Daily Herald editorial

Shop until you drop starting tonight, if that’s your thing, but do take a few minutes first to be grateful because there is, indeed, a great deal for most Americans to be thankful for.

For starters, although we live in a country that has a messed-up political system and an often-dysfunctional government, both systems are still better than those just about everywhere else in the world. We can change (or keep) governments in perfect security, without violence or major civil disruptions. And as much as the last couple of administrations have worked to erode some of American’s basic freedoms, we still have it better than … well, better than just about everyone else.

We have written often about the issue of food security — specifically, the fact that about 13 percent of Americans don’t get enough to eat — but the silver lining is that there is enough food, we just have a distribution and wealth problem that can be fixed if there is a will to do so.

We have the greatest healthcare system in the world. Americans at all socio-economic levels have more opportunities than their equivalents elsewhere in the world. Most Americans have access to their own car or good public transportation. Most have a home. The list could go on and on.

There’s plenty to complain about in this land of ours. But there is fare more about which to be thankful. Take a few minutes to think about it.