Well, here in New Zealand we have our share of problems too, but they just don't seem as extreme as things were when I lived in the US. Our main few problems are things like our diplomatic and political relations with other countries, and racial tension between the Maori (our indigenous people, dark-skinned and decended from Pacific Islanders) and Pakeha (in Maori, it means "White Pig" and is the Maori word for anyone of non-Maori descent, specifically those descended from Europeans, i.e. white people). There's a lot of racial tension regarding who owns what. Most recently, there was no small amount of arguing over whether the Maori or the government owned the foreshore and seabed surrounding New Zealand.
But, despite the racial issues, New Zealand's got its collective head screwed on pretty tightly. New Zealand just legalised prostitution last year so that they could regulate the industry and keep the prostitutes safe. Domestic partnership between same-sex couples was just legalised a few weeks ago and will be written into law by May.
New Zealand was also the first nation in the world to give women the right to vote. We have several openly gay members of Parliament, one MP is a former prostitute and one is a transsexual. We're very accepting of differences in other people, on the whole.
New Zealand prides itself in being one of the most progressive countries in the world. That isn't to say we just embrace anything and everything: we've banned nuclear energy and genetic engineering, for example. Still, we're "cautious" rather than closed-minded. GE crops are on hold until they determine exactly what impact genetic engineering would have on New Zealand's environment. And nuclear power is off-limits until they find a safer way to use it, as one nuclear explosion could take out 2/3 of our population. This has long been a sticking point in diplomacy between New Zealand and the US, as we won't let their nuclear-powered subs dock in our harbours. The US resents that fact, but we haven't budged on the issue since nuclear energy was banned.
I'm proud of this country, just as I am ashamed of my "native" country, the USA. At one time, the USA stood for all the same things New Zealand does, but America seems to have lost its way. It's really sad. I think the American PEOPLE are the same, but they've just grown numb to the petty intrigues and schemes their politicians are so fond of, to the point that they don't really CARE what their politicians do anymore. And that's a dangerous state of mind to be in, as evinced by the Bush administration's ability to behave however it likes without being responsible to the American people for its actions.
Edited, Sun Jan 16 06:14:22 2005 by Saboruto