Can I respond. I say this in a respectful way. Glad you made it safe.
I am not American but European. My roommate, also European(we share an account), has traveled to 26 countries(Europe, Asia, and Africa) and lived in I believe 5 or 6. I have been to 17 and lived in 4(mostly Europe, South America, and parts of Africa). We both currently live/work(teach)/study(phd in engineering and economics) in America. Earlier we were called hypocrites as we live here. We both came here for different reasons, I came here as I am receiving a free education as my govt is paying for my education. He came here primarily for a girl he traveled with in Asia.
I am not saying this to brag just to hopefully qualify my next statements. I ask that you remove all nationalism and previous experience. Lets take interchange "America" with Country A to aid in this process.
Lets look at Country A economic numbers. If you look at numbers such as percentage of tax that goes to programs that benefit each citizen(education, healthcare, police etc) even if we combine state and federal taxes this number is considerably lower per capita than anyother country this could explain your tax information. For example, in most European countries citizens pay a much higher tax but then receive free healthcare(I believe the highest reason for bankruptcy in America), education(I have paid a total of 3k 8 years). So in comparison if you look at avg US tax paid then add on the cost of programs that Europeans get for free or very cheaply(education, healthcareetc ) then add what the AVG american pays for health care and education(subtract federal and state education taxes to make it balanced) that holds the same standards as Europe(no offense education stardards are not nearly as high fact look it up) is very comparable. This would be a better of calculating this information, that statistic is skewed. that that is given to tho The country A also if you look at efficency of this company(measured in multiple economic factors which is accepted through out the economic community) is by far one of the most inefficent organizations, not just country but any ORGANIZATION. Not economic but country a consistanly ranks as one of the most unhealthy western countries(world health organization) due to assebilty of healthcare, diet, regulations(the fact that the FDA allows chemicals that are proven to create cancerous cells in food production is a joke)they do have the best specialists in medication. However, the vast majority of people will never have the means to access that positive trait.
Education-The national goverment spends .01% on education. While education for Country A is primarily supported by local providences many of these providences are in extreme debt. In nearly almost unbiased examination on international education Country A is not nearly near the top. In fact the Netherlands, whose native tongue is Dutch, have a higher litteracy rate in ENGLISH than 4 providences. This is not because the citizens are dumb but because not enough funding and poor training(in comparison to other western countries).
Civil rights- Gay marriage is still not allowed in Country A, when their own courts have ruled in favor but have not brought to a general vote. You can also say that the govt also invades privacy(this shouldnt even need an explanation), freedom of information(the American govt doesnt share much of its information when other countries do not label it as classified even some important economic information), freedom of press I believe country was ranked #14th by the WPO(world press organization), and even freedom of speach is now limited and ranks below many countries..
Also military deployment is much differant than general travel(worked on one for 6months). American military bases are first chosen on region than on operational costs. So usually the countries are not as developed(major exception Germany). I would be curious to know what countries you visited? Did you visit any extremely developed countries? Also how long ago. If you go to China or other booming countries ten or even 5 years ago you may not even recognize that same city. The economic growth has been extreme which has led to new programs. While they still have a long way to go for humanties they are making slow steps now. None of this is in a disrespectful tone just a honest a fact driven discussion.
So I ask you from a pure factual stand point "Why is america the best country?" I look forward to your response. Once again this is with respect. (I also appologize for poor grammar english is my 3rd language.)
Also check out this
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
Annual GDP=Current debt. That means for everydollar on every product that is produced then sold to another country(one of the main indicators of a countrys economic power) is then owed. The economic situation is more comparable to Greece, Portugual, Ireland, Spain, and Italy. All western countries having a hard time staying out of debt.
As far as freedom. There are two main philosophies on freedom.