////deserves? What a strange attitude...why should any country 'deserve' a poor system?////

Because they WANT a poor system or they would change it. If I don't pity what's happening to the Afghans and, in fact, believe they are to blame for their own predicament, I sure as hell ain't wasting feeling sorry for Americans. This is the system you want or you'd change it.

It's television programming or celebrities or sports stars--we have the ones we deserve.

And if you don't feel we deserve it, too bad, you're gonna have to live with it.