institutionally racist people on earth (not necessary on individual levels). Only Japan (among developed nations) beats them in institutionalized racism. I don’t know what data Mirmir Sahib used to make these grand claims. It would be nice to see some figures. Americans are the most generous, the most passionate, and the most caring people on this planet. No other citizenry comes remotely close. Whenever there is a disaster in any corner of the world, it is automatically assumed that America will come to help – friends and foes. Mirmir Sahib used Bill Gate as an example to illustrate that he will get priority over a poor person in terms of getting a heart transplant, had he needed one. Oh wao..what a lovely example to illustrate how backward the US is. Yes, life can be unfair. Now if Bill Gates didn’t do so much charitable and altruistic contributions, that will make some countries come across as beasts, I would say kill the basturd. While he is donating hundreds of millions to eradicate diseases in places like India and Africa, some places are busy building nukes and killing their minorities. I think given how much he contributes to society, he deserves priority over a black man in case of a heart transplant. I am talking about a transplant at a private hospital, with his own money and not in a publicly run hospital. What matters most is that Bill Gates only gets to vote just ONE vote like the poor son of a bytch from Harlem, and they both stand in the same line to cast their vote, and it counts equally. Mirmir Sahib’s other points are not even funny, specially the one about Bush being accepted at Yale.

This article is quite amatuerish.........

There is an easy way to figure out which country is the best place to live. Take a look at the HDI scale. That is prepared by professionals after a lot of research.......

It is true that USA is not the best place to live in the world. Since the scale has started, Canada stands at the top, alone. It was no 1. for seven straight years. However, the USA is in the top ten. And has consistently been in the top 5.

In the end, one has to go beyond rhetoric, and simply look at the direction in which people migrate. Pakistanis and Indians migrate to USA in a hearbeat. And they both migrate to UAE in a heartbeat, as well.......And quite a few, from both countries migrate to Saudi Arabia, as well.......

The USA does have its problems in massive human rights violations and massive killings overseas. On average, it attacks one country every two years. But that is not included in domestic Human Development Index...

I would agree that in comparison to the rest of the Western civlization, the USA`s position is slowly declining. This is indicated by its downward movement on the HDI. Interestingly Canada is no longer no 1 either. It is now down to no. 4. Apparently now, over the past three years, Norway is the best place, along with Australia............

Where are Pakistan and India - 135 and 127 respectively. Though the manner in which our Indian colleagues have been commenting, India will at no. 5 in about three years :-)

I’ve read your responses to my article with interest. Thank you for reading it and for commenting on it. I intended – I hoped – to stimulate constructive thought and to lead you to further investigation that would help dispel some of the myths that have been circulating about the U.S. for many years.

Some of you question my qualification to criticize the U.S. You may accept that I’m qualified or not, as you choose. I know the United States as none of you do - or can - through my intensely personal social and political involvement there. So that you might better understand what I mean, I’ll give you an example. Some one of you mentioned Martin Luther King. During the height of the civil rights movement I worked in Jackson, Mississippi and Montgomery, Alabama. I knew many of the civil rights leaders and shared with them the same dangers, the same frustrations, the same anxieties and occasionally the same joys. Perhaps you have seen the 1988 movie “Mississippi Burning.” That movie was based on the murder of three of my fellow volunteers. I happened to be working in the Jackson office with the wife of one of the victims, Michael Schwerner, the day he and two others were killed. We waited together with diminishing hope for their safe return late into the night. Sadly, we finally received word that they had been brutally beaten and killed.

I am neither an amateur nor a comic. I’m quite serious about social and political issues. My experience has been acquired first hand, often at some risk, and not entirely from print. I suggest, though, that lacking the opportunity for personal involvement you might profit from more investigation and reflection of printed accounts. A good place to start would be Howard Zinn’s book “A People’s History of the United States – 1492 to present.” Dr. Zinn is a respected scholar. I fear, though, that some respect no authority other than themselves.

Kulharee bhai,
Your post is an elaboration of the last line of my previous reply. I fully understand where you are coming from.
My point is that even though the healthcare system in Europe has failed miserably, it is still pretty much working in Canada. right? So why shouldnt the US provide its ppl with a similar system? Why do you have to pay with your arm and leg to get your other arm and leg examined?
And as I said earlier, US gov is doing a lot of work for its ppl. There is no doubt about that. But perhaps even better services and benefits can be provided if America can get its priorities right.

Re: # 20

Siyana Bhai, what I have read about Canadian Healthcare system (since I have never used it, so I can only say what I have read or heard about it). I have heard that Canadian Universal Healthcare system is the best Healthcare system in the world, if you don’t get sick. But if you get sick, it takes days to get an appointment with a doctor or a specialist. There is shortage of doctors in many places, and doctors always are threatening to go on strike, because their wages are very low.

What is going to happen to Canadian healthcare system is that it will collapse of it’s own inertia.

Yes, American healthcare is less than perfect, the HMO is pretty sucky, but it also has a pretty reliable (sure, less than perfect) system for the poor who can’t afford private insurance. Medigap insurance is practically for free which allows the poor to receive the same treatment as those with private insurance.

There is a lot of debate in this country about Healthcare and Medicare, but if it has to make progress, Canada is certainly not the place to look towards. Canadians have to wait for months to get many treatments in their country, and those who can afford (including your Paul Martin) come to the US to go to private clinics (in Canada they are called “line jumpers”, even though they pay for it out of their own pocket).

In terms of getting the priorities straight, sure, every country can do that, but in the US, it is generally done in small strides, pretty much like baby steps. And it is always correcting itself, it is a self-correcting nation.

Humm.... i totallly agree with you, when i 1st visited USA, all that was coming in to my mind was `` Poor creature, their live is misrable, they don`t know the true meaning of live, they don`t know how to eat, dress, and enjoy live!!, the only entertainment americans have is Cinema. Every sunday or saturday night you`ll find BIG Q`s in front of the theatre.`` Some how american are been hypnotise by their media, and that`s the reason american`s still exist in this world. it is us who are financing and advertising american`s university over the world but now we aare the one who are facing the consequence, 100`s of internationl students are being targeted by gang simply because they are muslims and the governments also contributes in deporting these students.