America+is+Not+the+Greatest+Country+Anymore

Read the following speech. Your assignment is to first verify the “facts” in this speech and, if they are accurate, which countries are “better” using C.I.A. World Factbook.
 * ASSIGNMENT: **

Explain your finding and then write a three to five paragraph essay on whether or not you agree with this speech and why. **Email your completed paper to me no later than Thursday, September 12.**

**Why Americas Not the Greatest Country Anymore Speech **

[|Will McAvoy] : It's not the greatest country in the world, professor, that's my answer. [|Moderator] : You're saying... [|Will McAvoy] : Yes. [|Moderator] : Let's talk about... [|Will McAvoy] : Fine. Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paychecks, but he gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn't cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don't like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so "f" smart, how come they lose so GODDAM ALWAYS! [|Sharon] : Hey... <span style="color: #70579d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none;">[|Moderator] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: [ <span class="fine" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">turns to Lewis <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">] And with a straight face, you're going to tell students that America is so starspangled awesome that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom, Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, BELGIUM has freedom! Two hundred and seven sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom. <span style="color: #70579d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none;">[|Moderator] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: All right... <span style="color: #70579d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none;">[|Will McAvoy] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: And yeah, you... sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is: There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies. None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt a member of the WORST-period-GENERATION-period-EVER-period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the 'f' you're talking about! Yosemite? <span style="color: #70579d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none;">[|Will McAvoy] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: [ <span class="fine" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">pause <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">] We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons, we passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. <span style="color: #70579d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none;">[|Will McAvoy] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: [ <span class="fine" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">to moderator <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">] Enough?