Post-trip blog 2

Continuing from my last post, I noticed that the U.S. is extremely EXPENSIVE. We are rich, rich country. Food here costs twice as much as anywhere in Mexico, however it's also twice as rich in nutrients (and fat). While driving home, I noticed that streets and building are well maintained in relation to Mexico. But I feel as though, there's a loss in cultural and artistic nature. Oaxacan building are very Victorian, and the streets look as through they have inlaid stone. Also, people in Oaxaca walk around a lot, and I really like that. However in the U.S., everyone uses cars to get to where they need to go, regardless of social class or economic status. In general, there's a lot of waste and resource use in the U.S., which I haven't seen in other countries in the world. I feel like there should be more emphasis on conservation and redistribution of resources in order to conserve our environment and maximize the potential of what we have. We as Americans don't care because we don't have to face the reality of limited resources, as other countries do; however, I don't think it's an excuse to excessively waste the blessings that we have. For example, instead of spending money on military endeavors and health care litigation we could spend it on education and community based health care programs. We could build the social services of our country, which tend to lag behind countries with less than half of our GDP. I find it ridiculous that people buy large SUVs, when there's literally no petroleum left for other countries to use for development. Why is it that our gas prices don't reflect the reality of the scarcity of petroleum? It is because Americans just don't want to pay for it like everyone else? Or how much food we consume and throw away (speaking for myself here also), when children in Africa, India, Mexico, and many other countries are starving. Even through all my criticism, I LOVE the U.S. because we have freedoms and resources, which many other countries don't have. We were built on principles of equality and human justice, and we work hard to preserve that. No country is perfect, but I feel as though we're miles ahead of other countries in that respect. I'm proud to be an American, which is why I can't stand to see injustices within my own country.