What Makes America Great?

[WickedKitchen]

Ok, Independence day is coming. I ask this...What makes our country so great?

A-number one on my list are the men and women of our armed services that make the ultimate commitment to secure our lives, liberties, and pursuits of happiness. A heartfelt Thank You to each and every one of you.

Baseball. Opening Day. The ceremonial first pitch. The seventh inning stretch. The rubber match. The pennant. The World Series. Pitchers' duels. Perfect games. Stolen bases, and Home runs. It's a game of many rules, some complex but it's a pastime that's the heart of America.

The freedom to pursue a dream. To try something new and be given a chance to win. And Winning.

There's plenty more. What makes America great to you?

[chadizzy1]

Rebecca Black.

[snusjus]

It doesn't get more American than this -- McDonald's and Walmart combined.

[AtreyuKun]

I do enjoy a good baseball game. In person far more so than TV.
Frankly, I love the fact that I can say that I love my country and hate my government in a public place and not go to jail.
And yeah, we do all have opportunities. Take me for example: I fancy myself a writer, if I never make it big, whose fault is it? Mine of course. Truly nothing to stop me but myself.
It's a great place to live, and I really would rather live here than anywhere else.

[c.nash]

It doesn't get more American than this -- McDonald's and Walmart combined.

Wait... you're not Eric... lol

[Bigblue1]

[WickedKitchen]

I guess the fact that WalMart and McDs and others have had the allowance to grow to be the behemoths that they are today is something to be celebrated. I'm not quite sure if the end result was great though in the grand scheme of things.

[EricHill78]

It doesn't get more American than this -- McDonald's and Walmart combined.

This..

+1 on the Rebecca Black Chad

And I'll add Bagel Bites

[Premium Parrots]

Alf...

[sirloot]

Apple pie Fireworks and Backyard BBQ's/Kegout's

[Darwin]

Oh man where to start? The Utah Canyonlands, the Statue of Liberty, the Mississippi river, street rods, Crackerjacks, Arlington Cemetery, swearin' ignorant good ol' boys, know-it-all college profs, tax loopholes, model airplanes, Kansas beef, Gulf shrimp, Hershey bars, Emily Deschanel, Jonah Goldberg, John Bolton, the Coen brothers, Aspen and Telluride, nuclear powerplants, Houston Ship Channel refineries, the Corvette factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Apple computers, ice cold Coca Cola, fake Anasazi pottery, online fora, real blue jeans, Starbuck's lattes, and so on ad infinitum. It's said that thinking one's country of birth is the best there could possibly be is mere witless chauvinistic provincialism. Perhaps but the true test, for anyone anywhere, is whether or not one would choose to live anywhere else. For me--not on a bet.

[angrylollipop]

It's great because as a business owner I can take 15 college graduates who can't find good paying jobs because the economy sucks and pay them $7.40 an hour to run my store and make me lots of money.

So long as I work them all part-time I don't need to give them benefits, (or in my state breaks either.) If they mouth off I can fire them at will (i.e. when and for whatever i want without having to tell them why), and have them replaced within a week.

I only have to pay them each about 6k a year and their effort nets me 100k a year in profit.

[snusjus]

I'm surprised someone forgot to mention this -- America is home to the best snus ever created.

[c.nash]

My penis... Oh yeah... And... Um... Baseball and football...

[GoVegan]

I would say our people. There are a few arseholes amongst us but the majority of people in this country do care and work hard to make a difference.