A Journey to the U.S. During Financial Crisis

I traveled to the U.S. after Spring Festival to see my old friend and the western coast. I thought I would see some sights of the economic depression and find evidence for my theory that China will surpass the U.S. all around by 2020. However, after a few days, I was totally shocked by what I saw.

What I think is really awful is not the nuclear aircraft carrier in the San Diego bay, nor the US$50,000 per capita GDP in California, nor the best biology engineering institute in the world at UCSD. We are able to achieve all these things. What really moved me was something trivial, something that happens every day. We won’t be able to beat them on these things.

No Guards

While staying with my friend in San Diego, we often took some strolls around. She lives in the suburbs and there are not many people in streets. However, everyone we met, whether they were white, black or Asian, greeted us with a friendly smile, a nod and sometimes a ‘hello.’ At first we were not used to this and it felt awkward to respond. A few days later we got used to these friendly greetings and greeted them with nods and smiles as well. I am not sure whether they greeted me as a visitor or not, but I know the smiles I showed them were sincere and spontaneous. I was in quite a good mood for long time after every smile.

Free

All the sightseeing sites I visited were free, except for artificial amusement facilities like Sea World of San Diego and Disney Land in Los Angeles. Before we left China, we planned to visit the aircraft carrier in San Diego and estimated that the fare would be quite expensive. However, it turned out to be entirely free. Our American friend explained that it would outrageous to charge visitors because the aircraft carrier is built with money from tax payers. The large park in San Diego, Balboa, is a must-see for visitors and the first choice of local residents wishing to take a break. The park boasts old, big trees and beautiful pavilions, yet it’s not built with any gate. Though it’s impossible to charge for a ticket, guides and other services are available.

California’s coast is well known for its perpendicular cliffs, roaring waves and white beaches with refreshing breezes from blue sea. There are some other wonderful places too, like nature reserves, where sea birds, seals and human beings live in harmony. Likewise, nobody collects ticket fares there. Those frequented sites all have large parking lots that are as free as any other public facility. During my stay in California, I have traveled thousands miles from north to south, but, except for service lots and gas stations, I have never seen a toll gate.

Pedestrians First

America is a country of automobiles. However, pedestrians enjoy top priority. At every intersection in cities there is a button for pedestrians. Green lights will turn on for pedestrians 10 seconds after the button is pressed so they can cross the street while drivers wait. Even if there are no traffic lights installed, whenever pedestrians show signs of wanting to cross, street drivers will definitely stop and give a sign to them. I stayed in the U.S. for half a month and never saw a conflict between a driver and a pedestrian. It puzzles me even more that, although there are over 100 million cars in California, I have never seen a traffic jam in Los Angeles or San Diego. What they call a traffic jam is actually very calm compared to standards in Shanghai.

Even if gates are left open at night, things won’t be stolen.

Unlike in China, police are rarely seen in California, even downtown. Sometimes police cars pass by at night without alarms. You can see many 911 report phones in the streets so you can get through to the police center without dialing. 911 is a combination of China’s 110, 119 and 120. In the U.S., houses are most common and there are far fewer high buildings like in China (the high buildings are offices). Houses are not built with security facilities, there’s no steel windows and doors, no security guards and no camera.

See a Doctor Before Paying

I accompanied a friend to a clinic and was surprised that he didn’t pay first, nor did he show his I.D. A nurse came over, took him to the right room and the doctor treated him better than a flight attendant did. After diagnosis and prescription, he went to buy medicine at a drugstore outside the hospital. He said that even if he needed to be hospitalized, he would not have to pay anything in advance. Instead, the hospital would mail the bill to its patients. If some patients decline to pay, the hospital would not be able to do anything against the patients (those patients are mainly illegal immigrants from Mexico). If a hospital charges before treating a patient, it will be exposed by the media as inhumane and those involved will probably have their licenses revoked. For private hospitals, the government will balance bad debts with the finance budget.

Insurance of US$10

I visited the University of California at San Diego and learned that, in California, be they U.S. citizens, immigrants or even illegal immigrants without an I.D., if the student meets the entrance standards, the school must admit him or her without conditions. Tuition is different, though. It’s free for U.S. citizen and legal immigrants, but those without an I.D. must pay. However, the state government offers some education and health insurance for low-income families. If the family can prove its income is low or does not have any income and can’t afford costly tuition and health care expenditures, with an insurance company, the government will plan an insurance policy for the family, which costs about $10. The insurance company will pay for all of the family’s education and health care expenditures, which even includes dental care.

Transparent Taxing

On sales slips, the supermarket will not only list the price of goods, but also the tax you payed for them. For necessities like rice, bread and groceries, no matter how much you bought, there are only prices and no taxes.

Cleanliness

As soon as we arrived at the airport of Los Angeles, we understood that the most polluted city, with its green mountains, blue water and refreshing air, is actually much cleaner than Shanghai. When we got to San Diego, what surprised me even more is that an American city can be as clean and beautiful as our countryside. With per capita GDP of over $50,000, San Diego has very clean rivers, so clear that you can see the bottom. I stayed with my friend and found that they do not need to clean the windowsill for over 2 weeks because the air is dustless and so clean that my eyesight recovered and I was able to see remote views. The ecosystem impressed me even more as some wild animals like squirrels and weasels even appeared in urban areas. My friend told me that we must watch out for wolves if we went out at night. There are all kinds of birds at the beaches. Some seals were sleeping in the sunlight on beach, paying no attention to passersby.

On nice days, people would hang flags on the buildings, including houses in country and high buildings in town. Every flag is brand new and every pole is clean. Even in the current economic crisis, the budget for flags has not been cut; it’s about $60 for each family. Without mobilization or propaganda, on every festival or important day, every home and corporation will hang a new flag or even hold a flag-raising ceremony in their courtyard.