Comment on I am an American. I used to be proud of my country. Now it feels like a turd circling the drain. Is there anything going on behind the scene that America is actually doing good in?

btsax@reddthat.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

• Lumisal@lemmy.world ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  From my personal experience, Finland supports people with disabilities much better, in part because the entire system is better. There’s public transportation everywhere here for one thing.

  I can also go back to university here because it’s free.

  That’s not possible for someone with disabilities in the USA.

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  • AA5B@lemmy.world ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Why not? Universities are also required to be ada compliant. It’s not retroactive, so older infrastructure is always an issue, but modern facilities should be fully accessible.

    If you mean disabled should go for free, why? Some disabled are advantaged and some not. My state is one of those offering free public university based on economic need, a much better choice.

    But yes, it’s by state, and most do not

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  • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Finns pay up to 57% income taxes and a 25% VAT. They also don’t waste that money on a bloated military.

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    • Lumisal@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      “up to 57%” is like saying American billionaires “can pay over 20%”.

      Unless you’re extremely wealthy here you won’t get anywhere near that 57%.

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      • IsoKiero@sopuli.xyz ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        You don’t need to be Elon-wealthy to get those percentages. Over 500 000€/year salary gives you nice 50% tax bracket. You absolutely are not poor if your taxes are that high, but you don’t need to be CEO of Google either.

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• bearboiblake@pawb.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  other countries wish they treated disabled people as well as America

  Sorry to be a downer - the ADA itself is very good, but it’s not the only factor in determining quality of life for a disabled person. I’m disabled and my country’s equivalent of the ADA is about 90% as strong, but access to disability benefits (i.e., money) is much much stronger in my country than it is in the US. I used to be pretty active in disability forums, the whole benefits system in the US sounds fucking nightmarish for disabled people.

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• Ajen@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  You really don’t realize how much had been done to support people who have difficulties walking, hearing, etc. until you travel in Europe or Asia with someone who needs assistance. Walkable cities are great if you can walk, but you don’t notice the lack of wheelchair ramps unless you need them yourself or are traveling with someone who needs them.

  As an American, the ADA is definitely something to be proud of.

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  • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Those things are easier to implement when all your buildings aren’t over 150 years old though.

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    • booly@sh.itjust.works ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Still interesting to see how it is implemented in neighborhoods and buildings that are over 150 years old. I think the Smithsonian museums in our capital are actually the most interesting examples, because many are old buildings whose historical character were preserved, but where wheelchair ramps, railings, and elevators were tastefully and functionally installed many decades or more than a century after the building was originally constructed.

      And perhaps the best thing about the ADA is the sidewalk requirements. It doesn’t much matter why a sidewalk developed a raised crack when the ADA requires that it be fixed.

      I’m not even disabled, but I’ve pushed baby strollers in different cities (including outside the US) enough to realize how nice it is to be in a city where all the sidewalks and public buildings are ADA compliant.

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    • Ajen@sh.itjust.works ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      True, but ignoring those old buildings, how many countries in Europe and Asia have laws like the ADA for new buildings? And sidewalks?

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      • M0oP0o@mander.xyz ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Almost all of them? Why are you americans like this? Do you think that places outside of the usa don’t have accessible new buildings? Do you think Canada does not have similar rules, that places that have a robust welfare system like Denmark just flip the bird to disabled people?

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• PhoenixDog@lemmy.world ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  This is a joke, right? Like… Where’s the /s?

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  • btsax@reddthat.com ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I know “America Bad” is popular on the Internet but it’s not always true. The ADA was among the first laws worldwide to treat disability rights as full civil rights across nearly all areas of public life, including employment, private businesses, public spaces, and transportation, and it went on to inspire other countries to pass similar sweeping laws. Also worth noting it was signed into law by a Republican weirdly enough. Not sure that would happen today.

    If you want to say that the broader social safety net including healthcare in America sucks though, and by extension harms disabled people, I can’t really argue with that. But the ADA is excellent and groundbreaking.

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