10 best things US has done since Marshall Plan

I was reading an interview in the local "alternative news weekly", which had an interview with a Canadian gentlman who challenged the interviewer to "name ten good things the US has done since the Marshall Plan."

Any suggestions ?

I would say,

1. Development of medicines, curing polio..etc..

2. The space program, it expanded our understanding of the universe and had practical benfits such as GPS navigation systems.

3. Removed Saddam Husein from Kuwait.

4. Durring the Cold war, we provided a counter balance to the Soviet Union. It was to a large degree that the foreign policy decions of the US and the UK caused the collapse of communism in the USSR.

This is a start, and they are generalized...any others ?.

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Threw in our pound of flesh in both World Wars. Helped start up the United Nations. Was the model state for virtually all modern representative democracies. Became a wellspring of culture that influences the rest of the world to this day. Major technical innovator, bringing up all sorts of things up to and including the internet. The list goes on.

 

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marshall plan was after world wars, clockwood.
thats all i can say. i agree with the rest.

 

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Where do i begin?

Sold WMD to Iraq

Funded Bid Laden

Voted in George Bush

Refused to sign the Kyoto agreement

Developed thousands of Nuclear Weapons

Invaded several countries

Scentenced their native citizens to death in their own country....

That is what I think of you America and in Britain i am not alone!!!

 

well those dont really count as good things and best as i understand it would mean good things.,unless you think those things are good.if so,whats wrong with you?

 

Well there's people here on these forums that think those are all good.

Sold WMD to Iraq - This is good because they killed the evil Iranians.

Funded Bid Laden - This is good because they killed the evil Russians.

Voted in George Bush - This is good because Bush is God's chosen mercenary and we're "getting rid of" (lol) terrorists and a religion (Islam) that rivals Christianity.

Refused to sign the Kyoto agreement - This is good because if we signed it, America would lose out on industry while those that don't have to sign it continue to gain.

Developed thousands of Nuclear Weapons - This is good because we've remained top dog with nobody to push us around.

Invaded several countries - This is good because we're "promoting democracy" and getting rid of evil people and gaining resources by doing so.

Scentenced their native citizens to death in their own country.... - This is good because the Native Americans were "terrorists" to our people when creating America.

Those are the reasons I've heard so far on these forums by others.

- N

 

wait!.....listen!.....its the sound of me not caring.

 

Somebody refresh my memory...what's the Marshall Plan? Thanks.

 

Would you PLEASE tell the world how you feel? Then maybe we could stop everyone in the world from trying to live here.

 

For political reasons.

Again, for political reasons.

Humans are stupid in general, so that doesn't surprise me.

'Cuz we kicked thier asses in WW2, and don't need to sign any agreement in Kyoto.

To ensure a MAD policy with Russia, who did the same thing.

Nova Roman/Imperium Americae.

What country hasn't by this point in history? It's callled "punishment"...you break a law, we break you.

 

Ok you have a point i stand down on that one, however i still believe america is at fault with all the others

 

141 countries are signed up to it and so i don't know which countries you are refering to but not many would gain on america by not signing it

 

For the LAST TIME.. Man Made Global Warming doesn't exist Chicken Little.. y'all were probally the ones warning of us runaway glaciation in 70s

As for the best things america has done since the Marshall Plan.. I will leave that to a canadian..

Gordon Sinclair June 5, 1973...

This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.

Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.

When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it. When distant cities are hit by earthquakes, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.

The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States Dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tristar, or the Douglas DC-10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American planes?

Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon — not once, but several times — and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the American who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.

I can name you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those.​

 

Now some good things that america has done
1. Internet
2. Transitor
3. Computers
4. Cure for Polio
5. We invented the Supertrain.. just didn't use it
6. Televison
7. Man on the Moon
8. Trillions in foriegn aid to just about everyone
9. Stopped the USSR
10. Rock and Roll
11. Put the HST in Orbit
12. Proved the Big Bang
13. Broke the Sound Barrier
14. UN as much as I hate it

 

Lowest taxes in the world

Computers

Best telephone system in the world

Best medical centers

One of the best schooling systems in the world

The best highways

Very well made automobiles

Artifical heart

Transplants

The best airplanes made

 

Lowest Taxes in the world.. not quite, much lower then most industrialized nations, but some countries like the Bahamas have no income tax or property tax.

One of the best schooling systems in the world.. at the college level yes, below that its subpar, I have real problems with the quality of the education my son is getting.

The Best Highways.. again close, but we lose out to the germans. They planned the autobhan to have curves and changing scenery, our flat straight highways add to 'road hypnosis' not a good thing. We should have learned from the Germans.

Best airplanes made, debatable

Cars are now the products of multinational corperations that build things here and there... their is no such thing as an American Car, German Car, British Car, or Japanese Car.. they are all Global Cars.

 

The Bahamas hve the highest import dutes in the world. Everything there is imported so the government puts a 200 percent duty on anything brought into the Bahamas or more! I'd rather pay the taxes that America has than have to pay those kinds of fees.


Without the best education in the 1-12 then how could students go onto the colleges that are the best? I would think that if the students weren't getting a good educational upbringing then they couldn't get into those colleges.




Germany is the size of Florida and you are comparing it to the USA, give me a break, please! Try getting real and look at the entire grid of America with over a 100 million miles of roads.



Tell me what better planes are being made than the 747's, B-52's or the attack fighter jets? It is a matter of everyone else trying to get up to those standards.




American cars are the ones that are built by American firms. Where they are built is irrevalant for they are sold to and owned by Americans.

 

Lets talk taxes a minute..
Total Tax Pressure..
http://www.worldtaxpayers.org/statpres.htm
Wow, the US does good, but isn't the lowest

Ok what about high income jobs.. or even industrial jobs...
http://www.worldtaxpayers.org/statmarg.htm
Still near the bottom.. but not quiet there

Sales Tax or V.A.T.
http://www.worldtaxpayers.org/statvat.htm
Now we are getting somewhere.. hell some states don't even have sales tax.

So what about Capital Gains.. surely we are losers here.. heard the Republicians tell me that for years.
http://www.worldtaxpayers.org/statcap.htm
Yeap, pretty far up on the list there

So what about when all is said and done.. where are we...
And the winner is..
Ok like I said we are much better off then most industrialized nations, but clearly we do not have the lowest taxes in the world.

Education
Ok, my statement is in large part based on the education I see my boys getting. So lets see if any facts bare it out.

Jean McLaughlin, president of Barry University said "The public schools lack focus; instead of concentrating on education, they dabble in social re-engineering".

Last year, Champaign, IL District 4 Schools.. failed no one in 8th grade, no matter what their grades they were advanced.. why.. simple 'Social Advancement' pretty bad way to teach childern

Among teachers of high school biology and life sciences classes, approximately 31 percent of them do not have at least a minor in biology. Among high school physical science teachers, over half, 55 percent, do not have at least a minor in any of the physical sciences.

Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
US fourth graders.. 3rd pretty damn good
US eighth graders.. 17th opps.. thats slipping a bit
US seniors.. 16th.. but many asian countries didn't test their seniors.

Now what about those complaints that some countries only test their best students.. fine lets throw out those poor students and only look at the best among the seniors.
Advanced Math
US Score.. 442.. 15th place.. World Average.. 501
Advance Science
US Score.. 443.. 16th place.. World Average.. 501

Sure seems like the numbers point to US primary and secondary education being subpar.. however on the University Level.. no question.. US wins hands down.

Roads
America has the largest most complex road system in the world.. and your point is? Quality and quanity is not the same. America can never build a road bed a complex as that of the autobahn on the scale of the US interstate highway system, it would be far too costly. America roads are a compromise between cost and quality. The very nature of the highway system in the US the very quality you put foward as evidence that America has the best roads in the world is the main reason we don't.

Avation
Flying the unfreindly skies

Air Superiority​

Over the horizion no country can match the US. If by some chance the enemy closes to dog fighting range. US training and aircraft have a huge edge. This is likely to remain the case for many years

Close Combat Support​

Here once again the US is clearly in the lead, the on again off A-10 Warthog is among the best close support aircraft ever built. Only Veterans owing their life to the dangerous close support missions of past wars would argue the point.

Bombers​

B-52 longest serving bomber in the US Air Force. Most are older then the crews that fly them. Carpet bombing or smart bombs.. the B-52 gets the job done like no other.

Stealth​

Low Radar Profile Aircraft is the domain of the americans, no one else in the world at least publicly comes close.

Uber Planes​

SR-71, Aurora, U-2 high altitude high dollar planes that are light years ahead of the competion. Its interesting to note that SR-71 serial numbers started with plane 2001.. they seemed to be from another time.

STOL (Short Take off and Landing) and VOTL(Vertical Take-Off and Landing) ​

Here the US loses out, Harrier sets the standard for the world. The US understands this fact and equips its Marines with them

Unfreindly Skies.. US knocks out the World in the first round, quicker then Mike Tyson.

Flying the Freindly Skies
Airbus vs. Boeing

Airbus is cheaper to buy, cheaper to operate, and now controlls 57% of the market. The A380 is becoming a flying palace, complete with casinos and beds.

The A380-100 will offer 17 per cent lower seat operating costs compared with the Boeing 747-400 according to Airbus, while providing up to 35 per cent more seats and 350 nm more range.

Boeing hasn't launched a new jumbo jet in a decade.. Red Queen is a concept Boeing has either forgot or never heard of.

12 Round Brawl, with the younger and stronger Airbus sneaking in some late body blows to win a close decision over the aging Champ.

Corperate Jets
Boeing BBJ and Gulfstream G550 vs. Bombardier Global Express XRS

I have to go with the BBJ here, no real reason I can state other then I love the plane. But if you look at the numbers Bombardier flys farther and faster.

The American planes have something that can't be shown by numbers..
prestige.

Engines
Rolls-Royce vs. GE & Pratt Whitney

The Engine Alliance GP7200 bult by a partnership of GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt & Whitney.

Originally intended to power the still-born Boeing 747-X, the engine has since developed for the Airbus A380 superjumbo.

The competing Rolls-Royce Trent was named as the lead engine for the then A3XX in 1996 and was initially selected by almost all A380 customers. However the GE/PW engine has steadily increased its share of the A380 engine market to the point where it will now power 48% of the super-jumbo fleet.

Bloodly battle with no clear cut winner in sight.

Exotics
Space Planes, Ultra long distance, Ultra high altitude research planes.
One name says it all Elbert L. "Burt" Rutan
Spaceship One, Proteus, Voyager, GlobalFlyer
US wins by defualt with no one even showing up to compete.

Airships
I know they aren't planes but I can't help myself
Goodyear Blimp vs. Zeppelin NT(insert micro$oft joke here)
Big bag of gas rooted in yesterday vs. a semi rigid airship firmly rooted into tomorrow for a price tag of about 17 million US$.
TKO by the NT in the first round

National Flagship Supersonic Planes
SST vs. Concorde
SST slipped on a bar of soap in the shower and knocked itself out cold. Concorde got beat up sparing but came out ready to fight, no one showed up.
Concorde retired decades later to museums arround the world.
The SST is part of a church now.

Concorde by defualt.

World-3 US-3 Draws-1
US keeps the title, but just barely.

The point of all this is 'best' is subjective.. and in the world of aircraft what your talking about makes all the difference in the world. but unlike the 60s and 70s the US can no longer claim undisputed superiority of the skies.

Cars a strange web
Carmy's are made in America and designed in California
Nissan is owned by Americans
Bentley and Rolls Royce by Germans
Opal by Americans
Chrysler by Germans
Lamborghini changes owners like I change socks.. I think the germans own it this week
Aston Martin and Jaguar are American own.
Corvettes use german transaxles, british designed suspension.
Aston Martin the symbol of british preformance is american owned and turned to an american company for performance upgrades.
Insurance companies don't know what to make of the mini
Callaway built the C12 Corvette in Germany, guess its a suburb of Lyme Rock now.
GM unveiled their new Z06 Corvette in Germany..
the list goes on and on.. the automotive world is for the most part an international web.

Noteable exceptions..
Morgan - still very british and still rooted in tradition
Panoz - still very an american company sticking a bigger then needed engine in a car thats a bit on the small side

 

When was this?? I love stuff like this but haven't I still seemed to think it was a theory. I would like to know what they did to actually prove this.

 

i disagree with point 4 from the original post. I believe that the prevention of the spread of communism was infact one of America's worse deeds

By 'the US' i assume you mean the US government?

so by my count, we have
1. The space program, it expanded our understanding of the universe and had practical benfits such as GPS navigation systems.
2. Removed Saddam Husein from Kuwait.
3. Trillions in foriegn aid to just about everyone
4. UN as much as I hate it

(all the others were either by US citizens, double ups, bad in my opinion or simple not true (ie the big bang one))