ten things i'd like to change about my country...

(this is how I feel sometimes about work. so true.)

per this meme here- 10 things I would change about the USA (which is a political statement and I hate making these sometimes so I hope noone is offended.)

• I wish we had more vacation time, like they do in Europe. First thing that popped into my head
• I wish we had better healthcare for the poor. I know I would pay for it in taxes but I've been there and the healthcare really sucks.
• I wish healthy food was cheaper
• I wish public transportation was better (might be great on the east coast but it sucks over here)
• I wish we weren't so split as a country on things like presidential elections. I hate that half of the country is red and half blue.
• I wish we weren't involved in the war in Iraq. If we are going to help other nations, I wish that it was more clearly defined so that we are really helping countries and places like Darfur where there is no vested interest in us helping except for the fact that it would be a good human thing to do. If we can't do this, I wish we would just become isolationist again instead of getting involved.
• I wish we'd be kinder to minorities that have kind of supported our country now and in our history: the irish, the chinese, the native americans, the mexicans, etc.
  
• I wish that we were more consistent on our borders- we are shooting mexicans who are getting in but we don't even have a fence between us and parts of Canada. So people who are dangerous could come here from Canada into like Montana, maybe even easier than they are getting to San Diego from Mexico. It's inconsistent and I hate that if I give an illegal immigrant from any country any kind of help (like a room or a jug of water) that I'm at risk for felony.
• I wish there was a bigger safety net in our economy. Sometimes I feel like we are on the edge of losing it all, just like the Roman empire. And we have an entire generation of old people that have to keep working (maybe I'm just too liberal and i'm freaking out on my blog).
• I wish that we paid more attention to women's rights. It really freaks me out that there is only one abortion clinic in North Dakota and that the women who go there have to watch out for snipers. No matter where you stand on that matter, you should at least not want people who feel differently to fear for their lives. And something is seriously wrong with male people in power deciding that women who are usually single mothers and quite powerless, are automatically welfare cheats. I know first hand that what they give to a mother for welfare is not enough for her to survive- not enough money for food and barely enough to cover rent.

I'd like to add that I put a lot of thought into this one. For all that I could complain about, I really do think this country has so many strengths. We actually do a lot of things right and have a lot of blessings as a culture. My husband is going to school where in Chile it's so much harder. And things like divorce and custody are believeitornot so much more fair here. Our legal system is better here too. (I can list more...)