What is the ONE thing that propelled the United States to the top?

[Pwent]

there isnt one thing, but the #1 thing is

belief in opportunity and the american dream

americans believe in meritocracy and that they can be rich if they work hard enough. so you have a nation of motivated people doing their best. thats why our GDP per capita is so insane, we have the most productive workers on the planet

 

[Pwent]

top of what? half the country resembles a third world shithole

this post seems weird when your name and av are dedicated to american greatness in art

 

[Satsui Ryu]

You can't pin it on one thing, but as already mentioned one of the main reasons was location. Stupid amount of natural resources and we as a nation watched the world crumble from the sidelines without really participating and we eventually took advantage of that.

 

[scoopj]

Yeah, you guys have also have done a lot of things right.
But had the advantage that you didn't have all the stupid conflicts that had their origins centuries ago.
You basically got a fresh start.
After you killed most of the rightful owners of the land and committed treason of course.

The rightful owners that were all living in peace before Europeans arrived? And what is a "rightful owner" anyhow? Seems to me it's whoever decides they want something and has the means to take it. Doesn't that describe the history of man?

 

[Pwent]

Honestly? Immigration.

Almost every great thing this country produced was the result of immigrants or the next 2-3 generations.

Shit, even Trump is only 2nd generation American, his grandfather was an immigrant.

if you count all the way from 3 generations from an immigrant, thats most of the country, so no shit that most of the achievements were achieved by most of the country

 

[Last Samurai]

WWII

yeah back then they were in pretty good shape

then they started juicing using the petrodollar

nowadays it's a bloody roid monkey

 

[ReAnimator Reagan]

What is the one thing that caused the United States to be the world leader in the 21st century?

Is it because of the Petrodollar?

Is it WW2 manufacturing?

Luck?

The importance of the individual...even the gov is subject to the individual

 

[scoopj]

Our manned space program is crap, but the rest is bad ass. We're still the only country that has sent a probe to Uranus.

TMI

 

[Deleted member 491001]

50% of the US space program and 50% of the Russian space program was developed by former German scientists.
So technically 50%+50% means the space program was 100% German.
And that's not me living out some great German delusion that is based solely on numbers.
Numbers don't lie.

I'm intrigued, because I've never hear this before, but is that accurate?

 

[jefferz]

TMI

We've only ever sent 1 probe there, we need to probe Uranus more.

 

[S Class]

karate

 

[Deleted member 491001]

Newbie coming strong with the hard-zoom muppet reaction gifs...

 

[Pwent]

karate

#chucknorrisbless

 

[Deleted member 491001]

Americans spend, on average, less than 17% of their annual income on food. This includes all the groceries, eating out, and other dining experiences you could imagine.

In poorer countries, laborers often have to spend far more than 50% of their daily income on food alone.

The amount that Americans otherwise don't spend on food is able to be used for a multitude of other things.

So, industialization/mechanization of farming, per se?

 

[snakedafunky]

I'm intrigues, because I've never hear this before, but is that accurate?

Nah I was just trying to be funny. I mean they did some of the work.
Especially Von Braun but the US and Soviet had excellent scientist also.
The German scientists might have had a bit more knowledge because the Nazi invested a lot in rocket technology.

 

[Deleted member 491001]

I live in WA, one of the first states to legalize, and I have a friend who has worked in the industry since it came. He has some crazy stories on what people have produced with cannabis. I look at the pricing of weed, and it's insane. 5 years ago, for me to get an oz of weed, it would be maaaaaybe 250 bucks, and that's if I'm lucky, and it's through a dealer, so you have to buy whatever he has, which is limited. Now, I can go to Have a Heart and get an oz of really good shake/keef mix for 55 bucks.

What do you do with it?

I trap homeless people in a shipping container, and feed in the cannabis smoke. It's my passion.

In my book that's an humanitarian effort.

Died laughing!

 

[MarloStanfield]

this post seems weird when your name and av are dedicated to american greatness in art

lots of great things to like and vice versa, but movies and music dont make a country great, standard of living for all citizens, how the poor and sick are treated, things like this are a start

 

[MarloStanfield]

I'm intrigues, because I've never hear this before, but is that accurate?

more than 50%, the US took in known nazi war criminals and without them the atomic bomb, the moon trip wouild not be posible, plus the germans were integral in helping during the cold war,they knew more about the russians than anyone

 

[ripskater]

God.

 

[scoopj]

We've only ever sent 1 probe there, we need to probe Uranus more.