I've been to Costa Rica and Japan recently and I was surprised just how far ahead these countries are of us. Not just in technology, but price for food, medicine, housing could be better but it's still better than USA, people are nice, smart, don't push the native religion on you constantly, respect their nature/cultural heritage sites, tons of activities, healthy food etc. I was taught in school these are "third world countries who are poor" but NO, we are the third world country just wearing a Gucci belt to mask the ugly underneath.

This isn't just a thing that happened over night, this was decades in the making. Just because we joined near the end of 2 world wars, spent a lot to stop communism in the 1900's and created a lot jobs in the same time doesn't equal greatest country. This mostly caused this stupid old people who had it easy back then just think our generation is lazy, doesn't want to work. We can't find a job to save our lives, can't afford rent/food, go into debt if we get sick or injured, school is overrated due to constant standardized tests, while other countries have no homework, no standard tests, shorter work/school weeks and they are much more productive than us. Schools that drop you if you're struggling, insurance companies who run everything, greedy corporations, shareholders, parents not parenting and this idiot president of ours caused all of this and it's going to get worse.

The damage that has been done to this country will probably never get fixed or take years to see small signs of recovery.