[blackwateragent]

> The US is roughly of a mind that the Chinese people deserve free and fair electoral politics

The US could care less about the chinese people lol, they only care about maintaining power and hegemony.

Tell that to the democracies the US has toppled...

[bruce511]

Being the world's largest, most developed, economy (we're number 1) brings some unwelcome truths;

The only direction is down. Obviously you can't be the best at everything, for ever, so inevitably by some measures you're "not number 1". For folks raised on "we're the best country on earth" all their lives, this is hard to hear. Health care? Annual leave? Education? Construction? Infrastructure? The US has the best in the world (we must have, we're the best at everything).

Unfortunately when wishful thinking and reality collide, reality tends to fall away. If we just think it, if we just say it often enough, it'll become true.

Ironically it is exactly the "we're the best at everything" that prevents improvement. You can't improve the best, and most importantly you can't learn from other places, thereby implying you're not the best. Can't learn from the Japenese health system because, by definition, that's inferior.

Of course the US _does_ have the best health, education, whatever, as long as you add the phrase "for rich people" to every claim. And since all Americans are either currently rich, or rich-in-waiting, that means it's the best for everyone.