America rocks

Last week I was reading in Inocents Abroad by Mark Twain on my Palm Pilot. I've only been reading it in spurts so its taking me forever.

Anyway, Mark Twain had just finished visiting several Italian cities and made a few comparisons between American society and Italian society in his time. In Italy, the government was bankrupt and corrupt. The church held all of the wealth and the citizens lived in filth and poverty. In america even the poorest family had bread and clothes. The government actually worked and the citizenry could vote out the corrupt officials. Even the cities were clean and orderly. America was ever expanding and building anew while the Italians lived like rats in the crumbling structures of the Roman Empire's former glory.

I thought about America today. Our largest complaints include things like traffic jams and gas prices. Even our poor can get food or a roof over their heads. We have tremendous amounts to education and opportunities for economic gain. What are we complaining about? We have more wealth than the kings in generations past. We even put men on the moon!

I guess I was just taking for granted that we DO live in a promised land. It took the satirical wit of Mark Twain to remind me of that. Man we are blessed!