Often times we look around and find aspects of our country that we dislike: I, for one, dislike how pathetic our public transportation system is, how long it takes for a simple road to be built, and how our justice system criminalizes light drugs, just to name a few. However, as I evalute this country and notice the faults, I can't help but notice all the good this country holds and the unique qualties that have made this country a special place. While we often grumble about this inconvience here or that politican there, we must never lose sight of how the United States of America is the most exceptional country in the world.

Besides possibly Canada and Australia, no other country in the world has been able to bring in millions of people from different countries and cultures and able to assimilate them, and not even those 2 countries have been able to do so at a scale like that of the United States. While countries like Japan or France often regard foreigners as complete outsiders, and countries like Nigeria are filled with inter-ethnic conflict, the United States has developed a culture that has been able to bring together people of various backgrounds under the Star Spangled Banner and the values of freedom of speech, freedom of press, and equality. Speaking of equality, while it had taken over thousands of years for many empires and civilizations to liberate their slaves and serfs and overthrow their tyrannical kings, the US, in the span of its young existence, gave women, minorities, and the disabled rights not seen in most of the world today, which leads me to my next point.

In Saudi Arabia, women have just gotten the right to drive. In many African countries, girls as young as five years old are forced to go through the barbaric pratice of female genital mutiation. In Mexico and Central America, cartels and gangs have killed tens of thousands of people, often dumping decapitated corpses on the side of the road. In Russia, gays have to live a life of secrecy. In China, Christians have to worship with their blinds closed and in hushed voices for fear of persucation. In North Korea, well, we all know what's going on there. In Germany, saying a joke that one person may find offensive can now get you fined and in some cases arrested. By simply being born in the United States, you enjoy rights and protections many people around the world can only dream of, rights we too often take for granted.

Lets not forget the history of this country as well. The colonists were able to rise up against the world's most powerful nation at that time and establish the world's first consitutional republic. Empires that were massarcing millions of innocent people for being "undesirables" were defeated with the blood of American men on the battlefield and the sweat of American women in factories. Entire laws that uprooted existing social standards were passed in order to correct the mistakes of the past. Millions of dollars were given to European nations after World War II, and America acted as their guardian angel agaisnt the threat of totalitarian communist control from the Soviet Union. And now the United States stands as the world's superpower, with the biggest economy, most powerful military, and an average income higher than most developed countries. In recent history, we have witnessed millions of people come together to help each other out in the wake of disastors. Our Constituiton continues to be the longest surviving consitution in human history.

Of course no nation is perfect, and that applies to the US as well, however its the best we got. The United States of America serves a beacon of prosperity, civil liberties, and values that have enabled hundreds of millions of people, both native-born Americans and immigrants, to enjoy a lifestyle only rivaled by a few countries and desired by many. We should always be grateful for what we have, including the nation we live in. And lets not forget about freedom, for America has given its citizens more freedom to spend their money how they want to, more freedom on how to defend themselves, and more freedom on what to say than most developed countries. America is among the greatest, if not the greatest country in the world, and for that we are among the luckiest people in the world.