It is typical on or just before Independence Day to see people on social media posting photos of American flags or other patriotic images, accompanied by messages that express how this is the best country in the world. I have also made similar posts stating that, in spite of its faults, I can think of no other country where I would rather live than the United States. However, events and circumstances over the last nine years have forced me to qualify my assessment of living in America. Here is my current perspective: it’s great to be an American . . . if you’re lucky.

It’s great to be an American if you’re lucky enough to be male. During the first Trump administration, we watched a right-leaning Supreme Court decide that it is no longer a basic human right for women to have control over their reproductive health, specifically the right to abort a pregnancy. We have a historical precedent in this country that inalienable rights should be recognized and protected by the federal government and not decided on a state-by-state basis. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a prime example, even if it did take several hundred years for our government finally to acknowledge (not necessarily protect, mind you) equal rights for all races.

When it comes to the right of women to control their own bodies, conservative Americans led largely by evangelical Christians have been protesting ever since Roe vs. Wade that women must relinquish these rights, arguing that the embryo or fetus must be protect by the government. Even though most other first world countries do allow abortions, including religiously identified nations like Israel, conservative Christians in America still demand that women carry their pregnancies to term. In some states controlled by the most right leaning segment of the political spectrum, there are no exceptions to this rule, even in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions for the pregnant woman.

Even with modern medicine, childbirth is still a stressful event for a woman, mentally and physically. Giving birth is riskier than an abortion performed by a trained medical professional. I’m not suggesting that an abortion doesn’t cause physical and/or emotional distress; I’m only stating that women are no longer lucky enough in this country to be able to decide their own parental destiny. Not only are men exempt from the infringement of the right to control their bodies in this regard by nature of their sex, some fathers find all types of work arounds to avoid their responsibilities to care for their unwanted children. Women rarely have that luxury. Yes, adoption is an option, but the risks and stress of carrying and bearing a child are still present, and giving up a newborn can add considerably to the anguish.

It’s great to be an American if you’re lucky enough to be white, or at least obviously of European descent. White privilege still exists in the U.S., despite arguments to the contrary by mostly white people. Yes, I know there are people of color who claim that white privilege is no longer a thing in this country, but I suspect most of them live very comfortably and have not personally suffered from racial discrimination . . . yet. When I have had discussions with white people who refuse to acknowledge the advantages they enjoy because of their color, what shuts them down most effectively is a simple question: would you rather be black or brown than the color you are now?

Wealth and power are still concentrated in the hands of white people, and if given the opportunity, history has proven that they will tend to employ other white people, even over equally or even better qualified persons of color. White people make up about 75% of Congress and over 80% of state legislative bodies. White men still hold a majority of elected offices – again, you’re lucky to be a man in America. And anyone who still believes that elected officials, once they are in office, strive to represent all their constituents is terribly naïve. In his second term, Donald Trump has made it a priority to dismantle many of the protections instituted by previous administrations from both parties to fight racial discrimination, even at the highest levels of government.

It’s great to be an American if you’re lucky enough to be healthy. If there is one issue on which almost all Americans agree, it is the inaccessibility of quality healthcare. Oh, we don’t all agree on why it is so bad, but we all know it is abysmal. It’s not so much the quality of care that exists in America, because our advances in medicine over the last generation have been impressive. The problem is how to afford care and how to get it when you need it. There are endless debates from the halls of Congress all the way down to the rockers on the front porch of the country store about what president, party, law, program, or company is to blame for the high cost of healthcare.

For several decades, the cost of healthcare has been rising exponentially. There are a multitude of reasons for this increase, which are better saved for another post. The United States seems to have a deep phobia of anything that even has a faint odor of socialism, outside of Social Security and Medicare, that is. Democrats and Republicans alike have looked to any other option imaginable rather than embrace the concept of socialized medicine that so many other modern countries have adopted. People of means from those countries may come to America to be treated by a top-notch specialist, but very few come to our country specifically to sign up for health insurance, private or government sponsored.

Instead of some form of universal healthcare, we keep a firm grip on our capitalist ideals by trusting insurance companies to pay for medical costs in cooperative arrangements that are typically tied to employers. The irony of this system is how it stifles entrepreneurship. Most self-employed people cannot afford health insurance, and they certainly will not risk being without it. Most job seekers are more interested in their health plan than their salaries. The Affordable Care Act of the Obama administration seemed like a compromise, but it relied too heavily on buy in from the opposing party to work properly, especially on the state level. That type of across-the-aisle cooperation is long gone from American politics. The lucky Americans are either without serious illness, or they are wealthy enough to be self-insured – about the top 1% of the country. The rest of the population watches in dismay as more and more of their earnings go to pay premiums, copays, and deductibles, which brings up my final point.

It’s great to be an American if you’re lucky enough not to be born into poverty. The rags to riches story is closely tied to American idealism, but it is mostly a myth. Of course, there are exceptions, and some people who grow up poor experience a change of fortune due to hard work and ingenuity, but more often than not, luck is involved here as well. Children who are raised in poverty are less likely to eat nutritious meals, live in safe and clean conditions, have adequate medical care, get a good education, and be protected from crime and illegal drugs.

Breaking out of the cycle of poverty is extremely difficult in the United States. Without proper education and a network of family, friends, and neighbors, landing a job that pays above minimum wage is tough to accomplish. Role models are scarce, and bad influences abound. The problems are magnified in large urban areas where social services are overwhelmed and underfunded. The sense of community in rural areas can sometimes help the poorest people find resources they need to survive, but those conditions are rare in major cities. Unfortunately, poverty breeds more poverty, and by some estimates, over ten percent of Americans live below the poverty line.

For over eight years now, people in this country have been hearing and seeing the slogan, “Make America Great Again.” But what are the leaders who bought into this catchy phrase doing to bring back the greatness they believe has disappeared? Half the population is female. Are we making America great by protecting their rights to reproductive health decisions? Are we helping minorities gain equal footing in pursuing the American dream? Are we treating people outside the heterosexual population with respect and dignity, recognizing they are first and foremost human beings? Are we doing everything we can to give people in poverty the opportunity to succeed and perhaps even prosper?

As a white male who doesn’t have to worry too much about money, I fully recognize my place of privilege in this country. I’m comfortable living here. But I’m not comfortable knowing that so many people are not lucky enough to be in my shoes. Furthermore, it saddens me that it doesn’t have to be this way.