Boonstack, I love the USA and spend at least 2-4 weeks per year there. I lived in California for a long time in the 80's. It's just that there are many other great countries in the world and we don't preach about our countries being the greatest and the land of the free. Your patriotism is admirable however and we could do with more of it in the UK.
Trust me, im as far from a typical "America: love it or leave it" bumper sticker type there is.
i admit:
1-most kids here cant point to England on a map, but we do know all the characters in the Simpsons.
2-Statistics aren't something we like to look at unless it involves the latest batting average
3-a minority controls the majority. That is - Washington ---> then the rest of us peons
50% of engineers/computer scientists here are foreigners. It is indeed GREAT and a huge benefit we have these people to do the "smart thangs" that most white trash here wont do... but we do know business
I myself would encourage more emphasis upon liberal arts, heavy in the math & sciences, and just a more general "wordly" knowledge about things. As i mentioned, i am from alabama unforuntately, and unless u are good at football and agree with Rush Limbaugh, not many good things come from this region. Majority of Americans are made to believe america is the ONLY place to live, as all of our knowledge of foreign countries come from the tv. It is sad, however its true