The USA are a backward country

1. The only western country where death penalty is still legal and applied.

2. Stricter abortion ban than in several subsaharian African countries.

3. The only western country and one of the rare countries in the world where carrying a gun is legal. As a consequence, by far the highest gun-related homicide rate among western countries, with periodic mass shootings. You would think that they'd do something about it, but no, just more of the same.

4. Withdrew from the International Criminal Court, whose function is to judge crimes against humanity, genocides, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. They even have a law that allows the president to invade La Hague if a US citizen were detained there to be judged by the International Criminal Court. Again, all other Western countries are part of the ICC.

5. By far the most expensive healthcare among western countries, and lowest life expectancy against healthcare spending per capita.

6. Extremely expensive higher education, only topped by this other heaven on Earth that is the UK.

Every country has its strengths and flaws...

@FC-in-the-UK said in #1:

1. The only western country where death penalty is still legal and applied.

2. Stricter abortion ban than in several subsaharian African countries.

3. The only western country and one of the rare countries in the world where carrying a gun is legal. As a consequence, by far the highest gun-related homicide rate among western countries, with periodic mass shootings. You would think that they'd do something about it, but no, just more of the same.

4. Withdrew from the International Criminal Court, whose function is to judge crimes against humanity, genocides, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. They even have a law that allows the president to invade La Hague if a US citizen were detained there to be judged by the International Criminal Court. Again, all other Western countries are part of the ICC.

5. By far the most expensive healthcare among western countries, and lowest life expectancy against healthcare spending per capita.

6. Extremely expensive higher education, only topped by this other heaven on Earth that is the UK.

Countries with democracies make it hard for laws to change.

@WrookieWrook said in #3:

Countries with democracies make it hard for laws to change.
Er no the idea of democracy is precisely "if the law is bad we'll change the law."

@FC-in-the-UK said in #1:

1. The only western country where death penalty is still legal and applied.

States regulate that, as they have certain autonomy. While may be a repulsive practice in the eyes of another, i do support the states to have their own leeway for their own laws.

2. Stricter abortion ban than in several subsaharian African countries.

Same as above. And talking about the topic, i would say its not strict enough. And thats the good thing about democracy, one person alone shouldnt be the one deciding that. If the majority is in favor 1 way or another, so be it. If you dont like it, vote differently next time.

3. The only western country and one of the rare countries in the world where carrying a gun is legal. As a consequence, by far the highest gun-related homicide rate among western countries, with periodic mass shootings. You would think that they'd do something about it, but no, just more of the same.

Most of crimes with guns involve illegal firearms, not legal ones. And you cant do anything at all to defend yourself against a firearm, legal or not. Check the crimes involving firearms in your country and tell me what the victim could have done to defend himself. Right, nothing. You never want to be a victim, you know, because you die and its game over.
The best equalizer is having your own gun, specially in cities or countries where high crime is rampant. People think on damaging you twice when they can die.

4. Withdrew from the International Criminal Court, whose function is to judge crimes against humanity, genocides, war crimes, and crimes of aggression. They even have a law that allows the president to invade La Hague if a US citizen were detained there to be judged by the International Criminal Court. Again, all other Western countries are part of the ICC.

No dispute here. Their external affairs are crap.

5. By far the most expensive healthcare among western countries, and lowest life expectancy against healthcare spending per capita.

Its a double sided argument. Most of research and new technologies on heathcare come from there too, fruit of of the wealth they make, and then said knowledge is spreaded over the world. There is some low life expectancy on people who cant afford for major conditions, but the ones who can are often healthier than the rest of the world within the same category.

If you remove that for less expensive healthcare, you remove the research indirectly.

6. Extremely expensive higher education, only topped by this other heaven on Earth that is the UK.

Humanities aside, they have also many of the best university on the planet, and the income they get product of their degree pays off irelatively quickly and often leads to live, at the very least, very comfortable in the middle class.

The country may have many flaws. But also provide many advantages that you may not have in other members of the g-8.

If i had to decide other country of residence, the US would be above the UK in the list. Which im not saying its a bad place to live, but there may be better options.

btw its "the USA is a backwards country"

no point in calling out another country when you dont have the grammar right lol

no hate btw

and don't forget about all the damn Fundamentalists!

My state has free education, free healthcare, the least punishing drug laws on the planet, legal cannabis, legalized psychedelic therapy, euthanasia, utilizes 80% renewable energy, the most progressive paid leave in the country, strong environmental protections, and no sales tax.

Obv it could do better in some ways, but it does have some of the best laws in the world.

And we didn't lock all our citizens up for 2 years like some 'advanced' nations did.

And there is no abortion ban here or in many other states, the states that have bans are shitty conservative bible belt/southern states.

@Alientcp said in #5:

And thats the good thing about democracy, one person alone shouldnt be the one deciding that. If the majority is in favor 1 way or another, so be it. If you dont like it, vote differently next time.
Dude the majority is against abortion bans.
Most of crimes with guns involve illegal firearms, not legal ones.
Not true. And besides, those "illegal" firearms don't appear out of nowhere.
The best equalizer is having your own gun, specially in cities or countries where high crime is rampant. People think on damaging you twice when they can die.
That's silly. If that were the case, the gun-related crime rate should be lower in the US where guns are legal, but they are actually higher.
Its a double sided argument. Most of research and new technologies on heathcare come from there too, fruit of of the wealth they make, and then said knowledge is spreaded over the world.
That argument doesn't really makes sense. Research is only a tiny part of the healtcare spendings. What really costs money is paying for nurses, doctors, and supplies.
There is some low life expectancy on people who cant afford for major conditions,
So they should just be left behind?
but the ones who can are often healthier than the rest of the world within the same category.
Not what I see on this graph https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_health_expenditure_per_capita#/media/File%3ALife_expectancy_vs_healthcare_spending.jpg
the income they get product of their degree pays off irelatively quickly and often leads to live, at the very least, very comfortable in the middle class.
Asides from the more philosophical issues that it raises about the purpose of education, this means unequal access to education.

@MrPushwood said in #7:

and don't forget about all the damn Fundamentalists!
True but I decided to not make it about the people. Otherwise there would have been so much more to say.