What bothers me so much is that there are models out there in the world

[Ferrets are Cool]

for EVERY problem America has. It's not like we have to reinvent the wheel.
Use the models that work, gun control, health care, college tuition, homelessness, hunger....I could go on and on.
We as a Nation, don't have the WILL to change the things that will make us GREAT again.
I wish I were wrong on this. How I wish it.

[BlueJac]

1. It is a shame.

[PJMcK]

2. Too many Americans won't open their eyes

If they would learn about the rest of the world, Americans would scream in anger that we are denied what others have.

Education is the key. That's why Republicans have consistently tried to dismantle our public education systems. Dumbed-down people are easier to manipulate.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. what we have is this whole "nationalist pride/hubris" thing that makes it hard for many to

take an honest look at ourselves and realize that there IS much to learn from others.

If anything, our national pride is one of the more embarrassing things about our country. I just despise the whole pride thing in general - narcissism, ego, etc. It is not a good time to despise such things, because social media is an incubator for them.

[Ferrets are Cool]

10. I loathe is...it's one thing to have pride in the country you live in....

it is altogether another to feel obligated to pin it onto your lapel every time you are in public. It seems we have Nixon to blame for this idiocy...then 911 came along and the reich wing high-jacked it and the rest is propaganda history.

[loyalsister]

13. The height of arrogance is us

in so many ways. Most of all which came from Teddy Roosevelt who staked a claim on American to mean US citizens.
People from northern Canada to southern Argentina and between hail from American continents, yet we talk about ourselves as if we are the only ones.
We're the only Americans and American exceptionalism have warped into a belief that we are entitled to anything the world may offer.

[MontanaMama]

4. Even a little bit of international travel

can be an eye opener to the fact that we don't have all the answers in America.

[handmade34]

5. take your pick

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2530362

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-38365729

https://www.opb.org/news/article/within-gun-restricted-germany-firearms-are-a-privilege-not-a-right-/

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/nyregion/in-scotland-unlike-america-mass-shooting-led-to-stricter-gun-laws.html

https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-06-16/what-can-us-learn-norways-gun-laws

etc, etc, etc,......

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-gun-policy-global-comparisons

http://www.gunpolicy.org/

[G_j]

8. thank you

great resource!

[Ferrets are Cool]

11. Thanks for all the links...yes, we have models that WORK.

If only there was a will to implement.

[jalan48]

6. Moneyed interests don't want a solution to the problems. They're like drug dealers.

[Initech]

7. We can't even elect new people.

It's the same bullshit every election cycle:

We want change!

The other guy is a democrat!

Why you got to take my tax dollars for illegal immigrants?

[Grammy23]

9. The American people are stuck on the idea that WE ARE NUMBER ONE

That line has been spoon fed and tRump just upped the sound level on that one.

In addition, many Americans have never set foot out of our borders. They have no clue how people in other countries live, work and play. They believe the propaganda about how miserable other countries are without ever going to see for themselves.

I am not saying other countries have perfect systems but some things they do better than we do. We could learn a thing or two and be better off. Maybe our pride won’t get in the way too much.

[Ohiogal]

12. It's called "American Exceptionalism"

and the far right wing nut media keeps feeding it to the dumbasses.

As the saying goes .... "Travel is the best education." It sure would do wonders if more people could travel beyond our borders and see that life in the United States leaves something to be desired when you see how other nations like Sweden and Norway or Germany address many of the same issues we face here. Namely, health care, gun violence, education. I can't believe that more American women who are mothers wouldn't love a European style paid family leave policy implemented here.

I had the great good fortune to visit Finland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, and southern Germany when I was younger. Life over there isn't perfect, but they have it all over us in many ways. I don't know about right now, but my take on life in Europe back then, was that you felt more of a sense of community, life was slower, you had a good goverment safety net if you needed it, every person was considered worthy, you had just a few stores to shop in that sold quality goods and not the 100s of chain stores that sell cheap junk like we have here. Fewer restaurants. but that might be different now. I saw people out actually walking and riding bikes, even bike riders who you might say are "elderly". Bike friendly cities. Public squares and parks. Older buildings preserved, not torn down. History more valued. Clean, safe, and reliable public transportation everywhere.

[Grammy23]

14. One thing that is apparent when you travel is

That people in other countries want pretty much the same things we do. We want a clean,safe environment where we live. We want enough to eat and to know it is safe and not tainted. We want to work at jobs that support our family and give us a sense of pride in our work. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist but you do want dignity. People in other countries want the same things.

Traveling in other countries helps you see with your own eyes their pace of living, leisure activities and cultural experiences that may be very different than your own. In Italy, I saw people sitting outside on the steps of a centuries old cathedral, talking, relaxing and eating gelato. The sun was dipped in the sky and the children were playing in the square. You could feel the peacefulness and the slower pace was evident. In France, there were older men playing bocche ball in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Younger men and boys were watching, learning and cheering for their grandfathers. I was mesmerized watching them.

I know that not everything about other countries is something I would like. However, I know there are things we could learn and apply to our breakneck pace of life. But first you have to know it doesn't HAVE to be fast paced. And you have to be willing to admit it and try something different.

[Ferrets are Cool]

15. Another idea that has been SHOVED down our throats

is that "they want what we have". That may have been true for a few countries many years ago, what population in its right mind would want to FEAR to send their children to school or church or to the grocery store...any of which they could be killed by LEGAL gun enthusiast.
Yes, there are much worse places to live in the world than America, but why should we have to compare ourselves with the worst, rather than placing our country and its ideals at the top.