Perspective on the US, India and China

Despite all the problems the US and much of the west share, here's some useful perspective from an Indian international student (BusinessInsider via Instapundit):

Strong ethics — everyone has a lot of integrity. If someone cannot submit their completed assignment in time, they will turn in the assignment incomplete rather than asking for answers at the last minute. People take pride in their hard work and usually do not cheat. This is different from students from India and China as well as back home in India, where everyone collaborates to the extent that it can be categorized as cheating.

[...] An almost-classless society: I’ve noticed that most Americans roughly have the same standard of living. Everybody has access to ample food, everybody shops at the same supermarkets, malls, stores, etc. I’ve seen plumbers, construction workers and janitors driving their own sedans, which was quite difficult for me to digest at first since I came from a country where construction workers and plumbers lived hand to mouth.

Also, despite all the criticism leveled at the difficulty of immigrating, moving to or doing business in the US, consider the inverse: "India's visa maze ensnares foreign entrepreneurs" (TechCrunch). At least there's enough of a vocal reminder in places like the US that it is somewhat insane to restrict access from some of the most (and those who want to be the most) productive people in the world.