"The easiest way of assessing whether the United States would have been better off without its revolution," says self-described "former historian" Paul Pirie in The Washington Post, "is to look at those English-speaking countries that rejected the American Revolution and retained the monarchy." And if you look at Australia
or Pirie's own native Canada, America fails this test, he says,
especially on "the ideals the new country set for itself — namely,
advancing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Here's an excerpt:
As for the pursuit of happiness, Americans
are free to do just that — provided that they aren't rotting in jail.
But are they likely to find it? Most Americans work longer hours and
have fewer paid vacations and benefits — including health care — than
their counterparts in most advanced countries.... This year the United
States tied for 14th in "life satisfaction" on an annual quality-of-life study
by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That puts
the United States behind Canada (eighth) and Australia (12th)....
In these senses, the American Revolution
was a flop. Perhaps it's time for Americans to accept that their
revolution was a failure and renounce it. (For their part, many Russians
have.) Alternatively, rather than being wedded to every practice or
institution that arose from the revolution, however counterproductive or
dysfunctional today, perhaps Americans can rekindle some of the
boldness of the nation's Founders to create a "more perfect" and happier
union.
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