America is indeed the land of plenty; of which, America so leads the world with its overall wealth, in its equity markets, in its billionaires, by its largest corporations, in its top universities as well as its educational achievements, its top medical facilities, its impressive food production, its technological innovations, in entertainment, and in so many other fields of interest and merit. Yet, America also has plenty of poverty, plenty of incarceration, plenty of excessive military spending, plenty of foreign military bases, plenty of crime along with its accompanying violence, plenty of gun ownership, and plenty of injustice, unfairness, and inequality.
So then, there are two Americas and within those two Americas, there is that plenty which is good and of merit; and then again there is that other America which has plenty of that bad stuff and is of little merit. A truly great country has to be measured not only through its impressive accomplishments and achievements, but also through a careful and comprehensive study of the weakest, and most vulnerable people of that nation; and any nation worth its salt, that is therefore truly worthy of respect and of being emulated, is that nation that takes care of not just the elite and middle class, but does its level best to see that all of its citizens, have the fair opportunity to obtain the accouterments that make for a life that is decent and of self-respect.
Additionally, those countries that have not only the necessary wealth but also the appropriate infrastructure that thereby permits them thus to have the ready capability to take care of the whole of its population in a manner in which none are truly left behind, of which then, that nation subsequently fails to do that, must therefore be held accountable for that failure. Such is the case in America, in which billions upon billions is spent and misspent, for instance, on its military-industrial-technology complex, which benefits some, while harming directly and indirectly quite a few here and abroad, for this ill-advised misallocation of resources.
So too, this nation is the breadbasket of the world, but one wouldn’t know it, by the number of Americans that do not have reliable access to nutritious and affordable food. In addition, despite the amount of money so being spent on healthcare, the end result for those that are denied fair access to that good healthcare, is demonstrated by the high number of Americans whose health is unnecessarily poor. Also, despite its great universities, America, fails far too often with its fellow citizens that live in enclaves of poverty and neglect, so demonstrated by the condition of their pathetic public schools, of which, those that are specifically punished are those that have committed no offense, except to be born in communities without the appropriate resources to provide them with a good and sound education.
For some, America’s plenty represents the best of times, and for others it represents the worst. It need not be that way, the fact that it is, reflects that America at its core, talks a big game, but to date, absolutely fails to deliver.