That said, It isn't uncommon to live in another culture and see things where your own culture loses in the comparison.
I lived in Japan and the Philippines, and there were things I liked about both of them, but in the end...I still felt it was better, far better to be an American.
Obviously, not everyone feels that way. Now, if you will excuse me, I will go read the article...:)
I spent a week in Germany years ago before the Wall came down. Had a fly-drive, traveled all over the country, no speed limits on the autobahn. Had a great time in. Berlin, took bus to East Berlin and it was a wreck. Munich was far too expensive for me, both the good hotels and the restaurants, only stayed one night. Had a wonderful time in Bavaria, though some people pointed at me as a Juden (long black hair then).
I have no idea whether this article is correct about costs. Isn’t it a somewhat socialist country? My friend’s daughter lives in Munich, married there and raising adorable little kids who are bi-lingual. I’ll ask him.
It’s very easy to visit far away lands and appreciate the good things about them. It makes me laugh when a twenty something goes to Europe and returns as an ‘enlightened’ liberal. Now they’re ‘cultured’ and ‘educated’, they’re more ‘sophisticated’ than the rest of us luddites.
What they miss is the deeper aspects. As an immigrant from the UK, whom still has friends and family there, I admit it took me many years to really understand how the USA is different. The higher standard of living is obvious, it’s the less obvious that takes a while.
Most don’t stop and consider the relationship between the people and their government. We certainly have our issues and are experiencing an undoing of our Constitution BUT at least we understand the CONCEPTS behind them. That the rights of the individual COME FIRST and ARE in the interests of the collective. Not the other way around, that the ‘best interests’ collective come before the rights of the individual. Only in the USA do people think this way. It is not the case in any other country.
Even in western nations, we’re seeing a rapid move toward communist/Stasi like tactics against patriots. Their ‘leaders’ are literally allowing the invaders to receive preferential ‘justice’ and target anyone dissenting with a different form of ‘justice’. Yet none of them realize it’s why we have the 2A....and we’re the ‘crazy ones’.