I appreciate the exchange. I believe that only if you know about different perspectives, structures, and experiences can you improve, personally as well as at the state level. I often accuse the USA of self-aggrandizement and self-righteousness. Primarily because I can't relate to platitudes like "best country in the world" or "land of the free." Anyone who has experienced freedom in Western Europe, social security in Scandinavia, European education, or the southern European dolce vita simply has to ask themselves whether "best country of all" isn't a bit of an exaggeration. I appreciate looking beyond such narrow perspectives and am convinced that it benefits both sides. I remember vividly the first time I stepped off the plane and jumped around in the Moscow snow. My first thought was: Yay, I'm here, and I don't have a gun with me! Visiting each other and learning from one another is so much better than repeating mindless slogans.
