Reality Check

The Fourth of July, the day America celebrates it's independence just passed. It's a good time for a reality check and taking a hard look at the country. Sweep away all those misconceptions you have about America's place in the world and take off the blinders. It might come as a surprise that we aren't really as wonderful as you might think.

We've just finished celebrating our independence from Great Britain, the first step to becoming the great nation we are today.

But are we really so great? Maybe it's time to take a good hard look at ourselves and see what the reality is and how it compares with the myth that is the United States.

We say we are the land of the free and the home of the brave. Well, our boys in Iraq and Afghanistan have certainly proved they are brave, but are the rest of us free? No one has bothered to repeal the Patriot Act so our telephone conversations, e-mails, financial and health records are still subject to being spied on without the necessity of a court order if they are deemed to be in the national security. Reality check!

Yes, some prisoners are being taken from Guantanamo and there has been a Presidential decision not to resort to torture. Stem cell research is being pushed along and progress is being made in the gay and lesbian marriage issue. Border questions have not been dealt with. US citizens now need a passport, Sentri card or Passport card to get back into our own country once we leave, say to have a lobster and a Corona on the Mexican beaches. In the past, lest you forget, the borders between the US, Mexico and Canada could be freely crossed with a state driver's license or a birth certificate. Reality check!

I have a Sentri pass that means I'm a trusted traveler and I go in a separate line. I've had my fingerprints taken and I guess they checked to see if I'm a criminal. As you pull up to the agent at the gate, they ask what you are bringing back from Mexico. Generally I just have "car junk" which are the hats I'm supposed to wear in the sun and don't, an umbrella or two, two folding chairs, maps, gas additive, water bottles and other miscellaneous trash that's accumulated since the last clean-up. I don't remember exactly what that "junk" consists of all the time so I generally answer with "stuff that lives in my car and weekend clothes, nothing that I didn't bring down." One time I said that and the agent looked at me and yelled, "How do I know what you brought down, it could be drugs and guns! Not what have you got!"

Stuttering, I tried to remember what I had - a laptop, shoes, make-up, the ubiquitous hats, umbrellas, folding chairs, a pair of jeans, three tee shirts, 3 changes of underwear, my iPod, like that. All with various "I'm sorrys" thrown in. As I left the gate, I realized that the son-of-a-bitch had done it on purpose to have some fun and scare the living b'jesus out of me. And it worked; the government successfully made these fine "gentlemen" the very impolite face of our not-so-free country when we enter. It's a reminder big daddy is looking over you. Every time I go in and out of the country, say to Costco or Target to pick up some odds and ends not readily available in Mexico, my photo is taken in both directions. How creepy is that!

You can't have a beer on the beach in most of California. You can't smoke within 20 feet of a public place – some cities like San Luis Obisbo won't let you smoke in city limits. Hey, I don't smoke and I don't like to be around smokers anymore, but I still think it's an infringement on civil rights.

Mexico is much freer, there are acts of drug violence, but no one is going to listen to your telephone conversation. I was shocked when they opened my mail as part of the war on drugs to check on money going in and out of the country. I guess I wasn't very interesting since that's been stopped. You can't smoke in bars and restaurants in Mexico either, but you can smoke in outside seating areas and no one will arrest you for smoking on the street.

Then, let's look at some other things we think we are outstanding in - education for instance. In world reading literacy, the USA ranks number fifteen behind number one Finland, and then in descending order Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, South Korea and the UK. Reality check!

In scientific literacy, the USA ranks number fourteen behind South Korea at the number one spot, then Japan, Finland, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and so on. Not much there to be proud of.

In the health area, the USA spends the largest percentage of it's gross domestic product on health with not great results. The cost per capita is $4,631 or a total of 14.6% of GDP. Canada is number five and spends $2,535 with medical coverage for all Canadians. The UK has socialized medicine also and spends only $1,764 per capita ranking number sixteen in the world for costs. Then, when you look at life expectancy at birth, for all that money spent, we aren't doing a very good job as the USA ranks number forty-seven for a life expectancy of 78.14 years. Macau at number one has a life expectancy of 84.33 years. Japan is number three, France ranks number seven with their citizens expecting to live to 80.87 years. Bet you didn't see that one coming.

The USA is the 24^th most murderous country in the world while Saudi Arabia is number 61. The UK, Italy, Spain and Germany rank respectively 46 through 49. Hmmmm.

As the world's largest debtor nation, the USA owes eight trillion, sixty-eight billion dollars, or a whopping sixty point eight percent of it's Gross Domestic Product. In relationship of debt to GDP it's number 26 on the world list with Zimbabwe number one as its debt is over two hundred percent of its GDP.

So, today, re-think what a great country we are and take a hard look. We are actually a country of entitled, badly educated, ill mannered and not very healthy idiots who got themselves into this mess and now can't believe what's happened. How many out there let themselves sink into foreclosure without believing that it would or could actually happen to them? Probably about ninety percent of those now in deep doo doo.

It's our arrogant entitled mindset that has taken the country to the pits. I spent some time looking at short sales and was shocked at how the former owners trashed the houses they had to give up. Like it was someone else's fault the bank took it back. We refuse to take responsibility for our actions, just pass the blame along and refuse to admit mistakes – just like our last president.

There is a preconception that the USA is the richest country in the world. That's not true, the countries with the largest per capita GDP are Liechtenstein, Qatar, Luxembourg, Kuwait and the USA ranks number six. We are also number six for the highest quality of life behind Norway, Sweden, Canada, Belgium and Australia. Reality check!

A friend of mine is a headhunter and they insist that their candidates inform their spouses they have been laid off so the entire family can join in cutting back. Many of them won't let the wife know. They can't believe it's happened to them and they know they can make it better. They refuse to accept that they will have to take a lesser paying job and cut back on much of the family expenses. They don't get it! Reality check!

Another friend may have to sell their house to relocate to another area for a job. They refuse to accept the fact their house lost value since the high point in the market. When they spoke to a broker to list the place the owner refused to list it at the broker's suggested price. "I'm not selling for that price, it's worth much more than that!" he yelled. Yeah, it might have been, but those days are gone forever – or at least a good long while. Reality check!

So, after you sober up from the holiday, take a real reality check. Look at all the things you took for granted about the United States and then think about what it's really like. Then, try to figure out how you can help to make it better. One way to get real is to understand you are not entitled to much unless you figure out how to earn it, and by the way, that's an excellent+ lesson to pass on to the kids today.

Maybe we aren't so great after all, but it might just be better than anyplace else.