Politics

Recently it seems I have been having a lot of political conversations with internationals. I know, I know, they say don't talk about politics or religion but trust me, it's bound to come up when you're an American living abroad. It's very interesting to be living in Europe and see/hear what the rest of the world thinks of American politics. People have very strong opinions here about it but don't really seem to know the whole story. Just like a lot of things in life, they view things through their own world lens. To most Dutch people, it seems outrageous that we don't have universal healthcare and that we have poverty in America. They can't understand the way our government operates because they don't know any different. My impression so far is that most Europeans think that republicans are from the devil, our government just needs to raise the taxes to pay for things (like healthcare), and conservative people are crazy. They don't understand how our economy works. They are used to their government taking care of them  and when I try to explain to them that that is not the foundation that America was built on and is in fact the very opposite of what America stands for, they get a blank look on their face.

I feel very fortunate to claim citizenship to a country where I have these freedoms, where I don't have to depend on the government for all my needs and where I have the ability to climb up the proverbial ladder if I so choose. It gets very frustrating to discuss American politics with others when all they hear is one side of the story and that is ususally the very liberal side. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the government is doing a great job and that nothing needs to change. But what a lot of Europeans think America needs to change, is the very thing that makes us America. They are comfortable with all the power being in the hands of the government, not the people. That is not America.