The country, ya sure, the way it's going, no... We are gradually turning in to a holiday country and we are just living in the shadow of Europe... Once a great nation, now it can be confused with Spain, and the only important place here, Algarve, is seriously turning in to an English colony...

Welll.It depends how you look at it.I mean America is pretty awesome but thinking back to all the stupid things we've done(electing Pres. Bush) and the stupid things we're doing(war) well there is not that much to be proud about.But,I guess I'm happy here.:vsign:

Same, for the most part. I like this country fine, just don't agree with everything its done as far as our government is concerned.

Eh....the economy sucks......but that can't really be helped........

I am endlessly amazed at the amount of ignorance people possess about political matters. Many people who complain most loudly about their country are so ignorant that they would have a hard time finding it on a map.

Exactly what rights have been taken away from Americans over the last century? Other than regulating tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, there have been no rights lost, and many gained.

As for Bush, I didn't vote for him, but I don't hate him either. What do any of you here really know about Bush's foreign policy? Other than the war, exactly what do people have to complain about? Exactly how have you personally been affected by his policies?

And, speaking of the war, what do you really know about it? That people 4000 soldiers have died there over the last 5 years? 40,000 will be killed in traffic accidents in America this year, hundreds of thousands will be injured. Read your history, and understand that war is just another form of diplomacy. It should be a last resort, but it should be used whenever necessary. As things are looking in Iraq now, unless something goes terribly wrong, history may prove Bush to have been right.

Now, tell me which countries in the world have a higher standing of living than America. Tell me in which country it is that people earn more money per year. Tell me why 50% of the world's population would give their right arm to be able to live and work in America. And then tell me again that America is not a place to be proud of.

No offence like but your standard of living is quiet bullocked in the sense that your nation has the highest obesity rates in the world, among with a history of school massacres and all that.

Now, I don't know about you, but having a gun and affording McDonalds is not a high standard living.

Okay, lets not be bias, even for the rich Americans who work and are healthy - wait! they have issues too. They are uptight and selfish individuals who live in a big country.

Finally, the only person that will have to give an arm and a leg to live there is a poor American who cannot afford his health check pay.

Greece? Yes, I am proud of my country!:D Despite the fact that we drive like we're drunk without actually BEING drunk and other things like the goverment or the police who are SLEEPING, I am proud because Greece is the mother of the Olympics and has many beautiful places with great history.:vsign:

Why so defensive?

By the way... Mexico is not 50% of the world's population :mtongue:

I am proud of the states tho it has many flaws and wrong things through the years :vsign:

Talk about a spattering of stereotypes. I'd like to hear about the fact-checking and statistics on "uptight" and "selfishness".

I agree with you... I'll point out that he's just as bad as Sangetsu though.

yep i love australia, been here since i was 1 years old.

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/D...rces/GNIPC.pdf This lists gross per-capita pay in dollars and purchasing parity, which takes into account things like health care and other expenses. Where is your country located on this list?

Think before you speak. School shootings make the world headlines frequently enough, but what is less often reported is that rates of violent crime in England surpassed those in America some years ago. Telegraph | News | Britain the most violent country in western Europe The numbers have only increased since this article was printed.

Obesity in England has quadrupled in recent years, and England is closing the obesity gap with American very quickly.

As for being a selfish country, how much did the UK spend in foreign aid last year as compared to the US? As for health care, an illegal immigrant from Mexico can swim across the river and go to an American hospital for $150,000 worth of bypass surgery. He will be treated immediately, regardless of his lack of citizenship or ability to pay. We have hospitals that are treating illegal immigrants with drug resistant tuberculosis, at a cost of one million dollars per year per patient. Illegal immigrants in America receive much more timely health care that legal citizens in the UK do, and these immigrants are not forced to pay so much as a single cent.

no :P (damn, minimum 10 characters)

Why are you two fighting over this as if the UK or US are ranked 1st...

A quick sum up of statistics;

Quality if life ranking 2008; 1st - France (however, should double check this), 2nd - Switzerland/Ireland (these have been first for past decade)

Per Head of population - Richest = Luxembourg

Highest concentration of rich people in any City - London, UK

Highest number of billionaires - USA

So, the point I'm making is, it's absolutely silly to fight over which country is best because no country out there is the best or has the most of EVERYTHING... Both the UK and US are great countries in their own right...

I don't suffer fools gladly.

Before coming to Japan I lived in Florida. Do you know how many people from Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic have drowned trying to get to America? Mexico is in bad shape, but it's a paradise compared to many other countries.

As for Texas, El Paso has the lowest violent crime rate of any American city. I asked a police officer why this was true, his answer was "because everyone has a gun". El Paso is separated from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, by the Rio Grande river. Violent crime has exploded there in recent years, Juarez has seen more than 900 murders so far in 2008, and there are still 3 months left in the year.

This thread is not for bashing other peoples countries, but talking about what you like and dislike about yours, please.

I am actually really surprised how close the poll is. I would have thought that 'Yes' would be a lot further ahead. Clearly, there are issues with people not trusting politicians, and so on, but I wonder how much they really know about politics, or are they just jumping on the 'We hate [insert politicians name] here' bandwagon.

Yes I am. Portugal has a lot of history, for example, we were the ones who brought guns to Japan, we were the first european people to arrive there.
We had half of the world (Spain had the other half) even though I think that's bullshit.

I'm proud of Portugal's history, however I am not proud of what we are today, the country sucks at the moment, politians are stealing from us, by charging more and more unnecessary bills.
It's really hard to get a job in here these days, at least for people in its 40's and 50's, and the lack of jobs is one of the main reasons for me to get the hell out of here.

I'm not on Bureda's side... But that's a lot of spin you're doing

-The gross pay per capita list ignores the benefits that a socialised health care system as you can't really put a dollar value on them. Not to mention that the idea that because Americans get "paid the most" and are therefore the greatest nation in the world is a stupid one.

-America may contribute the most net aid but as a percentage of it's GDP it actually ranks near the bottom only contributing 0.1% compare that to a country like Sweden near the top of that list which gives 0.35%.

Also I've heard that America's health care system is a shambles. It's definitely the most expensive system but I've also heard that it's the most inefficient as well. A visit to the doctor and treatment for a working class American on minimum wage can often total more than he or she earns in a week!

I think the people who voted no are not necessarilly ashamed of their country. Just not proud of it.

I think you should have put three options.

-Yes
-Not particularly proud
-No I'm ashamed of my country

I fall into the second group.

I think people should be proud of the country their from because its your people that did things for it previously. Just like how your proud of your family history or something. I think it's the same thing for people's country. If someone isn't proud of their country, at all, don't like what it is, then they should leave, so the people that do like it, are proud of it, don't have to hear their bitching. Just move already.

I suppose, but I really don't like to be wishy washy about it!

I didn't assume they were ashamed, I was just surprised there wasn't more people who were proud.

Sho i guesss

Am I proud of my country... Born in Algeria, lived in the UK most of my life, and now living in France... I don't like the idea of country. My people, Berbers (aka Imazighen) haven't had a country as such for 5 thousand years until the past 2 centuries. In fact, Imazighen means Free Men. Therefore, I am neither proud nor "not proud" (sounds weird saying that...) of Algeria. Looking at Algeria now, it's going down the path of hell. It has terrorists everywhere, it's not safe, and my generation or younger only have 2 thoughts on their mind constantly... Suicide or going abroad.

However, with all that said, I love the UK. I learnt a lot about myself here and it allowed me to grow up healthy and in a safe environment.

France... It's tough. I am proud of the French medical system because if it weren't for their world class doctors, I would have died as an infant. Other than that, I don't really have any opinions on France...

If anything, I am proud of my heritage, but not really proud of a country(s)

i wouldn't say i'm proud of the us. i'm glad i live here, but i'm pretty upset w/ the current president lol

Yes, It can be expensive because its through private companies, not the government. The health industry is a business and thats how it should stay. If we had (i dont know why I can't think of the term, is it centralized?) a health care system provided by the government, the cost would be lower, but the quality of the doctors and treatment would decrease significantly. Competition promotes a higher quality product and service. If there is no competition, there is no reason to create a better product or better service. However, how the hospitals are forced to help illegal immigrants is unselfish, its wrong. We should be more selfish in that aspect. They get so many things for free and are let go of many other hassles that citizens have to deal with, because we aren't doing anything about it. It isn't fair for people who immigrated to the country legal, or people born here. Especially knowing that they're getting all these free things from my money. I'm paying for it. I hate knowing that part of my paycheck, about 30%, is being taken out to pay for their shit. I'd rather see it being used elsewhere. They say they came here to live a better life. That's cool, come over here legally, because your making our lives worse! And because you may have a bad life, doesn't mean they can do whatever they want. I'm tired of paying for their shit.

I see... fair enough.

I suppose I'm proud of the fact that New Zealand is a multi-cultural country in that everyone (except the Maori) can trace their ancestors to another part of the world. From Asia to Europe to Africa. New Zealanders come in a variety of colours.

I suppose I'm proud that New Zealand is a secular country whose laws are protected from religious influence and based on Western liberal principles.

Woah, everybody deserves medical treatment, illegal immigrant or not. I think what you just said is incredibly selfish and you know that. They are humans just like you, and just because they have come into a country to escape the hell that's in theres, doesn't mean they shouldn't be treated equally. They are no different to you - you're all living, breathing humans, and they deserve the same quality of life you are entitled to. Where you end up is luck of the draw, you just happen to be lucky in that you were born there so you can get it. Others aren't as lucky as you. I don't care about paying taxes for them too because they've probably gone through way more hell than I'll ever go through. If I was in their situation I would be completely grateful if I was able to get medical treatment too.

RegPaq, France has one of the best medical care systems in the world, and so does the UK and they are both government funded. France especially (though, it's not exactly free like the UK). You get health insurance in France to get refunds on medicine and doctors if you visit regularly. i.e. me, I have to take pills everday of my life, therefore I get insurance because it saves me a lot of money per year...

Now, I've never been to America and I don't know what their service is like, but what you've said contardicts the general opinion. Many Americans I know always say that the service is expensive and crap compared to other countries with nathional health services...

Socialised health care is not free health care. If you aren't paying for it directly, you are paying indirectly with your taxes. Competition still exists within socialised health care services in that the government pays somebody to provide it. Contracters have to build hospitals, drug companies have to develop medicines etc.

nice MissMisa that is quite true what you just said and very well put. :vsign:

The parity purchasing numbers used by the Wold Bank chart take into account government benefits received. It is the most accurate barometer for financial quality of life, which is why they use it.

As for a working class Americans who need health care, they are entitled to receive it whether they can afford it or not.

Here's an example why health care in America costs so much. First, you have to figure in malpractice insurance. Insurance companies have lobbied for mandatory insurance for all licensed doctors, and insurance is required by law. But a $100,000 policy can cost $150,000. It's ludicrous, and it defies logic, but it is the law. Next, all patients are treated, regardless of lack of insurance, or ability to pay. And then there is the illegal immigration problem. Illegal immigrants do not have insurance, don't pay income, or property tax, and yet they make full use of America's health care system. The cost is estimated at anywhere between 10 and 20 billion dollars each year. This loss must be made up for by increasing the price of care to those who can pay.

If your own country had an illegal immigrant population of 5% who paid nothing into the health care system, but received all of its benefits, how long would your health care system remain solvent?

I second that, I will always be grateful to live here. I believe the USA has come a long way sense the old days of starting up but currently this president has really f**ked up this country and it's reputation. It's embarrassing to even think that the USA voted in this president in office not once, but twice.

I feel that way too.

I'm not "proud" as such but I'm happy I was born here, wouldn't have it any other way. I voted YES cause even if I wasn't, I'm too proud to admit it x) :mtongue:

I am proud i live in the states but i believe it was going down the whole before bush tho i dont care for him :vsign:

Two words that make me proud to be scottish... the great invention of "IRN-BRU" Makes me proud to have Scottish blood.

I wouldn't really say i have particular 'pride' for my country but i don't think England is a bad place. I am not so proud of things it's done in the past, such as involvement in the slave trade, colonisation, "being America's Bitch" (couldn't put it any better myself) etc etc but I think it's done good things too.

My grandma had a view on the Germans that i don't share; she thought that all German people should be ashamed of their country for its atrocities in the wars but this is only because she lived through both of them. I think that although Germany has a somewhat tainted history, they should be proud of how they recovered and re-built from them- after all, Hitler, the Kaiser and their followers did not make up the entire German population and many of them only followed out of fear; therefore, i think German people today have my respect and should not hide from their past but be proud of their country as it is now.

Why wouldnt u be proud of? Germany is great country that actually mantains the EU economically stable.
About my country im not really sure, like lulu 's country Greece, people here also drive like they r drun.. and under influence of heavy drugs, and thats in a good day.
People here dont pay the taxes or only part of it, and they like to do things only in last minute.
But i cant say i hate it, i like living here actually, its not bad.
Since i cant decide i go for yes, since we have only 2 options (the person who made it is for extremes only, yes or no hehe)