This country is great because of the fact that if you hustle and work hard more often than not you will be rewarded. There are always opportunities present even if you are dirt poor you can become filthy rich. It just depends on how hard you want to work and of course a little luck. You can always better your life. Some countries out there, there are no opportunities for advancement in the society, if you are born poor you stay poor. I mean despite all the shadiness that goes on in this country (racism, discrimination, etc.) there are still opportunities. I'm black and i'm not one of these kats that think that if you are black then its impossible to be successful as too many of us think, because i see a lot of black people that are making good money and doing positive things. Bottom line I feel that if you really want something in this country you can get it. And the world knows that thatz why everyone always wants a piece of the action. This is a strong country as compared to others. However, i do believe that we are in a societal decline with things like worsening (hope thats a word) education, low voter turnout, and things like that because we are not taking advantage of the things that make this country great.