Call me a Yank. A merkin. Even a seppo. No matter what term you choose, I am an American. I was never asked if I wanted to be American. It was thrust upon me at birth.

Lately, many other countries, governments, and people have expressed their disgust for the United States. U.S. citizens often are stereotypically portrayed as greedy, ignorant, bible-beating lunatics. I am sure many people would expect me to defend this nation from harsh words and feelings. Call me un-American, but I can’t bring myself to defend this country from verbal attacks. In most cases, the critics have a point. The United States is a great experiment, and every experiment has its flaws.

Thanks to the Patriot Act effective under the Bush regime, I can even be thrown into prison for making strong statements against this country (prisons in other countries which do not really “exist”, of course). For voicing my opinions against our government. For not smiling, waiving a flag, and pretending we are the “best nation in the world”. In 2008, we are told to be content and merely obey, not admit our flaws and ask for severe reform.

We are not perfect. We are far from it.

So what is so wrong with America? What could possibly be fixed with a seemingly “perfect country”? I will give you a short, abbreviated list and let you formulate your own judgments from it.

1.      We have no universal health care. – Finally, politicians across the U.S. are actually debating this topic. Yet why should something many countries take for granted be a mere discussion? That would be a Socialist thing to do. We are supposed to be Capitalists. Every man and woman for himself or herself. But wait! We have the corrupt Medicare system and a nearly bankrupt Social Security to save people. This is of no use to a middle-aged person with bronchitis, a broken leg, or even cancer. They should have planned before considering illness.

2.      The minimum wage is not a livable wage. – The first minimum wage laws were enacted in Australia and New Zealand in 1896. Currently, minimum wage in Australia is AU$13.74 per hour. In France, it is €8.27(AU$13.75) per hour; England will be £5.73(AU$12.41) by October. What about the U.S.? We are at $5.85 (AU$6.23) per hour. According to reports from the C.I.A., the average American’s household income has not changed since 1970 (inflation has changed the conversions), even though the cost of living, as well as goods and services, has steadily increased. And we are supposed to be one of the “richest nations”? It should not be surprising to know that many Americans are struggling day-to-day, just to afford the bare necessities.

3.      We are entirely dependent on oil. – Americans don’t own automobiles: the automobiles own them. Through the course of the 20^th Century, mass transportation has been dismantled and sometimes eradicated. We have been trained to believe that owning an automobile is more important than saving money and promoting a healthy environment. We ignore alternative fuel sources and believe there is some magical, unlimited supply of crude oil. Solar, hydraulic, and wind power sources exist but very sparingly. By the time America moves to convert to these other sources, it will become a desperate situation.

4.      George Bush is our president. – Do I really need to elaborate on this statement? Most of the U.S. dislikes him. Most Americans are still puzzled about his re-election. Not only has he made poor decisions with foreign policies, he has also used the 9/11 attacks to create an omniscient, domineering government. Yet he is living proof of the American dream: even a recovering drug addict/alcoholic with low intelligence can become powerful in America.

5.      We are Isolationists. – Ask the average American who is Prime Minister of Great Britain, and they will more than likely respond with Tony Blair. A few may even say Margaret Thatcher. The Prime Minister of Australia? I doubt many would even have a guess. “Who cares,” they may say. And that has been the American mindset for a very long time. If it doesn’t directly involve America, it is of little consequence. There is almost an invisible bubble around the States. Occasionally, words like China and Iraq push through, but only if they seem to threaten the U.S.

6.      Our debt is staggering. – In the last eight years, we have gone from a surplus of billions of dollars to US$9 trillion in debt. We spend more money than we earn as a nation. The unofficial “Iraq War” has cost an incredulous sum of money as well as countless soldiers both here and in many other countries. Not only are most of our goods imported, but we have also borrowed enormous amounts of money from China and other countries just to stay afloat.

7.      We do not preserve our history properly. – John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress which founded this nation, is a well-known American historical figure. An empty lot now marks the location of his home. It was razed a century ago. Ever since, there has been a subtle push toward preserving our history. Unfortunately, countless buildings, homes, and landmarks are destroyed every year. We marvel at a 200-year-old house while Europe would hardly consider it “ancient”. We select which parts of our cultural history are deemed “significant” but have no qualms about tearing down an antique home for the right price.

I am not saying that these problems are only suffered within the United States or that America is the worst country in the world in any respect. There are plenty of positive aspects of the United States. We enjoy many personal liberties that other citizens of the world can only hope and dream to have. But we should not have the over-inflated egos and arrogant, narrow-minded views which tend to run rampant across the country. Many American ignore the negative points and fail to see this country with a global perspective.

Maybe inadvertently, by being un-American, I am in fact being more American. Dissent, disagreement, and differences of opinion are some of the principles on which this country was founded, though it seems forgotten in our modern era. We are a nation of traitors. We disagreed with the government of Great Britain and rebelled against it.

America has become what it once despised.

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