While I continually write about how awful the government is, particularly the U.S. government, my focus on the U.S. is for a couple of reasons.  First, I live in the U.S., so that is what I am most familiar with.  I really can’t speak much about what the Canadian or Italian governments are doing these days.  Second, the U.S. is the richest and most powerful country on earth.  That also makes it the most dangerous because of its vast resources.

With that said, I do sometimes point out the great things about America.  While the welfare state has definitely had its deteriorating effects, I still find that Americans tend to be more individualistic than others around the world.  There is no question that Americans own more guns, even on a per capita basis, than any other country.

There was an article, linked via Drudge, about a German family who just had four of their children taken away by the state.  So what was the crime of the parents?  They were homeschooling their children.  They refused to ship them off to the state indoctrination camps known as public schools.  You can read the whole article.

The family was actually seeking asylum in the U.S., but unfortunately, Obama and his minions had them deported.  They returned to Germany, and now the parents are without four of their children.

I am not advocating that others do what they did.  I would probably ship my children off to government schools if given the choice of that or having them taken away entirely.  The parents likely should have chosen the principle of staying as a family over the principle of avoiding state schools.  Or perhaps they could have found somewhere else to live, even if in relative poverty.  But with that said, there is no question that the German state is the aggressor and this was a peaceful family trying live their own life according to their own beliefs.

This is another example of where America really is a beautiful place in comparison to many other parts of the world.  Homeschooling is flourishing in the U.S.  It is actually a somewhat common thing to do in some parts of the country.  It is still a very low percentage, but if you live in a place like Florida, it is likely you will at least meet someone who homeschools.

I enjoyed reading a few of the many comments at the end of the article.  Just about every one was busting on Obama, the German politicians, and the aggressive nature of the state.  I am guessing it is mostly Americans who are commenting, especially the ones pointing out that this is just a continuation of Hitler’s policies from the 1930’s.

While the blame obviously lies with the politicians and even the police officers who enforced this, there is no question that public opinion plays a role.  The reason that homeschooling is allowed in most parts of the U.S. is because the people demand it, even if it is a minority.  My only conclusion is that there is simply not the same strong feelings in a place like Germany (and many other places).  The German people do not see this as an outrage, at least not to the same extent that Americans see it.

In conclusion, if you are an American and you are frustrated with what is happening in your country, just look around the world and see how much worse things are in other places.  This doesn’t mean you should let your own government off the hook for all of its atrocities.  But it is good to be thankful for what you have once in a while.  In this case, be thankful that there is still a good portion of Americans who at least somewhat hold the principles of liberty dear to them.