7 Ways America is Still Great

Happy 4th of July!!  I hope your day is filled with food, festivity and fun.

A lot of people are really down on the good ole' U.S of A.   I tend to be one of them.  I will admit my patriotism tends to lag a lot at times.

But, there are lots of GOOD things about our country.  And, the 4th of July is the perfect time to celebrate those things!

1.  Free Public Libraries

While public libraries existed even in ancient times, Ben Franklin is credited with starting public libraries in America.   And, they are pretty cool.  All sorts of books and other media you can borrow, all for free.  I love free stuff.  And libraries just keep getting better..there is interlibrary loan and downloadable materials.  Shh...don't tell...but I still use my library card from places we no longer live to borrow kindle books.

2. Denim

With Hello Kitty shirts on top.  What could be better?

Seriously, denim was invented in America.  And everyone loves denim.  They just do.  I would be willing to bet that at least 98% of all Americans own at least one article of clothing that is denim..whether that is jeans, a jacket, a skirt, a jumper...just about everybody wears denim.   It goes with just about everything, is universal, can be dressed up or down, and unless you are talking about denim jumpers, is generally a very flattering material.  We all love denim!

Update: I have been informed that denim was not invented in the United States, that it was invented in Europe.  LEVI's were invented in the USA though.  I still think of denim as being an American thing...you know..cowboys and all.  Plus, I've been told that in the USSR during the 80's, jeans were a symbol of american capitalism/freedom and were banned for a period of time.  They had to be purchased on the black market...so that makes them an iconic American item, right?

3. Apple Pie, Hamburgers, Deep Fried Twinkies, Need I Say More?

You just have to love American food.  I mean hamburgers?  Who doesn't love a good hamburger.  Even vegetarians love hamburgers which is why they sell those things called veggie burgers.  Americans are crazy for hamburgers....because they are goood.

And, apple pie...who doesn't love apple pie?

Actually, I don't think my dad loves apple pie.  But, he also doesn't wear denim, so he is an anomaly for sure.

And, let's talk about another distinctly American food.  Like deep-fried Twinkies...something I am sure is no doubt found only in America.  Now, I've never eaten a deep-fried Twinkie and I probably never will....but still, doesn't the idea just sound so delicious and disgusting at the same time. The paradox of American food. 

4. Football 

Actually, I Hate Football. 

But, a lot of people love it.  I mean, A LOT of people LOVE it.  My football loving hubby had to explain this to me, but football isn't just about football.

Football is a community activity.  Football brings people together.  If you watch the football game on Sunday afternoon, you have something to talk about with your co-workers on Monday.  People bond over football.  It's weird...and I don't get it...but that is what people do.  So, I guess anything that brings people together is a good thing.

5. There is still some semblance of religious freedom.

They haven't managed to take away all our rights to religious freedom just yet. And, compared to other parts of the world, we still have it pretty good here in America. 

6. Homeschooling and Education

In America, you can homeschool.
 In Germany, you can't.
  I'm glad that America believes in enough freedom to give parents the right to educate their children however they deem best...whether that is public school, private school or homeschool.

And speaking of education...the public education system in America is pretty amazing.  It has it's faults...that is for sure, but how great is it that EVERY child in America is able to be educated FOR FREE.  EVERY CHILD....FOR FREE.   That's way better than a lot of other countries. 

7. In America...the poor are rich. 

We've had times where our family income was below the poverty line (coughlawschoolcough).  And you know what...compared to most of the world, we were rich.  We were super rich.   We had a safe, comfortable house to live in, central air conditioning, plenty of food, working vehicles, cell phones, laptop computers.

In America, we think being poor means not being able to afford Disney vacations or a new vehicle every few years or for every kid to have their own bedroom.  People think they need 2000+ sq feet homes for 4 people and if they can't afford that, they are poor.   We say we are poor all the time, but what we really mean is that we can't afford luxuries. Even for people who really can't afford necessities (like food) there are plenty of government programs and food banks and soup kitchens that offer assistance.   If you are going to be poor, you're a lot better off being poor in America than being poor in other parts of the world.

God Bless America!

Happy 4th of July!

Linking up for 7QTF

Rich Man, Poor Man

There have been a lot of articles about poverty and wealth floating around the Internet the last few weeks.

Dave Ramsey posted on his blog, 20 Things the Rich do Every Day (an article by Tim Corley) and then Ben Irwin came back with a post about 20 Things the Poor Really Do Every Day.

If you haven't read it, Linda Tirado wrote a haunting, gut-wrenching article about poverty that went viral a few weeks ago.  The article is titled, This is Why Poor People's Decisions Make Perfect Sense.   Then Angelica Leicht wrote an article stating that Ms.Tirado's article was a work of fiction.  Then Ms. Tirado comes back and tries to prove it's true. 

All this Internet talk got me thinking a bit about poverty and wealth, so I thought I'd post my own jumbled thoughts.

Regarding Tim Corley's article about the habits of the rich...well on about 16 of those points we fall on the rich side of things, yet we certainly aren't rich.   As Ben Irwin said, those habits are more likely to be a result of being rich than a cause of wealth.   Actually, most of them are more a result of being educated than of being rich per say.

His #17 point reads:  84% of wealthy believe good habits create opportunity luck vs. 4% of poor.   

Well, of course they think that..they're rich. It's human nature.  It's the "can't happen to me" mentality.  It's the same mentality that whenever I hear or read about a stillbirth or baby death I immediately start wondering the cause and scrambling to find it. I'm desperately searching for a reason to say that can't happen to me, I don't have that disease, or I don't do that, so that can't happen to me. 

Instead we should be saying...there but for the Grace of God, go I. 

Just like our physical health, our financial state is mostly a matter of combination between luck and our decisions. A person's physical health is probably due to both their genetic make-up and their health habits (diet/exercise).   And even health habits can be due to luck....I eat healthy because I was blessed to be raised by parents who eat healthy....who turned 1/2 of their 1/2 acre plot into a vegetable garden and did the whole organic thing before it was cool.  A person who grew up with nary a green vegetable crossing their plate is not as likely to start eating boatloads of kale as an adult. 

And, the same thing goes for wealth, numerous studies have shown that the economic position a child has is highly correlated to his/her economic position as an adult.  Yes, you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get out of poverty, but even then people who do that are most likely gifted with certain talents that allow them to do that.  They have the brains and academic ability to succeed in school,  They have family who support them. They get scholarships and go on to higher education.  Children born with learning disabilities or those born into homes where reading isn't encouraged have a much harder hill to climb when it comes to getting higher education and getting out of poverty.

And, even those who manage to become rich through starting their own business probably have a talent and skill set that not everyone has.  Many years ago when my oldest was only 7 months old, I fell prey to one of those work at home mom/network marketing/home business type things  I probably shouldn't say "fell prey" because I wasn't a victim and I don't think those things are all bad.   I even met a mediocre amount of success  (mostly due to luck).   But during that time I read the stories, I saw the testimonials...the people who started making 20,000 dollars a month and paying off their homes and going on vacations.  And, that is great for them...but I think the people who meet success in those endeavours have a certain talent and skill set that not everyone has.  They are salespeople, they have a charismatic personality.  People want to follow them and be with them and listen to them.   When I was actively working that business, I was taught to treat everyone you meet as a potential customer.  And, I just can't do that. I don't WANT to do that.  I don't like selling things.  In fact, I HATE selling things.  When I was a kid, we had to sell candy bars for chorus (why I was in chorus is something I will never know, because heaven knows, I sing like a frog).  But anyway, I actually bought the candy bars I *had* to sell and then threw most of them away (because I didn't want to eat that much candy), but the thought of going door to door and selling them was just too awful.  I HATE fundraisers and selling things and we totally shy away from any activities that involve selling stuff because I HATE it.  So, as you can see, I'm probably not the person who is going to make it rich by starting their own business, because businesses involve selling and I hate selling and I'm not good at it.   But some people like that and are very good at that, and that is their path in life. 

So, yes, one can get out of poverty.  But it's disingenuous to not recognize the obstacles some people face, obstacles that may not be there for others. 

On the flip siede though...I'm not totally a bleeding-heart liberal.  People do make bad decisions, and Ms. Tirado's article did not convince me that those poor decisions make perfect sense.  For example, the most common poor decision that lands a woman in economic poverty is the decision to have sex with a man that is neither committed to her nor to any potential child that might be conceived.  That may not be a popular opinion, but it's the truth.  Better birth control is not the prudent answer, because birth control can fail...and does...frequently...and single motherhood is a major cause of poverty among woman and children.    Obviously some poor, single women have had to leave abusive relationships, and others have been abandoned by their husbands.  But oftentimes people do make poor decisions, and those decisions have long-standing economic consequences. 

But again....there but for the Grace of God, go I.   Because I was raised with loving parents and old-fashioned morality that has served me well. 

I will admit, I don't have much personal experience with poverty...not really. I was raised middle-class and for most of my adult life have been middle class, but for a few years while my husband was in law school, we were economically poor and qualified for public assistance.  However, we never lived the lifestyle Ms. Tirado is describing.   We were educated, had safe housing, working vehicles, the knowledge and ability to cook real food and and the ability to get whatever we needed  And, while we didn't have dental/health insurance we were blessed to not have any major dental/ health problems during that time.  So, I will freely admit, I don't know what it's like to truly live in poverty....to be forced to live in unsafe housing, to truly not be able to buy food, to be really sick and unable to afford health care.  I don't know...and anyone else who's never been in that place doesn't know either.   We say we are poor...but that really means that we can't afford to take vacations or eat out, or eat all organic, grass-fed, free-range food, or give our kids lots of extra activities and lessons.   I have no idea what it's like to not be able to afford safe housing...so I can only imagine how horrible that must be and how such a situation could drive someone to make poor decisions. 

But, we have been technically poor...and I will say that public assistance programs ARE enabling.  We actually ate better back then than we do now with a typical "middle-class" income. Government assistance programs may be necessary and helpful and I'm glad they exist, but they definitely DO enable people and help KEEP people in poverty.   Because, when you get something for free, there is less of a motivation to work to earn more money so you can pay for it.  If someone can work at McDonald's and maybe earn enough to pay rent, and use food stamps and get free cell phones and all that, then there isn't the same motivation for them to go back to school get a degree and work towards a higher paying job.   Yes, the majority of people on public assistance DO work..and that's a GOOD thing.  But are they all working up to their potential?  Is the public assistance enabling them to stay at lower paying jobs, rather than working to move upward? I'm sure that answer is different for everyone, but for some people it is clearly yes (while for others, it is clearly no).  

So, what's the answer?  I don't know.   I realize I have not made any major points here.  As I said before, I clearly believe public assistance is necessary, otherwise there would be a lot more starving children out there.   But, I still don't think it is the best answer.  Giving people more and more free stuff doesn't necessarily help them, but sometimes it is what is needed.  I have a friend who met an impoverished mother a few years ago and every since then has taken the family "under her wing" and helped them out in various ways.   That is true Christian charity, and that is what more of us (no matter how much money we have) should be doing.   Because when it all comes down it, when it we look at others in various terrible situations - whether due to their own poor decisions or not - all we can really do is pray for for them, do our best to help them as much as we are able, and say there but for the Grace of God, go I.