Everyone
says that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world but
I’m starting to reconsider. It seems like every action that our country takes
is wrong, we can’t seem to elect the right president for our country’s needs,
and we are always involved in war. Does this seem like a country that has it
all figured out? I’m not saying that I don’t love the United States of America
and all that it stands for lets try to consider some alternative places to live
or possibly visit for an extended period of time. Personally I believe that one
of the coolest country to live in would be Australia.
The land
down under has to be one of the coolest places in the world that invites
everyone that lives there to enter into a world of relaxation and happiness. According
to Forbes’ rankings Australia is the third happiest country in the world while
the United States is ranked tenth. Apparently Disney world isn’t enough to
bring a whole country to the happiest place in the world or but it does always
produce a good time. For those looking to get to move and not just visit and
love money, minimum wage is higher. In the United States the federal minimum
wage is $7.25 per hour but its more than double in Australia. The national
minimum wage is $16.87 per hour. Although the market isn’t the same in both
countries Australia hasn’t been in a recession in over twenty years. Nearly
half of the people in Australia are thriving financially which puts them at
eighth internationally while the United States doesn’t rank in the top ten.
Second the animals and wildlife can’t be
rivaled by any other part of the world. Kangaroos, kolas, platypuses,
wallabies, and wombats all take habitat in the outback of Australia. I’ll admit that koalas are my favorite animals
so this statement is bias but that doesn’t change the fact that these animals
are awesome. There are more kangaroos than people; koalas are the most relaxed
animals on the planet and everyone is jealous of the amount that they sleep
(over 18 hours), and the Great Barrier Reef houses more than 1,500 species of
fish. Australia in total has more close to 6,000 species of animals and animals
of which more than eighty percent are unique. The Outback is the place to go
and at least visit if you are an animal lover or exotic landscape.
If all that doesn’t convince you to
at least visit Australia, go to try to pick their accent. Everyone is fascinated
when they hear someone talking in an Australian accent and is a great
conversation starter. I am proud to be an American and will support the United
States until the day I die but I enjoy thinking about other places to travel to
and possibly live in.
It is always a fruitful exercise to compare ourselves to others. Indeed, one may argue that it is "uniquely American"--as a nation of immigrants, we like to think that all are welcome to join our country, and that we welcome other cultures and their ideas. Looking to others for their values and systems is possibly an extension of it.
ReplyDeleteAustralia avoided, as you note, both the 2001 and 2008 recessions. It is important not to underestimate the value that this has on a country's prosperity. As Marx pointed out, much of the misery of capitalism is exacerbated by crisis, and it is simply easier to have a generous welfare state when the economy is booming.
So I say, too, that there is much we can be learning from our friends in the southern hemisphere.
I enjoyed reading this post. It's fun to consider different places to live. I want to do international business eventually, so hearing about places in depth like you've done is exciting. I've actually had the privilege of visiting Australia for a week two years ago. My baseball team in Singapore had a tournament in Perth (Western Australia). I loved it there; the weather was perfect, the people were friendly, and the baseball was good. Perth is one of the more common vacation destinations after cities like Sydney and Melbourne. I think most people think of these cities and scenes from Kangaroo Jack when they think of Australia; nonetheless, the majority of Australia is unoccupied.
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