Having and displaying patriotism really is a good thing

During a recent Democratic Party debate, candidate Pete Buttigieg made a comment that just about floored me. He said, “The American Dream is alive and well – In Denmark!”

Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobachar both nodded in agreement before Bernie Sanders picked up the torch. He touted the advantages of Democratic Socialism claiming life in Denmark to be far superior to here in the good old USA.

Joe Biden stood there wondering what was going on, and Mike Bloomberg began bragging about the economic and environmental virtues of China. For a moment I thought I as the one confused.

If our country is so bad, why do we have hordes of people crashing our borders? Then I realized modern politics is all about partisanship, while patriotism is considered a dirty word.

Denmark is a small country with almost as many people as the Houston metropolitan area. Danes take great pride in their gender neutral society; they have an equitable share of women at the highest levels of government. They fail to advertise, however, that they generally don’t welcome immigrants who don’t look like they descended from blue-eyed Vikings.

Sanders also needs to fact check his claims about the economic success of Denmark’s Democratic Socialism. True, they have universal health care and public education through college, but the quality of both health care and education is below what we have here at home.

Seven of the top 10 universities in the world are in the U.S. The University of Copenhagen, considered the best in Denmark, is ranked 81st. Our colleges and universities are filled with foreign students because our system of higher education is the best anywhere.

Those needing complicated medical procedures are frequently treated in America because we have some of the best cancer treatment, pediatric care and heart centers available. Denmark doesn’t make the list of top 10 in any category. People who have received care both in the U.S. and Denmark report the care in the U.S. is better, but they have problems sorting out the administrative paperwork. Given the option, I choose better care.

Bernie’s claim of “free” medical and college is not really true either. Denmark pays for “free” benefits with one of the heaviest tax burdens in the world. And they don’t just tax the rich.

Democratic Socialism in Denmark has resulted in a per capita national debt about twice the size of ours and a median family income somewhat lower than what we enjoy here. I vote we stick with American capitalism.

Mike Bloomberg’s claim of China’s improved environment has no basis in fact. China continues to pollute the planet at an alarming rate. Nine Chinese cities are rated in the top 50 for poor air quality. I have witnessed the smog in Beijing.

My wife and I visited China on spring break while I was teaching in Japan. It was interesting. We saw the Terra Cotta Army in Xian, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall. China was the only country we have visited, however, where I didn’t feel safe.

We went to the Silk Market in Beijing only to find it an outlet for goods intended for the American consumer. A percentage of everything manufactured walks out the back door to be sold on the black market. When it became late in the afternoon, we decided it would be romantic to return to our hotel by rickshaw. I talked to the driver and negotiated a price, and we were on our way.

A couple blocks from our hotel the driver pulled into a sparsely populated side street and stopped. He said the agreed upon price was for “each” and demanded more money. I was intimidated and threatened by his hostile attitude. China’s economic dealings with our country are not much different. China scares me. They don’t abide by our sense of ethics.

I have read speeches by FDR, Truman, Eisenhower and listened to some by President Reagan. They were full of optimism and national pride. We have replaced patriotism with partisan bickering where it has become fashionable to bad mouth our country.

We have the strongest economy in the history of the universe. The best medical care on the planet is in U.S. hospitals.

Our universities are the best in the world. American capitalism is a success story. It isn’t perfect, but if we work together, we can make it better.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.