Just curious. Which first world countries have you lived and worked in (without being in the military)?

When you attempt to explain what Jefferson said, you’re doing the same as any religious person from any religion when confronted with a verse that doesn’t look good. They explain it away by telling people what it really meant. I think I can read what the sentence said, and I understand exactly what it said. Jefferson, by the way, believed in God, and what he means that, in his opinion God, made human beings, and he made them all equal, and he gave them various rights. That is what he meant, and that is what is said. It’s simply not a true statement. It is a statement of belief.

You are projecting your own beliefs on to what he said. Sorry, you can’t do that.

No, Einstein did not believe in God. Not many people in his society did. My late father was the same university he was, and attended his farewell meeting at the synagogue in Berlin. Einstein called himself an agnostic, and in various letters published over the last few years, he was very, very clear that he did not believe in a personal god.

Of what point is having the finest universities in the world when only .2% of Americans attend Ivy League universities? It just goes to prove what I say. It’s exactly the same as any 3rd world country. Only the rich and powerful can afford them, and schooling, for most is poor.

America used to have good research and innovation. Switzerland is the world’s most innovative country. Sweden is second. The US is third. Now consider that America has 330 million people and Switzerland has 8.5 million people. Sweden has ten million people. Now consider that seven of the top ten countries in innovation are in the EU, one is South Korea, and the other is China. If you compared it population wise, Europe would win all the way.

If China invades Taiwan, we’re going to let it go. We do not want a war. We will be very angry with America for ‘defending Taiwan.’ Sometimes it’s a matter of the lesser of two evils. We prefer to let China have Taiwan. Why do you think that Biden hasn’t stepped in to assist the Ukraine? We will be screaming blue murder if America ever, ever, ever takes up arms again.

Your strong military at this point, will cause WWIII. When all countries were asked who they thought was the most likely to cause WWIII, the entire world said America.

It is precisely because capitalists believe that it will take innovation to stop climate change that nothing will be done. We’re way out of time. Climate change has already begun. Pakistan has 1/3 of her land under water – a combination of melt off from glaciers and rain. Innovation is absolutely and utterly not going to stop climate change. We need to ban cars, implement public transport, and change our lifestyle. We need to stop the millions of corporations and companies that produce toxins in the manufacturing process. That includes blue jeans which has destroyed entire rivers and villages in China.

OMG! “And finally, you say that America is all about "...guns, power and money." Well try effectuating positive change, or even surviving for that matter, with no means to protect yourself, with no power to influence others, and with no money to put food on the table."

Did you really just say that? Do you honestly believe that the only way to get things done is by bullying people and using force? Wow. Wow. And wow. You really do need to go and spend some years in a civilized, first world country.

I was an American immigrant. So was my daughter. At the time I was preparing to immigrate (from the UK at the time), I was warned by many people (who had previously immigrated to America, not to). They all said they were leaving – that America was a horrible country. Perhaps you should count the number of people who don’t make it. One third of them return home. Two thirds of them never take up American citizenship. Upward mobility is far easier in Europe than in America.

You can’t see a viable world without America in it?

I’m sorry, but that statement is ludicrous.

I’ve provided references to back up what I have said.

Lastly, exactly which first world countries have you lived in besides America? And for how long? I have lived and worked in two countries in Africa (and visited 6), five countries in the EU (and visited many), two countries in the UK, and spent eleven years in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_and_philosophical_views_of_Albert_Einstein#

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/global-innovation-powerhouses-2021/

https://www.thetoptens.com/nations/countries-most-likely-start-world-war-iii/

https://qz.com/1508145/a-new-study-shows-a-third-of-immigrants-are-going-back-home/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/13/american-dream-broken-upward-mobility-us