Opinion - Twenty-First Century America

The day was July 4, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Treaty of Paris followed that in September of 1783, disbanding all British troops back to England and giving property to Spain and France. Since then, we have fought for our right to live free of dictatorship, free to do whatever we please as long as it does not act against the laws of the United States of America.
We have fought for the right of other races and nationalities to take part in this country as an American citizen. Moreover, we battled against other countries that wanted to take over the world. We defended ourselves against mad dictators that threatened our way of living.
Over the 230 years this country has been run “by the people, for the people”, our society has been built, rebuilt, torn down, and rebuilt again. After thinking about all that and the society we have become today, I ask myself, “Why do we defend our way of living when we know it is not the best way?”
I particularly do not like how the United States of America and its society is operated. There are many flaws in our society. Being American isn’t a nationality anymore; it’s more of being either a Republican or a Democrat, both of which think it should be run their own way. Our equality among races and genders is crooked; how society built the idea of how women are still inferior of men after all these years is completely in the wrong. After going to college and getting a degree, the woman still makes seventy cents to a dollar a man makes and continues to be looked at as a caretaker.
Our corporations look for people with college degrees instead of people with experience to do the same job; if someone wants to be a bank manager, the bank would most likely hire the person with an associates or a bachelors degree in banking than someone who has worked in the same job category for many years.
We are more afraid of being attacked by foreign countries rather than about how our students are being taught in the classroom, so the country’s budget goes more to the armed forces than education. Starting in 1992, the American Dream of raising a family and getting a job starts at age 16 but without the job.
One of the biggest financial struggles people have in the U.S. is health care. I consider myself very fortunate to have health insurance and to be able to go to the hospital whenever I need to. I think our health care system is very corrupted. If you do not have the right health insurance, you will be treated for your illness, but will go into debt of the hospital.
Doctors and surgeons charge too much to stitch an eyebrow, give a diagnosis or see a patient for a checkup. Yes, the doctor did go through 12 years of college to get where he is today and can diagnose and treat you for any illness you have and cure it. So why do they need to charge such an absurd amount? To help them pay back their college debt if they have any? No. They took the role of a doctor to help the public and rid people of sickness in which their immune systems cannot. They wanted to save and improve the lives of others, so why not do it for the satisfaction and passion?
Another big obstacle in the United States is education. Many schools do not have the best resources to teach a student. Many teachers are not effective in teaching because they lack the hourly incentive to make sure all students achieve in class.
In addition, I believe another reason the education system is failing is because the teachers cannot connect with their students. The teacher-student relationship is mainly just taking notes, giving tests and homework. A lot of the teachers will not make the effort to draw the attention of the student by learning where he or she comes from. I am sure if teachers learn about their students and understand them, more can be done in the classroom.
On the other hand, it’s not only the teachers’ fault. Many students think they’ll get by because they “know somebody” or they can enter the family business. I ask them, why not go to college and get a degree in something you love or make your family business more successful than it already is? The way students disrespect the free education they are given from kindergarten to twelfth grade is a punch to the face.
It is very arrogant to call the United States of America the greatest country on earth when clearly, it’s not. Some people will say it’s the greatest country because of our armed forces; others will say it’s because of the diversity and the freedom we give away so much of. The way we think so positively of our country is the reason why other countries hate us so much. Those countries have freedom just as much as the U.S. does and then some and we can’t forget that other countries are just as good as we are.