• People are no longer shocked to hear about gunmen shooting up US schools

• US healthcare is comparatively bad and inefficient

• The US has some of the highest poverty rates in the world

With all the political in-fighting, corruption, and disappointment in literally every politician that has been going on for quite a few years, it seems unfathomable to compare Taiwan to the United States of America, also known as “the best country in the world” by its people. However, there are still perks of being a citizen of the Republic of China that the mighty government of the US just can’t provide.

1. Gun Control

You know something is wrong when you are no longer shocked to see fully armed gunmen shooting up schools and killing innocent school children in the process. The United States should consider rebranding themselves as “the land of the insane shooters, and the home of murdered children”.

There have been twelve school shootings since the start of 2018, leading to a total count of twenty-seven deaths (at time of publishing). Even with these frightening numbers, Congress still hasn’t passed any kind of gun control law, most likely because there are about 276 lawmakers who accept “donations” from the NRA. Taiwan might not be recognized as a country worldwide, but at least I get to go to school safely and not worry about never seeing my parents again.

2. Healthcare

For people who aren’t familiar with US healthcare, well it’s pretty bad and super inefficient. The US healthcare system is ranked at 37 by WHO, however the US spends a higher percentage of its GDP than any other country in the world on healthcare, which stands at a staggering 17.1 percent.

Even though Taiwan isn’t even in the rankings due to political reasons, Taiwan’s healthcare has been lauded as one of the best in the world, while only using about 5.8 percent of Taiwan’s GDP. And recently, America even took a step backwards, as Trump dismantled Obamacare, which would have helped poorer families pay less, while also getting better health care.

3. Lower poverty rates

Americans always seem to consider themselves as the richest people with the best economy in the world. While there is some truth in this idea, when it comes to poverty rates, the US has some of the highest in the world. With a ginormous 17.2 percent living in poverty, they even tower over Greece, which owed a staggering 323 billion in total in 2015. Taiwan on the other hand only has a minuscule 1.78 percent of the population that are below the poverty level by the government. America is a rich and powerful state, however it seems that not all of its citizens are enjoying the benefits of being one.

4. Racial discrimination

Since the founding of the great nation that is the US, racial discrimination has been a huge issue that most Americans refuse to admit that they have. From slavery to racial segregation, and finally to the racial unfairness shown by the government and the police that is happening in the present, racial discrimination has been tearing apart the US, and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Sure, Taiwanese people are racist in their own ways, but it is a guarantee that no Taiwanese police officer would shoot an unarmed person just because they have different skin color.

5. Taiwan doesn’t have a orange-haired, racist, narcissistic maniac running the country

Ah Trump. I mean there is nothing wrong with him other than the fact that he was chosen for the wrong job. He was perfect for the entertainment industry. With one crazy scandal after the other, he has managed to grab every headline and whip America into a frenzy. Tsai Ing-Wen might not be the great president she promised us she would be, but at least she didn’t have an affair with a pornstar and isn’t a known racist, sexist, and bigot.

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Even though Taiwan is losing ground on the international stage and getting increasingly isolated by China, there are still plenty of things that Taiwan does better than the “greatest country in the world”.