I'm a U.S. citizen born in Italy. Lived in Italy/Germany for 3/4 of my 21 years of life and live in the U.S. now.
Like it or not, unless you live here you probably have no clue what the laws are or how the system actually works on a day to day basis.
Personally, I believe as a law abiding citizen there is no better system to live in. Its simple, you dont mess with the law and the law doesnt mess with you. There is no gray areas. Its all straightforward and made clear from day 1 at elementary school.
On the other hand, In Italy you have a complete lack of law, crime and poverty everywhere. Too much to even discuss.
Germany, great country all around, but the closest thing to a police state I have ever lived in. Examples...you can get pulled over at any given time while driving for no reason except that the officers want to check your license etc. etc. You can get fined for 'offending' a public official. Public officials are treated as if they are somehow 'above' the average citizen. No big issues, but just an example of the different approach to freedom and rights.
Terrible integration of immigrants... never met U.S. born individual from a first generation immigrant family not speaking the language.
In Germany? You meet third/fourth German Turks who dont speak a word of German.
I do admit the gun problem is troubling, but it can only get better, and at least the public has the power to make changes in this country. Maybe tomorrow or maybe sometime in the future. But change is always possible in the U.S.
Do we need to ban guns? Absolutely not. Nobody ever wishes to face a situation with a intruder at home. If god forbid it does ever happen, you have the right to defend yourself and your family. And if indeed it and it comes to the intruder being shot, then you will not face the law for defending yourself and your family. I dont know another country where private property is as protected and valued as the U.S.
In any case, some changes in the law need to happen so that we dont have jackasses going to schools and malls as we sadly all too often hear about on the news.
In Italy you still have politicians calling for the abolition of private property. Want to talk about self defense? It isn't even clearly defined by the law. Just google the countless cases of hard working people having guns pointed to their faces at point blank range during armed robberies. They fight back like anyone would, and then they are the ones being put on trial facing 10+ years for 'excessive' force used in self defense. Fact is, the moment someone chooses to point a gun in your face, you should have the right to defend yourself however you deem necessary.
Is the U.S. have its share of problems? Absolutely. However, knowing that we have a system that encourages and is open to change (as slow as it may come about at times) is all I need. Ultimately, what separates the country from the rest, Is the immense diversity of its people and as different as opinions may be on gun laws, abortion etc., we all want to move forward and we are all Americans. The sense of national pride is far stronger in this country than anywhere else I have lived.
Although insanely expensive today (needs to change) our universities are still the best in the world, and students flock in from all corners of the world to study here.
Name me 3. under 30 year olds who have started a billion dollar business in the last 20 years in Europe? You will have trouble finding even 1 who started a million dollar business.
In the U.S.? I could name you 100+ And the beauty of it is, many came from all reaches of the world to realize their goals and dreams here, because they know there is no better merit based system in the world that encourages entrepreneurship and technological advancement like the U.S.
If you don't believe the U.S. is a police state, read this:
NSA is collecting phone records of Verizon customers: report - Yahoo! Finance
I would rather have the NSA, FBI, CIA and hell even the FAA reading every single one of my text messages, emails, listening to my phone calls, because as a law abiding citizen you have nothing to hide, and If it helps stop another jackass from committing a horrendous and senseless act, then ultimately it makes us all safer.