Why do Americans lock up a higher proportion of their population than any other country?
143518
Because apparently public execution is distasteful, so we have to lock em away and crowd the prisons.  I bet if we televised someone getting executed, there'd be a lot less repeat offenders.
116085
It depends on the country.  People want to move to the USA, so it is to keep them out.  If you live in a bad country, like when there was East Germany, they had to build a wall to keep people in.
448408
Because we are generally safer than Mexico, and we have a better government than mexico.The USA rules.
116419
Compared to whom, Nathan?  Add a comparative statement in your question, because compared to most of the world, we're geniuses.  However, if you are referring to our educational test scores, I would agree that there are other nations that do better. That is the price we pay for freedom.  Some of our citizens have the choice not to have the same work-ethic/education-ethic as others in our country, and our scores go down.  Add that more immigrants come to our country from more nations than any other country, many of them not speaking a word of American or English and our scores go even further down.  In addition, our insistence on freedom of speech means that we are used to people speaking even before they think, because they aren't scared of people censoring them or acting like they are stupid due to a single statement.  We know we can ask a question and they'll make themselves clearer.  In some advanced countries if you say the wrong thing, you are labeled a fool and anything intelligent or valuable you might say is ignored from then on.  Americans are used to sifting through piles of garbage to get at the truth, and everyone gets multiple tries, so we just keep getting better.  Oh, one more thing:\n\nYou just insulted two continents: South America and North America, which includes the larger countries of U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, etc.  Do you want to rephrase your question?
693566
The problem here is people can't think outside of the box. Americans just love to segregate, and pretend we're the cream of the crop. People forget we're all in this world together, no country is better than another country, we're just all people populating the world.
520577
Not everyone is so afraid of everything as Americans are. American society hasn't moved on from Salem and 16th century mentality. They even have the death penalty!!! Like some Sahel, Arab and Asian nations. Who wants to live in the USA?? Not me, certainly.
1168036
i completely agree.  there's too many people in their countries, instead of birth control the only option seems to be to come to america to overpopulate it here too?  screw them.  BAN THEM
350252
so that americans are not ruled by foreigners
1047943
Because people still hold on to their national identities. There is also a large diffrence between upper and lower classes in their level of globalization in almost any nation. Is this an essay question?
795180
I am proud to be an American and there is no other country where the masses are clamoring to get into like there is here. We have the freedom that no other country enjoys whether it is freedom or speech or religion. The country is so large that there is a place to go for every desire whether it is the mountains, beach, gambling, large amusement parks, family locations, or adult locations. If you like snow and the cold there are the northern states and if you like it hot there are the southern states.  We may be a new country in terms of the countries of the world but as the young people say, “newer is better”.•
150784
Despite what you have witnessed in other countries you may be comparing a small sample size relative to the entire population of the country you are visiting.  Americans clearly and statistically have the worst diet, are the most overweight and have the highest percentage of obese people in the world.  Ever been to Texas?\n\nThe progression is clear from decades past especially in young people which are a good representation of future health.\nhttp://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overwght99.htm\n\nSorry my friend, but facts are facts and you can't refute them.
441277
Because Americans are stupid
337797
Of course. People seem to think that americans somehow have more rights than people from other countries. Why? Because we were lucky enough to be born in the richest country in the world? Our instrinsic value is the same no matter what country we're from or race we are. "American" rights are rights that our founding fathers believed that ALL humans deserved.
393411
Because the US is too busy trying to tell people how to live thier life. The world will never be unified until they all have the freedom they deserve.
165153
Many reasons.  There was oppression and famine in europe.  The US relaxed it's policy on immigration.  There were jobs to be had in the US.
1036261
because americans are afraid to be a part of the group... they want to look like the outsiders/dominators.... stupid if you ask me, especially when both our sothern and nothern neighboors trade and work with the metric system everyday!
714588
Because we all want be successful and resent those we feel are more successful than we are.\nIt's basically one big inferiority complex.\n\nAnd it's NOT unique to Americans.