I grew up thinking the US was the golden land, where you could live a good life, even if you weren’t massively rich. Lately all the news, and internet forums seem to say that the US is some religious backwater (specifically Texas), that is abandining not only its poor, but also its middle classes. Objectively, where can I find facts and figures that show what is really going on? How bad is its gun crime? Is it worse than our violent crime?
Is their healthcare provision really so bad? I’ve heard the outrageous charges they pay, but also heard these can be challenged, that aid is available to the disadvantedged. Where can I find statistics to support or deny this?
I genuinely want to understand. I know that the US is a massive country, and the reporting of a single states issues may be unrepresentative, but generally speaking, what I hear is negative.